Starbolts #662: The 2023 Wrap-up

Hail! 

    A new year is upon us and this week's comic looks back at a few of the major events that transpired in the comic in 2023. The biggest event was when Kyodon came to Earth and stomped around town for a while. That was just the backdrop for a few other things happening this year. For example, Crystal found out Ruby hired Cody Dillinger to be her bodyguard. That didn't turn out well. We also had a major shakeup within the Order of Korun once an evil witch Karen was removed from office. So much more happened. I was not able to put it all into one comic! So, I stuck with some plot points that'll come into play in 2024.

    We will likely check in on Pal'idin's son as he's now stationed on Earth as a member of the New Starbolts. Poor kid lost his parents. He's gonna need all the help he can get. 

 We will also check in on Ruby. For those of you who are wondering what Medea did this week, I'll explain. Medea basically made her feel all the pain Crystal had felt from being kept apart from her real family to being sexually assaulted by Cody. All the pain hit Ruby at once and that's never going away. Just like those hideous scars on her face.

    You have to wonder why Medea is being so kind to Crystal lately. The way I see it. It's because the witch doesn't want Crystal to go through any unhappiness of any kind like she did. Medea sees herself in Crystal in terms of body type and personality. She doesn't want her to go through the pain she went through when she was married to Demonstorm and was forced to do unspeakable things. Santa/Odin called Crystal a "pure soul". We'll be finding out what that means soon enough.

       This now leaves Nikki and Cal. I revealed that they were Sola and Rick reborn in Starbolts #652. They'll be playing a role in the soul sword/cleaver arc coming up. For the moment it looks like they're taking on new staff for their perfectly legitimate enterprise. NO SHADY DEALINGS HERE! Yeah, I'm sure they're on the straight and narrow. Remember, they can't be touched by the Starbolts. But, I don't think they'll be all out evil. Nah. I see them as shades of gray. They'll do good things when it suits them. And Nikki already said she doesn't consider herself a Whitefox despite being Carter's clone.

    All in all 2023 was a pretty full year for our heroes. Next year is bound to be just as eventful. Stick around because we have a LOT going on. And as far as Tom goes....well, he'll be turning up again like a bad penny. Sometimes people don't know when to quit. See ya in 2024!

Starbolts #661: Days of Christmas Future

 

 Hail!

    The best Christmas present Crystal could ever receive is any baby picture of her with her real family. Santa delivered and Marcus got all the rewards. It's just as well. Santa isn't in it for the groupies. No. He's all about helping others much like the Starbolts. Still, I wonder a few things. Where did he get that picture? Well, as it turns out Marcus's hunch is correct.

    Santa took it upon himself to go into an alternate reality where Carter and Crystal were raised by the Whitefoxes. There, he found a photo of the family, made a copy of it and brought it back to his own reality. Now, you might say that the family isn't really "hers" because it came from a different reality. Here's the thing. For all intents and purposes it is her family. There's only a few minor differences and Santa had to find the one reality in the multiverse where the differences are negligible aside from one major difference: Who got to raise Carter and Crystal?  I hope that makes sense. There's a lot of timey-wimey stuff involved here.

    Now, I bet you're wondering about the other names jolly old Saint Nick has under his belt. Well, the Norse have called him Odin. Could he be Odin in disguise? Perhaps. The signs are all here in this comic. He lives in the cold Arctic. He has a long, flowing beard. He called Tommy a "mortal". The only thing is Odin has ONE eye. Eh....I'm sure the elves made one for him in the workshop. Then again Santa could be from another pantheon altogether. You never know. Gods do exist in this universe. Santa being Odin makes sense. Just be thankful he isn't Zeus.

    The Christmas trilogy has come to an end. You can read the other two here:

Starbolts #661: Days of Christmas Past

Starbolts #662: Days of Christmas Present

Tune in next time for the year-end spectacular! I hope everyone has an amazing Holiday! See ya next time!

Starbolts #660: Days of Christmas Present

 

 Hail! 

    Part two of our Christmas comic trilogy is here and it looks like someone is going to be getting a coal mine's worth of coal. I don't think there's any redeeming qualities for Thomas White. Do you? Yeah, unlike the other former members of the Legion he is not willing to turn over a new leaf. The man is obsessed with Crystal and I don't think he's going to stop now that he knows she's with Marcus. In fact, I think it might make him green with envy. Don't worry. I think Marcus and Crystal can handle him.

    Anya and Marcus discussed the plans for Crystal's present. I wonder what that might be. Well, aside from being a former Russian spy Anya Petrov was also a supermodel. Put two and two together and you might see where this is headed. Don't worry. This won't be the ONLY present Crystal is getting this year. I'd tell you. But, there'd be spoilers for the next comic.

    I'm fairly certain Crystal will like whatever Marcus gets her. She's a different woman now and definitely doesn't suffer fools like Tommy over here. Oh, that guy's going to be in for a world of hurt at the North Pole. I hate writing characters like him. But, it's satisfying to see the comeuppance.  I think Ellie's probably gonna want to take a crack at him. The man crashed HER ceremony. Dude has no class and it's easy to see who the better partner is for Crystal this week and every week to be honest.

See ya next week for the final part of the Christmas trilogy!

Starbolts #659: Days of Christmas Past

 

 Hail! 

    I hope it's clear that Tom was not meeting the real Crystal in that daydream. She was wearing a different shirt after all. AND you all know as well as I do that Crystal would never cheat on Marcus. Ever. Tom has had a crush on Crystal ever since they met years ago. It all came to a head way back in Starbolts #308 just after she and Marcus started dating. Look for that crush to come crashing down VERY soon.

    Marcus is finally on the mend after dealing with Demonstorm in his head and now he plans on making his Christmas present for Crystal the best it can be. He feels like he owes her for everything. Whatever it is, it will be a good one for sure. He'll just have to deal with this minor annoyance coming to town. Sufficed it to say Tom will be met with some resistance. He is NOT going to get anywhere with Crystal. Do you think Crystal will let him down gently? No. No, she won't.

    This week's comic is the first of the three holiday comics I have planned for this year. I think over time it'll be even more Christmasy. I mean we already have a mention of Christmas and Garazo showed up in a Santa hat. You can't argue with that! See you next time as we get a party crashed (again) and where a heroine gets a just reward.

See ya them!

Starbolts #658: All Our Yesterdays

Hail!

    This week's comic serves two purposes. The first is to give readers an idea of where the Starbolts all came from and what they are all about. The second is to continue on from Starbolts #657 where Jenna announced that she and her husband, M'anta were having a baby.  I also figured I'd take time this week to show everyone just how their relationship got started in the first place. As you can see it started from very humble beginnings.

    M'anta and Jenna were teenagers when they first met and while they and the other Starbolts were fighting the good fight as teenagers with attitude, they bonded over life experiences and eventually one thing led to another. They became close and after a heart-felt talk with Aquita, Jenna decided to take things to the next level with her boyfriend.

    Aquita made sure Jenna was aware of the consequences. We're not talking "having sex with an alien" kind of consequences here. These are more "You will be telepathically bonded with the person you have sex with" consequences. That's why Aquans take sex so seriously. They view it as a very spiritual thing.

At least now we have the backstory for their romance. Tune in next time as we move the story forward. Jenna and M'anta may have a baby coming. But, more surprises are definitely around the corner. Stay tuned!

See ya next time!

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

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!