Starbolts #612: Year-End Retrospectives

 

 Hail! 

    Happy New Year, everyone! Welcome to the Starbolts year-end extravaganza! I thought that I would create a jumping on point for new readers of the comic this week instead of just recapping the Starbolts greatest hits in 2022. At over 600 comics it'd be hard to figure out the origin of the Starbolts and their mentor team, the Agents of S.T.A.R. so I thought I'd have Richard "Cobalt" Dastara reflect on his past and the role he played in the formation of the Starbolts.

    The Agents are their world's mightiest heroes and the Starbolts have a lot to live up. However, in the coming year you will see them break out of that mold and carve out their own legacy. Will they be bigger than the Agents? It's possible. New threats are looming in the shadows like our friend Cobra in the last panel.

    New readers can now see just how the team was formed and get a feel of what the Starbolts are all about. They are the next generation of heroes trying to find a place in the world while dealing with alien invaders like the Mosqukatara, extradimensional despots like Demonstorm or beings from beyond time and space like the Professor. If you toss in Terra Nova, the Starbolts have had their hands full and have vanquished most of them. However, more threats are out there and soon we will be dealing with them. Will the Starbolts be ready? You bet they will.

 Eagle-eyed readers may notice some interesting developments in that Starbolts group spread in panels thirty-five and thirty-six. Angela has a new costume reflecting the Centurions and Valentina and Simon are hanging out with them. Interesting developments, indeed. Could they be joining the Starbolts? One never knows. The future is uncertain. But, our heroes will face that uncertainty head-on. Look out for more Starbolts action coming your way in 2023!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #611: Holiday Surprises

 

 Hail!

     Happy holidays from the Starbolts! It looks like this holiday comic reveals that our friend Ellie is in a relationship with one of the techies who run maintenance on the Watchtower and various equipment at the academy. One has to wonder how Ellie and Tricia met. Well, it's an interesting story and Sam and I might reveal it in time. For now, enjoy this little peek into their relationship. I know we've hinted at her possibly having a relationship with Richie. However, that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

    In the new year, Sam and I will be delving more into this relationship and you can bet Ellie's mom, Elisabeth, won't be too thrilled about this. But, wait! Isn't she in jail?! Well, yes. However, a lot can happen off panel. You'll just have to wait and see what's coming in 2023! Stay tuned for our sneak preview!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #610: The Twin Thing

 

 

 Hail!

    How's this for an amazing coincidence? This week's comic comes out on "International Twin's Day"! That's pretty cool, right? I don't know if Sam and I intended it to be like this or not because we were a little late working on the comic. Not sure what I can say to that but it is cool. 

    As you know Shrall and Crystal both have a twin, M'anta and Sara respectively. Both of them are younger than their siblings by a matter of minutes and so they have quite a bit in common. The only difference is M'anta tends to be more by the book than Shrall is. If someone were to ask Crystal and Sara who the "evil twin" was, Sara would shrug and say it was her and there would be no objections.

    The twin thing is a connection that twins have to their siblings. M'anta and Shrall have it along with their telepathic connection. Sara and Crystal do as well despite the fact that they were never in utero together. They still had a strong bond and it only got stronger when the truth about their parentage was revealed.  Crystal is not used to the connection and so it's a good thing Shrall was nearby so he could explain everything to her.

    Shrall and Crystal were friends before she even knew she was a twin so there's that connection. Now they have something to bond over. Their siblings are career driven workaholics who need some fun in their lives from time to time. But, Shrall is a bit more used to "the twin thing" than Crystal is and so she's going to be calling on him for guidance a lot more than she used to. 

    Now as for Cobra. It looks like the ghosts are going to be in deep trouble. How are four ghosts going to be able to contact the Starbolts and warn them? We'll find out in the new year. I promise. We'll have that and more coming your way. Stay tuned for the annual Christmas comic!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #609: Her Shattered Soul

 

 

 Hail!

    This week's comic sees Sara travel twenty thousand light years to a planet at the border of the Beta and Delta Quadrant and what does the first Terran out that far do? Yaks her dinner. That'll leave a lasting impression on the Venatii. Eh, I'm sure it'll be fine. Worse things have probably happened on their world. I will say that it was difficult designing their buildings. Sam suggested something we've never seen before in alien architecture. Round buildings with no straight lines in sight. I think I managed to get the right idea. It is a good one since so many buildings in the galaxy have corners and all that. As you can see, the planet is very flat. It's basically just grasslands and cities as far as the eye can see. It's amazing how the Venatii evolved in this fashion.

    Still, let's hope that the pools offer our heroine a solution to her soul problem. As seen in this week's comic, Stan worked tirelessly to try to help his daughter ever since she returned from Clive's captivity. As Earth's sorcerer supreme, he was able to detect Sara's fractured soul. He didn't want to alarm her and so sought out to fix things himself. Sadly, there were no Terran remedies at hand. Once again a daughter of Stan Whitefox needed to seek help far beyond the confines of Earth. He's okay with it. Trust me!

    Meanwhile, it looks like the Snake has gotten a bit more brazen in his observation of the Whitefoxes. Observing his prey at dinner probably isn't a good idea especially when you've got two super-soldiers, a couple witches, an alien shapeshifter and Earth's sorcerer supreme at the dining room table! On a scale of one to ten for bad ideas, this is probably an eleven and a half. What does he want? And why weren't Anya and Marcus at dinner? Well, I'm sure they had some other stuff going on. This was spur of the moment after all. They'll be filled in in time. However, the Snake is a looming threat. The Starbolts better beware because the Cobra will strike soon!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #608: The Hidden Snake

 

 

Hail!

    Two new story arcs are about to begin this week! One will see the return of Cobra aka Richard Smythe and the other will see Sara on her journey to becoming whole once again. The question is how did she get fragmented to begin with? Why is she unable to summon a shield when her twin sister can? These are all very good questions and they will be answered in time. She's going to have one hell of a journey coming up and I think she'll be better for it. You might even say she'll come out of it a new woman. Shh. Spoilers.

    As for the Snake, I was tempted to have him hang out in the last panel. But, at this time he's a little busy trying to find Stan Whitefox's library. He needs something in there that might help him with his small ghost problem. What could he be planning? He was observing everyone who has a connection to Terra Nova except Sara. So, it's really curious what he's up to. We know he wants to rid himself of the ghosts of Soldier Six. What will he do to achieve those goals? The plot is thickening. More shall be revealed next time.

See ya then!

OH! And I should note. No. Crystal and Marcus did not go off to be intimate. Cobra just assumes the worst of people because he's a jerk.