Starbolts #718: Romancing the Dragonfly

Hail!

    Now that the truth about what Heidi was doing with Tanis is out in the open, you have to wonder if he has what it takes to step up to the plate and save her family. She seems genuinely apologetic for what she did. Let's face it. Seducing someone to get information is not a good look. Heidi knew it was wrong and was forced to do what she did in order  to save her family. The saving grace here is that things didn't go very far and the Starbolts should be thankful that Heidi has a conscience. Things could have been way worse. She could have used her powers to alter his mind and take all the information he had. 

    As you might have guessed Tanis is on a bit of a redemption arc. He's on the road to becoming the hero he wants to be and right now a damsel in distress needs him. Though, he has to get his mind right before committing to anything romantic, I think. For starters, he has to stop comparing himself to others. 

    Crystal has only ever been with two men in her life. Heidi has a lot more experience because her powers recently activated and she's probably in her twenties. Crystal joined the Starbolts as a teenager and her life before that was not exactly normal and neither is her life these days now that I think about it. None of the Starbolts save for a few ever had a "normal" life. So, it's going to be interesting to see where this goes from here.

    Next week we'll be on the road to meet Heidi's family. I'm sure they'll be normal people working average jobs in Omaha or something. Nothing crazy like being on a fake farm or something. Still, they are in real danger and Tanis here has to step up to the plate if he wants to be the hero he wants to be. 

    The first thing he has to do is stop putting his foot in his mouth and think before he speaks. Crystal is probably rightfully annoyed with him at the moment because of those comments.  Tanis has to figure out his own feelings and hers before even thinking about being in love with someone he met a week ago. These things take time and Tanis has a lot to figure out.

   Will they be a couple? I don't know. We shall see. For now we've got a road trip to Omaha to go on. This is gonna be interesting. No powers. Just Carter, Tanis and Heidi in a van. This should be an interesting trip indeed.

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #717: The Mind's Eye

 Hail!

    This week we get a little insight into the background of one of the academy's newest students! Her name is Heidi Monroe and it looks like she has quite a bit of baggage. What comic character doesn't have baggage at this point? At least we've learned quite a bit about Heidi's past. She was a supermodel on the fast track to being a household name like Anya Petrov. Anya, if you recall, is also a Starbolt and is Jack's girlfriend. I would say it's a small world. But, it's really just a small superhero community. The general public is unaware that Anya is also a superspy.

   Heidi's telepathic abilities manifested themselves at the worst possible moment. A photographer was ogling her and she had to get out of there fast. Though, she ran right into trouble when she arrived at Agents Academy, didn't she? Yeah. It turns out that Cyclone wanted her to gain information on the alien races the Starbolts encountered and to seduce one of them in order to get a Starbolt on their side.

    The plan might have worked if Heidi's heart wasn't into it. She didn't count on getting feelings for the Mosqukatara who turned out to be Tanis. Man, was she relieved when she found out the bug was really Tanis. Terrans wisely do not trust the bugs and for good reason. Their reputation as brutal conquerors precedes them. I mean they are basically Nazis in space. Sure Tanis is the son of a brutal dictator himself but he definitely doesn't take after his father!

    Now that Cyclone's plan has been revealed, what is Heidi going to do? Well, Cyclone doesn't know that their plan failed. So, I think our heroes are going to have to get her family to safety before something bad happens to them. We'll be meeting them fairly soon. Though, I think that trip is going to need a babysitter for her and Tanis as you know he'd want to tag along! I wonder who I can get for that job! We shall see!

 See ya next time!

Starbolts #716: Beauty and the Bug

 Hail!

    Well, it looks like Tanis and Heidi are just "really good friends", huh? Yeah, no. That's likely not the case. I don't know if there's love there yet. But, it seems Heidi might not be able to complete the mission Cyclone sent her on. Cyclone likely never counted on one of their operatives falling for their target even if he is an alien from another dimension.

    We should probably talk about that for a second. I'll delve into it a bit more next week. Tanis's people is apparently biologically compatible with Terrans. There's a mystery about why that is. I mean both species are humanoid and we've seen Tanis's mother Medea get romantically interested in people in the Starbolts' dimension. She did hit on Garazo. Whether or not that was successful or not is up for debate. Either way, they were able to become paramours. Is it love or lust? I don't know. She was thinking of the mission and now can't finish it.

    In the next comic we'll be looking at her origin. Some details of her life mirrors Crystal's. I think she's gonna need to talk to her as well. I think before that we'll likely see the talk Marcus is gonna have with Tanis and that guy is gonna get an earful.

    We learned this week that Aquans have the technology to detect pregnancy shortly after sexy times. That shouldn't be a surprise. They're an advanced race who, as Aquita said, mastered interstellar flight when it was just the 1500s on our world. Sadly, the conflict with the Mosqukatra destroyed most of their fleet. But, great strides have been made to regain what had been lost. Aquans also have really, really good birth control methods. Both men and women take them. I don't think the FDA has approved it for general consumption, yet. Aquans willingly share their technology. However, some things might be a little too complex for Terrans at the moment. Thankfully, they are willing to share and aren't jerks about it. They just know that some humans aren't to be trusted with various aspects of their technology.

    Anyway, we're going to get a look at Heidi's backstory next week and learn a bit about Tanis as well. He was grown in a lab. I can only imagine how Medea will feel about her son dating a Terran. Who am I kidding? She'd be thrilled! It's Demonstorm who'd be less than thrilled. If he ever escapes that prison I put him in.

See ya next time!

Starbolts #715: The First Day on the Job

 

 Hail!

    Oh, Tanis. You sure can pick 'em can't you? The first lady he was with turned out to be a resistance fighter who was tricked into serving Terra Nova thanks to some mind control. She ended up resenting him and now avoids him at all costs. You can't really blame Shenra for that. She was never going to be Tanis's special someone. They had intimate relations under false pretenses and well it wouldn't be a good look if they were together.

    Now? Now he's with a lady who was sent by Gladstone to spy on the Starbolts. I think our heroes will figure out that her "rescue" went a little too smoothly. The question is....What does this say about the others in the group? Are they just as bad? Probably not. They may all want to legitimately be part of the Starbolts. For all we know Heidi might also want to be a Starbolt. We don't really know her. She could be working for Cyclone. You never know.  She might actually really like Tanis as alluded to in the last panel of this week's comic.

    At least now we know the reason why he was sneaking around campus after hours. He was trying to get a report from Heidi regarding her mission. She wasn't answering his calls and he had to take matters into his own hands. What exactly IS her mission, though? Well, it's clear she was supposed to seduce a member of the Starbolts and get information from them. She could have picked anyone and went with Tanis because she actually has a crush on him. Will Tanis reveal state secrets to Heidi? Will Heidi have a change of heart? Is there more to the story? Probably. 

    For now we can be sort of happy Tanis found someone who may actually like him. The only problem is that she was not medically cleared to have intimate relations with an alien and neither was he. Oh, boy. They are gonna get a lecture from Aquita. In fact, I would think that's where Carter went to after the two "lovebirds" left the track. They can expect a visit from the local doctor very soon.

     Tanis may well be on the road to redemption but it's off to a rocky start. More on this next week. Shaking my head. Poor guy. I torture him so much. I hope things work out for him.

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #714: Under Her Spell

 

 Hail! 

    This week the engagement party ends on a very high note for our heroes and now that I think about it I think both Marcus and Crystal would be under each other's spell. No magic is involved. But, there is that mutual attraction they have for each other. Thankfully, it goes beyond a physical attraction.  I've said it many times before. Those two basically complete each other. He makes her feel safe and loved and makes her laugh. That's a big deal considering her history. She makes him feel accepted. That's why they love each other so much.

    I did have a fun time trying to figure out the disastrous side effect of a "love potion" in this universe. I wanted to make something gross and befitting for someone who dared to try and use such a thing. Turning green with envy and getting covered in warts seemed like the best way to go. Of course that ultimately ends in the person dying. So there's that.

    It's good to note that the bonding ritual isn't a love spell either. It's just something that heightens a bond that's already there. Does it improve things? Probably. Ever since Crystal and Marcus achieved their bond (After several tries) she has been a lot more confident in her love for Marcus as evidenced by the kiss on the dance floor and her actions later in the comic. I don't think I need to explain any more about those two. The comic kinda speaks for itself at this point.

    Other than Crystal and Marcus learning about love spells,we've got Tanis officially returning to the ranks of the Starbolts. In the original draft of this week's comic, I had the conversation between Shrall, M'anta and Tanis and it basically had him say to Shrall that he wanted to leave Xemplara and rejoin the Starbolts. Shrall was very eager to let him go since things with Shenra haven't been too cozy. Plus he had that unfortunate incident in Cyclone Consulting where he dressed up as a Mosqukatara. Not a great look dressing up like a space Nazi.

    I don't think Xemplara was too sad to see him go. At least now he's back where he belongs and Carter will be watching him like a hawk. You might recall how those two didn't always get along. Crystal believes in second chances because she and her sister are living proof of how second chances work. He better not fail Crystal. If he thinks Carter would get mad just imagine how mad she'd get. Crystal is a passionate person. She loves hard and if you cross her, she will strike hard.

   Next time we'll see what else Cyclone is gonna throw at our heroes. What did that VP nominee want? We'll see him again next week!

See ya then! 

Starbolts #713: A New Dragonfly

 Hail!

    Leave it to Medea to go above and beyond to ensure her son's future. Now, the question is did she sleep with Garazo or not? I don't know about that. I think it's best to let that be a mystery. If anything, I'm sure they just discussed Tanis in a less crowded setting. Could they have done it? It's possible. But, I think I'll leave that for readers to decide. Some things are best left ambiguous.  

    In any event, Tanis has a desire to leave Xemplara and return to the Starbolts. He originally left the team after falling out with them over his tryst with Shenra back in Starbolts #437. Shenra will be happy he's leaving Xemplara. I doubt they've remained on friendly terms once her mind was in the right place. She'd be throwing a party once Shrall tells her the news.

    I wonder if the Starbolts will welcome Tanis back with open arms. That remains to be seen. For now this is basically the start of Tanis's redemption tour. I'm getting tired of making him the punching bag. So, look to see some development on this front.

    We still will have to deal with the guy who's been poking around the academy. He was caught hanging around the science building and already changed his story. What exactly is that man up to? 

Stay tuned!

Starbolts #712: One Quiet Night

 Hail! 

    The first comic of 2025 and already things are off to an interesting start. Garazo gave some great tips to Marcus and we gained some insight into the world where our cat-like friend came from. His people are polyamorous and have many significant others at the same time. As a result, he has many children including the Starbolt Carra. 

    I wonder if we'll ever see any of his three wives and the rest of their children. We might someday. For now it looks like Medea has her heart set on becoming wife number four. Will it happen? Who knows. Right now it looks like our heroes might have another problem.

    It turns out that the  guy introduced last week was not only a Vice Presidential hopeful but a Gladstone as well. If you recall, a man named H.P. Gladstone made life a living hell for our heroes several times. He's currently residing in a maximum security prison for his role in the resurgence of the terrorist organization Terra Nova and even old crimes including the kidnapping of Crystal and Carter when they were just embryos. Sufficed it to say, H.P. was not a nice man.

    So, how is Harold related to him? Well, they are both gingers. That's all I can spoil right now. There is a connection there. I was tempted to make a few other people a V.P. candidate. But, we may see them again as members of the cabinet or something. That's just assuming Roger wins the election. He and Gladstone do seem confident don't they? It'd be a real shame if something were to happen to them. Real shame indeed.

See ya next time!