Starbolts #757: The Master Plan

 Hail!

    It's just like Robkas to still have feelings for Aquita even though he said he didn't. It just goes to show that just because someone is obsessed with someone else, that obsession never goes away. Crystal had to deal with that herself when she was with her ex. This is part of the reason why Crystal and the princess became good friends. They had common ground. Marcus never had to deal with anything like that and so the ladies likely explained it to him. You can't blame her for not wanting to talk about it....especially on their honeymoon.

    At least Robkas is on his way to jail. He can add impersonating a member of the royal family to the list of charges he's facing. This also includes incitement to riot, kidnapping and a host of other charges. If he implicates Danar (And you know he will because he's stupid) Danar will be brought down once again. There's no bottom for people who want to end years and years of friendship just because his ex is now married to someone from another planet. Robkas will never get over his feelings and for that we can pity him. 

    Crystal obviously held her own against Kahlia. I didn't see the need to show their fight since Kahlia isn't a fighter like Crystal. Even without magic she's very competent in various martial arts.....martial arts Kahlia has no idea how to counter since they are Terran. I highly doubt Kahlia would study Terran martial arts. Still, there was a struggle and the room was wrecked. Kahlia may not have been a fighter but she is stronger than Crystal. Too bad she has a glass jaw.

    Anyway, it;s safe to say that Marcus and Crystal are going to resume their romantic honeymoon after this incident. After that we'll be moving onto the search for Tanis's people. That should be a fun arc. Though, I get the feeling Danar and Robkas aren't going to let things go. 

See ya next time! 

 

Starbolts #756: Honeymoon High-jinks

 Hail!

    There's never a dull moment whenever Robkas is involved. One has to wonder what his deal is. How would kidnapping Marcus help him become Senator? If anything, it won't make people want to vote for him. Most Aquans like Terrans. Robkas, Kahlia and Danar are the odd ones out. I guess they don't see the wisdom of the alliance. That's definitely their problem! 

    I do like how Crystal used magic to distract Robkas. However, it looked like Kahlia wasn't fooled thanks to her telepathy. Robkas's telepathic abilities have been diminished due to an incident I'll get into next time. Perhaps he needs Aquita's services? That'd be interesting given their history and everything.

    Robkas also impersonated a prince and that's not going to win him any brownie points. He figured turnabout was fair play since Marcus and Crystal tricked him and because of that he thought he'd return the favor. 

    With that in mind, you have to wonder what Robkas and Kahlia's goal is. How would stopping Crystal and Marcus's honeymoon help them? Weird. And are Robkas and Kahlia really married? We shall see. And we'll see if any of the other Starbolts lend a hand. All Crystal and Marcus want is a peaceful honeymoon!

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #755: An Aquan Honeymoon

 Hail!

    It wouldn't be a superhero honeymoon without some drama happening. Danar knew about the honeymoon plans and sent Robkas to rain on the happy couple's parade. If Tenera didn't think much of her father's antics before, wait until she finds out about this latest scheme. I mean he hired Robkas to interfere with Marcus and Crystal's honeymoon and in return the Aquan Fabio might get a seat in the Senate. I think the word "might" might be stretching it a bit. The other Senators agree D'Vane shouldn't be in power and do not want Danar have any power after what he did before Marcus and Crystal's wedding. I guess if they're going to be pariahs, they should be pariahs together.

    The last time we saw Robkas was a few years ago when he had his final confrontation with his ex-girlfriend Aquita. Back then he was thinking about running for the Aquan Senate. Depending on how much pull Danar has left after the wedding incident, we'll see if it actually goes anywhere. As you can see he's still with his girlfriend Kahlia. Who knows if they really ARE married at this point. It could all be a lie to cover up what he's really doing at Janagra Falls.

    At least Crystal told Marcus about the dream she had last week.  She was about to show Marcus just how confident she was when Robkas had to stick his nose where it didn't belong. The manager of the hotel promised privacy. What happened? We'll see what happened next week. What does Robkas want? Stay tuned!

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #754: The Council of Crystals

 Hail!

    Happy Halloween! I decided to do things a little differently for this year's Halloween comic, Usually, I would have a Halloween party or the ghosts plaguing Cobra or something. This time I decided to focus on what Crystal might dream about now that she no longer dreams about her abusive ex Cody. She instead dreams of Marcus and honestly that's for the best.

    This dream, however, has aspects of her personalities dress up as redheaded supers. The first one is based on Jean Grey aka Phoenix. I was going to use her Dark Phoenix costume. But, I figured that wouldn't work too well. I also like the green suit more than the red one.  The second personality wears a costume based on Firestar from the New Warriors. The third is based on the Black Cat. I know she doesn't have red hair. But, I quickly ran out of options. I could have gone with the Black Widow. However, Tasha doesn't really fit Crystal's romantic side as well as Felicia Hardy. I'm just saying. You don't see Tasha flirting with everything with a pulse. So, Felicia clearly is the winner here. Sure she isn't a ginger. But, it works.

    Either way it's clear that Terra Nova didn't do neither Crystal or Carter any favors. They had their demons to face and Crystal has been dealing with hers on a subconscious level. Who can say if this event really happened or was in her head? Then again just because something happened in her head, it doesn't mean it wasn't real. Could this whole episode have been brought on by the idol? It's hard to say.

    I should note that Crystal and Marcus's holodeck fantasies are obviously their own business. We likely won't see any of them in the comic. Yet, one never knows. Crystal and Marcus created them because she was unsure how to act in a relationship given all the trauma she had to endure. Marcus was new at it, too. So, the programs helped her gain the confidence she needed to pursue her relationship with Marcus and vice versa. 

   The only thing we know for certain is that Crystal has finally made whole. What will this mean for her story going forward? I'm not sure. But, I think she'll be okay. She's with a man who loves her and is on the mend after years of trauma. She can only go up from here and there's no limit to how far a newly integrated Crystal can go.

See ya next time!  

Starbolts #753: Wedding Interrupted

 Hail!

    Some people should learn that you shouldn't start a new story before another one finishes. It's just rude to do otherwise. Marcus and Crystal's wedding was a long time coming and while Tanis is rightfully excited about finding his people, he's gotta slow down a wee bit before sounding the alarm. Dude needed to take a look around and see what was going on and read the room. No one was going to indulge Tanis at this time since there was a wedding and everything. There's a time and a place for everything and the Starbolts will get to his story eventually. Just give it some time.

   I'm glad the wedding and subsequent party went off without a hitch. The last time a Whitefox got married the team was tossed into an adventure through time and space.  Carter and Firaxil had to redo the ceremony after that adventure. Marcus promised Crystal that their wedding would be different. I mean they had a space dinosaur walking around! I think that was more than enough excitement for one wedding. 

    Either way, I'm sure Tanis learned his lesson. Tanis has to learn to slow down for the people he loves. He has two reasons and because of that he really, really needs to take his time. The story will continue. Just let other people have their time in the spotlight.

    Next week we'll have our annual Halloween comic! Those are always fun to do. We'll see what I can scare up for next time!

See ya then! 

Starbolts #752: Fabulous Secrets Revealed

 Hail!

    Fabulous secrets have indeed been revealed to Shenra. She now knows she is a Faeori. It's a good thing Heidi was around to knock some sense into her. Shenra can be a wee bit stubborn and like I said before she has every right to be a wee bit stubborn and aggro. Shenra has set up the next great storyline for the comic and we'll be exploring that road once we're done with the wedding stuff. The wedding and everything should wrap up soon. Then we'll be on a hunt for Tanis's people. It's been a while since I did a space adventure and I'm looking forward to seeing where this one takes us.

    I have to admit it was pretty cute seeing Dendra and Sirak riding on Trakken's back like that. Criam would have joined them but he's still a little guy. He'll be joining them soon enough. Give him time!

    More wedding stuff is coming next week and this time I'll be focusing on Marcus and Crystal. It's their wedding! I should be focusing on the bride and groom. So, let's put this big reveal on the backburner for now. 

    The Starbolts all assumed Demonsk was in another dimension. Looks like it was really in the Milky way all this time! But, where? My guess is that it's probably on the other side of the galaxy far from the Aquans, Leonids and everyone else. I'll likely explore that and everything at a later date. Searching for the Progenitors is going to be a fun quest. It's a bit like one of my favorite Star Trek:The Next Generation episodes called "The Chase", I know. But, I'll put my own spin on things. Should be a fun ride!

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #751: Like a Wrecking Ball

 

Hail!

    I think Shenra took it a lot better than I thought she would. There was a time when she'd have ripped Tanis's arms off and beat him with them. Shenra has every right to be angry as I've explained in the comic. Let's rewind a bit. She was born on Demonsk and her parents were likely killed at some point. She joined the resistance movement against Demonstorm and ended up getting trapped on Earth at one point. That's only the beginning!

    Once on Earth she was captured by Terra Nova and tricked into believing she was some sort of metahuman insectoid. She was mentally controlled by a telepath and attacked the Starbolts. She met Tanis and they were intimate under false pretenses. She broke free of Terra Nova's control and joined Shrall's team since there was no way for her to go back home and she had no intention of ever setting foot on Earth again. In fact, I don't think she really likes Earth given what she went through there.

    She made a life for herself on Aquarius and now Tanis is telling her that she may have been from Earth all along. It's a tough pill to swallow. So, you understand why she might be a little skeptical. Of course the truth will be revealed next week. 

    In the mean time, we had some cameos from Trakken, the dinosaur from the center of the galaxy and Cece. I told ya they were at the wedding. Why would they miss such an important event? We'll likely see more of Crystal and her reaction to everything soon. Meanwhile, we've got Faeori drama to deal with.

 See ya next time! 

Starbolts #750: The Wedding of the Year

 Hail!

    Wedding bells have finally chimed for Marcus and Crystal! It took a long time to get here! Their relationship may have started way back in Starbolts #302 but they were always destined to be together from the very beginning. Back when I was figuring out the couples for our heroes, I had simple choices to make. Mateo would be with Aquita because opposites attract. Jenna would be with M'anta because they are both leaders. On and on it went and I never found anyone for Crystal and Marcus. 

    Trying to decide on a potential partner for Crystal was tough given her history. Who would be there for her and help her through the tough times. Marcus eventually became the clear answer because the guy makes her laugh. Yes, I know that's something Jessica Rabbit said about Roger. It's the same principle. A beautiful and yet damaged young lady needs some light in her life and Marcus was there for her from the very beginning. She ended up marrying her best friend. 

    Now that those two are married, I think Jack and Anya are on deck. Given how his sisters' weddings were both interrupted I think Jack will take some extraordinary measures to make sure there are no interruptions. They won't elope or anything. They'll just be making sure no one can teleport in and nothing can teleport out. It's probably for the best given their line of work. You never know when time travelers or witches will show up.

    Speaking of witches, I know I probably should have had Cece at the wedding. I'm sure she's there. She's likely off camera. We'll be seeing her next week at the reception and oh what a party that will be. There may even be an awkward reunion between Tanis and his ex-girlfriend Shenra. Yeah, things are gonna get awkward real fast around here. 

    At least Crystal and Marcus had their moment. Both sets of parents are beyond happy at the moment.  We'll be getting more of their reaction next time. 

See ya then! This wedding went off without a hitch. Now it's time to celebrate! 

Starbolts #749: Wedding Woes

 

Hail!

    The wedding of Crystal and Marcus are just one week away and of course Tess Danar, the former Prime Minister of Aquarius, had to cause a big stink. Did anyone really think he'd change his tune after the queen talked to him? He's always had it in for the Starbolts for a variety of reasons. King Sirak always kept him in check and it ultimately fell on his wife and children to deal with him after his death. He opposed the wedding of Mateo and Aquita and didn't want another Terran to get married in the palace. They were also married in the palace and now it's Crystal and Marcus's turn.

At least this time he has shown the quadrant his true colors. The man is a bigot and I think he's going to have a hard time finding work after this. Aquarius will have a new election and will elect a new and hopefully more progressive Prime Minister. Time will tell. I am hopeful because as we've seen this week Aquan society is very progressive. There are just a few outliers who decide to be jerks.

    As far as Marcus goes, we learned a little bit more about what happened in the three weeks he and Crystal were at the ranch. Demonstorm took away his romantic feelings and he and Crystal had to rebuild those feelings. The physical attraction remained. Everything else needed to be worked on and Speedy had to relearn a few things.

    At least it all worked out. Speedy is better and a wedding is on the horizon. There'll be no more commercial interruptions. Those two WILL be married in the next comic. Crystal will be getting the fairy tale wedding she deserves and they will both find happiness.

    It's a good thing they found out the meaning of the idol before the wedding. I imagine it would have bothered our heroes if they couldn't figure it out. It's also an apt meaning for those two as they've been through a lot. Especially Crystal. She's had to deal with people judging her because of her busty figure. It still upsets her but she's working through it. It's all she can do and at least she has the support of friends and family.

    Anyway, join us here next week for the wedding of the century as Marcus Johnson and Crystal Whitefox finally get married!

See ya then! 

Starbolts #748: Idol Hands

 Hail!

    You know it's just like Danar to throw a wrench into the works. If you're a longtime reader of the comic, you'll know that Tess Danar has always been a sort of comedic foil for our heroes whenever they visit Aquarius. They visit the palace and he has to be a grump about it. His distrust of Terrans is widely known. In fact, he was very much against the coupling of Aquita and Mateo way back when. I imagine he had a stroke when he found out she was pregnant. He was also against the union of M'anta and Jenna, too. Sufficed it to say Danar is a man of very strong convictions and I think he finally crossed the line here.

    The palace is essentially Queen Mother Yeena's home and she decides who can and cannot be married there. It may be time for Aquarius to have a new Prime Minister. They should hold an emergency election once they throw this bum out. We'll be seeing more of him next week. He's not going to go quietly into the night,. It's only a matter of time before he does something even more stupid. That man has some serious problems!

   As for the idol, it clearly means different things to different people as I mentioned in the comic. It's all open to interpretation and that's what makes it special. Marcus walking around with it was probably a bad idea like Shrall said. Then again how was he supposed to know? You can't fault him for some cultural faux pas he didn't know about. He just got the idol a little while ago! 

    If it isn't clear by now, I think for Marcus and Crystal the idol will represent their growth. It took Crystal a long time to get to the point where she is now. Ten years, in fact. Poor Marcus had a thing for her ever since and he was always very patient with her and never fell out of love with her. He also never acted on his hormones even though he was clearly attracted to her.

    The Starbolt moms know Marcus and Crystal well. I had a line in there from Yeena that said she was proud of how far those two have come despite everything thrown at them. I think that line will be better served in the wedding comic. 

    Starbolts #750 is coming fast and it should be a good one. Right now we have to deal with Danar's issue. I think he'll be shown the door. That man crossed the line and there's just some things you don't do in someone else's home. Perhaps it's time to retire Danar and get a new Prime Minister. Maybe the new one will like Leonid opera? We shall see.

See ya next time!

P.S. I liked the glowing effect in the last panel. Perhaps they found the answer they sought before dinner? I think so.  

Starbolts #747: Love and Wisdom

 Hail!

    Well, that's one way to solve a problem, right? Kyodon no longer has to worry about being used like a weapon. She is, as Marcus put it, a free turtle. I think this is akin to the genie breaking free of the lamp in Aladdin. However, Kyodon wanted the thing destroyed so it would never harm her again. It probably was cathartic to see it destroyed like that. She did not waste any time!

       This week we met two more gods in the Aquan pantheon! Erosi, the goddess of love and wisdom and Illia, the goddess of fertility. The roster of gods has grown a lot in recent years. I mean here's who we have so far:

Aquita: the goddess of the sea

Delclina: The god of the sky

Xazes: The god of justice

Grunn: The god of the land

Heliosa: The goddess of the sun

The gods of war and discord

The goddess of death  

 There are probably more gods out there. I just need to create them and flesh out their stories. The twin goddesses here are pretty tame of you compare them to their Greco-Roman counterparts on Earth. Seriously, Aphrodite had some serious issues. For a goddess of beauty she can't seem to kick her jealous streak. Eh, I suppose that's what makes the myths so much fun. I should also note that Erosi is also the goddess of wisdom. Love is wise, after all. 

    We'll likely see the idol pop up again. Next comic, in fact. I'm pretty sure the other Starbolts will be taken aback by this gift from the gods. The question is. Does it come with a hefty price tag? OR! Will Crystal and Marcus get way with everything? I think they might have had an easy time because of the fact that their friends are avatars of the gods.

That probably scored a few points in their favor. 

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #746: A Friend in Need

 Hail! 

    Did anyone really think that there was going to be a smooth ride to Crystal and Marcus's wedding? Have you been reading the comic long? Don't worry. This little side quest isn't going to take too long because I want to have some mother/daughter stuff in the comic before the big day. We might even see the pools of No-Mat once Tanis, Heidi and Lucy had left, that is. I uhh... don't think they want to be interrupted. 

    Kyodon seems to be quite remorseful over what happened a while back. Elisabeth King summoned her to Earth and she caused a fair bit of destruction. Of course, she was used to destroy things earlier when dark avatars had her cause trouble, too. For her whole existence Kyodon was used to destroy and you can't blame her for wanting the destruction to end. So, she's seeking out the one thing that allows her to be controlled--the psionic resonator. If it's destroyed, she can truly be free. Here's hoping our heroes can find the item they need! 

    Crystal and Marcus are the first mortal Terrans to be in Et-tria, the home of the Aquan gods and goddesses. I'm not sure how the Aquan pantheon will take to this trespassing but we can only hope that they don't react like the Greco-Roman gods do. That wouldn't be good. If anything, they might be like the Norse gods and invite them to dinner with the honored dead. Stranger things have happened in this comic. We shall see where Xazes, the Aquan god of justice take them. It should be noted that Shrall is Xazes avatar. That's why Marcus name-dropped him. 

Let's hope the Aquan gods see the wisdom in what Marcus and Aquita are trying to do so they can get back to wedding stuff!

See ya next time! 

     

Starbolts #745: Facing the Dragon

 

Hail!

    That was one way to stop the sliver of Demonstorm and Zarantha from taking over Marcus and Crystal's bodies. Unfortunately, the entities seemed to have done some damage in the holodeck. It's a good thing they were there and not at their apartment. I don't think the building needed another hole or two. A possessed Crystal and Marcus could do a lot of damage and it's a good thing our heroes were on hand to stop their friends from doing something dangerous.

    It seems that the Order of Korun detected the slivers in Marcus and Crystal when they were at the academy back in Starbolts #729.  That prompted them to send Vasha in to see if they were okay. The shards were removed and now everyone is happy. Very happy in Crystal's case.

    I'm not one hundred percent sure what new feeling she has. I think I'll explore it once she's on Aquarius. I'm not going to drop it or anything. It should be important to her character development and overall arc. She's a character who has had a lot of trouble in her past and Marcus has always been there to help. That's what drew her to him. That and his unfailing ability to be a gentleman. He's never been one to take advantage of anyone. But, if things were different who knows what would've happened.

    At least the two of them know not to dwell on "What ifs". A bright future lays a ahead of them. Our heroes will be married in five comics. It should be a great celebration! Let's hope there's no drama on Aquarius. 

See ya next time! 

Oh and I do like how I called out the cliche of being woken up by a kiss. It's lame but there was really no other way to defeat that thing. If Marcus fought it, he'd hurt Crystal. So, in order to defeat it, you needed to do something else. It was a risk and it worked out well for those two! 

    

Starbolts #744: More Matrimonial Mayhem

 Hail!

   It seems Medea's routine checkup took a decidedly unexpected turn! Remnants of Zarantha and Demonstorm fused together to create an entity who looks like he should be headlining a show on the Las Vegas strip! How are our heroes going to get out of this one? 

    I think we should back up and take a look at how we got here first. Crystal and Marcus were both tainted by Demonstorm and had been trying to bond for quite some time.The entity inside Marcus tried to block the bonding process until it saw a way to corrupt Crystal. It allowed the bonding to proceed and a creature that is half Demonstorm and half Zarantha was created. That just about sums it up.

    Marcus and Crystal are going to have to come up with a way to stop the creature from entering the real world and they can't do that through physical means. The only alternative is to look for another solution and they have one coming to do it! Can it be done? I'm the writer. Of course it can be done!

    In other news, Medea has made it clear that she wants to stay on Earth. This makes sense considering her son is on Earth. She has nothing waiting for her on Demonsk. So, what would be the point of her going back there? I suppose you could say she has her boytoy Taurol on Demonsk. That's the thing. Umm....Taurol literally is a boytoy. He's not real. She can conjure up  new Taurol on Earth. It could be argued that she could start looking for her people there. We'll see. Finding the Faeori is going to be the next storyline after the wedding.

    The soon to be newlyweds certainly have their hands full. Let's face it. It was never going to be an easy ride to the wedding day. They're superheroes. When have things ever been easy? At least we're getting a good look at what makes these two characters tick. They compliment each other and next week we're going to see just how well that works.

See ya next time! 

      

Starbolts #743: Matrimonial Mayhem

 Hail! 

    This week's comic started off simple enough. I was going to have Vasha evaluate the two for their wedding. Things changed at the last minute during the scripting process. I decided to instead change gears and have Medea come in to see if Crystal and Marcus were cured of their bouts with the forces of magical evil.

    Way back in Starbolts #372, Crystal was touched by Zarantha's dark magic and had to be cured of her influence by the Green Monster. The Green Monster was this elder creature who lived in the sewers of Boston. Purging Zarantha's influence from Crystal was an important step as it laid the foundation for what came later. Not long after that adventure, it was revealed that she and her sister were void witches. Zarantha saw Crystal's magical potential and tried to exploit it. She also tried to "eat" her, too. That part of the story was revealed in later in Starbolts #693. 

    Marcus had his own problems. In Sttarbolts #582, Medea helped him purge himself of Demonstorm's possession when he went into the wrong room of a castle and was zapped by Demonstorm. No one blamed him for what happened because it would've happened to anyone anywhere. Marcus needed help and his ex-wife was more than happy to lend a hand. 

    That brings us to today. Two weeks before their wedding, the two are going to have a checkup of sorts to see if everything's still good. Crystal has been using powerful void magic spells lately and Marcus just needed a general checkup to see if everything was all good. I doubt the checkup will last long as I intend to have the team leave for Aquarius by #745. This is one of the advantages to having Medea administering the checkup.

    Speaking of checkups, it looks like Heidi and Tanis's girlfriend Lucy might be the new nurse. I'm trying not to make any Animaniacs references even if Lucy is also blonde like Hello Nurse is from that show. 

    As for Marcus and Crystal, we'll see what happens with the two next week as they go through a sort of couples' counseling with Medea as the mediator. Things are going to be interesting when Medea is your therapist.

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #742: Every Ending is a New Beginning

 Hail! 

    As one door closes, another opens. This week we say goodbye to Roger Stevens, the second man to hold the mantle of Iron Eagle. I can't say I'm sad to see him go. Lately, his appearances in the comic have been less than heroic. It's hard to believe he was once a celebrated superhero. Now his reputation is in the tubes and it's up to Jack, the current Iron Eagle, to clean up the mess he left behind. Jack has a huge mess to clean up.

    I do like how we have an insight into the Whitefox kids' personalities when they were asking their mother all those questions. Crystal would be concerned as she has the highest emotional IQ. Carter has the highest IQ and Jack just wants to make sure Stevens didn't try anything. 

    Stevens might return some day. I'm not sure when. We're going to have to take a trip to the Vault at some point and see what it's all about. We know it's a prison for metahumans and so far two people have been sent there. Those being Tornado and Stevens. The bulk of the Legion are there as well including Jack's former best friend, Snake. The joint definitely has its fair share of inmates and there's bound to be more of them in the near future. I don't know if Lancer would be among them. No, I think he went to a special wizard prison.

    Now we get a chance to focus on much more happier times. We have a wedding in two weeks to go to. Well, two weeks in the comic. I plan on having the wedding in Starrbolts #750 and that'll be in September. We just entered August and I'll be sure to have plenty of good stuff coming your way until then!

    Marcus going ahead and working on wedding stuff as a surprise for Crystal was probably a good idea because she would have been stressed out. Now, the happy couple can focus on the trip to Aquarius, the guest list and a few other odds and ends. 

    It should be obvious that Crystal would want to keep her last name. She just got it back when it was revealed she was a Whitefox. I don't think she'll change it any time soon. Even Carter hasn't completely changed her name. She's Doctor Carter Odanta-Whitefox. Once the Whitefox ladies learned who they really were, they were hellbent on keeping those names.

    Anyway, next week we'll be heading to Aquarius. It's been a while since we've been into space. So, let's board the ship and head for the destination wedding. I think this is one destination wedding everyone would want to go on. I mean it's at an alien planet! Who wouldn't want to go there?!

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #741: Tanis's Big Date

 Hail!

    As usual it looks like Tanis was worried about nothing. Heidi was never going to break up with Tanis. Instead, she wanted him and Lucy to be involved with her. How will they make it work? That's to be determined. I think it was clear that Lucy wanted Tanis since the moment she met him. I don't know if I'd call it love at first sight. However, there was a spark there and now the three of them look like they're going to try and make it work.

    It's a shame Heidi's parents are a wee bit bigoted. I wasn't about to show that argument. We likely won't be seeing the Monroes again unless it's absolutely necessary. And it likely won't be. Then again Heidi has a teenage brother. He might be a metahuman as well! Won't that be a shock to the parents? I could make him a meta. It would just depend on what kind of power I want to give the kid. If he is one, I wonder if it'd be enough to turn her parents around. That might be wishful thinking on my park. Perhaps they'll change their minds. 

    For now, it looks like Heidi, Tanis and Lucy are involved and this might play into whatever Medea is planning. If they can't find their people, what other course of action could they have to bring them back? I don't want to say it's like Marshall or Lancer's breeding initiative. But, this might have a greater purpose than that. Tanis is the only known male Faeori. He's going to have to do something about his species and I don't think Shenra will be helping him. Yes. Shenra is also Faeori. She just doesn't know it. I'll probably be revealing that in this arc to her.  

   That reminds me. Soon we will be following Crystal and Marcus to Aquarius for their wedding. There's likely going to be shenanigans before the big day.  What superhero story doesn't have drama in some form. It has been a while since we've visited Aquarius. So, we're going to check things out there as the Starbolts head there for a wedding next comic.

    I'm sure Tanis will be invited. Heidi and Lucy can be his plus one. Err....plus two. Marcus and Crystal better send those invitations out before someone gets involved with any other people.

See ya next time!

Oh and as for program thirty? Well, what happens on the holodeck stays on the holodeck! 

Starbolts #740: A Perfect World

 Hail!

    Another day has been saved thanks to the Starbolts. They put an end to Lancer's bid to create a breeding program pretty effectively. You might be wondering what will happen to Jared Lancer next. I'll be going over that in future comics. Right now it's time to savor the team's hard earned victory. They had been fighting Cyclone for a long time and they nipped it in the bud before it got too crazy. That's being proactive. There might be other criminal organizations out there. I think the 'Bolts got lucky dealing with someone who was just so incredibly inept. They might not be lucky next time.

    I did have to draw a parallel with Clive's actions. The guys had similar beliefs in eugenics and everything. I'm pretty sure they'll be sharing a prison cell. Assuming Lancer will be going to a normal prison. He likely won't be given his magical nature and everything. No, I'm sure the Order of Korun will have something to say on this matter. Their punishment might be more severe than anything  

    Meanwhile, it looks like Heidi and Lucy are certainly ummm...friendly with each other. More on that next comic. If those two get back together, who knows what it will mean for Tanis. He is still in love with Heidi and we can only hope that he isn't the jealous type. More on that drama next comic. I know I left some dangling plotlines with this arc. They'll be resolved in time for a wedding in Starbolts #750!

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #739: A Perfect Mate

 Hail!

    Now, that was a twist! Did anyone really think I was going to put Tanis and Heidi into danger like that? Pfft. No! I wonder if anyone actually saw that one coming. Imagine Lancer's reaction when he finds out that his prized "visions of perfections" were androids. He'll be shocked for sire.

    Here's how it all went down.  Aquita, Takashi, Carter and Kevin took the remains of several androids and turned them into robot duplicates of Tanis and Heidi. To make them seem more lifelike, they had to be controlled remotely via the virtual reality headsets they were wearing in the jet. Essentially, this is payback for all the times Lancer and his crew used androids on them. It didn't take long for Team Science to sort it all out, get the hardware ready and get Heidi and Tanis all ready for this task.

     I have a feeling Lancer isn't going to react well to this change of events. His plan to create a perfect world are about to fail. Next comic will see the end of this chapter and the beginning of a new one. However, Lancer does have a point. Tanis and Medea may very well be the last of their kind. They will have to rebuild their civilization. That's an issue Tanis is going to have to deal with very, very soon.

     For now the tables have turned on Lancer. Let's see if he catches on to the ruse. Chances are he won't because the man is clearly full of himself. His ego is as high as the Carpathian Mountains. Sigh. Perhaps Marcus is right. A supervillain hideout in Tahiti would be a good idea. 

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #738: The Iron Eagle Rises

 Hail!

    Here it is, ladies, gentlemen and others! The final fight between Jack Whitefox and Roger Stevens over the right to the Iron Eagle mantle! I will admit that the fight was evenly matched until Jack's sisters Carter and Crystal showed up. They were always going to be part of the final battle because the legacy of Iron Eagle is theirs as well and Roger here trampled all over it. Not only that. He had android versions of the Guardians protecting him. Since they were all deceased he tarnished their memory by using them to attack our heroes.  He used androids based on his friend Sentinel in his attacks. That isn't going to sit well with the superhero community.

    Another thing that isn't going to sit well with anyone (Well, Crystal and Carter anyway) is how Lancer used an android based on Velocity in this group. Velocity, if you recall, was a clone of Carter Clive Marshall created to infiltrate the Guardians. She broke free of his control and unfortunately suffered a sad fate just before the real Carter returned to the Starbolts. Her final resting place is with the Whitefoxes' grandparents. Of all of Carter's clones, that one is one of the ones she liked the most. The jury's still out on Nikki.

    The next part of the plan has been set into motion as Heidi tricked Lancer into taking her and Tanis to his final hideout.  I know it didn't take much convincing. But, whoever said Jared Lancer was a smart man? Not me. The end his coming for him. I just need to decide if the final battle will be at the Faeori city or at this hideout. We shall see. I do have to admit he was gullible. All it took was a few words from Heidi to turn things around? Man, no wonder he flunked out of magic school.

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #737: Facing the Eagle

 Hail!

    I think Jack is correct. It'd be hard to redeem Roger Stevens after everything he's done during this arc. The final battle between Jack and the former Iron Eagle is going to occur next week and it should be one for the books. Not only will Jack be fighting Roger. The others will be facing android versions of Roger's old friends, the Guardians. I know for a fact that the android version of Velocity is not going to sit well with Carter. Remember, Velocity was Carter's clone and she and Crystal considered her their sister. Yeah, she's not going to be happy that there's an android version of her clone running around. Emotions are going to be high. That's for sure.

    I also revealed what Lancer's endgame has been this whole time. He's been trying to find a way to stabilize his magic. Ever since he was kicked out of the Korun Academy his magic has been a bit on the wonky side. We've witnessed it in the comic and now he's trying to set things right. Poor guy. But, there's always another way to go about fixing yourself. It also doesn't help that he wants to take over the world and abandoning his friend was a bit of a jerk move.

    This week, I introduced a new President for the US. She would be the one Roger Stevens would be running against. I think the campaign is officially going to be over next week if Jack has his way. What's going to happen? We'll see next week!

See ya then! 

Starbolts #736: Patriot Games

 Hail!

    Wow! It looks like we're heading toward a confrontation of epic proportions! Roger Stevens has essentially challenged Jack Whitefox for the right to the mantle of Iron Eagle. Who'll win? The battle may very well decide the fate of America as Stevens is still running for office. This is all to be determined. And now that he dragged two void witches into the fray you can bet Crystal and Carter will have some strong words for the former Iron Eagle. I have a feeling Crystal would use some very strong words. The woman has a pottymouth! And we love her for it.

    I think Anya gave Jack the push he needs to finally end the threat of Stevens. Framing him for murder isn't going to go well. At least Jack has an alibi. He was with M'anta the whole time they were at Cyclone. So, the question is where did this footage come from. Is it a hologram? Is it more androids? Or is it magic? Let's not forget that Lancer is a wizard. That'll be revealed next week as Jack assembles his siblings for a battle that could decide the fate of a nation.

    If Stevens loses, Lancer could see himself in a lot of trouble since he won't have anyone to protect him. Lancer might be a little overconfident and chances are HE is the one who is unhinged around here. This could lead to his downfall. Stay tuned!

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #735: Taking Care of Business

 Hail!

    We've got a little bit of drama this week as we wrap up the action at the former headquarters of Cyclone Consulting. Now all the Starbolts have to do is track down Lancer and Roger. It may prove to be a difficult task as one guy is still knocked out and the other is Gladstone. Does anyone really think Gladstone will talk? Hmm. Probably not. However, since he lost the headquarters he might feel like he has nothing left to lose. The androids in the building were disabled, sure. Then again there may be more of them out there. This story isn't over quite yet!

    The Starbolts still have to find the main leaders of Cyclone like I said. I might not delve too much into the conversation the Monroes are going to have. But, it's good to know that Marcus and co are at least trying to help Tanis. 

    I really like how the bit with Dendra came out. Yeah. You shouldn't try to cozy up to a baby if they don't know you. And if it's a shapeshifting baby? Probably not a good idea. The look was inspired by Marvel's Venom. Just a quick change of eye shape, fangs and of course green drool. I think that'd be enough to give anyone a fright. I also bet that deep down Carter is proud of her daughter. I'm not sure if she was speaking Inobe or baby talk, either.  It's a secret known only to Carter, Firaxil and Dendra!

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #734: Hostile Takeover

 Hail!

    Wow. This was certainly one way to get the building back from Cyclone Consulting! It seems that investors on the board sold the building illegally and Jenna just had to buy it back. Whether or not Cyclone Consulting will comply is a different story. Gladstone is likely going to go with them. I don't think he has much of a choice. Josh is already sitting in a holding cell at Agents Academy so I don't think he'll be much of a problem for now.

    Speaking of Josh, he's really been going off the deep end hasn't he? Like I said before. Jealousy can do strange things to people and make them act out of character. Right now he can't see straight and is taking his frustrations out on a guy with superrpowers. Not a very smart thing to do and I doubt hurting him will make Heidi fall back in love with him. 

    This week we also meet Heidi's lover from her college days. Lucy and Heidi met during college and were roommates. They experimented a lot and became a couple a while after their first kiss during a New Year's Eve party. I would imagine Heidi's parents would flip a table after learning about all of this. They had no idea their daughter did any of this stuff. I don't think they're going to take it very well.

    This is by no means the end of the story. We've still got to find and capture Lancer before he does whatever he's going to do next. That man is just as unpredictable as Josh. Maybe even more. He'll have to be dealt with swiftly. 

    It was a cool idea to give Jenna a shining moment like this as I haven't used her much in the comic. It's nice to see her shine here.

    Now that one of the heads of Cyclone has been captured, it's time to shift this story into high gear. 

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #733: Speeding Love

 Hail!

    There's an unwritten rule in most MMORPGs that says that when you start a raid in a dungeon, you do NOT fly off without a plan. You do not run into a room full of baddies and expect to handle it by yourself because nine times out of ten you're gonna die or at least give your healer a headache trying to keep you alive. I suppose Tanis flying off was inevitable. He tends to go off half-cocked most of the time. That guy's on a mission and that mission is to find his lovely lady friend.

    At least Marcus and Tanis buried the hatchet before they left. Marcus told him what he went through with Tanis's father and what it took to heal him. It wasn't so much true love as it was a desire to be with the ones he loved. And that included Crystal. She wanted to do whatever it took to make him better and that ultimately led to the two bonding on a mystical level.

    You have to admit Aquita had a point when it comes to Marcus and Crystal. She knows the two of them very well and knows he'd do anything for her. There are so many comics to list but I think longtime readers know when he's gone above and beyond for Crystal.  At least they are in a good place now. I mean they're going to be married. Look for that wedding comic to be coming soon!

    Now we come to Heidi. Heidi's caught between a rock in a hard place. One ex wants to sleep with her and another one just reappeared out of the woodwork. I'm not sure what Lucy's plan is. But, I would hope that she'd be a lot nicer than Josh. Josh seems to be suddenly thinking with other parts of his body.  Let's just hope Lucy has a more leveled head. There may come a time in the next few comics where she'll have to choose between Tanis, Josh and Lucy. Perhaps I should get them on one of those old dating game tv shows.

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #732: Ex Troubles

 Hail!

    Wow! There is a lot to unpack this week, huh? While the Starbolts work on a plan to finally take the fight to Cyclone Consulting, Tanis and Heidi were having a pretty good morning until it was interrupted by Mr. Joshua Peterson. Josh was already a pretty jealous ex-boyfriend and now that he's got a Manhunter armor, he's a lot more dangerous than he was before. Jealousy and a supersuit are not a good a combination. He is not in his right mind right now.

    In fact, I would hazard a guess and say that he probably misinterpreted Heidi's prior relationship with Lucy a wee bit. If you recall, Lucy's name was part of her password at Cyclone Consulting. That could mean anything. Still, I think Tanis and Heidi are gonna have a long talk about this and other lovers she might have had if their relationship is going to continue.

    They also professed their love for each other this week. Whether it's true love and not lust is up for debate. Their relationship is still in the very early stages. They may need to slow things down. It's clear that neither of them are willing to listen. Heidi might be caught up in the euphoria of being saved and Tanis is still going his own things. It remains to be seen if those feelings are real. 

    It was still a good idea for Crystal to invite Heidi to breakfast. If only she and Marcus arrived a little later. They might have been able to save Heidi from Josh and Tanis might not need medical attention. Hindsight is 20/20, I guess. At least Crystal admits that the two have a lot in common. I bet they'd have a lot to talk about what just happened....and past lovers.

    Next week we're going to take the action to Cyclone Consulting and save Heidi from her ex. Now that a Starbolt has been injured by Cyclone you can bet our heroes won't take this laying down. Tanis may be a screw-up sometimes but he's still one of their own and the Starbolts take care of their own. There's gonna be hell to pay next week.

Stay tuned!

Starbolts #731: Night Terrors

 Hail! 

    We knew this was going to happen. Just as one problem gets solved, another one starts. More on Josh in a second. Let's talk about how the void witches saved the wizard school. I think the primal mages will be thinking twice about their distrust of void witches after two of them saved the castle from a horde of rampaging androids. There will be some consequences for sure. Good ones, mind you! I have a feeling Medea may stick around in order to make sure things stay on the up and up. Plus it couldn't hurt to have a void witch rep or two hanging around. Cece is nice and everything. But, one more void witch couldn't hurt.

    It seems that Cyclone doesn't take their employees leaving the organization very well. I imagine they'd send in an army of drones to investigate why someone gave them their two weeks' notice. Some people just can't take the hint. I wonder how they'd feel if they knew Terra Nova had better dental than they did. Ah well. 

    It shouldn't surprise anyone that Gladstone was able to find Josh. After all, he went to a bar to drown his sorrows after witnessing Tanis and Heidi being intimate. Those images are still burnt into his brain and now he wants revenge on Tanis for "stealing his girl". Yeah. That's gonna go over real well with Heidi isn't it? 

    Josh was able to leave the campus because he wasn't a prisoner.Still, he managed to sneak out while the others were hearing reports about what happened at the Korun Accademy. He unknowingly used that as a distraction. I'm sure there'll be repercussions from that.  They can't watch everyone all the time and as far as everyone knew he was still asleep.

     Whatever Cyclone plans to do with their new employee, you can bet Tanis and Heidi will have to deal with it.  Look for some more drama coming soon. And just what did Gladstone mean by "He knows her past"? Hmmm.....

See ya next time!

Starbolts #730: Storming the Castle

 

 

Hail!

    It took a while but Tanis finally did it! Tanis has proven he is just as much a hero as Marcus or any of the other Starbolts. The bad news is I don't think Carter was watching when this epic rescue was done. She'll have to take his and Heidi's word for it. Or maybe she can review the footage from their uniforms. Either way this week's comic was Tanis's big hero moment. He's gonna be on cloud nine for quite a while after this adventure. Not only did he get the girl. He saved her.

    Unfortunately, Cyclone now knows that she betrayed them and that's not going to sit well with her former employers. They're likely going to try and find her family and make an example out of them. The problem is that they're already safe and sound at Agents Academy and while they are there they are protected. For now at least. Let's hope that protection holds.

     This week also saw Medea finally meeting Adelphus Longwood. I think they hit it off. Though, I think Longwood might be taken aback by Medea being so umm...forward. Poor old guy doesn't know what hit him. At least Crystal is there to be a chaperone. Next week Medea will set her plan to save the castle into action. I think after this battle our heroes will take the fight to Cyclone and put them out of business. They can't keep doing this every few comics. Something's gotta give and our heroes can't take much more of this cat and mouse routine.

   See ya next time! It's a good thing Tanis proved himself. I think Tanis and Heidi's relationship has been cemented for the time being.

Starbolts #729: Back to School

 

 Hail!

    This week we learn more about Jared Lancer, the man who eventually became the Director of Cyclone Consulting. From the looks of things, it looks like he took a page out of X-Men villain Magneto's playbook. The only difference is that Magneto eventually mellowed out and his rage against humanity subsided considerably since he was introduced back in 1963. Jared Lancer doesn't seem like the type who'd see the light and become a mentor to a group of new wizards. He's the type of guy who'd burn it all to the ground and he's got the money to do it!

   There is a puzzle here. Sometime between his rebellious teenage years and  today he started thinking about making a perfect world. We saw an inkling of that idea in his confrontation with Adelphus Longwood. It's up to the reader to decide who is right here. Longwood or Lancer. I think I'd prefer Lancer's approach since Longwood isn't the one launching androids at people he doesn't like. 

    Next week's comic is going to have a pretty epic battle at the castle. I'm sure Marcus and Crystal will lend a hand, of course. I just wonder how long they can hold out before help arrives. Here's hoping they can help save the day. It'd be very unfortunate if something bad happened to that nice castle Longwood is so fond of. Very unfortunate, indeed. 

    It is a shame Lancer turned out this way. But, you can't make everyone a hero or have everyone see your point of view. That's his loss and now there's a conflict between him and the Starbolts. If I were a betting man, I'd bet on our heroes.

 See ya next time! 

Starbolts #728: The Wizard of the Moon

 

Hail! 

    Oh, man. What a way to lose your lunch. I hope the burger and fries weren't too expensive. Then again maybe that guard will start eating healthy. Getting the coke out of the carpet is going to be a huge pain in the butt for sure. Well, this wouldn't have happened if our friend had been more forthcoming. Crystal had a job to do and the guard wasn't being very helpful. Next week he will probably sing a different tune.

    Before that epic moment we had a bit of a history lesson about what the Setleth have been up to since the liberation of their world way back in Starbolts #90. Just after their liberation from the Mosqukatara enslavement, they were leery about inventing things. Inventing is their bread and butter. So, they unfortunately made some mistakes upon their liberation. They eventually came to their senses and started to innovate like they've never done before. And that's how we got these Starbolts related androids.

    Poor Dono had to oversee the construction and it seems that Jared from Cyclone consulting got everyone sick. He also must have done something to the android recall system. It's a shame because all the Setleth wanted to do was to give Earth's heroes a huge "thank you" for liberating their world. In retrospect, the Dovianni sent over their finest art and mystical artifacts. I guess the Setleth wanted to go big. Maybe they should have stuck with a new car.

    In any case, next week we'll be going to the Order's academy where we'll check out Jared's story there. It should be a good one. Stay tuned!

See ya next time!

 

Starbolts #727: A Surprising Turn

 Hail!

    Well, now. The tides have certainly turned in the Starbolts conflict with Cyclone Consulting, huh? Who knew that their leader Jared was a wizard. I'll be sure to reveal more about him soon. Just know that he's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. He flunked out of the Order of Korun's magic school and as a result he's magic user without any restraint, training or anything. This makes him very dangerous in Medea's eyes. I think the Starbolts will heed her warning. I also think this will be more than enough incentive for Medea to stick around. The man doesn't know what he's doing with his magical powers and that makes him a very dangerous man.

    As for the rest of the comic, we're going to take a look inside the Setleth factory next week. As you might imagine there's going to be quite a few shenanigans. That and warning signs. Lots of warning signs. You can never have enough warning signs! I think in a Setleth factory even the warning signs have warning signs. The factory is also located on the dark side of the Moon. How long has it been there? Well, it probably wasn't there long considering first contact with the Setleth was only a few years ago. They just landed a factory on the Moon's surface and went from there. More on that next week. We'll be seeing the wonderful workers who've been working in the place, too!

    Tanis and Heidi's mission is complete for now. It may be time for Heidi to hand in her two week's notice at this point. I mean her boss is an unstable wizard. I don't think anyone should work in that kind of environment.  Well, Jared's secret is out and we'll be learning more about him eventually. I think it was only fair that Roger asked Natalia if she was a witch. I mean he doesn't really know much about the company he's a part of now. This could lead to his catastrophic downfall. Time will tell.

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #726: To the Lost City

 Hail! 

    You know it's amazing who you'll run into in abandoned cities that are overgrown with vegetation and wildlife. Though, I have to admit the temple was well kept. Well, think of it this way. When Medea and co arrived, she did some housecleaning. After all she was going to have guests in her most sacred place. As you can see, the members of the team meeting Roger are comprised of the fastest Starbolts and Crystal. Crystal most likely did teleportation jumps to get from point A to point B. Angela, M'anta, Firaxil and Marcus likely used their own power to get where they needed to go.

    Speaking of needing to go somewhere, it looks like Crystal's android friend needs Carter and TK's help to get to the factory. That would solve some problems. Once the factory is out of business, there shouldn't be any more androids running around. Theoretically that is. Who knows how many more are left on the planet. 

    It also seems like Heidi had a special friend. We'll be hearing more about her in the coming comics. I did reveal that she experimented a lot with her sexuality in college. I don't think her conservative parents would be too thrilled. I mean they weren't happy with the idea of their daughter dating an alien. I don't think they'd be happy with the news that their daughter did stuff in college they would definitely not approve of!

     Anyway, our heroes have arrived at Hy'ala and now have to deal with the mysterious Director and his friend Roger. Will this be the end for Cyclone? Time will tell!

See ya next time!

Starbols #725: Back to the Grind

 

 Hail! 

    Wow! The first day back at work and Heidi finds that all hell is about to break loose. I bet she didn't expect Cyclone to find the lost city of the Faeori. She and Tanis are going to have to play it cool next comic or else their cover would be blown.  There's no way they could have ever predicted this turn of events! At least this ties in nicely with Medea's arrival and the story she told everyone about her people. Now the time has come for the team to confront them in South America! The question is will they find the portal to Demonsk, too? That remains to be seen!

    It looks like there's no love lost between Heidi and her parents these days. They keep repeating the same thing over and over again. "Please end this nonsense". I don't think they understand the scope of the changes in Heidi's life now. There's probably little going back to the life she led before she became a telepath. She went through a lot of changes since they last saw her. Heidi isn't the same woman they raised. Things have changed and hopefully they'll go with the flow.

    At least Crystal and Heidi seem to have made amends this week. The ladies have a lot in common and I liken Heidi to be sort of a twisted mirror of Crystal. She's more experienced and more willing to take what she wants than Crystal is. She could learn a lot from her new friend. Perhaps Heidi saying "Women like us need to stick together" will be incentive for Crystal to finally write that book. You never know.

    Then there's Medea. I just wanted to wrap up some loose ends there because there are still some unanswered questions. She still attacked the Starbolts on a few occasions and went along with Demonstorm's plans. Perhaps it was just an act and if she acted out she'd have been punished. Now that Demonstorm is gone, the truth can come out and I'm sure it's a big relief for Medea. 

    Still, we've got that hidden city to worry about. There's going to be a lot going on there in the jungle. So, stay tuned!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #724: The Hidden Race

 

 Hail! 

    It took a while. But, now we finally have the origin of Medea's people. They're called the Faeori and are responsible for all the myths about fairies, imps and all sorts of creatures. I guess that means Tanis isn't really an insectoid after all. I think that made Heidi really happy to hear that. Tanis is probably relieved that he's from Earth as well.

    Sadly, it looks like the Faeori are trapped somewhere for the time being. They may be stuck in another dimension. They may even be in a facility Braun put them in. You never know. Needless to say Medea has been spending every waking moment since her liberation from Demonstorm trying to find them. Will she? Or will she enlist the aid of the Starbolts?

    At least now they know the truth. Just know that Medea was secretly always rooting for our heroes whenever Demonstorm invaded Earth. She did a good job trying to keep him away from her home for so long. But, he grew tired of her and pushed forward anyway. Now, you might be wondering why he attacked the Faeori to begin with. It's really quite simple. He did it because he could. He's that evil.

    Now, it looks like Cyclone has found the ancient Faeori city. Will they be going to Demonsk? I don't know about that. However, I think Heidi better check in with her boss now that they're worried about her not checking in. It seems someone forgot to give them her two week's notice. Whoops.

More on that and other assorted drama next week!

See ya then!

Starbolts #723: Program Error

 

 

Hail!

    This week's comic answers a very old question some people might have had about Tanis, Medea and others and why they look like baseline humans even though they came from another dimension. Medea revealed that their people came from Earth. I'll go into more detail next week.  We just need to let the dust settle a bit here. The people have a long history with Earth and I'd like to give it its proper focus. I guess the dinosaur people weren't the only secret race on Earth. Many more developed and many more are probably still out there. It's a big world.

    Now we know why Tanis was able to break Demonstorm's hold on him way back in Starbolts #16.  Medea changed her son's genetic code so that he'd be more like her people and less evil like his father. Kind of sneaky of her to do this under his nose. Not to mention dangerous. Tanis's heroism comes from his mother and her people. It was the ultimate revenge on a cruel tyrant. Can't say he didn't have it coming.

    As for Heidi? Wow. Medea sure can call it like she sees it. She is not one to shy away from the obvious, is she? Her parents were blissfully ignorant of their daughter's past. I won't go into details. But, she's had more than just Josh as a lover as we've alluded to before. I don't think her parents would've approved of half of them to be honest. "Alien" or not. And now we know Tanis isn't really an alien.

     Oh and speaking of Josh you might be wondering how he was able to see Tanis and Heidi having sex. Well, Tanis's apartment is on the ground floor like I said.  He simply went to his place looking for a fight and saw everything through the bedroom window. Heidi wasn't able to sense Josh as she was focused on Tanis at the time. Josh didn't stick around long and went to the nearest bar to wash away his sorrows.  I didn't show that in the previous comic as that probably would have been not safe for work. At least now he's sleeping it off. We'll see how he feels once he's sober.

    Anyway, the next comic we'll see the origin of Medea's people and how they fit into the whole Demonstorm mess. There may be more going on here than meets the eye. So, do stay tuned!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #722: Calling in the Big M

 

 Hail!

    Wow! It's all over when your mother gets involved in your love life. But, will things be as bad as we think when Medea finally meets the woman who has stolen Tanis's heart? Good question. The bigger question is how will her parents react. That's going to be a bit interesting to say the least. At least Medea wants to help her son out because once again Demonstorm's programming has royally messed up her son. She has to clean up the mess he made. 

    There's a perfectly good reason for why Tanis has been so flighty and why he's been trying to attach himself to various women. First it was Shenra and now it's Heidi. Something is going on with the bug and next week we'll figure out what's been bothering our friend. The poor guy's a victim of mad science and you might even say he had it worse than Crystal and Carter. 

    Meanwhile, I think someone should talk to Junior about hitting on married women and engaged women. Junior is a teenager so I think he'll learn quickly. We might see him again. Poor kid didn't know what he was getting into trying to hit on two ladies who are quite happy with their relationships. Though, I imagine the sight of Firaxil was enough to splash cold water on his fantasies. He's a kid. He'll learn.

    For now we have Tanis to deal with. Heidi admits that she's probably falling for him, too. Is it too soon? You make the call. I think she feels a connection because her exes haven't all been that great. Tanis is the only one who listens and she was able to figure out that he genuinely cares about her.  More on that soon. Right now Mommy Dearest is about to make a house call.

See ya next time!

 

Starbolts #721: Caught in the Act

 Hail!

    Oh, there's a lot to cover this week. Tanis's libido seems to be in overdrive and he doesn't realize it. You might sake he takes after his mother Medea in that regard. Tanis needs to slow down and it seems Heidi wants to go full throttle with their relationship. I think I can see why. 

    Heidi has had a lot of boyfriends as I illustrated during the argument her parents had. She wants someone like Tanis who'd give her stability and she won't take no for an answer. When Crystal told her to slow down, she spoke from experience. The thing is Heidi is actually more experienced than Crystal and told her off. 

    As I've said before, Crystal has only ever been with two men and one of them was a complete and utter scumbag. As a result, she played it safe on the romance front. However, Heidi doesn't know Crystal's full background. I bet once she finds out WHY she has taken things slow she'll be changing her tune. That remains to be seen. Here's hoping the two will eventually become friends. 

    For now it looks like Heidi has her heart set on Tanis and he's more than happy to reciprocate. I think next week we'll explore how the ex and her brother are reacting to their new surroundings. We'll see what the next comic brings. We may even see how her parents react to their daughter being more than just a "sliugger". Yeah, they just got another wake up call about their daughter.  Twice in one day. How are they going to handle it.

   Meanwhile, I think Crystal's faith in Tanis has been shattered. She is a big believer in second chances. So, she may have some trust issues with her friend now. That's gonna take time to heal. After all he and Heidi did have sex in the ship that brought Firaxil and his parents to Earth. That didn't go over well with Carter as we saw this week. It's definitely not going to go over well with Crystal. That's the main thing they're mad about. It's not so much the tryst. But, the place they did it could stand some scrutiny and raise a few eyebrows.

    Talk about a soap opera! More on this next time!

See ya then! 

Starbolts #720: The Case of the Ex

 Hail!

    Yikes! Tanis is going to be in DEEP trouble next week. Now was probably not a good time or place to have a romantic interlude. Think about it. Not only are the Starbolts on a mission to save some civilians from Cyclone. The shuttle that Carter is driving once brought Firaxil and his parents to Earth. Before it was recovered by our heroes, it was in a cave in Kentucky collecting dust while her husband was abused by the Arronfelds. The Starbolts now use it as a means to transport groups of people on the ground at high speeds since it can never fly again. It can still hover, though! 

    The only saving grace here is there Josh will likely stay out of their way. Or will he? I don't know. I was initially going to write him as a nice guy. I think we've had way too many jerk exes in the comic and so I thought Josh being nice would be a great change of pace. Well,. we'll see how that goes.

    Then we come to Heidi's brother Alex. Alex is a kid. I would say he's about fifteen or sixteen. He's got some growing up to do. We'll be seeing how he interacts with Ellie and the other kids around his age at the Academy. Since he doesn't have powers (that we know of) we can safely say he might bite off more than he can chew. 

    There's not much I can say about Heidi and Alex's parents at the moment. They seem okay. I mean they were shocked to find that their daughter is a metahuman. But, I'm sure once they talk to the Whitefoxes they'll get over it. Time will tell. For now, though? I wouldn't want to be Tanis when he gets caught by Carter....and you know he will! Remember, this is the second time he had a tryst on a mission. This is also his second chance. Yeah....Things aren't looking good for Dragonfly.

See you next time! 

Starbolts #719: The Road of Life

 Hail! 

    Oh, Poor Tanis. His day started so well, didn't it? Let's recap shall we? He rejoined the Starbolts in the hopes of clearing his reputation and found that a woman named Heidi really liked him. They had intimate relations and it turned out Heidi was really working for Cyclone Consulting, a organization that's been a recent thorn in the Starbolts' side. Heidi was hired by Cyclone to seduce a Starbolt and to get information on aliens from them. 

    Heidi had second thoughts about her mission and came clean to the Starbolts. She urged them to help save her family in case Cyclone decided to act on Heidi's betrayal. So, Tanis and Carter decided to take the ship that brought Firaxil to Earth and save her family. When they get to Omaha they come face to face with not only her parents but a guy named Josh. 

    Josh is the captain of the football team and Heidi's former boyfriend. The awkward levels have now gone through the roof. How is Tanis going to compete with Mister Football here? Well, he may not have anything to worry about since Heidi said she had her fill of jocks a long time ago. We'll see how things go! Tanis's journey has just begun. Will Josh be competition or will he not stand in the way? Time will tell.

    All I know is that he'd better heed Carter's warning and not blow it with her.

    Special thanks go out to my friend and fellow Wikitreer Wendy Callahan! This week she and I discussed where in Omaha the Monroes lived. I thought about having them live in Carter Lake since well...Carter's name is also Carter. She said that wasn't a good idea. So, I had to choose between Aksarben and Elkhorn. Elkhorn, as it turns out, is a ritzy neighborhood in Omaha. So, I decided to go with that one because of Mr. Monroe's job. 

    I appreciate a lot of help on geography when I know little about the area. We'll see how the Starbolts handle their trip to Nebraska next week.

See ya next time!