Starbolts #657: Small Miracles

 

 Hail! 

    Wow! That was a huge announcement from M'anta and Jenna! Not to overshadow Norad and his search for a name, but, this was pretty big news. Norad's story is probably going to have to be put on the back-burner because I'm honestly not sure if I'll actually get the android a new name. "Norad" is a cool and unique name, isn't it? So, why change it?  At least it led into the main plot of the comic and that of course is the announcement of M'anta and Jenna having a baby.

    The decision for those two to have a baby had been floating in my head for a while now. I was always wondering when it should happen and how. Well, Sam and I figured it should happen when the two leaders of the Starbolts are relaxed enough to conceive. That night finally arrived and now the two will welcome a new baby in nine months. And that child eventually grows up to be Rose,the green time ranger last seen in the time travel arc and in the last three panels of this week's comic.

    Rose's time period may have been changed a bit due to the events of the arc from Starbolts #462 to #494. There are still some things that remain the same. Sirak, Rose and the rest of the children of the Starbolts were still arrived and became "time rangers". However, there have been slight alterations to the timeline. What those changes are remains to be seen.

By the way, the reason why Sirak can't go to the moment his parents announced him is an emotional one. Sirak was conceived a month before his grandfather with the same name was murdered by Terra Nova agent Rick Baxter who would later become Cal.

    Now, the question of how Mateo and Aquita were able to conceive quickly and M'anta and Jenna wasn't should be addressed. The way I see it is that Mateo and Aquita were relaxed and that played a huge role in conception. With Jenna and M'anta being leaders, they were under a lot of stress. One has to wonder what their roles will be once the celebration is over. Stay tuned for that as the old order may have to changeth!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #656: Norad's Day Out

Hail! 

    This week's comic focuses on the Starbolts' resident android, Norad. Since becoming more human in Starbolts #544, our friend has been on a quest to better himself and to better understand humanity. His "self-friends" have been helping him along the way for sure. However, he feels that certain changes have to be made in order to become more human. To do this, he took what Kellie said to heart and has decided on a new name since he feels it would help him be more like everyone else. Will it work? It remains to be seen.

    His fellow android, Holly, is already mostly there. However, she is a completely different being in many ways. For one she was once human herself. Remember she was once an exotic dancer in Las Vegas. Agents of Terra Nova kidnapped her and put her neural patterns into a robotic shell. That shell became the villainous Syntax. The truth about her past revealed back in Starbolts #537.

    Holly has been having an easier time adjusting to everything and she honestly remembers what it meant to be human. However, it's bits and pieces to be honest. She's a literal ghost in the machine. Thankfully, she's on hand to help ease Norad's transition to becoming like her. Though, one has to wonder if Holly is developing feelings for him. You never know. Stranger things have happened in this comic.

    Norad still has a ways to go, though. He's still technically a three-year old and has much growing to do. I do admit to liking how he handled the mugger. It has some Johnny 5 from Short Circuit vibes doesn't it? Let's hope our friend gets all the help he can on his journey. It was nice that he found a fan. 

More on Norad's journey soon!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #655: A Haunting Conclusion

 Hail!

    Happy Halloween 2023, everyone! I decided to go a different route with the usual Halloween comic where I torture Richard "Cobra" Smythe and the usual hi-jinks that ensue. I decided to focus on ending the Soldier Six ghosts' storyline for the time being since I left their fate up in the air. Obviously they weren't asw exterminated as Cobra wanted them to be. Nope. Instead, they now have to walk the earth and haunt the man who killed him--FOREVER! And get this. The powers that be gave them permission. The universe really does have a sense of humor! I'm sure we'll see the ghosts again from time to time. But, we won't see them for a while. Let the spirits rest because they have bigger fish to fry!

    I thought the costumes for our heroes were pretty good this time around. Firaxil as a xenomorph from the "Alien" series was a great idea and I love how that sprite came out. I do wonder how he's going to kiss Carter at midnight, though. Then again those xenomorphs have two mouths, right? They'll work something out. 

    Crystal as Jessica Rabbit was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. She's just as curvaceous as the cartoon character and has the red hair, too. How could I not go that route? Plus she has her darling Roger with her. Marcus as Roger Rabbit works on many levels. Gotta admire Crystal's confidence. She's definitely becoming the person she is meant to be and is getting comfortable with her body image. No one would dare judge her at this party. Still, I wonder if she'd be singing. Who knows?

    Jack and Anya are dressed up as two members of G.I. Joe: Flint and Lady Jaye. They were a couple in the old '80s cartoon and even had an offspring who was seen in season three of the Transformers cartoon. All of the Hasbro toons were connected in a cinematic universe that predated Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though, Transformers and G.I. Joe were produced by Marvel Productions at the time. Makes ya wonder, doesn't it?

    I hope everyone has a great Halloween. Next time we'll be back with some more Starbolts goodness and hopefully Firaxil remembers how to turn back to his normal self. It would suck if he was stuck like that. Then again, he'd probably give baddies a heart attack based on his appearance.

See ya next time!

Starbolts #654: Working it Out

 

 Hail! 

    Things are a little steamy this week and there's a very good reason for that! Crystal has been under a lot of stress ever since Ruby broke out of jail back in Starbolts #621. It was only a matter of time before she reached a boiling point. Thankfully, Marcus was on hand to diffuse the situation and earn some serious boyfriend points in the process. He's a good man. He wants to make sure Crystal never feels bad about herself. 

    It's probably normal for her to feel kind of numb about the whole Arronfeld thing. Think about it. The man was a terrorist who tortured Firaxil, faked his parents deaths and ogled Crystal while she was growing up. In her mind, he was the first in a long line of creepy men lusting after her. She never wanted any of them and now the first man who treated her like a piece of meat has finally met his end. She likely feels numb because she never got a chance to tell him off like she told off Ruby near the end of that Kyodon storyline.

    Crystal finally being unchained from the past now means she can move on and along for the journey is her rock, Marcus. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I like writing these two characters because they GET each other. She needs constant positive reinforcement due to the things she had to go through and he recently had to deal with Demonstorm in his head. So, I think they've found a common ground. However, she sometimes sees herself as broken. Marcus made it his mission to prove her wrong.

    With that said, next comic is the annual Halloween comic. I'm probably going to keep it lighter in tone as we've had a lot of heavy stuff going on the last few weeks. So, stay tuned!

See ya next time!

P.S. This is probably the best Marcus/Crystal comic I've made so far. I like how this one turned out!

Starbolts #653: Setting the Ground Rules

 

 Hail!

    This week the party crashers finally take the hint and go home! However, there is a price that has to be paid. Nikki has to help Carter find the magical knife that separated the two of them while she was held captive by Clive for two years. I suspect that's easier said than done. Look for more on that storyline soon. It's sure to be a good one!

    As far as Cal goes, one has to wonder if he was really meaning to be a letch to Crystal or if he was just trying to get under her skin the whole time. To be honest, it's probably a combination of both. Before his resurrection, Cal was indeed a crass scumbag who constantly went after Jenna during their school days. Now he's married and is basically at it again. I think he and his wife are going to have a chat....and it's not going to be the kind you may be thinking.

    At least those two are gone for now and the scene has been set for the next part of the arc. However, we still need to wrap up this "funeral" for Terra Nova. Look for things to start wrapping up next week. I have a feeling Crystal will want to end this party very soon after everything that's happened.

See ya next time!

Starbolts #652: The Party Crashers

 

  Hail!

    There is a lot to unpack with this week's comic. Sam and I thought we should take a different approach to Carter's talk with her parents because in this case we felt that she had every right to be angry. Carter wants what she should have had with her parents for her daughter, Dendra and is willing to do anything to make it happen. She never grew up with the Whitefoxes and so she wants her to know her family and everything. Thankfully, Stan is Earth's sorcerer supreme and a dedicated father. He will make sure his children are well taken care of. For all we know, he probably sealed a protection spell on his children without them knowing it. It's possible!

    At least it was a great conversation and one that was a long time coming. Carter called him "Daddy" and that was a big step for her. 

    Meanwhile, Carter's twin sister's dealing with the lecher that is Calvin. This guy just wouldn't let up! Calvin is well aware that he's married to Nikki. However, I don't think it's a "marriage for love" arrangement. Of course he might see it as a free pass to act however he wants. I'm sure he'll get his just desserts soon enough. The Aquans definitely sense something off with him. M'anta, of course, is brooding. Look for a confrontation between M'anta and Calvin next week.

    Speaking of confrontations, it looks like we're heading into one with Carter and Nikki as well. Here's hoping they can settle things before it gets too out of control. But, with Nikki around who can say? She's definitely going to have to talk to her husband. You don't hit on your wife's clone's sister who'd technically would still be her sister. He'd probably argue that it's all still the same woman. Like Yeena said. The guy's a letch. He definitely has a type. More on those two next week. It really is too bad we can't just toss them out of the nearest airlock.

See ya next time!

Starbolts #651: The Dead Live

 

 Hail!

    There's a saying in comics circles that the only people who truly stay dead are the Waynes and of course Peter Parker's Uncle Ben. Anyone else is up for grabs when it comes to a resurrection.  One of my favorite comic panels has Hercules visiting the underworld and you see a ton of dead Marvel characters gambling to get their second, third or fourth chance at life. Comics are weird like that and we have our own resurrection in the form of Cal and Nikki.

    Cal's death was in a flashback way back in Starbolts #63. So, you know that was a very deep cut. Cal was Rick Baxter at the time and he was the one responsible for the death of Sirak. He had shot him while Aquita was giving a concert. There was a manhunt and eventually there was a confrontation on the roof of Dastara manor. He tried to kill M'anta but his gun misfired and he fell from the roof and was impaled by the statue of the Aquan god of Justice, Xazes. Xazes, if you recall has a sword that Shrall now uses as a symbol of justice.  At the time, I admitted it was a fitting end for that man. He was a slime bag who got his just desserts. There was just no redeeming him in my eyes. Now he's back and it remains to be seen if he changed his spots.

    Now we come to Sola. She was killed in Starbolts #405 and for a while she was the alter ego of our heroine, Carter aka Sara. The Starbolts didn't trust her one bit. I think being a living bomb kind of puts a damper on their relationship doesn't it? 

    Once Nikki and Cal were brought back to life, the two were married after a very short courtship. They were brought back to life in some hotel suite. You can say a lot of things about the universe. But, at least it has a very sick sense of humor about these things. So, now they are back and it turns out that Nikki was the one who gave Jack the necklace which allowed him to speak with his dead ex, Scarlett. I wonder if that was her way to make amends for all the pain she caused. You can see that back in Starbolts #615. 

    The universe definitely came to collect when it brought those two back. It all started when Chief had M'anta and Crystal save Yeena and Carter from certain death in Starbolts #476. I wonder how those two are going to feel about being the cause for those two being brought back. We'll explore that next week. 

See ya next time as the parents talk to their daughter. What a way to kick off a storyline!

Here are the other comics referenced this week:

Starbolts #19

Starbolts #409

Starbolts #494