Starbolts #709: Woman and Machine

 Hail!

    Well, it looks like Roger Stevens has escaped justice yet again. Let's hope our heroes can finally capture that scumbag! I'm sure they will. You can't say Crystal wasn't clever pretending to be the Lady Liberty android. It's just a shame the plan didn't work because it was a good one. Perhaps the team just needs to disable the portable transporter unit in Roger's suit! That couldn't hurt.

    At least this excursion wasn't a total waste. We finally learn that the androids cease functioning whenever they encounter the being they were based on. It's a strange flaw, I know. Let's just keep in mind that the Setleth built these androids. The Setleth are a clever people. However, their creations tend too backfire every now and then. It's too bad that the original Sentinel died in Starbolts #271. With him gone, the Sentinel droids are free to wreak havoc. The Starbolts will have to find the factory and defeat the so-called master mold.

    That adventure will have to wait as next week we'll be having our annual Christmas comic and the week after that will be our New Years comic. Look forward to this storyline wrapping up in 2025. I have an idea for how it ends and I think Steve here might be getting his just desserts. We shall see.

See ya next time!

Starbolts #708: Outsmarting the Brain

 Hail!

    Wow! It looks like Cyclone Consulting isn't quite with the times, huh? Yes. Doug and Remy are indeed a couple and the baddies here are not exactly LGBT friendly. This does bring up an important question, though. If they are against LGBT and are on a quest for perfection, why did they recruit them to the group? It seems kind of strange, doesn't it? Well, you could argue that they were just hired based on their superpowers and that's it. Doug is super intelligent and that could serve them well. In time Remy could be a useful spy with his shapechanging abilities. They could be kept around just to serve them but not actually take part in the whole perfection angle. It's a cult, sure. But, they'll still use other people in their plans regardless of who they are and who they love.

    At least Crystal is finally face to face with Lady Liberty Unit 925 and I don't think she'll be reacting nicely to the android.

    I do like that there are parallels with Doug and Remy and Marcus and Crystal. Both couples took their sweet time getting together. Though the difference here is Doug and Remy couldn't because of their ties with Cyclone. Marcus and Crystal could have hooked up a long time ago. But, she had her own things to deal with before she could even consider being in a relationship.

 Next week's comic will see the end of this phase of the cult playing cat and mouse with our heroes. I'm sure the Starbolts will be fed up with their antics. The week after that will see the holiday comic. Be sure to check that out as we've got a lot of things coming. Rest assured 2024 will end on a high note in the comic!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #707: The Brain of the Office

 Hail! 

    This week we finally learn who the real brain of the office is! Doug here has a superhuman intellect and it's amplified when he's hooked up to this crazy contraption. Why did Cyclone Consulting hook him up to the crazy thing? It seems a bit excessive doesn't it? I guess it's sort of the point. They're on a quest for perfection and studying Doug would help them attain their goal. Poor guy will realize soon enough that Cyclone Consulting also isn't his friend! 

    At least now we've learned how this group got tangled up with Cyclone Consulting in the first place. They all wanted to be Starbolts and were on their way to the Academy to sign up for classes when Roger Stevens stopped them before they headed to the admissions office. Remember, he was on campus and was also a teacher. So, it stands to reason that he could conceivably stop new students from being admitted AND had them join Cyclone. The worst part is he did it right under our heroes' noses. There really is no rock bottom for Roger is there? He just keeps going lower and lower.

    I also wanted to put a new spin on the fights with Remy and Babs. They really didn't want to fight the Starbolts to begin with. I don't know if it's true for the others on the team. But, I think once the dust settles those two may be admitted to the real academy. I'm not sure on the others. I think they'd fit right in. Time will tell on that front.

   Next time we'll see how things go when M'anta and the others show up to help take down Cyclone Consulting. Don't think for a second that this is the end. Don't forget Roger Stevens is running for President with an android version of Crystal as his running mate. Things will be heated for sure. 

See ya next time!

Starbolts #706: Stolen Identity

 Hail!

   Looks like our heroes definitely have their hands full! Not only did the android version of Crystal effectively stole the real Crystal's background they have to deal with rogue metahumans and a few Sentinel drones. You might say this is yet another day at the office for the Starbolts and you might be right. However, things are a little different now that Roger officially announced his candidacy. They'd have to take him out before the primary and before he can get any political momentum.

    Unfortunately, Roger is a former superhero and a popular one at that. By taking in a Lady Liberty as a running mate, he's pretty much assured a place in politics. Let's see if our heroes can stop them before it's too late!

    Meanwhile, we've been introduced to another new metahuman. This one's name is Inque and he's from New Orleans like a certain Cajun member of the X-Men. The only difference is that the X-Man known as Gambit actually has scruples, morality and is a decent guy despite his criminal background. Inque here doesn't seem to have any of that. We'll see how Crystal deals with him next comic. We'll also be seeing how Marcus handles the speedy lady.

    For now let's keep the faith and hope that our heroes can get out of this mess! By my estimate there's still one metahuman on that team whose powers I haven't revealed yet. I'm still trying to figure it out. I wanted to make him a master of magnetism. But, I don't know. I'll have to think about it. 

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #705: Saving America

 Hail!

    Well, this is an interesting turn of events! The Lady Liberty bot is going to be Roger's vice presidential hopeful in his race for the White House. Interesting because the real Crystal is a bit too young to be vice president. She's like twenty-six years old at this point. It'll be mentioned in the next comic for sure. I'm sure people will focus on her age more than the fact that the Lady Liberty running with Roger is actually an alien android. Yeah. If you know anything about politics, it's always ONE issue that people will focus on the most and it's never the most obvious issue with a candidate.

    Either way, I don't think they'll have a leg in this race. They might not even make it to Election Day. We'll see how things go. Right now it looks like Roger wants to take his message to the national stage.

    This week I've introduced us to Jamal. Jamal is the magic user on this new team of metahumans. But, is he really a magic user? That's hard to say. He's really a metahuman who can tap into magical energies and make it look like he's a magic user. It's a strange power and it's currently unknown what the extent of his abilities are. 

    It's also interesting to note that Roger appears to look normal to everyone else even the reader. The events of last week's comic left him cursed. He now sees his old enemy Jade Skull when he looks at himself in the mirror. Creepy, I know. I suppose it could really just be an after effect of having Jade Skull's spirit inside of him. I'm not 100% sure what Medea and the original Iron Eagle did to him. But, I do know that he's now cursed. Will he lash out? It's hard to say. Stay tuned as we tag along with Roger on the campaign trail!

 

See ya next time!

Starbolts #704: Yesterday's Iron Eagle

 Hail!

    Happy Halloween! I decided to go a different route this Halloween because I wanted to give the Soldier Six ghosts a little vacation. They deserve it after the whole "pass the spectral necklace" fiasco. So, I decided to go with the ghost of Carter, Jack and Crystal's grandfather Steve instead. Steve teamed up with Medea to cause a little bit of trouble for Roger Stevens, the second Iron Eagle. It's always good to see Medea and it looks like she's still on her redemption tour.

    I did reference a lot of old Starbolts comics this week didn't I? Here's a series of links if you'd like to check them out:

Starbolts #240-275

Starbolts #437

Starbolts #688

     Whew. That's a lot of comics. At least I summed things up neatly this week. It seems that Roger has been keeping a big secret. He's not as free from the Nazi Jade Skull's influence as we thought. Every time he gets angry he reverts to the Jade Skull form. All Medea and Steve did was draw it out as a form of punishment. What this will mean for our heroes is unknown. I doubt it'll change much since Roger was well on his way to becoming a fascist anyway. Now it's just more apparent because he has the mark of a fascist villain in his soul. If there was no way for him to be redeemed before, there's no way to redeem him now. Once you go full fascist there's no way he could ever redeem himself. 

    Steve did his best to try and turn his successor to the light and in the end it failed and obviously the Jade Skull possession had nothing to do with how Roger became Iron Eagle. That revelation will be made clear soon. 

I hope everyone enjoys the Halloween comic! Have a great Halloween! See ya next time!

Starbolts #703: The Buzz Around the Office

 Hail!

   Wow! Isn't this a huge surprise? It looks like the Starbolt known as Dragonfly is back and is working for Shrall. King Shrall sent our buzzing buddy to investigate the man who bought the Sentinels and the Lady Liberty android from Barbo. There may be more to the story here. But, we'll have to see. At this point you have to wonder who is really working for "Cyclone Consulting" here. We have four Starbolts "working" in the office and now we have Tanis down with the metahumans. The only saving grace here is that the higher ups don't suspect a thing! That's probably going to change soon enough.

    Speaking of the metahumans, we have now been properly introduced to the ladies on the team and their names are Heidi and Barbara aka Babs. Heidi's basically the tank of the team. Her powers include superstrength and invulnerability. Babs serves as a speedster. They also referenced someone who is a reject from the magical Order of Korun. Could he be another magic user? It's hard to say at the moment. The team has three more members and in time I'll give them names and powers. I just have to think about what powers to give them. Nothing is set in stone except for the ladies. I really wanted to make one super strong and the other super fast. I'll work on the others' abilities soon!

    It looks like the organization they all work for doubles as a cult that wants to perfect the human genome. This falls in line with Crazy Steve's lover picking him to be the father of his child. She felt he was the best person to help usher in a new age for humanity. The people in the cult are obsessed with the idea of perfection through genetics and that includes metahuman DNA. This also falls in line with that attractive woman hitting on Firaxil earlier. She probably had her eyes on our Inobe friend and his genetic potential. I wonder what her reaction would have been if she knew he was an alien.

    We also got a little insight into one of the Alliance treaties. Hostile aliens must visit Earth and any other Alliance world via diplomatic channels or else there'll be severe consequence such as military retaliations and the like. Makes sense give how many times the bugs invaded Earth.

    The next few comics are going to be interesting as our heroes will have to deal with the cult, the androids, Tanis buzzing around and of course their original target: Crazy Steve. But, before we get there we're going to have our annual Halloween comic next week! Should be a good one!

See ya then! 

Starbolts #702: Working Nine to Five

 Hail!

    Our heroes have infiltrated the consulting firm and found that they are putting a team of metahumans together! To make things even more interesting, it looks like one of the members of the team is a Mosqukatara warrior. That's uh....definitely a choice there. I mean the bugs are known throughout the galaxy as tyrants, dictators and authoritarians. Does anyone think this guy might be any different? That remains to be seen. Like the old saying goes, you need to be careful of the company you keep. Sure you might want to keep your enemies close. But, a bug? That's a bit iffy. We'll see what happens like I said.

    I'm not sure what abilities the other members of this squad will have. I'm thinking one of them might have superspeed to compete with Marcus and another might have superstrength. I'm not sure. I haven't made their full character sheets yet. I assure you by next week's comic they'll have names, psychological profiles and power sets. Will they join the academy? It's hard to say.

    Leading this bunch is of course one of the Lady Liberty bots we met back in Starbolts #680.  I wasn't about to let that plot dangle. For some reason Dexter Howard thought Earth needed a Lady Liberty bot hanging around. Why? I don't know. It can't be for anything good. So, this team has a bug AND a bot. That's not a good look as far as the Starbolts are concerned. Firaxil's reaction is more than justified.

    That reminds me. I was tempted to make the blonde lady who hit on Firaxil a metahuman. But, nah. I don't think I want to mix up the office front with what Steve's organization is really doing. I'll be exploring that next time. For now, I think I'd better get that report on the boss's desk by five!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #701: Assembling the Team

Hail!

    Looks like our heroes are headed to the rat race this week. This time, however, they're on the trail of an actual rat. His name is Steve and if you've been reading the comics for a while you'll see that he was responsible for a lot of shady things happening in the Starbolts universe. First he tried to kidnap the Whitefox kids' mother Andrea. He got himself tangled up with an organization that unleashed several robots on an unsuspecting city. Finally, his organization woke up an ancient witch. The Starbolts have decided enough was enough. It's time to take the battle to the bad guys! 

    This week's comic also continues the arc from previous comics since Marcus and Crystal got engaged in Starbolts #700. I wanted to show how Marcus's parents reacted to the news about their son's engagement. Stan and Andrea's reaction was likely off camera and of course they were happy. I also wanted to show baby Dendra and how she's been doing and she's been learning how to shapeshift through animal books. Dunno if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

    Anyway, our heroes are at work. We'll see if they get involved with office drama and if they find the former Iron Eagle. He has a lot to answer for and our heroes will be the ones asking the questions!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #700: A Decent Proposal

 

 Hail! 

    We're finally here! The 700th edition of the Starbolts and what a celebration we have this time! We all knew this was coming eventually. Marcus and Crystal became an item back in Starbolts #303 when they had their first kiss. The hints for the romance were always sort of there. I initially just wanted to test the relationship to see how it would fly and it worked out pretty well. Marcus and Crystal compliment each other well and now they're going to get married. That wedding is sure to be a star-studded event. I'm not sure when it'll take place. It might be in a comic in 2025 or 2026 depending on  my mood. I think it might be best to have it be next year. I'll have to talk to my editors about it and see what they think!

    Anyway, it was a long time coming for these two lovebirds since they had been pining for each other for ten years or so in the comic. Thankfully, they got their feelings out in the open and now they're ready to take the next step in their relationship.

    I do like how Marcus and Mateo mentioned Mateo's proposal to Aquita. You won't find that in the comic. That was actually in the prose version of Starbolts. As a matter of fact, I should probably put up excerpts from the prose version on the site. However, a lot of things are no longer canon and it wouldn't gel with how the comic is now. For example, Jack was a completely different person. He was kind of a jerk when he showed up. At least certain things remained constant when I transferred the story from prose to the comic.

    At least I can always do flashbacks to that time period. I do go back to the prose version of the story every once in a while and see what could be added. I'm always looking for ways to improve the comic and my writing as well. So many things changed since I started writing this story in the 1990s and sometmies you have to move forward. 

    Seven hundred comics is a lot of work and I've been doing this comic since 2008. Even in the comic there have been changes to how the sprites all look and I'm always looking for ways to improve my work here as well. Who knows what the comic will look like seven hundred comics from now! Time will tell. I'm not going to be slowing down any time soon.

     I'm glad I made it this far and it's good to have this romantic payoff for two of my favorite characters in the comic. Starbolts #303 was when I decided to elevate Crystal to main character status and I think that worked out for the best because it allowed me to make Carter, Firaxil and Jack main characters along with Marcus. That cast fits together well. My only regret is that it took my so long to find a group of main characters to focus on for the comic. At least that's a good group of characters! 

    I hope everyone enjoys the comic! Here's to many more!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #699: Partners in Crime

 Hail!

    As if it wasn't clear already, Crystal and Marcus are made for each other. They compliment each other nicely and that makes them the perfect partners in crime. Well, they are superheroes. The sentiment still holds! We've got a nice little romantic payoff this week and for the 700th comic I'll be taking a break from the action to see how things pay off. Judging by the ring in the last panel, I think you'll see where this is going. But, don't worry! This won't be the usual "man proposes to woman" trope. I'll be doing something a little different next time and I hope everyone enjoys it!

    Meanwhile Tom got himself into a huge pickle as Marcus put it. He was in some serious trouble with the locals and his universal translator malfunctioned at the worst possible moment. It's never a good sign when an alien princess wants to hurt you and ideally you shouldn't stop for a second in a dark alley in a strange neighborhood. Good thing Marcus came by to save him albeit reluctantly. Other people would have let him suffer a bit. Marcus has a good heart. But, Tommy was definitely not grateful. Because of this he's not going to learn the truth about Zarantha and Hexuba's customs.

    The way I see it. Hexuba and Crystal talked a lot about Tom on the way to the garage and in the air. That was when they created the plan to trick Tom. In order for it to work, Marcus had to be kept in the dark. I'm sure he would have kept his mouth shut. But, it's better to be safe than sorry. I'm sure we'll see Hexuba and her father, R'ndor again some day. Diplomatic channels are now open so anything is possible.

Next time the comic celebrates its 700th edition! I hope everyone enjoys it! See ya then! 

Starbolts #698: Mistaken Identities

 

 Hail! 

    It shouldn't come as any surprise that Cobra killed R'ndor's wife. Cobra has a history of killing women and/or stealing their babies. The question is why didn't our new friend tell his daughter what happened to her mother. Well, maybe he did tell her and she didn't want to believe it. Who knows? Maybe Tom tried to tell her he had nothing to do with her mom's death and hat he was different from the man in green. In a sense that's true. He wasn't seen in the battle the Legion had with R'ndor and Ulxana. Poor Hexuba probably doesn't know the whole story.

    I think Crystal will give Hexuba and her father the details next week while Marcus chases after Tom. I don't think he and Hexuba will be getting together any time soon. That relationship went south REAL quickly! I don't think they'll be recovering from that.

    We're getting close to Starbolts #700! It should be a good one as events in this arc have been leading up to it. But, first we need to close the book on Tom for now. See you next time when Marcus and Tom have a showdown!

See ya then!

Starbolts #697: An Interdimensional Incident

   Hail!

    Leave it to Tom to cause an interdimensional incident. That man is a menace on Earth and in the Outlands. Let's hope our heroes can clean up this obvious misunderstanding and do it before he mates with Princess Hexuba. Then again they might not even be compatible. Sure the denizens of the Outlands look humanoid and everything. But, are they physiologically compatible? I'm not sure. I'll have to hammer out the details on that.

    We never had much information about the denizens of the Outlands before and now it's a great time to go into details about the people and their lives. Obviously, they're a monarchy and their king is definitely someone you do not want to mess with. I think he borrowed that sword from Garazo. And maybe the outfit. Either way, the guy has a short fuse and Marcus and Crystal may be in trouble.

    It's interesting to note that R'ndor said the floating island has brought nothing but chaos. I can believe that. Since all the defensive measures protecting the island from intruders has been disabled the natives are free to finally check the place out! I don't think they're going to like what they find! 

    Meanwhile, it seems that Crystal and Carter have become friends with Heather. I wonder what plans they cooked up for Marcus. We'll see it in Starbolts #700. Stay tuned for that!

 We also have M'anta enlisting the aid of Nikki. She'll be helping to bring the organization responsible for toying with the Starbolts down. She won't be joining. But, she will be siding with them on this one goal. Will they succeed? Time will tell. For now it just seems like Marcus and Crystal have their hands full with a guy who looks like a cross between Macho Man Randy Savage and He-Man. This is gonna suck for them.

See ya next time!

Starbolts #696: Betting on the House

 Hail!

    Well, that was one way to end the threat posed by the wicked witch Zarantha. Marcus was betting on his bond with Crystal being strong enough to save them and it was! Now, I didn't want this comic to read like everyone was saved by the power of love or anything. That's not it at all  Zarantha was defeated by plain old hubris. She sorely underestimated Crystal and Marcus and that ultimately led to her downfall. She had no way of knowing that our heroes bonded the night before. See Sttarbolts #686 for details.

    Crystal and Marcus had been trying to bond on the mystical level for a while now and this time they found a way to make it stick. She bent the rules of magic to suit her desires and thus a bond was formed. I see her going to her parents for help on the matter and Stan and Andrea likely gave her some valuable pointers because after all they were the original rule breakers. Stan and Andrea did their best to buck tradition and it paid off for their children. Though, I have a feeling it'll be a lot easier for Firaxil and Carter to bond. Jack and Anya might go a different route. 

    As far as Zarantha goes, she has a fitting fate. She's stuck in a universe that was once teeming with life and is now completely dead. There is no life and because there's no life there are no souls to consume. She might find a way back but her powers are diminished and now she has to stay there forever. She is immortal and is now the only thing living in that universe. Well....I don't know if I'd call her "living". She looked kind of undead when she was pushed into the portal.

    Next week is going to see a epilogue of this adventure. I imagine some loose ends are going to need to be tied up in a neat little bow. That new organization our heroes have been fighting has been doing some pretty nasty stuff lately. First it was the robots and now it's this wicked witch. What are they planning? Why must they test our heroes? These are all good questions! Stay tuned and find out the answers!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #695: Hungry Like the Witch

 Hail!

    Yikes! It looks like Zarantha has entered the final boss stage of her evolution! Let's hope our heroes can stop her. She placed a dark bubble around Dodger Stadium and now the heavy hitters can't come in and save the day. Firaxil and Angela are the strongest Starbolts and if they can't get in, our heroes inside the bubble may be in for the fight of their lives. Let's hope they can save the day.

    Keep in mind Carter had no idea this was going to happen. I don't think anyone could have foreseen this kind of development. If you use a soul cleaver on someone without a soul, you'd think that would have been it. Looks like chaos magic is more unpredictable than she or anyone else realized. It's going to take a lot to defeat Zarantha now and I hope our heroes are up to the task!

See ya next time!@

Starbolts #694: Soul Cleaver Fever

 Hail!

    Finally our heroes have the soul cleaver and Carter plans on using it on Zarantha herself! What kind of an effect will it have on that witch? It's hard to say. I mean Zarantha doesn't exactly have a soul anymore. Theoretically, the knife wouldn't work on her, would it? Well, either way we're going to find out what happens when the "food" fights back. The question is who is going to be the one to stab her with it. Carter? Crystal? Marcus? Jack? These are all good questions to be sure. Next week we'll be seeing the battle and I think there may be a change in personality for Zarantha. She's gotten....umm....hangry.

    This week the Starbolts were introduced to Nikki's girlfriend, Heather. A while back I had her cameo in a comic when she showed up for an interview. She got the job almost immediately and no it wasn't because of her looks. Heather's really smart and Nikki sees that in her. In fact, she and Cal are probably the only ones who see past her beautiful exterior. Heh. Remind you of anyone? 

    I think Heather could possibly be the audience's lens in this comic. She's observing all the weird things going on around her and wondering just what she's gotten herself into. Her boyfriend Cal came back from the dead and isn't a zombie. Her girlfriend Nikki is a clone of a superhero. Things are a little complicated. But, she's handling things really well.

    So, we're marching toward Starbolts #700 and it looks like an epic battle is on the horizon. Will our heroes emerge on top? Let's hope so. It's going to be a challenge to quell the witch's hunger. We'll see what happens next week when Zarantha herself goes under the knife!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #693: A Desperate Escape

 Hail!

    Here it is, folks! The whole reason why Zarantha has been after Crystal all these years is because she sees our heroine as food and not in a zombie needing brains sort of way. Zarantha studied chaos magic and because of her studies she lost her soul. Now she has to consume other souls in order to survive. There's a catch! The souls she consumes must be from void witches. That's pretty gross! This basically means that in all those battles with Zarantha she was basting Crystal and getting her ready to be consumed. She will go to great lengths to satisfy her hunger. That's what happens when you study dark magic like chaos magic. You essentially become a lech. It's her own fault, really.

    Speaking of baddies causing their own problems, we have trapped Tommy in the Outlands! How long he'll stay there is up to Sam and I. It's really his own fault for shooting the sensitive equipment. Everything would have been fine if he had just calmed down and went along for the ride. Nope. Tom doesn't play with a full deck. All he wanted was to score with Crystal and his lust left him stranded in another dimension. Will he ever go home? Maybe. I might bring him back because there are natives in that dimension and we can't have a human influence them. Think of the damage he might cause! 

    At least our heroes are back on Earth. It looks like Marcus and Crystal landed on Nikki's balcony. Too bad Nikki isn't at home right now. Her fight with Zarantha seems to be going well. We'll be seeing the satisfying conclusion to that fight soon!

    We're marching into Starbolts #700 and the fun is just getting started!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #692: Chasing Crystal

 Hail!

    Well, it looks like our two lovebirds have been reunited and it was not a moment too soon! Marcus may be a tad impulsive. But, that's just a result of his speedy nature. He thinks five steps ahead of everyone else and it can be a little bit extra. However, you can't argue with the results. He is the perfect person to run in and grab Crystal before the wicked witch can bat an eye. It's her own fault, really. She left an inept and unfortunately lovesick thug in charge of her prisoner.

    Crystal had a great strategy here. She was trying to make Tommy jealous of her and Marcus by playing up the relationship. Marcus really does worship her. I think he'd chuckle at the "goddess" line. Then like a loser Tom tried to use the same trick on Marcus. Marcus is way too smart to fall for that since he knows Crystal's heart and her soul. She would never cheat on the man who saved her time and time again. Though, she did save him a few times too. Let's not forget he had Demonstorm in his head for a while.

     Marcus definitely doesn't like being back in the Outlands. Well, the D.I.S.C.O.R.D. island part at least. The rest of the dimension is fine as far as he's concerned. The floating island he's on was once D.I.S.C.O.R.D. Island and that was where Soldier Six met their unfortunate end. He heard Jack tell the story of his team's death AND even went there when the team went back in time. See Starbolts #470 for details. In that comic he witnessed the death of his hero, Tyrone who was like an older brother to him when he was little. Being back on the island brings back a lot of bad memories.

    Speaking of souls. I know I said I was going to explain why Zarantha wants Crystal's soul so badly. I wasn't able to fit it into this week's comic. However, it IS in next week's comic, I had to fine tune the details. It's kinda gross to be honest. You'll see. 

    Meanwhile, we have Nikki fighting the witch by herself. How long can she hold out fighting her? She's a tough cookie. Then again so is Nikki. She may not want to admit it. But, she does have Andrea's blood running through her veins despite being a clone of Carter's. You might say she has issues with being a clone and all that. More on that later!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #691: Finding the Cleaver

 

 Hail!

     It turns out that Crystal is trapped in the Outlands with Tom White aka Tornado. If that wasn't bad enough, she's in the old Terra Nova/D.I.S.C.O.R.D. base Zarantha teleported to another dimension. The Outlands is a mysterious dimension akin to Marvel's "Negative Zone".  It was discovered by Terra Nova and they've been using/exploiting the area for quite some time.  Zarantha teleported Discord Island there some time ago and if you recall the island was also the place where Cobra killed Soldier Six and nearly killed Crystal's brother, Jack. Yeah, there's a lot of bad juju associated with the place.

    Of course Tom doesn't care about any of that. He just wants Crystal and took her to his old room in the hopes of having sex with her. Thankfully, that didn't go anywhere! Even if Zarantha didn't put a curse on Tom Crystal would have surely kicked him and made a break for it. She did escape from that base before and she could do it again. However, I think Marcus might arrive in the Outlands before Crystal can put her plan into action.

    I think Zarantha will of course have her hands full with Nikki. It should be noted that Nikki isn't cheating on her husband Cal here. I think it's clear that Nikki is in a polygamous relationship with both Heather and Calvin. Calvin is also in a relationship with both women. So, no cheating is involved. Nikki, however, seems to have the same magical powers her "sisters" Crystal and Carter have. So, that will be an interesting battle for sure!

    While that's going on, Crystal still has to deal with Tom. Let's hope she can hold out until help arrives. I still need to go into details in comic about why Zarantha wants Crystal so badly. Sure she wants her soul. But, why? That's a great question and it will be answered soon! Very soon!

 See ya next time!

Starbolts #690: Fighting Fear

 Hail! 

    Well, it turns out Zarantha's plan all along was to take Crystal's soul and our heroine has every reason to be afraid considering what happened to her sister. Carter's soul was cut using a "soul cleaver" and clones were created using pieces of her soul. Eventually, they were all reintegrated while she was in the pools in Elisua as seen in Starbolts #609. Well, not every clone was reintegrated. One clone, Nikki, is still out there. She was last seen many comics ago and may soon make a return. You never know.

    As far as Crystal goes, this week I wanted to show her as being strong and vulnerable at the same time. On the outside she was of course very mad about the situation. she was placed in. Who could blame her? A woman with her history shouldn't have been plucked from her bed like that. So, she reacted the only way she could. She acts tough on the outside and yet on the inside she's scared.

  She handled Tom fine without her powers. Even without magic she's still a dangerous woman. She focused on her fighting skills more than magic and it shows here. That doesn't mean she isn't magically inclined. She was still able to make the mystical connection with Marcus and communicate with him over vast distances.  Their connection is hard to explain. I'd like to think that they saw into their hearts and connected beyond spiritually.

    Marcus and Crystal had been practicing the bonding ritual since they first heard about it back when he had Demonstorm in his head. They went to the Arlandero ranch in El Paso to sort out their feelings and connections. They tried to connect once in between Starbolts #598 and #599. It started to fade and so they decided to try and make it stick. I'd say it finally succeeded. Crystal may not be as strong as Carter in the magic department. But, you can't argue with the results when she puts her mind to it.

    Zarantha wants Crystal's soul because hers was likely lost and since Crystal isn't as strong as Carter, it makes her an easy target. The witch always knew she had magical potential because of who her father is. She's gonna need some more mystical protection and training to keep the target off her back. It remains to be seen if she'll be able to get out of this situation. Contact has been made and our heroes are poised to take the action to Zarantha and save their friend.

   See ya next time!

Starbolts #689: A Nightmare Scenario

 Hail!

    Zarantha has woken up from her coma and she means business! For those who don't know she was put into that state by Nightstrike's leader Ethan Knight back in Starbolts #373 when he realized that there was no reasoning with her. For unknown reasons she always had her eyes set on Crystal and now that she's a void witch she has an even bigger target on her back! However, our heroine isn't the same woman she was when they last fought each other. It's been a little over a year in the comic since Crystal saw her and a lot has changed. Crystal is way more confident. She might end up saving herself from Zarantha. You never know.

    However, Crystal might need some clothes before she goes anywhere. Zarantha kidnapped her at a very ummm....intimate time. That's the most PG way of putting it. Zarantha doesn't seem to care about romance or anything like that. She just wants Crystal and we'll be exploring that as we march toward Starbolts #700. Let's just hope Tom can keep his hands to himself. The guy's a creep and even without her powers I'm confident that she can take him out. She's still a very good fighter.

    Zarantha got herself a younger body as she was well over six hundred years old and being in a coma weakened her. So, she sought out the youthful energy of a nearby young woman. That's pretty gross. I wonder what happened to the lady whose youthful vigor she stole. Never mind. I don't want to think about it.  

    As far as Jack goes, it looks like he's going to have his hands full with Nautilus. Let's hope our heroes can get to Crystal before Zarantha does any more harm to her. Marcus will definitely be leading the charge. He is going to be BIG mad next comic. VERY mad. Stay tuned!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #688: Race to the Top

 Hail!

    Looks like Jack is in deep trouble this week. Nautilus has been sent to wake up the witch Zarantha and there's nothing he or anyone else can do about it. Longtime readers of the comic know her quite well. She very famously erased Cece's mind and made her forget she was a void witch. She was also a thorn in the Starbolts' side for quite some time. She also has a bizarre fascination with Crystal. We'll be exploring that later. If you were to compare the two witches in the comic, Zarantha and Medea, I'd go with Medea being better. Why? Because you can reason with Medea and she is on the road to redemption. There's nothing redeeming about Zarantha and when she wakes up all hell is going to break loose for our heroes. Ler's hope they can take her down.

    Meanwhile, it looks like Iron Eagle is taking a well deserved nap after fighting Jack. He's a bit older than him so he's not exactly in top form. Growing up Jack idolized both his mother and the second Iron Eagle. Too bad the second one turned out to be ten shades of crazy. This likely isn't the last we'll be seeing of him. Stay tuned for that and for Zarantha's return. When she wakes, the Starbolts are in danger and one red-haired Starbolt is going to be in her crosshairs!

Stay tuned!

 

Starbolts #687: BIg Trouble in Pasadena

 Hail! 

    Looks like Jack found a bit more than he bargained for when he went to investigate Cyclone Consulting. Who would have guessed the second Iron Eagle would have been at the building? Well, with the Director around you can bet his friend Steve can't be too far behind. It looks like Steve wants to be America's ONLY red, white and blue themed superhero. That's not going to sit well with Jack. So, a fight next comic is inevitable. Personally, I'm betting on Jack to come out on top. 

    If that wasn't bad enough, it looks like Nautilus is back in the picture. Zack was originally busted by Crystal back in Starbolts #500. She had just been made Lady Liberty and Zack has been hired by the Director to revive Zarantha. That is bad. Very bad. Zarantha is a powerful witch and it took powerful wizards to take her down. That's why she's being held by the mystic team, Nightstrike. 

 Will Nautilus be successful in freeing the witch from captivity? Time will tell. It's about time she comes back anyway. As far as Steve here goes, I don't think there's anything redeeming him. Something's going to happen to that Iron Eagle. I won't reveal what it is. But, I can guarantee that our friend here is going to be permanently on the outs with the hero community. Such a shame! Look forward to the fireworks next week!

See ya then!

Starbolts #686: That Old Red Magic

 Hail!

    There's nothing like a big romantic payoff after a long adventure and Crystal and Marcus deserve one for sure. I mean she had to deal with one of the biggest creeps in the world and she definitely expertly handled him very well. Sebastian never had anyone say "no" to him and he finally got a huge wake-up call. Will he change for the better? It's hard to say. I'm not sure if I'll ever use that sprite ever again. He might be better off as a one-off character or something. His father might show up. Sebastian himself? I don't know. But, I can tell you how the interrogation went. 

    Crystal gave him a choice. Her or Firaxil. Once he made his choice, Crystal made herself untouchable and asked him questions. It sucks that she had to turn herself invisible in the first place. She promised herself and the spell that she'd only use that power as a last resort. She actually talked to her invisibility and claw spells back in Starbolts #554. They agreed to only show up when needed. She used her claws spell when she fought Ruby and scarred her face. However, she hadn't use the invisibility spell since Starbolts #554!

    That's a big deal. But, it was definitely needed like I said. Sebastian was a creep and definitely had some lusty desires for Crystal. Marcus on the other hand is a good guy. I'd like to think that the spells now know the difference between lust and love. At least I HOPE they do. Either way, they're both in for a romantic night. They deserve it. 

    It looks like Carter and Firaxil had a romantic evening, too! Good for them! I think they'll see the respite in order to prepare for what's coming. That organization is still out there and our heroes need to be ready!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #685: The Lady in Red

Trigger warning: This comic contains a complete and utter sexist pig!

 Hail!

    WOW! Do I have thoughts about this week's comic. It's clear that Sebastian Edwards is a sexist creep with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. What's funny is that now he's in way over his head. Guys like him eventually do get a reckoning in one form or another. In this case, our friend here has met an Inobe brick wall with no qualms about sending him into the heart of a collapsing star. If he wasn't a good guy, Firaxil would have done just that. I don't think anyone would have felt sorry for him.

    I was a bit reluctant to write the dialog like I did as I don't enjoy writing creeps. But, I did have to get the point across and I wanted Sebastian to be the creepy son of a rich land developer. Crystal has had to deal with men like him outside the team and now that she's a lot older and wiser she is better equipped to handle the creeps who like her just because nature was very kind to her. Her mother is right. If she is to be Lady Liberty she has to face her fears and this unfortunately include guys like Sebastian Edwards.

    At least Firaxil was on hand to help with the mission. I bet if Marcus was there he'd have had the same reaction he had at dinner. Even though he is a bit smaller than the spaceman when he's in his "Hulk" form, Marcus can find a way to be intimidating. His quick wit more than makes up for the sheer force his friend Firaxil has in abundance.

    Marcus and Crystal still have their big anniversary to celebrate. So, look forward to a romantic payoff next week. The question is did she manage to convince Carter to take Firaxil out, too. I mean it's his anniversary, too! They were both liberated from Camp Arronfeld at the same time. So, he has just a big reason to celebrate as Crystal. He should enjoy himself every once in a while. We'll see if he takes that offer. We know Marcus and Crystal will have a good night. Stay tuned for part two of this interrogation!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #684: Safer than a Safe

 Hail!

    I think Marcus had a great day all things considered. Sure he had to contend with space lizards and their made-to-order robot versions of his friends. He still managed to get a gem for Crystal's ring while he and Carter proved that several dinosaurs managed to survive their own extinction event! All in a day's work for Marcus and Carter, right? After that discovery, I think Carter's on her way to winning the Nobel and several other awards. 

    So, it looks like Marcus got quite the rock for Crystal. It was once in Terra Nova's hands courtesy of Elisabeth King, the former chairwoman of Terra Nova. Soon it will be on Crystal's hands as a symbol of Marcus's love for her. That is some sweet vengeance if you ask me. The question is when will he propose? It's not going to be tonight as they need to set the stone into the band. Though, it would be perfect considering the anniversary.

    Crystal and Marcus tend to celebrate many anniversaries together and it just so happens that tonight is the anniversary of when Marcus saved Crystal as seen in the flashback in Starbolts #304. They definitely have cause to celebrate these days and I'll be using the date as an opportunity for them to catch up on what they were up to while Marcus and Carter were in space. Trust me when I say Crystal had her hands full dealing with that clown. See ya next week!

Starbolts #683: The Ballad of Marcus Johnson

 

 Hail! 

    It's typical Johnson luck isn't it? He ends up telling his life story to an alien who ends up being a member of a species who descended from the dinosaurs on Earth. That's pretty wild and an altogether not unheard of concept in science fiction. We have the Voth in "Star Trek: Voyager" and we have The Silurians in "Doctor Who". There was even a cartoon about sentient dinosaurs in space called "Dinosaucers" in the 1980s! It was only a matter of time before I tossed my hat into the ring when it came to alien dinosaurs. The concept is just too much fun to think about. Now, we only met one member of the race and his name is Trakken. We can only hope other members of his species are just as amiable. Trakken seems like a good dino. We may see him again once things are calm. Hey, we may even see him at Crystal and Marcus's wedding munching on the salad bar.  You never know. Chalk him up to another amazing first contact in Starbolts history.

    Speaking of Starbolts history, this week we briefly went over Marcus and Crystal's history. Well, more Marcus than anything else. We learn a bit more about his relationship with his parents. They talked before he went with the others to Aquarius back in Starbolts #277 and the rest as they say is history. 

    I admit there was a lot to go over. It's probably best that he just skipped the nitty gritty stuff like being possessed by Demonstorm and a few others odds and ends. The dino heard the gist of it and I think that's all he needed to know. Now Carter has to explain her view on things before they can get the gem. I'm sure Marcus proved himself and now Carter is on the spot. This should be fun because we all know how much Carter *LOVES* to be the center of attention.

See ya next time!

Starbolts #682: The Search for the One Ring

 Hail!

    For those of you keeping score this is the second time Marcus met a galactic deity and the third time encountering a creature who assigned him some sort of quest. The first was Kyodon back in Starbolts #282. The next was the Green Monster in Starbolts #370. I think this one might top all of those encounters. What kind of quest does this dragon have in mind for our speedy friend? Time will tell of course.

    One thing's for sure. He was never going to buy a ring from the mall. I don't think that would have been appropriate for Crystal anyway. She needs something out of this world and that's why Carter is here--To help deliver on the ring. Though, I do wonder why she was even at this bank to begin with. Does she still have an account there? That, I'm not sure.

    What I am sure of is that Marcus is on a quest unlike any other. Saddle up because we'll be going on a trip down memory lane. Will Marcus be successful in getting the ring? We'll see!

 If you are wondering where in the Starbolts' home galaxy this planet is, I'd say it's about halfway between the center of the galaxy where Elisua is and Aquarius. One has to wonder how this sauropod knows Kyodon. Is there a space giant text? These are good questions. It's best to sit back and enjoy the ride!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #681: Manufactured Crisis

 Hail!

    Manufactured crises are the worst. To make things even more crazy the communicators M'anta, Carter and Firaxil wore were jammed and so they couldn't set the record straight before Crystal and co barged into the office. Then again it's a good thing they did because something tells me that if Crystal was not angry no one would have learned the name of the buyer. At least they now know and the team will be hunting for Sebastian once they return to Earth. Could that be the real name of The Director? It's possible. Then again why would he sully his hands with intergalactic shopping? Perish the thought!

    We also learn a little bit about Carter this week. She likes to be near big windows and open spaces. Well, you can't get any bigger than the vast expanse of stars and galaxies outside the big windows of a starship! The reason why she likes open spaces now is due to being held captive by Clive for two years. That definitely wrecked her brain a little bit.

    Of course the biggest news this week is that Marcus is getting ready to pop the question on Crystal! He has enlisted Carter's help in finding a ring. Hilarity is bound to ensue! Where will he get the ring? Would she take him to some shop in the mall? Hmm...Probably not. It's a special ring for a very special lady. I think they'd have to look far and wide to get it. Crystal definitely won't see it coming even though she knows he's got marriage on his mind!

 See ya next time!

     

Starbolts #680: Starbolts in Toyland

 Hail!

    This week we learn the truth about the Lady Liberty robots! It turns out that she along with the rest of the "Starbots" are a robotic defense force. That's definitely not what Crystal was expecting. It has to be a relief for our heroine after all she's been through in her life. Though, I don't know if the robots themselves have as much staying power as Shrall's team Xemplara and the Centurions. I guess more help is better than none. It should be noted that the Crystal bot doesn't have the real Crystal's magical powers. I would think that'd be harder to duplicate. At least the misunderstanding was all cleared up!

    Oh, poor Carter. This week she dove head first into the zany realm of the crazy Setleth. They're a rather eccentric race of lizards, huh? They're a bit crazy but at least a lot of them mean well like Crimson Justice. Next week we'll be meeting his brother and that'll be a fun experience for sure. If Barbo is anything like Crimson Justice, we might be in for a treat. Though, the guy did go behind his brother's back and created a bunch of robots. 

    Carter missed so much during her two year absence. At least now she's learning more than she ever could from files and reports. Gotta love that bit about the Sluggo cola. Soda shouldn't stick to someone's ribs! As far as the planet goes, I think the filters take care of all the pollutants and keeps the sky looking blue from the ground level at least. They need to do something about the upper atmosphere.

   Look for a great confrontation with Barbo next time! See ya then! Who knows what that crazy Setleth is up to!

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #679: Quality Control Issues

Hail!

    Looks like our heroes are returning to the area of space the Setleth call home! They last visited way back in Starbolts #86 - 88. Since Carter obviously wasn't with the team at that point, she'll have to be the voice of the audience during this excursion. I'm sure she'll have a few snarky comments here and there to make up for her absence in that adventure. 

    I can't say I blame Crystal for having that reaction to having robot duplicates running around doing God knows what. There are just some things that should be sacred. She's definitely going to ask the lizards in charge of that factory to recall the robots or face her wrath.

    At least she's on the right path when it comes to taking care of business on Earth. She's growing up quite a bit because not too long ago SHE would have marched over to the studio and burnt it to the ground. Carter would be there too roasting marshmallows or snacking on popcorn. Carter has no love for the media. So, it'd be cathartic for her. 

    As far as Marcus and Crystal go, I think it was kinda obvious what they got up to last week. I like to think that they also had a discussion about what to do with her newfound confidence as well. She's going to be writing a book and I think that might be the best weapon she has in her arsenal. She'll capitalize on her popularity and the book will take her places. She won't have to rehash the same story over and over and that's a good thing because her story will be out there for all to see.

    Her book might actually help a lot of people now that I think about it. She was sexually abused at thirteen and rose to become Lady Liberty in her twenties. A lot can happen in one lifetime and her book could inspire generations of girls and women. Now that is a weapon the talking heads can't stop!

 Tune in next time when we return to Setleth space and visit Ditalix III! Bring your hardhats! 

See ya next time and May the Fourth be with you!

Starbolts #678: Understanding the Enemy

 Hail!

    This week I wanted to focus a little bit on Crystal and some of the stuff she has been going through since first becoming Lady Liberty. Over time she had been dealing with criticism over her appearance and it's  taking a toll on our favorite redheaded witch.  Sadly, there's not much she can do about her appearance. She likes how she looks and unfortunately people are a bit jealous of her outside her circle. In time, I think she will focus more on the positive impact she has on people like the ones who dress up as her in videos. This is all going to accumulate in the form of something very positive for Crystal. In time, she will be writing a book about her story. That would probably help girls and young women everywhere. Wow. That would really scare the talking heads out there, huh? That's the best thing she can do to combat the criticism she faces!

    She will lay it all out on the table and people can draw their own conclusions about her. I'll be making the book canon soon. For now Crystal needs all the support she can because she's been criticized over her appearance all her life. It's a good thing she has a good head on her shoulders AND a great support line!

    It's unfortunate that her mother had to face the same challenges Crystal has to endure. Luckily she has a great support system. People have been too preoccupied by her looks and now she's going to do something about it. She's not changing for anyone. People will just have to accept that. Our heroine has finally learned to let go of the criticism. There's nothing she can do to change their minds so she is going to keep on keeping on regardless of what the talking heads may say.

    Meanwhile, we've learned that the Sentinel robots used Starling's tech and were constructed on another world in some factory. Unfortunately, the one person in the galaxy who could help determine their origin was just shot on his way to Earth. Let's hope our heroes can save Crimson Justice before he leaves a BIG impact on the planet! 

    I think it's a safe bet that the organization Steve works for is responsible for the attack. Who else could it have been? They're really trying to set intergalactic relations back a few decades aren't they? They're certainly proving to be a handful for our heroes with all these tests and everything.

See ya next time! I'm sure Crimson Justice will want to have words with that organization. Not to mention a lawsuit. His insurance may not cover errant pink phaser beams.

Starbolts #677: Real American Heroes

 

 Hail!

    This week we learn more about Steve and his organization. It turns out that they were stringing our heroes along this whole time. But, at what cost? They used alien technology to surround the island of Manhattan in a force field, prevent the Starbolts from using their powers and caused great physical harm to two members of the Aquan royal family. If this was a test, can you imagine what the real thing would be like? We'll be seeing them again soon and you can bet that our heroes are not going to welcome them. Plans will have to be made for their inevitable return. Which will be soon. This isn't over by a long-shot.

     I do wonder where all of New York's heroes were during this crisis. Perhaps they were stuck in their homes because of their lack of powers and because the robots were patrolling the streets. But, that doesn't make sense. Some superheroes don't have powers. You'd think they'd have been okay. I suppose M'anta might be lodging an inquiry into what happened because I'm sure the Starbolts could have used the help.

    I also thought I would cover Steve's origin a little. Steve volunteered to become Iron Eagle as the US government didn't like Andrea as Lady Liberty. They hid it with smiles and everything. But, they wanted to bring back her father. To do that, they made Steve here Iron Eagle. And then he snapped. 

    Jack was definitely in the right to defend his family here. Yes, he and his siblings were tested on. But. the difference is clear. Jack volunteered for the Soldier Six program. His sisters did not. Jack will defend them and what his parents had to do to save his life. He'll never back down when someone offends him or his family.

    At least everything is sorted for now. There are more questions to be asked like "What is the deal with these people?" and "Why would they test the Starbolts like this?" Those are all good questions and we'll be answering them soon. These new baddies seem to be nothing like our heroes have ever dealt with before. Let's hope they stay on their guard.

 See ya next time!

Starbolts #676: Rock the House

 

 Hail!

    It's honestly hard to believe Steve was ever Iron Eagle isn't it? I'd hate to say it but the only reason Steve ever became Iron Eagle was because the US government was uncomfortable with Andrea being the sole symbol of America in red, white and blue spandex. Once this story is over, you can bet she'll be explaining this to Jack and Crystal. 

    Jack is about to have a very public battle with Steve on the streets of New York and you can bet the court of public opinion will have strong feelings about their former hero being beaten up by this much younger upstart. Then again Jack might get some leeway here. I mean Steve did surround the island of Manhattan in a force field and had an army of robots lock everyone up. I don't think there's a chance he can come back from this at all.

    Natalia seemed to have ditched her lover. However, I don't think we've seen the last of her. She'll be back sooner or later. She was probably right to leave the fight. Though, I think her relationship with Steve may be a little strained after this incident. She'll be back for sure. 

    Back to Jack and Crystal. I think times will have changed to the point where America will accept two symbols of America running around. They'll have to because Jack will have stopped Steve and Crystal is a heroine in her own right. A rocky road is ahead for the both of them and I see their sister Carter taking them out  for drinks once the dust settles.

    As far as Terrans using alien tech goes, M'anta does have a point. The Terrans in the comic have proven to be irresponsible with some alien technology. It's enough to annoy him for sure. Luckily there are good humans out there as Kevin explained. They just have to stop the bad ones from wrecking hard fought alliances humanity cannot afford to lose! Here's hoping limitations on alien tech is put in place. We don't want anyone vaporizing themselves!

See ya next time when we'll have Eagle vs Eagle!

Starbolts #675: Disrupting the Signal

 

 Hail! 

    Looks like a BIG secret was revealed this week! We finally learn what's been causing M'anta and Aquita to have intense headaches and a loss of their telepathic abilities. It seems that the mysterious "Director" bought some Mosqukatara technology and decided to use it on our heroes. He unfortunately had no idea that it would have such a profound impact on the blue-skinned members of the Starbolts. This is why you should always read the fine print when you buy something of alien origin.

     I should probably back up and explain who the Mosqukatara are for those who aren't in the know. They hadn't been featured in the comic for some time and may make a come back in the not too distant future. The Mosqukatara are an insectoid race that enslaved Aquans for fifty long and grueling years. M'anta's grandfather Criam was instrumental in liberating the planet. The insects fled Aquarius and returned multiple times to plague the galaxy. 

    Eventually, they set their sights on Earth and attempted to invade. Each time they did so, they were thwarted by the Starbolts. The Starbolts even went to their world when it was discovered that they enslaved two other races, the peace-loving bird-like Dovianni and the mercantile lizard-like aliens called the Setleth. Both worlds were liberated and the Mosqukatara homeworld was destroyed in Starbolts #99.

    After the destruction of their world, the Mosqukatra vanished until Starbolts #384 when it was revealed that they took on more humanoid forms. They hadn't been seen since. They are a staunch opponent of the interplanetary alliance and would do anything to disrupt the peace. The question is...Do they know about this device? Are they back? That remains to be seen. For all we know the humans really didn't know what they were buying. Talk about "buyer beware".

    I do admit I like how Kevin dealt with the bots. It kind of reminds me of how Kirk talked an artificial intelligence into killing itself once it found a fatal flaw in its programming. Looks like Steve is going to be fighting a battle on multiple fronts next week.

See ya then!

Starbolts #674: The Journey to Rock Bottom

Hail!

    This week we learn all about how Crazy Steve started on his journey from being a down on his luck hero to supervillain. All it took was a master manipulator like the Director and a pretty face. You probably have another thing coming if you think Natalia is to be trusted. Newsflash. She isn't. She likely has an ulterior motive here now that she's pregnant with Steve's child. This whole plot of theirs reeks of eugenics and you can bet that it would go over well with our heroes.

    The Director plans on creating a race of perfect humans and is starting with the former Iron Eagle. Meanwhile the current and more well-liked one just had his "Captain America" moment in front of Guardians Mansion. I think the cops are pleased but are mad that they're clearly outgunned by the army of robots who have swarmed the city.

    One thing to note is that Aquita's sonic scream seems to work fine with the shield in place. That has nothing to do with her telepathic abilities. That power comes from the gods who made her an avatar. So, why aren't M'anta's powers working since he is an avatar, too? Well, he's a lot closer to whatever has been driving the Aquans for a loop. Once that's out of business, I'm sure both Aquita and M'anta will be perfectly fine. I hope.

    Crazy Steve has certainly hit a low point here. Though, perhaps the Director is equally to blame. The man did take advantage of him at his lowest point. Most of his friends are dead. Apollo left for Mount Olympus. He's got no one and the guy swooped in like a vulture with his femme fatale assistant. Yeah, it doesn't take much to believe she doesn't have his best interests at heart.

See ya next time!

Starbolts #673: Metahumans in Disguise

 Hail!

    The Starbolts are finally getting closer and closer to the mansion! Hopefully, they'll soon be able to free their friends, M'anta Kevin, TK and Kaori. They've been held captive by Crazy Steve since Starbolts #671. We'll be catching up with them next comic. I have a feeling there's a method to the bots' madness. They don't like biological lifeforms. So, they're doing what they can to detain them. What if they set their sights on the former Iron Eagle? Time will tell.

    I admit I do like Marcus and Crystal flirting while on the mission. Sure lives are in danger but it's well within their character. They still get down to business when the situation calls for it and that's exactly what Marcus did. Running around NYC and getting five bots to fall into a trap is pretty cool. Though, don't expect Crystal to return to her southern accent. I think she's fine as is.

    At least we're now getting close to whatever has been causing Aquita to lose her telepathic abilities. Once that's out of business, I'm sure there'll be hell to pay. Here's hoping our heroes find the others in time and stop Steve from doing his new organization's bidding. We'll be finding more about them next week, too. How did Steve get roped into this organization? What do they want with our heroes? All of this will be revealed soon!

Stay tuned! See ya next time!

Starbolts #672: Sentinels in New York

 Hail! 

    The Sentinels have taken Manhattan and now it's up to the Starbolts to save the day. With a team of Jack, Crystal, Firaxil, Marcus and Aquita, you can bet Steve is going to have his hands full. Though, I wonder what could be preventing the Aquan princess from sensing people around her...Hmm,...That is a mystery indeed. ;)

    Marcus and Crystal were definitely in the sewers of Boston once way back in Starbolts #370.  That was a fun adventure. Crystal was cursed by the witch Zarantha and it took the ancient being known as "The Green Monster" to break the spell. Zarantha trued to prevent her from feeling true love and it was something neither she nor her new boyfriend (at the time) Marcus could live with. So, they sought out the Green Monster and she saved her life. I'm thinking someday she and Marcus might revisit TGM. Let's just hope she moved out of the sewers and somewhere less foul smelling.

    You've got to feel a little bad for Steve in his scene this week. His friends are gone and now an organization is using his old friend's armor as a type of foot soldier for their army. Who are they? They obviously know about the Starbolts. That and other mysteries will be solved very soon. I plan on revealing just how Steve got caught up in this mess. 

Look for some more action soon! See ya next time!

Starbolts #671: Night of the Sentinels

 

 Hail! 

    I think I'd have to agree with M'anta's assessment here. There is absolutely no way for Steve to come back from this. This is now the second time he went off the deep end and threatened our heroes. The first time was the story arc that lasted from Starbolts #240 to Starbolts #275. To be fair his last bout with the darkness was brought on by the evil Jade Skull possessing his body. That's not what's happening here. Nope. A new organization managed to take a hold of the former Iron Eagle and shifted his already weakened mind to their way of thinking. It's a shame. It really is. A once decorated hero is now cuckoo for Coco Puffs.

    Who this mysterious organization remains a mystery and will be a mystery for some time. Sufficed it to say they capitalized on the evil organization void left by Terra Nova. Once they were out of the picture, other organizations were now able to come out of the shadows. Whoever they are, they'll have to deal with the Starbolts. Let's hope our heroes can put this new group out of business because not only have they turned a good man against them, they've co-opted a dead man's technology and used it to create an army of Sentinels.

    This week's title comes from the first episode of the 1992 classic X-Men cartoon that ran from 1992 to 1997 on Fox Kids. I totally watched it and I will definitely be watching the sequel show, X-Men '97 on Disney + when it streams on March 20th. I so can't wait for that show. It should be epic!

    As far as this week's comic goes, it looks like Norad is fine after being spared by the robots. Let's hope help arrives. I don't think the Starbolts will be pleased with Steve and his army of robots. Stay tuned for next week's comic "Sentinels in New York". 

See ya then!