Starbolts #669: Legal Drama

 Hail! 

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned for Crystal's expert testimony next time! 

See ya then!

Starbolts #668: Building up the Defense

 Hail!

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

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

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

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

See ya next time!

Starbolts #667: A Simple Investigation

 Hail!

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

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

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

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

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

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

See ya next time!

    

Starbolts #666: Sibling Talk

 Hail!

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

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

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

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

See ya next time!

    

Starbolts #665: Panic Mode

 

 Hail!

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

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

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

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

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

See ya next time!

Starbolts #664: Twisting the Narrative

 Hail!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See ya next time!

Starbolts #663: The People vs Ruby Arronfeld

Hail!

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

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

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

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

See ya next time!