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!

Starbolts #670: Dropping the Truth Train

 

 Hail! 

    I haven't really decided where the Vault is per se. But, it is a nice prison for criminals with superpowers regardless of wealth and prestige. If you do a crime and you happen to have superpowers, you're usually sent there. That's the place where criminals who try to take over the world go. Super-powered henchmen like Tornado and the rest of the Legion go someplace else. That's why he was able to get out when he did. The Vault is home to some seriously tough baddies who are now far from society. Ruby will have one friend there at least. Though, I don't think she'd be too happy to see her.

    After this trial, I think that Mr. Stevens will be facing a lot of questions and will potentially be disbarred after allowing his client to manipulate him like that. It's a good thing the judge wasn't so easily swayed. Then again, I don't think Ruby would've risked using her powers on the judge when there are so many Starbolts around. That wouldn't be a good look and would probably make her look bad. So, she played it smart for now. It's just too bad the evidence was so strong. She had no case and ended up wasting everyone's time with her crocodile tears.

    In any event, the trial is over and now the Starbolts can focus on trying to find Iron Eagle. We'll be catching up with M'anta's team next comic and then deal with that whole mess. I get the feeling they'll be needing Jack's help after all. Now that the trial is over, Jack is free to resume his Iron Eagle duties and bring Steve in. Let's home he comes quietly. Nah. We know he won't.

   See ya next time!

Starbolts #669: Legal Drama

 Hail! 

    The trial of Crystal Whitefox is now in high gear and it promises to be.....the shortest trial in the history of the legal system. I mean with so much evidence from a telepathic doctor, an empathic therapist and loads of other testimony there's no way Ruby Arronfeld could win the case. Unless she were to mindzap the judge that is. Don't think that hasn't crossed her mind because it totally did.

    Speaking of the judge, you've got to feel bad for the poor guy. He's getting a firsthand account of just how crazy superhero lives are. Mateo went back in time and saw Crystal getting raped by Cody as seen in Starbolts #472.  Marcus bonded with Crystal after he was possessed by Demonstorm. Jack survived D.I.S.C.O.R.D. island exploding. And let's not go into the fact that two extraterrestrials were called in to testify. Someone better get that man a drink after this trial. He may be out of his element.

    I really like how Marcus's testimony came out. It showed the love he had for Crystal in a not so obvious way. Jack's testimony was good in that he vented his true feelings. I like to think that he kept glaring at Ruby like the Winter Soldier. Just glaring at her. But, I think Carter's words probably cut her deeply. Let's not forget Ruby WAS a top tier member of Terra Nova and Carter is not afraid to voice her feelings.

    Crystal's testimony is up next. I think she will have to be considered a hostile witness. I think Val can handle her. She's doing a pretty good job as an attorney for the Whitefoxes. Sure she's new to the bench but she has skill. They may keep her on board long term. You never know.

Stay tuned for Crystal's expert testimony next time! 

See ya then!

Starbolts #668: Building up the Defense

 Hail!

    I'm sorry that there was no comic last weekend. I caught the human malware aka Covid and was out of commission. I had this comic all scripted. But, I couldn't sit up long enough to actually work on the thing. It's just as well. It gave me time to think of some edits and take care of a few odds and ends that are coming down the pike for our heroes. We've definitely got some surprises coming!

    Back to this week's comic. Here we have Crystal amassing a team of her greatest defenders. Each one of the people she selected knows her story inside and out and will help her win the day. They're her closest friends and family members. With a group like that, how can she fail? The group consists of her therapist, her boyfriend, her siblings and her doctor. Yeah, I'd say she's got quite a team here.

   Speaking of teams. M'anta and his crew went on the hunt to find Roger, the slightly crazy Iron Eagle. Will they find him or will he prove to be more than a match for our heroes? Time will tell. For now we've got this case to win and win it they shall!

 I mean sure Valentina just got her law degree. But, that's okay. She needed a good first case and this is just as good and as worthwhile as any!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #667: A Simple Investigation

 Hail!

    Well, we knew going right to the Department of Metahuman Affairs with that evidence wasn't going to be that easy. At least we know for certain that Ruby had been telepathically manipulating her lawyer. AND we know that he isn't a DMA lawyer. Just one she personally hired. I'm with Jack. I bet he's a former Terra Nova agent. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

We'll be dealing with what's been going on with the second Iron Eagle soon enough. We've just got this current storyline to deal with. But, let's recap Roger's life up to this point.

    Roger was the leader of a team of heroes called the Guardians and he took up the mantle of Iron Eagle and used the name while Andrea became Lady Liberty. For years he was one of the planet's greatest heroes. He got into a fight with one of his old enemies, the Jade Skull and he implanted his consciousness into our hero with the help of the witch, Zarantha.

    Under the Jade Skull's control, Roger destroyed the Guardians' home, killed several of his teammates, captured Jenna and Firaxil and performed hideous experiments on them. Jenna and Firaxil eventually recovered from the damage he caused but the damage was done and Roger went into self imposed exile once he was restored to his former self. It also didn't help that he unknowingly had one of Carter's clones as a teammate. Sufficed it to say Roger's life has been in a downward spiral since Starbolts #240, a comic that came out almost ten years ago.

    Andrea and the others eventually found him and offered him a teaching position at the academy. Things were pretty quiet until now.  Now he sees Jack and Crystal as threats to America. What the catalyst was remains a mystery. It might have something to do with the events of Starbolts #665. Either way, the Starbolts will have to deal with his newest problems after this trial is over.

 The poor guy's life is gonna come to a head soon when the current Iron Eagle comes face to face with his predecessor. But, that'll have to wait for another day. We've got this trial to go to!

See ya next time!

    

Starbolts #666: Sibling Talk

 Hail!

    This week's comic deals with the aftermath of last week's comic where Crystal destroyed the "farm" she grew up on. I put "farm" in quotation marks because lord knows that wasn't a real farm. They didn't grow anything and there was barely any livestock. It was a farm in name only. But, that was the least of that place's problem. It clearly evokes a bad memory for her and Crystal was already stressed out over Ruby's current antics. No one is mad at her. However, the court of public opinion may see things another way. In the end, I don't think she'll care much about their thoughts on the issue.

    Marcus and Crystal had a great long talk when she got back. I totally see him waiting for her when she returned. They went to their apartment and proceeded to talk for hours about her panic attacks and Cody. He obviously knew what Cody did to her. They've discussed it many times. However, they never really talked about the cause of the first panic attack. Let's just say it wasn't pretty and is definitely not safe for this comic. I've gotten close to the line a few times. But, this is one line I can't cross. It was pretty horrible.

    At least our heroine is in good hands with her siblings and her other loved ones. I see her going to Jack and Carter whenever there's a problem. I even see her going to Marcus when she needs to let out some steam, too. The three of them suffered so much at the hands of Terra Nova. I think they'll need each other more than their parents when dealing with Terra Nova drama. Though the organization may be gone, the trauma may linger for some time.

    I think Crystal will be okay in the end. She has a great support system. At least now she's ready to take Ruby down once and for all. 

See ya next time!

    

Starbolts #665: Panic Mode

 

 Hail!

    Well, we knew this was coming. Crystal was never going to have a good reaction to hearing the lies coming out of Ruby's mouth. Thankfully, she's now immune to her "surrogate mother"/kidnapper's telepathic abilities thanks to the shields put in place by Aquita. So, she can see through the crap. Then again it doesn't really take much, does it? I mean everyone else had a similar reaction because they know the truth and are Crystal's friends/family.

    The poor Starbolt has gone through a lot and this is the final hurdle she has to go through. I won't go into details of WHY the panic attacks all started. If you've been reading long, you'll know all about Cody and what he did to her those many years ago. Sufficed it to say, it was not pleasant and despite all the progress she has made, there are some lingering effects that may never completely go away. Thankfully, she has a great support group nearby helping her out. It's all she really needs and it's what keeps her going in times of need. 

    As for the farm, it's probably for the best that it was destroyed like this. It was never actually a farm as Crystal stated. It was all a front to keep the daughter of Lady Liberty in line and away from her true family. Carter may have been in an actual prison. But, this was a prison as well. Any place can be one if you think about it. At least it's gone and now it has a chance to be made into a positive. What form it will take is unknown. The best thing it could be is probably a womens' shelter and a mental health facility. I think that would be the best use for that land given the history of the property. Who knows? It'll be a force for good and that's what matters.

    It was just like Marcus to try to run off like that. He loves Crystal and I think they're going to have a bit of a talk when she returns. Her sister may want a word with her as well given how Crystal used her powers this week. I don't think anyone'll blame her for destroying the farm. It's a good thing no one was hurt. The DMA took all the files and completely gutted the house. It's not like anything was there or in the barn. The structure, however, remained and that was the source of Crystal's pain.

    I think after this week she'll keep a close eye on her powers. Her spells still have some destructive properties based on pure emotion. Good thing help is just across the hall.

See ya next time!

Starbolts #664: Twisting the Narrative

 Hail!

    Wow. Where do I even start with this week's blurb? I mean it's obvious to anyone who has read the comic that Ruby here is a lying liar from Liartown, Liarania. This just takes it to the next level, doesn't it? When I was writing the comic this week, I was shaking my head and rolling my eyes when I was coming up with all the falsehoods she could be telling her lawyer. Thanks to Ruby's power of telepathic manipulation, Mr. Stevens bought it hook, line and sinker. I bet if an Aquan was assigned to be her lawyer, he or she wouldn't have been so easily swayed.

    She was able to use her powers on him thanks to the malfunctioning power inhibitor collar she was wearing. She was picking at it until it broke. She reconnected the points and people will be none the wiser. However, it didn't effect the people watching the feed and MAN are they angry. VERY angry. And rightfully so.

    I didn't put any links to old comics in this one because it's clearly a bunch of lies up to the fight in Starbolts #638. For those who don't know, Ruby twisted everything. Let's take it one point at a time.

* She did indeed give birth to Crystal. However, it was a surrogacy involving two kidnapped fetuses, Crystal and Carter.

* Ruby abused Crystal and tried to turn her into a spy for her terrorist organization, Terra Nova.

* She hired a much older man named Cody Dillinger to be her "bodyguard". He was in his twenties when he groomed and later had sexual relations with the girl while she was still a minor. Ruby looked the other way.

* Ruby and Andrea were rivals. However, her organization was not the altruistic one she made it out to be. Terra Nova were never "good guys". Ruby became jealous of Lady Liberty and tried to stop her at every turn.

* Crystal turned on Ruby on her own thanks to the abuse she suffered at her hands. It didn't help that Dennis (Firaxil) also suffered. 

* Dennis/Firaxil was also never her child. He is indeed an alien who unfortunately landed on the farm with his parents. She faked his parents' deaths and altered his mind using her powers.

    There are so many other lies. Basically everything that came out of Ruby's mouth this week is complete nonsense. Crystal is not going to take this very well next week. Stay tuned for that!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #663: The People vs Ruby Arronfeld

Hail!

    A new year of Starbolts adventures has begun and right off the bat it looks like Ruby Arronfeld is raining on Crystal's parade. You might recall some trouble with her last year when she and a bunch of her closest friends summoned a giant fire-breathing space turtle. I'm not letting that one go and neither are the Starbolts. See all the action in Starbolts #630. 

    Of course, that's not the only crime Ruby has committed. She was an accessory to the sexual assault Crystal had to endure during her "care". If you think she flat out lied to the lawyer about everything, you're right. You get a cookie. The trick is to prove to everyone that she's been lying. Though, I don't think it'll be too hard given the mountain of evidence against her. She has done so much to so many people and yet her focus has been on Andrea and Crystal due to petty jealousy. Ruby will get her just desserts again. 

    It's a shame that she had to rain on Crystal's parade this week. She finally worked up the courage to have a photo shoot. This is a big deal to her because she's never been comfortable showing her skin to people other than her boyfriend and a doctor. You can thank Ruby and Cody for that. After years of therapy she's finally in a good place. She just has this one last hurdle to jump over before she can finally be who she was born to be.

    Now as far as Carter and Firaxil go, I don't think she wants to be equated with the future version of herself. That's why she's kind of cold regarding any mention of "The Chief". Sure she may have had good intentions. But, she wants to be separated from her future self. I can't say that I blame her. We may see more of this in future comics. For now we need to get ready for what is sure to be a dramatic courtroom event. Ruby will naturally make this all about her. Crystal will have to be the one to set the record straight. 

See ya next time!