Starbolts #594: Spacecops

 

 

Hail!

    This week's comic is dedicated to a family friend who passed away a few days ago. Her name was Marina and she was a friend of the family for many years. When I started working on this story in the mid 1990s, she provided much needed tips and advice for characters I was working on. For example, she thought it was clever that I was thinking of making insect-like aliens called the Mosqukatara and basing them off of mosquitoes that were basically eating us alive at the marina where we talked. She had a boat close to ours and I would visit every time I was down. Marina was a fan of comics, too, and we'd talk comics and movies when they were released.

    When I started turning my story into a webcomic in 2008, she thought that was pretty cool. I showed her the first comic and she was entertained. Over time I showed her more and more comics and she appreciated how the stories evolved over time and how the characters seemed more "human" with each passing strip. She always liked the Stan Lee approach to character and world-building. This meant that there would be a human aspect to the character regardless if they were a human who could shoot fire from her hands or if he was a blue-skinned alien from an aquatic planet. 

    I last sent her a comic over the fourth of July weekend. It was this one, Starbolts #588. I don't know if she ever got the chance to read the strip. But, I like to think that she did. She was always one to offer advice or tips like I said. She never had a harsh word to say about the comic or story. She encouraged me in all the ways that matters and helped me fine tune the story into what we have today. I'd like to think that she would be glad I'm still going strong since I'm almost at my 600th comic. 

    She had some great thoughts on the comic and I really wish I could share some of my recent ideas with her. But, it is what it is. The only thing I can do now is continue and what what I've always done. Produce the comic and hopefully she's up there watching me. It's all I can hope for. Rest in peace, my friend. I'll miss you!

    As far as this week's comic goes, I think Sara just single-handedly altered police procedures for an entire planet. Her parents would be so pleased. Not to mention the Alliance. They probably take a dim view on torture and would be pleased that the practice of torturing prisoners will be abolished in the very near future. Sabina is a hard sell. So, it's definitely going to take some time. Alliance worlds were probably urging them to change their policies and so having Sara act as an ambassador here kind of made their case. Even while pregnant and on another planet, she's still a Starbolt.

    I do appreciate how we have Firaxil watching Sara and his mother Dendra cook dinner. If you think about it, it's an amazing sight to see because two years ago he thought BOTH women were dead. Now here they are alive and well and making.....I honestly have no idea what that is. It looks like lasagna crossed between some kind of pie. I'm not sure where my brain was when I decided to make that panel. I'm just going with it. At least it's edible and enjoyable? Then again Sabina called it adequate....

    It's hard to believe Starbolts #600 is six comics away at this point. Time flies when you're having fun! Tune in next week as we continue down that road! It's sure to be a fun comic! Trust me! But, first we have a few more character driven comics to churn out. Do stay tuned!

See ya next time! 

RIP Marina.

Starbolts #593: Heart of Hearts

 

 

Hail!

    This week's comic has a couple things going on. First up is Angela and her conversation with the Centurion Force. At the end of her talk, she was enveloped in a white light. This means that she once again has superpowers aside from her empathic abilities. Angela is no longer overpowered, though. Instead of forcing the truth out of people and turning into a being of light, she now has the abilities that come from being a regular Centurion. This means that she can:

* Fly

* Shoot energy blasts

* Open a stargate

* Has a moderate degree of superhuman strength

    I think that's more than enough for our angel! She may have been a tad overpowered and this was a good way to scale her powers back some. But, that's not all! She is now an avatar of the Centurion force and is a Centurion who isn't attached to any world. This means that she doesn't need to have the red and blue armor with the bucket. She'll have an uniform of her choosing. I'll have to decide what it looks like and I have some ideas running through my head.

See Starbolts #515 for the promise she made to the heart of Illibrata. You might notice a change in the cave in that comic and in this week's. Well, that's because when the heart was mended and sent to the nanobots, the area in the cave healed and as a result got much brighter than before.

    Next we see how our fastest man alive, Marcus is doing. He's doing pretty well all things considered. Don't get me wrong. There were probably nights where he was very restless. Thankfully, Crystal is on hand to help her boyfriend in any way. She's with him through thick and thin.

    Still, I wonder how Marcus fighting Codystorm managed to get rid of Crystal's many nightmares. Was it a coincidence? It's hard to say. Maybe it's a bit of both. If you remember during the fight in Starbolts #582, he was fighting Crystal's fear of Cody and not so much Cody himself. He did something and he wasn't sure what it was. At least it turned out for the best. She no longer has any hangups and that's a good thing. 

    As far as Crystal goes, here we see her being more confident than she's ever been. She's modeling in a transparent blue gown Yeena gave her. She has found modeling helps her confidence. She needs the confidence if she's to explore her feelings. Don't forget. The spells she used to have kind of blocked some of those feelings.

    I guess in a way the two Starbolts are in the same boat. Both need to relearn a few things. Thankfully, they have each other. That's all anyone can really ask for!

    Man, Danar is gonna flip if he sees those pictures....

See ya next time!

Starbolts #592: Return to Illibrata

 

 

Hail!

    Tenera was pretty much relegated to being a taxi driver this week, huh? To be honest I'd rather ride in a space taxi than take a cab around Boston. It probably smells a fair bit better in the shuttlecraft. Anyway, it looks like Sid is finally going to get a stern talking to about how he treats ladies. The Agents and Starbolts couldn't get through to him. So, perhaps Shrall might. It worked for Tanis! I wonder what Shrall is doing differently than the others are at this point. Either way, he may come back to Earth a changed man! I kind of wonder what Shenra wants him for. We may catch up with him. We may not. It depends.

    Kevin and Angela are finally on Illibrata and now they can visit the heart and update it on everything. How will it react to the sudden change of events? Angela is no longer a threat to the planet or the heart. Perhaps everything will be fine now. Time will tell!

    It does suck when people have to deal with bureaucratic nonsense, though. At least they corrected their mistake. Check out Starbolts #513 if you want to see what incident Angela was referring to! More action is coming next week! 

See ya next time!

Starbolts #591: One Door Opens, Another Closes

 

 

Hail!

    Looks like people are splitting off again. Kevin and Angela will be going to Illibrata and we will definitely be following their adventures there as we race to Starbolts #600. What awaits them on Illibrata and will the heart be grateful Angela no longer possesses its phenomenal cosmic powers? I hope so! It looks like those two have taken the next step in their relationship. Things are going well for them. It's nice to see our couples move on in their relationships. A couple more milestones for the couples may be on the horizon. Stay tuned!

    Tanis is also set to return to Aquarius. Do you think Angela and Kevin will give him a ride home? It's possible. One never knows. He might just end up taking the bus. At least he's finally made peace with his mother, Medea and that's really all he asked for. Note how he called her "Mom" instead of "Mother"? Baby steps, Tanis. Baby steps. He'll be okay, I am sure.

    Now, I bet you are wondering who that mysterious woman at the end is. She's been popping up a lot in recent comics. She seems to have a connection with our heroes. Is she friend or foe? Or neither? What could Medea want with her and why are they forming a coven? Patience, true believers. All will be revealed in time. Keep the faith and keep reading!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #590: Faith of the Heart

 

 

Hail!

    It's been a long time coming and finally Angela has the heart of Illibrata out of her! For those who don't remember, the heart is the source of all the Centurions' powers. Angela's father is a Centurion and so she inherited some of his abilities. When Demonstorm performed his ritual on her and transferred the power to him, it corrupted the heart. Things seemed okay for a while until it was found that having the heart of Illibrata be corrupted and inside a Terran would eventually cause great disasters. I have many comics covering this. But, you're going to want to check out this comic where Angela confronted an older version of herself from a timeline that has officially ceased to exist. Check out Starbolts #481: Arguing With Myself.  

    Basically what just happened was this. The heart has been transferred from Angela to the nanobots. Since the nanobots are logical beings with no emotions, they cannot be corrupted and thus can handle the heart with no issues whatsoever. As a result, their lifespan has probably increased, too. If you recall, their lifespan was cut short thanks to being part of Norad.

    So, what will become of Angela now? Well, she is still an empath and she's still a Starbolt. Right now all she wants to do is be with Kevin and not have to worry about her phenominal cosmic powers hurting anyone. However, she's still the daughter of a Centurion. That's never going to change. Who knows what will happen in the future?

See ya next time as we march headlong into Starbolts #600!

Starbolts #589: Angelic Return

 

 

Hail!

    Angela is officially back home after training with the Centurions. Now the question on everyone's mind should be whether or not her powers will be sapped by whatever plan Cece and Medea cooked up. What does their plan have to do with the nanobots, too? These are all logical questions and Sam and I will be answering them as we march headlong into the countdown to issue #600! Other characters might be returning by that point. One never knows.  

    Check out Starbolts #523 if you want to see Medea's original explanation about how the heart of Illibrata and everything works. Will she lose her powers as a result of this procedure? That's up in the are. What do you think will happen?

    Either way, Kevin is clearly happy to see Angela again. I'm sure he's wrestling with a few issues. He'll be there for her through everything. Count on it!

See you next time when we fix Angela and save the universe at the same time! See ya then!

Oh and we should probably check in on Marcus and Crystal at some point. Mexican food sounds good right about now!

Starbolts #588: Born on the Fourth of July

 

 

Hail!

    After this week's comic I bet you are wondering if Jack really is on the road to becoming the new Iron Eagle. Time will tell. Right now he's still dealing with everything that's happened in the past year. The entire Whitefox family has to come to grips with the fact that Sara and Crystal were Stan and Andrea's twins all along. In fact, I suspect that while Marcus and Crystal are away at the ranch, she is probably doing some soul-searching while he has therapy sessions with Angela. Sara definitely is doing some self-discovery. I think they might all need a breather in order to take stock in what has actually happened. It's a lot to take in.

    For the most part, Jack seems to be still angry over his old "friend" Snake's betrayal. It was bad enough that he killed Soldier Six on Discord Island. He's also responsible for the abduction of the embryos as seen in Starbolts #455. The soldier is definitely not happy here. Who can blame him?

    We do get a bit of a glimpse into what could have been when Andrea talks about Scarlett and her conversation with Jack in the flashback. Scarlett had no memories of her parents as she was brought into "Project: Liberty's Children" at a young age alongside Jack. They could have been anyone. She latched onto Andrea as a surrogate mother much like Crystal did. If Scarlett had lived and if the embryos were not stolen from Harris Labs, the twins' lives would have turned out very differently. Count on that! 

       The flashback probably takes place just after Mateo and Jenna were born as they are the oldest of the original Starbolt kids. Jack and the rest of Soldier Six were hyper-aged and at this point were probably physically teenagers.

    See Starbolts #458 to see the outcome of the reveal. Between now and when Jack sees Snake again (And you know he will) he has a lot to sort out. How will confront Richard? We shall see. His actions also impacted Andrea who considered him a son. So, it's going to be tough for everyone.

   We'll have time to go into detail soon enough. Tune in next time for a return of an old friend.

See ya next time!