Starbolts #650: The Terra Nova Gala

 

 Hail!

    Welcome to the 650th edition of the Starbolts! It has taken quite a long time to get to this point let me tell you.  I can't believe I started this comic way back in 2008 and that I'm still doing it today. You gotta so a passion for your work, right? And I do have a passion for writing and doing these comics every week. It's something I enjoy and I hope everyone reading these adventures enjoys them as well. It takes a lot of work doing these comics. The writing process takes some time and I bounce ideas off of a couple people. Then I have to draw everything. It's fun to do and I can't wait to continue the adventure for a long time to come!

     In this week's comic we see Crystal making the rounds as she prepares her epic speech at the party. Check out who's there! I couldn't possibly fit everyone who was ever hurt by Terra Nova on those two panels. So, I went with a select group. In the first panel we have from left to right:

Front row: Shenra

Middle row: Valentina, Simon, Shelzi, Jarl, Ellie, Sid, Holly, Norad, Aquita, Jenna, M'anta, Yeena and Crimson Justice.

Back row: Granite, Bruce, Mateo and Shrall.

In the second panel we have from left to right:

Front: Selena, Kaori, Stan, Andrea, Jack, Anya, Dendra, Nisson, Gloria and Gregorio.

Back row: The first Lady Liberty, Garazo, Takashi, Angela, Kevin, Pal'idin, Elaine, Richard, Rebecca, Avery and Tanis.

     Wow. That is a lot of people who do not like Terra Nova. There are a ton more people in that room. Trust me. I just didn't have space to put in the rest of the New Starbolts, some Department of Metahuman Affairs agents and others. Pretend they're all there wishing to give Terra Nova the send-off they DON'T deserve. This isn't that kind of funeral.

    As you can see Crystal and Firaxil are still impacted by the evil organization. I suspect that this party may not be enough to undo the damage to their hearts. Still, it has to somewhat help them, right? At least I hope so. At least Marcus is on hand to help Crystal through thick and thin as he always is. Plus Carter and Firaxil both have the shared trauma that brought them together. It's good that they're all doing this. However, there's clearly a surprise at the end of the comic!

    Looks like Sola is back and is sporting a new hairstyle! Could she be the mysterious blonde who was popping up in various comics? Perhaps. We won't have too long of a wait since I'm already working on Starbolts #651. Stay tuned for the startling confrontation with Sola. How is she alive?! That's a very good question. Answers will be coming soon so stay tuned!

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #649: The Worst Possible Conclusion

 

 Hail! 

    We are just one comic away from the epic 650th comic! But, before we get there we have this spotlight on Simon Wheeler and his girlfriend, Valentina Ferrara. Longtime readers know that these two had a history in the comic as they were once members of Terra Nova's anti-Starbolt team, the Legion. These days four members of that team have now taken up residence at Agents Academy and will be on hand to see that terrorist organization off for good.

    In Starbolts #603, it was revealed that Valentina and Carter (then known as Sola) had a romantic relationship. Whether or not it was mutual is up for debate as the Sola personality was quite ruthless. Still, there may be some truth to what she said in this week's comic. Valentina may have indeed helped to bring Carter's true personality to the surface and thus helped to free her when the time came. You never know.

    Poor Simon, though. He assumed the worst because of all the insecurities he built up at the hands of Terra Nova. They hardly did the guy any favors and Val is attempting to help him through it in the same way he helped her through everything. Don't forget. Her powers involved releasing a hypnotizing pheromone and guys like Tom abused its effects. Sola never did. That drew Val closer to her. When Carter was rescued, Val no longer had that love. That's when Simon came in to save the day.

    I guess it's an understatement to say that Terra Nova screwed up so many lives. Next week we'll see them off for good in our 650th comic and beyond. Many characters will be showing up and it's sure to be a blast.  So, stick around for that. We still need to find out what exactly happened to Carter in those pools.

Stay tuned!

Starbolts #648: Wolf-Boy Meets Girl

 

 Hail!

    In light of last week's kind of depressing tone, Sam and I thought it'd be best to lighten the mood with a comic starring Takashi Shimonoseki aka Garoukingu. Here he is on his first date with a woman he met on one of those dating apps. If you recall a while back, Crystal planned on having her friend join a dating app since his dating pool is kind of low. All of his friends have basically paired off at this point and that's got to make poor TK feel miserable. I know he doesn't have to have a significant other. But, there's no harm in trying things out, right? Right!

    I've actually created an elaborate back-story for Ms. Patel this week as I was working on the comic. Check this out. Rina comes from Mumbai, India and is from a wealthy family. Her parents once arranged a marriage between her and one of her family friend's sons. That's what she was going to tell TK before she spotted the only ginger in the joint.

    Anyway, things didn't work out between her and Raj. So, she left him and went to Cambridge University to study engineering and eventually made her way to America. She is one of six children and most of them are married by this point. Because of that, her parents pressured her to find someone and so she ended up registering on "Matchmaker". 

    Wow. That really is a deep backstory, right? We'll see how this plays out in future comics. She'll eventually meet the Starbolts in time. I'm debating whether or not to turn her into a super. Then again, there's that line from the Incredibles "If everyone's super, then no one will be.". It may be best to let her be a civilian. At the very least she could find work at the academy. Let's not get ahead of ourselves! They just met!!

    I do like the bit with Marcus and Crystal. Everything nearly fell apart and Crystal swooped in to save the day. They were good to help TK on his journey. Rina may have been a bit jumpy when she saw those two. But, I am sure the relationship will improve. These things take time. I liked the reference to Marcus and Crystal's first date. That was when they were on the run back in the early 300s. Things have definitely progressed on that front and I'm sure wedding bells are in their future.

As for Takashi and Rina? Who's to say? At least the wolf-boy found someone!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #647: Cutting Through the Red Tape

 Trigger Warning: This week's comic references sexual abuse. If you or anyone you know is abused in this fashion, please seek help.

 

Hail!

    This week's comic was a little hard to write as I really, really don't like writing creeps. I don't know what it is. But, I just can't do it without having some kind of palette cleanser afterward. I wanted to show that Jeb Arronfeld was every bit a creeper as Cody was. Maybe even more since he lived with Crystal. That guy had some serious problems and as Crystal would probably say, the Leonid who killed him probably did the world a favor.  Yeah. I have no tolerance for guys like that.

    Want to know the sad part? Ruby would justify her actions by saying she kept that monster away from her. I don't think it quite works that way. At least justice came for Jeb Arronfeld and it was likely very swift and painful. That's all I can say on the matter. The leering and lusting after Crystal likely didn't stop here, either. Now Crystal has the body of Jeb Arronfeld. I think she'd be happy to see him cremated. It's the least he deserves for being such a creep! He probably figured it was okay to do what he did because Crystal wasn't his biological daughter. Though, the Arronfelds were supposed to pretend that wasn't the case.

    It should be noted that the flashback took place the same day as the flashback with Cody and Crystal in Starbolts #628. To put things into perspective, that was definitely not Crystal's best day!

    Meanwhile Ruby is likely still suffering from the magical slashing she got back in Starbolts #638. Ruby may have been stitched up. But, her face will forever burn thanks to the inadvertent curse our young witch put on her. How's that for justice?

     As far as Granite goes, I think I've put things in motion for his eventual release. He's basically Ben "The Thing" Grimm at this point. All he needs now is a shove in the right direction and some support. He could be an asset to the Starbolts if he so desired. Perhaps one day he will join their ranks. For now he seems to be on probation and living in a swanky "cell" that has basic cable. It was the best the Starbolts could do for the poor guy. He's living in the DMA headquarters, too. So, there's that. I think he'll be fine.

    We're almost to our landmark 650th comic and with that comes the "funeral" for Terra Nova. Jeb is clearly going to be the "guest of honor". Next time we're going to catch up with Pegasus and see how the mansion repairs are coming along.

See ya next time!

Starbolts #646: Hints from Medea

 

 Hail! 

    Leave it to Medea to have absolutely no filter whatsoever and somehow manage to drop potential plot points for future storylines on the way out the door. Medea is one character who Sam and I love to write. I was cracking up so hard when Sam sent me the edits for this week's script. He called it the best work he had ever done on the former villain. 

    I think it's safe to say that we can call Medea an ally of the Starbolts now since she fixed Marcus, fixed Tanis and has yet to do anything remotely evil. The Starbolts still keep a close eye on her because she was once married to their first baddie, Demonstorm. It kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it? Was Medea every bit a victim of Demonstorm as she was? The answer is a resounding "yes!" in my opinion.

 Demonstorm was a tyrant and now that he's effectively out of the picture for the time being, Medea is free to finally be herself. She praised Carter's work on her son Tanis back in Starbolts #438 and that was just the beginning of his healing process. She has been on this sort of redemption tour for ages and I think she has done a great job trying to make amends for all the damage she did while under his umm...well..."thumb" is probably the best way I can put it.

    I do like her interactions with the ladies here. Cece clearly is having none of it. If Medea has no filter, then Cece is the exact opposite here. To each their own, I suppose.

    As far as Carter and her name goes....Yes. Sara is now Carter. I'll probably change that in the Starbolts' bio section at some point. I think the original Lady Liberty will love having Carter take her name as well as her mom. She was originally going to be called Carter when she was born. But, Terra Nova stepped in and we all know how that went. At least the twins are happy with their names and are ready to take the next step. Tune in next time as we start to say farewell to Terra Nova once and for all.

See ya then!

Starbolts #645: Birds of a Feather

 

 Hail!

    This week Pal'idin's son, Pal'idin has taken up residence at Agents Academy since his father was killed back in Starbolts #624. As you can see his sprite's are the same as his father's. There's a reason for that. Like M'anta, Pal junior is basically honoring his father's memory by wearing a similar suit. However, the suit that Pal is wearing here is basically the uniform of Dovianni's elite guard known as The Soldiers of the Talon. Everyone has a suit like that in that organization. Junior here is just a low ranking member.

    Now that Junior is on Earth, it seems that Ariel would like to adopt him. I don't think anyone would take issue with that because she and Jaime are more than capable of raising a kid. Pal'idin is alone now and really has no one watching over him and offering guidance. Who better to help than someone who has gone through a similar experience? I think they'll be a great influence on him. I just hope Junior gets over his fear of Mateo. That would be a good thing!

    Ariel would be a great surrogate mother for Pal'idin because she had similar experiences. Way back in the earlier comics I went into detail on how she was sent out as a hatchling to find help and safeguard their species since Dovianni was ruled by the Mosqukatara. Because of this, she never knew her parents and has been longing for a family ever since. Now she has a chance to make one with this kid. Let's hope he says "Yes" to being adopted. I think we all know he will say "Yes" since he already sees her as a mother. Time will tell.

For now let's be glad that Pal'idin has a home now. I think he'll be in good hands.

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #644: Bringing Down the House

 

 Hail!

    A father's love has no bounds. He would move heaven and earth for his children. In this case, Stan was more than willing to nip a problem in the bud for Carter and Crystal before it escalated into full-on persecution. As you can see from the comments from the peanut gallery, it was not a moment too soon.  Several wizards like Bruno were willing to ban void magic all together. Were it not for Stan's intervention, they may well have succeeded. 

    Thankfully Stan had an ace up his sleeve. Back in Starbolts #560,  Adelphus Longwood offered the position as head of the council to Stan. He declined then. Now he accepted and promptly handed the reins to his friends, Ethan Knight and Gregorio Arlandero. That's not all he did. As of this comic, the Order of Korun is no more! It will forever be known as the "Order of the Triad". The triad refers to the trinity of void, primal and Centurion force. 

    This trinity of magic will now serve as the governing body for all magic users within the universe of this comic. I'll go into detail at a later date. This is basically just the start of a new Order which includes all types of magic users. A new day has dawned for the magic users of the Starbolts universe. What can we expect? Time will tell, my friends.

 As far as Cece goes, she is on the mend and Carter is clearly happy her mentor is back in action. Crystal will be happy as well. It looks like things are wrapping up here in the Starbolts universe. However, we still have something else to talk about. I wonder how Pal'idin's son is doing. Someone should really check in on that poor kid....

See ya next time and find out what he's been up to!

Starbolts #643: She Saved the World

 

 Hail! 

    Wow, there's a lot going on in this week's comic! We start off covering the fallout of Ellie saving the world from Kyodon's wrath. She needed a friend to talk to and who better than the team's resident therapist, Angela? The poor girl already has to deal with the fact that her mother, Elisabeth, was the head of a terrorist organization. Now she has to deal with how her mother summoned Kyodon and had her cause problems for Ellie and her friends. That's a bit much for a teenager, isn't it? At least she's in good hands with the Starbolts. They'll help her out!

    Next we have Crystal talking to her mom about Ruby/Masque. She had a bit of a crisis concerning her name in the wake of everything. Andrea reminded her of her grandmother who we last saw in Starbolts #614 helping her other great-granddaughter repair her soul. The details of that episode are coming soon. Trust me. At least Crystal is now at peace with her name since it no longer means "crystalline skeletal specimen 001". Charming name Terra Nova came up with isn't it? Rolls right off the tongue.

    Crystal definitely enjoys seeing her parents kiss and everything because she never saw the Arronfelds kiss. As far as she knew they were in a loveless marriage. If it ever really was a marriage. You have to remember that Crystal lived in a fake farm in a fake town. Chances are good that the Arronfelds weren't really married. Crystal likes seeing them kiss because it reminds her that she was a product of love and not the science experiment she grew up thinking she was.

    And to that end we have Stan doing everything he can to protect his daughters. He wants to give them the life they never had and a life where they don't have to fear outside forces disrupting their lives. It was bad enough that Terra Nova caused them so much pain. Now he wants to nip the next problem in the bud by taking on the Order of Korun. Changes are coming to the Order in the wake of Cassandra's death and heads are gonna roll!

Stay tuned!

Starbolts #642: Loose Threads

 

Hail!

    This week we're covering all the bases in the aftermath of last week's comic where we seemingly saw the end of Cassandra, the wicked witch of the well. There's still quite a bit to go through on that front since Stan has to contend with the council and see if there are other members of the Order who think the same way Cassandra thought about void witches. Expect heads to roll when Stan Whitefox comes calling. He wants to ensure that no one threatens his children ever again.

    Speaking of Carter and Crystal, it seems their mentor is in a bad way at the moment and I am sure Cece will eventually make a full recovery. We're not sure what happened. But, I am fairly certain that the magical energies at the well greatly impacted the void witch. 

    At least the twins are well taken care of. Marcus is doing his best to help Crystal and Carter has finally been reunited with Firaxil and Dendra. I don't think Carter is going to be leaving any time soon. She'll be staying and she definitely has some explanations for what happened to her. Her soul is fixed. But, what did that entail? The comic about the ins and outs of her transformation is coming a lot sooner than you might think. Probably around #650, I want to say.

    In the meantime it looks like another story is about to come to light. What is the origin of the necklace and how was it able to contact ghosts like Scarlett? We'll see soon enough. Next week we have a few other loose threads that need to be cleaned up. So, stay tuned for that!

See ya next time!!

Starbolts #641: The Temple of Chitan

 

 Hail!

    I think I might have abused the brightness filter and glow filter on my paint program this week because three panels amped up the brightness to beyond tolerable levels. If you go blind reading this comic just know that I probably made Michael Bay proud. And that's not a good thing! 

    What is good is that the Wicked Witch of the Well is apparently fell to her death where she will be eaten by Chitan. Or did she? It's hard to say in comics. Dead is dead unless you see a body and all we see is her screaming on her way down the well. Was she eaten by Chitan? Will she somehow survive the fall? It's hard to say. One thing's for sure the temple was destroyed just the way Whitefox wanted it.

    In other news, I hope people caught Sara's name change in the comic. She now goes by Carter, which was her middle name. Why the change? Well, to answer that we'd have to talk about why she suddenly has black hair. It's a mystery. It could be as simple as a hair dye and a trip to city hall, you know. But, that wouldn't be as epic an adventure as you might think. There's a good reason why she decided to go by a different moniker. We will delve into that, soon!

    For now it looks like our heroes are victorious against Cassandra. Now all that's left to do is to go home to a hero's welcome because we're not QUITE done this arc. We're getting close so do stay tuned!

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #640: The Witch Karen

  

Hail!

    When you look at the last panel of this week's comic, you can almost see Cassandra's thoughts. She's thinking to herself "I really screwed up this time". And she has! This whole elaborate scheme to try and capture three void witches and strip them of their powers has been all for naught. Bringing Kyodon to Earth was likely a distraction and a way to bring out the void witches. Everything else was icing on the cake. As far as plans go, this was probably the most haphazard one in the history of plans.

    But, what can ya do? She's clearly new to the supervillain thing. At least things are wrapping up in a neat little bow. The pilot is rightfully scared for his life and willingly surrendered to the Starbolts. That was a wise decision on his part.

    I do like the conversation I wrote between Jack and Crystal. Crystal has gone through a lot in the last couple comics since it was revealed Ruby hired Cody and everything. I don't think she's ready to talk about it, yet. But, you know she will. She's all kinds of angry at the moment! Hopefully, she'll calm down.

    As for Firaxil? Well, you can't really blame him for being smitten by his wife's new look can you? Those two are gonna have a long talk too. 

 Now, will the arc be over soon? Perhaps. I don't think Cassandra is going to be keeping this up. Then again she is a Karen and this may not even be her final form....

See ya next time!

Starbolts #639: The Real Final Boss

 

 Hail!

    It looks like Cassandra is the final boss in this story, huh? In case you were wondering, she was the one behind Andrea's outbursts, the dulling of Stan's powers, the theft of the tome of the Skymother and a host of other crimes. I guess you could say she is a bad monkey. Seriously, what is her deal? The last time we saw her was back in Starbolts #559 where she had our heroines, Crystal and Sara on trial for the use of void magic. Now she's back and she means to rid the twins of their gifts. However, the gifts aren't anything unnatural. They're part of the fabric of the universe! She doesn't see it that way. She's what you might call a "magic Karen". That's pretty bad. At least she's seeing the manager in the next comic. =)

    I suppose everyone knew Jack was not going to kill Snake. That doesn't mean someone else won't put his head on the old chopping block. His days might still be numbered. Will he still die by someone's hands or will he live to see another day? That's up to fate to decide. By fate I mean the writer....which is me!

    At least the baddies have almost all been rounded up at this point. The Starbolts made short work of the dark avatars and I imagine the Inobes have been caught for the most part. Now their matters turn to the giant ship in the park. Will our heroes save Jack and the others? We shall see. One thing's for sure....Firaxil is very good at what he does. I hope Terra Nova has insurance for that door. Spoilers; They don't.

See ya next time!

Starbolts #638: Liberty's Children

Trigger Warning: Mention of rape in this week's comic. If you or anyone you know has been sexually assaulted, please seek out someone who can help you.

 

 Hail!

    When I said that there was going to be an epic confrontation this week, I was not lying! First up we have Crystal scarring the holy hell out of Ruby. She'll be needing to wear that mask all the time now. The cuts that were inflicted on her were the same ones that Crystal used on Cody. They were magic-based and because of that the cuts will become scars that will never heal. What's worse is that they will likely burn on her face for as long as she draws breath. Now that's a curse I can get behind!

    Did she deserve it? Umm....I'm going to say "yes". Yes, she did deserve it. I mean she was jealous of Lady Liberty and took it out on her daughter. She hired a man who she KNEW would sexually assault a minor (She was 13 at the time.). She tortured Firaxil. She had her "husband" killed. The list of charges go on and on. Ruby Arronfeld was not a nice lady. Mother Theresa, she ain't.

     I told everyone that Crystal was not going to take the whole hiring Cody thing lightly. Our heroine reacted the only way she could. With dark magic and rage. There was only one solution there. I don't think they were going to talk about their issues.

    At least she is likely to spend the rest of her days in prison for what she did. Crystal has no remorese. But, I wonder what Sara meant by "she can never kill her or anyone". Something must be up. She must know something we don't know.

    Still, it's good to see Sara is back and is rocking that raven-colored hair. Firaxil is definitely going to like his wife's new look. We'll find out what happened in the next few comics. For now we have some more pressing matters.

    What is Jack going to do about Snake? Is he going to let him live or die? That remains to be seen. The guy is literally on his knees here and he won't be standing up any time soon because this is how he manipulates our hero into doing the deed. Will it happen? Stay tuned.

    Meanwhile, it looks like we have mysterious eyes watching Stan as he explores the ship. Who is he looking for? Whoever it is was responsible for Andrea's emotional outbursts and Stan's power drain. The person has a lot to answer for and we'll be getting that reveal very, very soon.

    At least Sara is back and the Whitefox children are whole once more. They're gonna have to catch her up on everything that happened. And they'll have to find out what happened to their sister. Why does she have black hair now? What's with the gray robe? There's just so many questions! We'll find out the answers soon enough. Stay tuned!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #637: Taking Care of Business

 

 Hail! 

    Wow! This week we're heading into two epic confrontations happening at once. In one area of the Gaea we have Jack squaring off against his former friend, Richard. In another area, we have Crystal and Andrea facing Ruby. The latter may seem like a mismatch. But, wait until you see what happens. The playing field will be evened out and someone's going to be walking out of that battle a different person. I'm not going to say who. Just wait and see what happens next!

    As far as Jack goes, that was one cheesy one-liner from him. Eh, it's to be expected. He's trying to diffuse the tension by cracking small jokes. I originally was going to have the tome of the Skymother roasted. Then I remembered that it's Dovianni property. I would think they would like to have that book back intact, don't ya think? Yeah, I'd think so!

     It seems that Val has a lot to work through, though. However, I think Crystal is right here. For all of Sola's faults, she did take care of Valentina when she needed it. She was there for her and helped her through some serious stuff she had to deal with while under Terra Nova's "tender loving care". So, perhaps she has a point. Perhaps something of Sara was in Sola when she helped her. They were good friends before their relationship. 

    The problem is that Simon still thinks of Sara as Sola and that might drive a wedge in their relationship. Let's hope that when she comes back she'll be able to straighten out that boy. Valentina loves Simon and he has to realize that before it's too late. After all he was the one who really helped her get over the crush she had on Crystal. That and seeing Crystal with Marcus probably helped.

    That is quite a lot of drama! Look for more on that in the future. Right now we have some epic battles to go through!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #636: Parental Disapproval

 

    Looks like the Kyodon part of the arc is finally over now that the giant turtle understands humanity a bit more. I didn't want to delve too much into it as I'm sure everyone's heard that story before. Sufficed it to say, Kyodon learned what was good about humanity. Ironically, it all came from Elisabeth's daughter, Ellie. Man, those two have got to put the dys in dysfunctional, huh? I don't think there's any love lost between mother and daughter here. Well, it's a sad state of affairs. I don't think there's any coming back from where they are. At least Ellie has other moms in her corner. So what if her birth mom is a self-hating nutcase.

      Gotta love how the Inobe escaping took the form of several alien creatures. Something tells me they've never been to Earth before. So, they are bound to stick out like a sore thumb. More action is coming your way as our heroes take care of some unfinished business!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #635: The Great Escape

 

 Hail!

    It looks like Yeena was successful in her mission to free the Agents of S.T.A.R.. However, there is an uphill battle as Richard mentioned in the comic. I think Earth's mightiest will be able to take on the baddies from that prison, don't you? Of course they'll likely be joined by the Starbolts in mere moments. So, things are looking good for our heroes. Ah, but don't forget that the story isn't over, yet. We've still got a few confrontations left to go through and there's still that matter of the ghosts and that mysterious passenger to deal with. There's still more coming so stay tuned!

    Gregorio being used as a battery is rather barbaric I will admit. Picture him being sapped of his power, allowed to recharge a little bit at a time and then sapped again. It really is torture. It's going to take some time for him to recover. Let's hope that Firaxil and Richie do not meet up with the person who devised such a deadly device. Poor guy. At least he's on the mend.

    I will admit that I like the last couple panels of this week's comic. While we didn't see the entire conversation between Kyodon and Ellie, we do have an idea of what they discussed. We'll delve into more of that next time. I think it's safe to say that Ellie and her mother are going to have words. VERY strong words.

So much is going to happen in the next few comics. I hope you all enjoy the ride! The best is yet to come!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #634: Disorder in the Court

 

 Hail!

     Some people just don't know when to back away from a potential crisis. When a giant monster is stomping around your town, you should probably keep your distance. Makes sense, right? And it's not like there has never been a crisis IN the city. There have been several! Well, this incident was recorded and it caught Elisabeth's attention to the point that she had her Aquan friend pilot the ship toward her daughter's location. Make no mistake. Elisabeth isn't doing this out of motherly concern for Ellie's well-being. No, this is more about how the family might look. There is no altruism here.

    Elisabeth was more concerned about hosting a kangaroo court for the Agents and even then that has a fair bit of courtroom drama. Snake is clearly unhinged here. If he had the opportunity, he'd gleefully kill the Whitefoxes without a second thought. Though, would Stan have been able to stop the bullets? His powers have been weakened. So, it's hard to say if he could have stopped it in time. I think at this point Snake may be at the point of no return. There is clearly nothing redeeming him.

    Meanwhile, Yeena and Pegasus have made their way to the Gaea. Our Aquan friend is more than willing to take some risks given the circumstances. Can you blame her? She's a telepath and she along with her children can sense the emotions of others around her. She knows the Starbolts are a bit antsy at the moment. Will she be able to save them? We'll see!

More action is coming soon! Stay tuned! 

Starbolts #633: Kyodon Against Humanity

 

 Hail!

    Looks like Kyodon and Ellie are about to engage in a very deep conversation about life, the universe and everything. Will she be able to convince the giant turtle to cease her rampage? Let's hope so. Let's also hope that Ellie's anger toward her mother doesn't get the better of her. Sure she has every right in the world to be a LITTLE mad at her. However, there is a mission to complete. Though, it would help if humans didn't interrupt the action with their silly helicopters. 

    As alluded to way back in Starbolts #611,  Eleanor is indeed in a romantic relationship with one of the techies that work around the academy and Watchtower. Her name is Tricia and they've been going out for a while. How they've managed to keep it a secret is a bit of a mystery. Then again it's not like the telepaths are going to pry into the brains of those around them. That's an invasion of privacy. Still, I think her friends would be most happy she's in a relationship with someone who clearly cares for her. Will it be enough to convince Kyodon to stop her rampage? Time will tell, my friends. Time will tell.

 In the mean time, the scene is set. The players are ready. Let's see if Ellie can dance!

Starbolts #632: To Fight a Giant Turtle

 

 Hail!

    This week the Starbolts are gearing up to fight a giant fire-breathing space turtle. How do you even fight something like that? Angela tried talking to her back in Starbolts #290 and successfully quelled her rampage. Since her powers have been diminished, I don't think the same trick can work a second time. So, the Starbolts had to come up with an alternative lest their city becomes a parking lot.

   The call went out to the young and innocent among the Starbolts. They are the ones who could potentially stop Kyodon before she causes too much property damage. It's a good thing Crystal and Jack went to see the mayor before the turtle arrived. After what happened in Starbolts #618, can you really blame them for taking action here to prevent a crisis? No, no you really can't!

 I really like how Yeena is stepping up to the plate in this story because she's basically one of the only few Agents who haven't been kidnapped. It falls on her to advise the Starbolts in these matters. However, it looks like the former queen is about to take matters into her own hands with the help of Pegasus. Will they be able to find the Agents? Let's hope so!

Oh and I should point out that the coordinates I put in the comic is a real world location. It's not an island. It's actually open ocean about three hundred miles from Kiribati. Thank you, Google Earth!!

See ya next time as we'll see if Yeena and Pegasus can find the Agents of S.T.A.R. AND if Ellie and Richie can stop Kyodon before it's too late.

See ya then!

Starbolts #631: Teenager in Crisis

 

 Hail!

    Kyodon is about to make landfall in the city and the Starbolts have to prepare for her arrival. How will they stop her? She has already judged M'anta, Shrall and Aquita for not leaving when they could. So, it looks like the beast may be out for their blood. Things are looking bleak for our heroes. How will they stop her?

    Well, the answer may come from an unlikely source. I'm not going to spoil anything right away. However, the clues are in the conversation Yeena had with Ellie. It looks like Yeena is two for two in this storyline when it comes to dealing with characters who have a traumatic past. If you recall Crystal had a similar talk with her royal highness back in Starbolts #622. Yeena is pretty good with the advice and it looks like we got some insight into what motivates Kyodon.

    It seems that the giant turtle is like a genie. She has to obey whoever is controlling her and so far no one has been able to do it. I imagine Shrall and co were trying to free her from the bonds ever since she was first released. What would it take to FINALLY free her of the control of others? Something's gotta help her and I'm sure Kyodon would be quite relieved to finally be free after so many centuries of doing the bidding of various ne'er do wells. Time will tell.

 Ellie's reaction to everything is pretty well justified. Can't blame her for not being a fan of her mother right now. I'm pretty sure those two will have a LOT to talk about soon.

So much more drama is coming up. Stay tuned, true believers!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #630: Kyodon on Earth

 

Hail!

    We have some major revelations this week, don't we? The first one is that Elisabeth wants Kyodon to find and eliminate all metahumans starting with the academy. That is clearly bad news for the Starbolts. Her first target would ultimately be the academy and from there she'll be going worldwide while Terra Nova has their mock trial for the Agents of S.T.A.R. There's no other word for it. It's clearly a mock trial!

     At least Kyodon was kind enough to warn the avatars of the Gods to not interfere. Yeah, they're not going to listen while a giant space turtle is hunting their friends down. Terra Nova also warped her mind. It's going to take a lot of convincing to get her to stop her rampage across the globe! Let's hope our heroes can stop her before it's too late.

    Now we know just how the Gaea has been doing its magnificent feats and emerge from battles relatively unscathed. Now we know why a decades old spaceship has been able to withstand all that punishment! The ship was being run on pure Centurion force derived from a Centurion prime! That's a lot of cosmic power and whoever has been siphoning off the energy has been using it quite haphazardly. Something's gotta give and I'm sure Gregorio would want his powers back.

 The trial of the Agents of S.T.A.R. is on the horizon and it's just funny to think that the baddies think they have a legal leg to stand on. Who's gonna be the lawyer? Lionel Hutz from the Simpsons? Who would honestly take this case? Yeah, this is a farce and I'm sure the Agents know that.

Stay tuned for a legal drama coming soon!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #629: The New Terror of the Deep

 

 Hail!

    Kyodon has arrived on Earth and she is not happy! We last saw the giant fire breathing space turtle way back in Starbolts #290. It took Angela and her then limitless cosmic power to quell the beast's rampage back then. Now? I think it's gonna take more than just a little convincing for her to stop now that she's on a different planet. She didn't take kindly to being abducted and her wrath will be quite tremendous as Jaro explained.

    Speaking of Jaro, can you believe how smarmy this guy is? The dude is trying to get somewhere with the boss of a terrorist organization. But, is it really a crush or an attempt to curry her favor? Probably the latter. I don't see Jaro really having any feelings for Elisabeth. Still, it is kinda smarmy isn't it?

    Either way, the baddies are back on Earth and you might be wondering why they didn't kidnap Yeena when they had the chance. She was an Agent and a Starbolts parent. I guess they don't really see her as an Agent and decided to not take her. That will be a grave mistake as we'll see soon enough!!

    It's also a good thing Richie escaped with the kids and everyone when he could. I can't imagine Sara's wrath if something happened to Dendra. Well, actually I can. Can you say "Dark Phoenix"? Looks like things are heating up and the snake just doesn't care who he hurts at this point. 

Prepare for Kyodon's wrath next week, though. It should be a good one! 

See ya next time!

Starbolts #628: Different Perspectives

 Trigger warning: This week's comic includes a scene involving the sexual abuse of a minor and grooming tactics. If you or anyone you know has been sexually abused, please seek help.

 

Hail!

    This week's comic has a trigger warning because once again Cody is in it. I don't think I'll be able to ever do a comic with him in it that doesn't have a trigger warning up top. At least this week we've found out a few new things about him. The first and most obvious thing is that he was hired by Ruby to be Crystal's "bodyguard". Well, the "bodyguard" got a little too close to his charge and things happened. Our heroine was clearly impacted by these events and we know that eventually she was saved by Marcus and joined the Starbolts. She eventually fell in love with Marcus and the rest is history. Still, it's hard to see/read these stories with Cody. But, this bit of the tale had to be told because of what'll happen when Crystal inevitably confronts Ruby. He was hired by Terra Nova and he decided to take advantage of the situation. Once Crystal finds out about all this (And she will) you can bet that heads will roll.

    As you can tell by Ruby's conversation with Elisabeth, she felt perfectly justified by her actions. Ruby was and still is consumed with jealousy since she has a bitter rivalry with Andrea. It's probably a one sided rivalry. But, it's a rivalry nonetheless. Ruby was supposed to train her to fight Andrea. Things didn't go as planned and Crystal thankfully escaped. Though, she did come out with some scars.

    I also have a bit of a scenario of what happened after the tryst. Crystal ran from Cody's apartment with her ripped dress and tried to run away from everything. She did NOT enjoy her time with that man at all. She tried to run away and was caught by Ruby's henchmen who dragged her back to her house kicking and screaming. In the heat of the moment, she forgot about Firaxil (then known as Dennis) and just needed to run from everything. After that moment, things went downhill until she was rescued and I don't think I'll be writing about those moments. It depends, I guess. I really don't like revisiting Cody.

    At least Crystal is on the mend these days. She's planning on using Jeb as the "guest of honor" at the Terra Nova "funeral". As you can imagine, it won't be a pretty. It will be cathartic, though given all the things she went through under their "care". 

    I do like how the two flashbacks mesh together this week. They're in the same time period but a different perspective. Hence the title. But, while Ruby felt perfectly justified by her actions, Crystal bore the brunt of the decisions. Things are going to explode soon and we'll see some intense fireworks!

See ya next time!

Oh, and it should be noted that Cody died in Starbolts #504 and is now roasting in the bad place for all eternity as seen in Starbolts #506.

Starbolts #627: The Worst Inobe

 

 Hail!

     I figured a bit of levity was in order this week after a few comics where tragedy seemed to follow our heroes. Enter two criminal Inobe whose shapeshifting abilities have been severely limited as punishment for their crimes. Don't get me wrong. They're still dangerous and one Inobe on a starship can cause a lot of damage. However, these two have inhibitors implanted in their bodies that deny them the ability to change form or limit the form they can take. They turned into pink blobs when they beamed on board and that was the last time they were able to transform. Alton and Yelva didn't think things through, did they?

    Meanwhile, it looks like Cobra is on his way to Earth and has challenged the Watchtower to a battle. He can try to fight them. But, we know that he'll fail miserably. Or will he? There will be plenty of action next week. So, stay tuned! And hey is that Pegasus and Yeena with him? Hmmm....I wonder what they're up to.

 I do like the brief character bit I put in for M'anta and Jenna. As a telepath, you can imagine the thoughts of his teammates are filling his mind and are distracting him a little. He needs to focus so that his team can win the day. Let's hope he can maintain focus.....and not turn into an amorphous pink blob.

See ya next time!!

Starbolts #626: The Strike of the Cobra

 

 Hail!

  Wow! Elisabeth plans on unleashing Kyodon on the people of Earth? That's not good. That's something a next level supervillain would do. In fact, that's what the dark avatars did to Aquarius a long time ago. We last saw Kyodon way back in Starbolts #290 and she was under the control of Jaro himself. What could she possibly want with that creature? Well, Terra Nova does mean "New Earth", right? Perhaps she really does want the organization to finally live up to its name and go out with a bang.

    Speaking of bangs it looks like the Xazes had its fair share of bangs and now they have two intruders on board in the form of amorphous purple blobs. They won't stay that shape for long. They're Inobe and they can change their shape into anything. They may be better shapeshifters than our pal, Firaxil. However, they will be no match for a Centurion! Look to see some more action next time!

    Jack trying to appeal to his friend was definitely in vain. So much for talking him out of the madness. More madness is bound to come now that the avatars are free and they plan on unleashing a giant space turtle on Earth. This doesn't bode well for our heroes.

Stay tuned!!

Starbolts #625: Playing Cat and Mouse

 

 Hail!

    It's very rare that I actually get a chance to post a comic on April 1st. I think the closest I ever came to an actual April Fool's Day comic was way back in Starbolts #101. I usually don't do joke comics very often because it would ruin the flow of the current storyline. That and it's probably best to save them for special occasions like Christmas, Halloween and New Year's. 

    For this week, I wanted to get right into the aftermath of last week's comic which saw the death of Starbolt ally, Pal'idin. It seems that our friend, Pal, had a son who was also named Pal'idin. We'll be seeing him in the future. Will he be joining up with the Starbolts and take his father's place at their side? Probably. The Pal'idin sprites are just too awesome to retire. ;) I kid. I think having a child of Pal'idin joining the Starbolts continues the theme of the comic.

    The theme of the comic has always been about the next generation of heroes making their place in the universe. Obviously danger comes from all sides and now we have Terra Nova threatening to sick the dark avatars on our heroes again. What could they hope to gain by releasing four Aquans powered by the gods? Oh, a lot of damage can be done and Elisabeth knows it. The real fun will begin.

    As far as Pal'idin goes, the Starbolts were right to take their deceased friend with them since the Dovianni are still sketchy about space travel. How else would the body have been given to his people?

    Now we turn to the Agents. It's clear that they're trying to do whatever it takes to escape. Luckily help has arrived for Earth's mightiest. Will the Starbolts be able to save the Agents of S.T.A.R. and stop Terra Nova from freeing the dark avatars? You'll find out next week!

See ya then!

Starbolts #624: The Tome of the Skymother

 

 Hail!

    This week tragedy strikes the Starbolts as an old foe returns to get his revenge on their ally, Pal'idin. His name is Halconis and he hasn't been seen in the comic since Starbolts #81 and that was way back in 2010!  I think Mr. Halconis still holds a bit of a grudge after all these years. I had been wondering how to bring that villain back since he was incarcerated on his home world of Dovianni. I figured he was eventually transferred to that Inobe prison and if you've been reading the last few comics, you'd know what happened there. I wonder who else has been freed by the snake and the others. We now know of three prisoners: Ruby, the Leonid who killed Jeb and now Halconis. Only forty-seven more left to be revealed. Are any more prisoners people with an axe to grind against the Starbolts? Maybe. Just maybe.

    For now we have a bit of a mystery. A mystery passenger was mentioned by Cobra before he and Halconis transported to the library. Who is she? Well, I can say that she definitely works well with Ruby and admires what she's been doing to Andrea. Could she be responsible for the second Lady Liberty's emotional outbursts? I'd say so. How? That's anyone's guess at this point. 

    I think after this comic, Garazo and CJ will be joining our heroes in the hunt for Cobra. Their chaotic tour around the galaxy has to end as their list of crimes mount! See ya next time for more drama. Who knows what will happen next. No one is safe from Terra Nova! On the plus side it's good that the Setleth home world is healing!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #623: Never Dishonor a Leonid

 Hail!

    This week we learned about the final fate of Terra Nova operative, Jeb Arronfeld. I honestly wouldn't shed many tears for him. Not only was he responsible for abusing Firaxil and Crystal when they were children. He also played a role in the kidnapping of Firaxil's parents when their ship crashed landed on his "farm" in Kentucky. See Starbolts #355 and #356 to find out what happened to his accomplice.  I still say Firaxil took it well all things considered. Then again the big guy was not in his right mind at the time.

    His partner in crime got the justice he deserved. Now Jeb shares his fate. However, these weren't the only crimes of Jeb Arronfeld. There are some that are just too icky to even put in the comic and I've put some icky things in there. The man was not shy about his leering at Crystal and lusting after her. Crystal noticed it early on and Ruby even tried to get him to stop. It didn't always work.  Jeb felt that she wasn't really his daughter so it was okay to have the feelings he had despite the fact that Terra Nova had the two pretend to be her parents. Expect this to be brought up when Crystal confronts Ruby. There's definitely more to the story.

    Leonids value honor above all else and Arronfeld paid the price for his ignorance. You never insult a species that prides itself on honor. The way I see it, he made some offhand remark to the cat-like alien and the next day he got stabbed through the heart. That was a painful lesson to learn. At least there was some poetic justice to his death since he did abduct two innocent Inobe dignitaries and faked their deaths.

  Crystal's reaction was honestly the best one I could think of because she's definitely right to have a cold reaction to her death. She has been kind of cold, hasn't she? Hmm....Perhaps she should talk to her sister about that. Where could Sara be? Hopefully, Firaxil is right in that she'll appear when everyone least expects it. Time will tell! More action is coming your way next week!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #622: A Mother's Love

 

 Hail! 

    The Starbolts are off on their hunt for the Xazes! Will they be able to find the Agents of S.T.A.R. and stop Smythe and Ruby? Let's hope so. They don't know that Elisabeth is also with them. So, they assume this is a two person operation. I think they're going to be surprised that Ruby has an army of prisoners at her command AND Elisabeth King as well. Yeah, there's gonna be some trouble.

    I do like how the talk Crystal and Yeena had turned out. Crystal was bound to be upset at last week's revelation where it turned out the woman who raised her was none other than her real mom's archenemy, Masque. That's a tough one to deal with since she grew up idolizing her own mother and to be raised by Masque is just something she just can't deal with. However, she will deal with it in her own way. It's a guarantee that sparks are going to fly. I don't think it'll be a happy conversation!

    With Yeena being a telepath, she can sense peoples' emotional state. This makes it easy for people to talk to her. Many of the Starbolts confide in her and she often shares her wisdom with the group. It's good that the team has someone to confide in. Lord knows they need someone like her right about now!

   Crystal definitely has some strong feelings about how she was raised by that terrorist organization. It might just come to a head and now that our heroine has limitless magical abilities, who knows what she'll do. One thing's for sure, she has every right to be angry. What she does with that feeling is up to her. Either way, I think Ruby better be careful what buttons she pushes.....

 See ya next time!

Starbolts #621: Jailhouse Rock

 

 Hail!

    I guess you could say things have gone from bad to worse for our heroes now that Smythe and his cohorts have initiated a jailbreak and freed Ruby Arronfeld and several of her fellow inmates. Don't feel too bad about her husband, Jeb. Chances are he looked at a surly alien the wrong way and ended up dead in the exercise yard. It happened quick and it happened not long after their arrival at the Inobe pen. Can't say he'll be missed!

 I picked some random aliens for the transporter effect. I dunno if we'll actually see them when the Starbolts finally catch up to the Gaea. We'll see. Suffice it to say the relationship with the Inobe are a little shaky but not as bad as Danar is making it out to be. He tends to over-exaggerate and Crystal rightfully put him in his place.

    As far as her parents go, it seems something is sapping Stan's magical energy and that's why he can't teleport out of there. Something may also be heightening Andrea's emotions. It's hard to say right now. But, all will be revealed in time.

    Crystal's still dealing with the revelation from last comic so I don't think she's up for dealing with Danar at the moment. That's why she lashed out. It was definitely called for because Danar is a jerk.  She'll have some time to breathe next comic and have a talk with a friend. 

Stay tuned as this story marches on!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #620: The Secret of the Gaea

 

 Hail!

    Wow! There are quite a few reveals this week, huh? There are bound to be more surprises around the corner. For now let's just unpack what we have here. First off we have the revelation that the ship that crashed and was sent to Area 51 was an Aquan vessel attempting to find help since Aquarius was under Mosqukatara rule. The bugs ruled the planet for several decades and was liberated when the queen was killed. You can see the final battle in Starbolts #467 and Starbolts #468.  In the daces before that, Criam sent soldiers out into the Alpha quadrant looking for help. One ship unfortunately made its way to Earth and well....the results speak for themselves. 

    As it happens, the facility where the ship was built and where the aliens were taken was actually the place where Sara and Crystal were born. Their future caretaker, Cece, visited the same facility in October of 1983 when her brain was zapped by Zarantha and she became the pair's nanny. You can see the action in Starbolts #551. Looks like a desk was conveniently added to the room in the intervening decades. That was nice of Terra Nova. Too bad about the smell. I'm not sure what it could be. Might just be bad ventilation for all we know.

    Finally, it looks like Ruby was Andrea's old nemesis, Masque. This unfortunately means that the villain carried Lady Liberty's baby. I don't think Ruby did it out of the kindness of her heart, though. No. She did it because she wanted the child to grow up to kill Lady Liberty. The tables have turned and now Crystal is Lady Liberty. She's not happy to learn that Ruby was Lady Liberty's arch nemesis. But, it is cool that Sara and Crystal were born on Halloween. This makes them Scorpios. That would explain so, so much, wouldn't it?

    Jack looks comfortable in his role as Iron Eagle. He's definitely going to be put to the test. Running damage control is one thing. Going up against an old "friend" will be something else. So much stuff going on this week. I do wonder how Sara's doing and how she'll react to the news that Clive didn't deliver her. Time will tell, my friends!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #619: Damage Control

 

 Hail! 

    You knew this was coming. Jack was on the road to becoming the new Iron Eagle and the destruction of the mansion really kicked it into high gear. Snake has no idea what he's in for now that his old "friend" has embraced his grandfather's legacy. This was something Terra Nova feared and why they tried to kill him on D.I.S.C.O.R.D. island all those years ago. Snake is in some deep trouble!

    I think the conversation between Scarlett and Anya was pretty good. It's not often someone gets to talk to their boyfriend's dead ex. Not too awkward at all AND they at least have that shared love for Jack in common. So, that works. He's lucky he has two ladies looking out for him. And the best part is that Scarlett and Anya don't have hard feelings toward each other. Anya has to do what Scarlett can't and just be there for Jack. She will. Count on it!

    Now, about that ship Holly mentioned. We know that Terra Nova hasn't shied away from using alien tech before. They did have Firaxil's parents captured. The alien ship is not Inobe. However, the ship did belong to a race we have seen before in the comic. No spoilers yet. But, sufficed it to say, people are not going to be happy.

    Why would Terra Nova use alien tech, though? All will be revealed soon. It's just interesting that a terrorist group like that would use technology from an alien ship to suit their needs. Interesting, indeed. The question is who owned that ship and will the Starbolts be able to find it? Stay tuned!

See ya next time for more damage control! And doesn't Jack look spiffy in red, white and blue?

Starbolts #618: Big Badaboom

 

 Hail! 

    Wow! Things have certainly escalated for our heroes haven't they? The Dastara mansion was unceremoniously demolished and it looks like Cobra has teamed up with none other than Elisabeth King, the former head of Terra Nova. Yeah. I'd say the Starbolts definitely have their hands full in this story arc. Jack and Crystal already have an axe to grind with Snake. Can you imagine how they're going to react when they find out Elisabeth was the one helping him? Oof. Heads are gonna roll for sure. 

    Andrea was definitely right to be angry with Elisabeth. That one lady made it her mission to deny her her children. We'll probably get to the reason why sooner or later. She's not the only one from Andrea's past who may make an appearance. I can't say any more. But, you can imagine that she won't be too happy to see that person again.

    Snake is definitely out for revenge here. This goes back to that quick conversation Scarlett had with Crystal a few comics ago. You can't let revenge consume you.  If you do, you'll end up never feeling satisfied. Crystal will take those words to heart. Meanwhile, I think Jack will probably up his game and become Iron Eagle a lot sooner thank expected. Will it happen? Well, his former best friend forced his hand. So, I would say....Yes.

    As far as the mansion goes, it'll be replaced and built back better than ever. They may need to make some adjustments to the old arc reactor. A few more security measures would be a good thing. Not to mention a fail-safe or two. Jenna did some quick thinking and saved her mother's armor while everyone else saved her father's armors. Look for some character drama next week. Let's hope our heroes can find their parents before it's too late!

   See ya next time!

Starbolts #617: Broken Directive

 

 Hail! 

    It took some doing and now Pegasus's memory subroutines are finally unscrambled and it looks like the one who scrambled them in the first place was none other than Richard Smythe aka Cobra. Who didn't see that one coming? ;) Obviously, the Starbolts and the Agents are all in danger. What other plots has the snake cooked up for our heroes? Whatever they are, they can't be good! 

    Can you just imagine what Norad uploaded into his father's database? He caught him up to speed on ten years of Starbolts adventures. He missed out on M'anta, Aquita and Shrall's parents joining the Agents of S.T.A.R. Had he been incapacitated in a year or so, he'd have probably taken those two hostage. He was only able to take Crystal because of her genetic similarities to her parents, Stan and Andrea. 

    Either way, Pegasus is back and is ready to help the Starbolts with any problems Cobra might throw at them. You can bet that the "Parental Directive" is going to also see some slight tweaks here and there once this mission is over and done and their parents are found. Here's hoping they're found soon because something big is on the horizon. Stay tuned!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #616: Pass the Necklace

 

 Hail!     

     It looks like things have definitely gotten a little off track now that the Starbolts have inadvertently activated the holographic representation of the Agent known as Pegasus. The last time he was seen was in Starbolts #612 where he got a crash course in Starbolts history thanks to his creator, Richard Dastara. While Pegasus's heart seems to be in the right place, he may be operating under the assumption that the Starbolts are still teenagers. Remember, his first body was destroyed shortly after discovering the whereabouts of Crystal Whitefox. That was a little over ten years ago in comic time. Because of this, he still thinks of them as teenagers. He's going to be getting a very rude awakening soon.

    Speaking of Crystal, I enjoyed writing that bit of dialog between her and Scarlett. Crystal still feels a bit of rage when it comes to Richard Smythe. After all he DID kidnap her and Sara and that led to the two being implanted and raised by two terrorists. We all know what happened next. At least they were found. 

    Crystal enjoys learning about the childhood she clearly missed as it gives her more of a connection to Marcus, Mateo, Kevin and Jenna. She doesn't feel like an outsider that way and feels more like part of the group. You'd think that would've upset her. But, honestly she'd take anything of a past she wishes she had and make it part of her present. Her sister on the other hand? Sara would swear at Clive's very existence and now that she's a void witch she would use her powers against him to torture the mad scientist in VERY gruesome ways. Ironically, Crystal is the level-headed one here.

 So, now the Starbolts have missing parents to look for as well as Smythe. Are the two things connected? Hmmm.....It's a possibility. You'll just have to wait and see!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #615: A Ghostly Present

 

 Hail!

    This week the plot thickens and gets into high gear. Who sent Jack that necklace? More importantly how did it get to Earth since D.I.S.C.O.R.D. island both exploded AND was transported to another dimension! The island itself is now in the Outlands as last seen in Starbolts #455. So, how did it get back here? Was Scarlett wearing it when she died? These are all good questions and they will be answering them when the time comes. For now, let's just be glad that help has finally arrived for our ghostly friends.

    Speaking of ghosts. It's clear that Scarlett has taken a shine to Crystal. She is fiercely protective of her and her twin. After all she was supposed to be their godmother and likely would have accepted the role if Snake hadn't faked their deaths AND killed her in cold blood. If you thought Andrea was protective of her girls, you haven't seen anything yet. Expect a scene with Crystal and Scarlett soon. They have much to discuss.

    In the meantime, the ghosts of Soldier Six need the help of their successors. Will they succeed or will they be too late? This storyline is just getting started!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #614: The Soul Cleaver

 Hail!

     This week Sara finally learns about the weapon that ripped her soul apart. What exactly is a "soul cleaver"? What did it do to her? More importantly....Where is it now?! With Terra Nova gone for good, you can bet that the knife is in nefarious hands. There's no good use for a soul cleaver. So, the person who has it now has GOT to be bad. We'll find out about the new user sooner or later. For now let's take a step back and look at how far Sara has come now.

    She finally learned about the weapon. This means she can begin the healing process and eventually become a powerhouse in her own right. Crystal is part of the way there. But, just picture how awesome it would be to have two fully functional void witches in the Starbolts roster along with a newly minted Iron Eagle. You might see something like that for the fourth of July this year! Just imagine the grandchildren of Iron Eagle taking their place as heroes in their own right. The three of them have had long and dangerous journeys to get to this point. I think they'll be ready for whoever has that glowing blue knife.

 We also learned a fair bit about what happened to Andrea after Carter "passed away". Andrea was more or less raised by her grandmother and she taught her most of what she knew. Was she flippant? Oh, yes. That attitude is hereditary! We might get more snippets of the original Crystal's backstory sooner or later. Keep an eye out for that. Looks like 2023 is going to be quite the epic year. Stay tuned!

 Oh, I should probably note that Velocity is the clone in stasis. She was on her way to being planted in the Guardians team for Zarantha's little plot.

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #613: Talking with Myself

 

 Hail!

    The new year starts off with a bang as Sara encounters a great-grandmother who shares the same name as her twin sister. I think Crystal will be happy to learn this because Clive was the one who named her all those years ago. Clive called her "Crystalline skeletal mutate zero zero one" when she was born and that was later shortened to Crystal. Charming, right? Yes. Sufficed it to say Crystal will be MUCH happier knowing that her name and her middle name are from two ancestors. For those keeping score it's "Crystal" and "Ahyoka". 

   Now, what about Sara? Well, she's going to have to take a trip down memory lane isn't she? I've already referenced her trial in Starbolts #416 and the basement scene in Starbolts #421.She has a long road of recovery ahead of her and I am confident she will emerge from all of this a whole new person with a complete soul and everything. How do I know? The power of advanced plot points! It's handy to have. I can't say how it will be accomplished. But, have patience because it is going to be a wild ride. And don't worry. I haven't forgotten the snake at the academy.

   As far as the original Crystal goes, here's her info. She was born in Ireland in the late 1890s and dabbled in the mystic arts. She's the mother of the fame heroine Spitfire aka Peggy Tennant. She helped to raise Andrea along with Carter, the first Lady Liberty, when her parents were killed. She lived just long enough to see Andrea marry Stan in the 1970s. The rest as they say is history.

More on her story will be discussed soon. For now, let's see how she will help her great-granddaughter piece together her soul.

See ya next time!