Starbolts #218: Avatar Hunt

Hail!

Of all the times I could have made a OMD reference, I decided not to. Discretion in this case was the better form of valor since that horse has been beaten and sold to a meat packing plant. Anyway, Robkas did make a deal with the dark Gods. We'll see what that is soon enough. Obviously, he has kept his love for Aquita. There was no way he was going to give that up. Ever. Anyway, these three new baddies will be explored, too.

It also shouldn't be a surprise that everyone on Aquarius knows of Robkas. Even before he became cosmic powered, he was a member of a well-to-do Aquan family that was part of the royal court. That's how he met Aquita in the first place. Then he left and came back and caused all sorts of problems. The king definitely wants this guy's head.

In other news, I've recently put up videos up to my Thunderbolts #1 review up on my Youtube channel. You can see that here:  http://www.youtube.com/user/cferra1227 . Tomorrow, I am putting up the Ultimate Spider-Man review once I edit that for Youtube. New episodes should begin in March...when a new Amazing Spider-Man is released!

Now that will be awesome! It remains to be seen, though, if it is Peter Parker that has returned. We shall see. Also, coming soon is a new volume of the New Warriors. So, I may take a look at that. We'll see. I'll probably read both. It should be fun, though. Time will tell what those stories will bring.

In the mean time, we've got January and February to go through. By then, I should have more backlog up on Youtube and more goodies in comic form.

See ya next week!

Starbolts #217: Awakening of the Dark Gods

Hail,

This is the second "trailer" for the year's storyline. It's not so much a trailer but part one of Robkas finding and getting avatars of the three "dark" Gods of Aquarius. Of course, the dark ones played on Robkas's desire for Aquita to have him do his bidding. The guy just doesn't give up does he? And that poor ice snake. Sigh...poor snakey deserved better, I think than to be killed by an obsessed guy like Robkas, right?

Still, we won't have long to wait before he picks three people to become avatars of the dark ones. On a design note, I tried to make this temple seem Legend of Zelda like. I've been playing Link between worlds and it's fun. Though, I don't think I'd want to go to THIS temple. Or any water temple for that matter.

Anyway, this week's comic shows Robkas at his worse. His delusion is gonna get the better of him, I think. I was originally going to have Cobra talk about Aquan mythology. But, I don't think he particularly cares as long as he gets three powerhouses on his side.

I think the Gods of War and Discord and the Goddess of Death will be more than happy to help Cobra. But, will there be a price? There always is when Dark Gods are involved.

Starbolts #216: Coming Attractions

Well, you didn't honestly expect to keep the Mosqukatara gone forever did you? Some back story is probably needed. Back in the early issues of this comic, the Starbolts and everyone else took on an insectoid race that had once enslaved the peaceful planet of Aquarius. They were defeated once and returned some years later to try again. This time, they tried to conquer Earth and Leonid IV while they attempted to reclaim Aquarius.

The plan failed and the new Alliance of planets went straight into the heart of Mosqukatara space and took out the bug homeworld, killing a lot of insects. Some survived and wandered the galaxy as nothing more than scavengers without a true Queen to direct them and guide them to victory. They decided enough was enough and proceeded to attack the world of the neutral aliens.

And the rest as they say is history. I was planning to bring the bugs back one day. But, I wanted to give them a new form. And trust me, they will get a new form. Who knows what new form a Mosqukatara/Neutralon hybrid will take. Let's just say the Alliance (Humans, Aquans, Leonids, Dovianni and Setleth) are going to have their hands full soon.

Next week, you can expect another trailer-like comic for another storyline I am working on. =) This is gonna be a rough year for everyone! See you next time!

Starbolts #215: Home for the Holidays

 Happy holidays! This holiday comic wraps up the loose end of "Whatever happened to Tanis?" from back in issue 200. I didn't want to leave his fate up in the air TOO long because he'll be needed. Oh, trust me. He. Will. Be. Needed. A question of course remains. Has the experienced changed him? We'll see soon enough. Probably next week. =)

Anyway, I like what I did with the ghost effect. Originally, I was going to have them be black and white. But, eh, no. It's better this way. They're more ghostly and such. In fact, I'm probably going to use this for Crystal soon.

I also wanted to make the holiday comic a bit like a Charles Dickens tale. Jack was visited by four ghosts and told to basically embrace the here and now and let go of the past. Remember it, sure. But, don't forget to keep yourself in the present and be with your friends today. An important lesson. Even for one who was displaced in time.

Also, we learn the truth about Cobra. He's neither living nor dead. What is he, then? He was brought to life by Demonstorm, remember. So...what is he? That answer will be revealed another time.

See you all next time for the last Starbolts comic of 2013! Happy holidays!

Starbolts #214: The First Rule of Robotics

Hail!

The adventure in the United Kingdom has come to a close with Norad taking down Syntax. Now...will he return? Will Donna fit in with the Starbolts? Will Jack Lantern, Valentine and Punchline return? We shall see sooner or later, true believers. It was fun doing this quick storyline as a send-up of a Doctor Who adventure. The Syntax drones marching on London were like the Cybermen marching on London for example. That and Donna Tate's name comes from Doctor Who companion Donna Noble and of course the actress who plays her, Catherine Tate.

In other news, this is the first new comic I put on Deviantart. Imageshack keeps breaking my older comics. So, I will be working to get all the older ones up to fill in the gap as it were from 99 to 214. It can be done since Deviantart has changed their upload system to something that is workable.

Today I will talk briefly about the X-Men as it's their 50th anniversary as well as the Avengers. I read the X-Men before the Avengers and they always had a soft spot in my heart. They were a fantastic group of the strangest heroes of all. What I liked most about them is the fun and downtime they had in a few issues. And unity. Both are sorely missed in today's X-Men comics.

So, happy anniversary to Earth's Mightiest Heroes and the Strangest heroes of all! You both have great members in your ranks from Captain America to Firestar to Nightcrawler and Iceman. Here's to another fifty!

Next week's comic will be the annual Christmas comic...featuring a return of an old friend! Stay tuned for Starbolts #215: Home for the Holidays!

Starbolts #213: Love and Robots

Bad guys joining superhero teams is nothing new. The Avengers have had members turning over a new leaf for about as long as their fifty year history. And to celebrate their fiftieth year, I have two baddies who MAY become good guys later. I don't know. If I ever decide to make two baddies become good guys, it might be Valentine and Punchline. Only because...let's face it....their hearts just aren't into the whole super-villain thing. They haven't held any countries for ransom or killed anyone. Plus, I think you'd decide on a new career path if your teammate was using your duplicates to create a robot army. Plus, I think Valentine's more suited to being a femme fatale to be honest.

Back to the Avengers since I promised a post talking about them. I love the Avengers. They're one of my favorite teams in the Marvel Universe. Not THE favorite. But, they are still good nonetheless. The Avengers have reached their 50th year and we've seen legends, Gods, heroes and villains join their ranks. They're Marvel's answer to the Justice League and have continued to fight the foes no single hero can withstand.

Next time, I'll talk briefly about Marvel's mighty mutants the X-Men! Who...also turn 50 this year. Heh. What a year for 50s, right? See ya next time!

Starbolts #212: Trouble Underground

Hail!

Heh. What can I say about the last few panels? Hmmm....How about:

"Look out! It's Noradimus Prime!"
"This is no time for daytime soap material!"
"Can I get one of those for Christmas?"

I could do this all day. I'm not entirely sure how Noradimus...er..Nor-Mad changes from that vehicle mode to robot, yet. I'll probably draw the transformation sequence this weekend. If I have time. I am going to be putting the Superman #1 review up on Youtube soon. So, that's going to take a bit. But, holy crap. Nor-Mad got a much needed fresh coat of paint. I wasn't a fan of the old style. It didn't really fit with the rest of Norad's forms.

And trust me, there are quite a few of them. Norad doesn't just come in red and green flavors. (Foreshadowing!)

In other news, this year marks the 50th anniversary of two of my favorite teams from Marvel history. Expect a blog or two about the Avengers and the X-Men in the future. Of course, next Saturday is the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who and I will be watching that. Everything I've seen so far on that program has gotten me kind of hyped. Okay. That's a lie. I am VERY hyped.

It's a great time to be a fan of many things. I only hope they keep the momentum going! Until next time, everyone!