Starbolts #692: Chasing Crystal

 Hail!

    Well, it looks like our two lovebirds have been reunited and it was not a moment too soon! Marcus may be a tad impulsive. But, that's just a result of his speedy nature. He thinks five steps ahead of everyone else and it can be a little bit extra. However, you can't argue with the results. He is the perfect person to run in and grab Crystal before the wicked witch can bat an eye. It's her own fault, really. She left an inept and unfortunately lovesick thug in charge of her prisoner.

    Crystal had a great strategy here. She was trying to make Tommy jealous of her and Marcus by playing up the relationship. Marcus really does worship her. I think he'd chuckle at the "goddess" line. Then like a loser Tom tried to use the same trick on Marcus. Marcus is way too smart to fall for that since he knows Crystal's heart and her soul. She would never cheat on the man who saved her time and time again. Though, she did save him a few times too. Let's not forget he had Demonstorm in his head for a while.

     Marcus definitely doesn't like being back in the Outlands. Well, the D.I.S.C.O.R.D. island part at least. The rest of the dimension is fine as far as he's concerned. The floating island he's on was once D.I.S.C.O.R.D. Island and that was where Soldier Six met their unfortunate end. He heard Jack tell the story of his team's death AND even went there when the team went back in time. See Starbolts #470 for details. In that comic he witnessed the death of his hero, Tyrone who was like an older brother to him when he was little. Being back on the island brings back a lot of bad memories.

    Speaking of souls. I know I said I was going to explain why Zarantha wants Crystal's soul so badly. I wasn't able to fit it into this week's comic. However, it IS in next week's comic, I had to fine tune the details. It's kinda gross to be honest. You'll see. 

    Meanwhile, we have Nikki fighting the witch by herself. How long can she hold out fighting her? She's a tough cookie. Then again so is Nikki. She may not want to admit it. But, she does have Andrea's blood running through her veins despite being a clone of Carter's. You might say she has issues with being a clone and all that. More on that later!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #691: Finding the Cleaver

 

 Hail!

     It turns out that Crystal is trapped in the Outlands with Tom White aka Tornado. If that wasn't bad enough, she's in the old Terra Nova/D.I.S.C.O.R.D. base Zarantha teleported to another dimension. The Outlands is a mysterious dimension akin to Marvel's "Negative Zone".  It was discovered by Terra Nova and they've been using/exploiting the area for quite some time.  Zarantha teleported Discord Island there some time ago and if you recall the island was also the place where Cobra killed Soldier Six and nearly killed Crystal's brother, Jack. Yeah, there's a lot of bad juju associated with the place.

    Of course Tom doesn't care about any of that. He just wants Crystal and took her to his old room in the hopes of having sex with her. Thankfully, that didn't go anywhere! Even if Zarantha didn't put a curse on Tom Crystal would have surely kicked him and made a break for it. She did escape from that base before and she could do it again. However, I think Marcus might arrive in the Outlands before Crystal can put her plan into action.

    I think Zarantha will of course have her hands full with Nikki. It should be noted that Nikki isn't cheating on her husband Cal here. I think it's clear that Nikki is in a polygamous relationship with both Heather and Calvin. Calvin is also in a relationship with both women. So, no cheating is involved. Nikki, however, seems to have the same magical powers her "sisters" Crystal and Carter have. So, that will be an interesting battle for sure!

    While that's going on, Crystal still has to deal with Tom. Let's hope she can hold out until help arrives. I still need to go into details in comic about why Zarantha wants Crystal so badly. Sure she wants her soul. But, why? That's a great question and it will be answered soon! Very soon!

 See ya next time!

Starbolts #690: Fighting Fear

 Hail! 

    Well, it turns out Zarantha's plan all along was to take Crystal's soul and our heroine has every reason to be afraid considering what happened to her sister. Carter's soul was cut using a "soul cleaver" and clones were created using pieces of her soul. Eventually, they were all reintegrated while she was in the pools in Elisua as seen in Starbolts #609. Well, not every clone was reintegrated. One clone, Nikki, is still out there. She was last seen many comics ago and may soon make a return. You never know.

    As far as Crystal goes, this week I wanted to show her as being strong and vulnerable at the same time. On the outside she was of course very mad about the situation. she was placed in. Who could blame her? A woman with her history shouldn't have been plucked from her bed like that. So, she reacted the only way she could. She acts tough on the outside and yet on the inside she's scared.

  She handled Tom fine without her powers. Even without magic she's still a dangerous woman. She focused on her fighting skills more than magic and it shows here. That doesn't mean she isn't magically inclined. She was still able to make the mystical connection with Marcus and communicate with him over vast distances.  Their connection is hard to explain. I'd like to think that they saw into their hearts and connected beyond spiritually.

    Marcus and Crystal had been practicing the bonding ritual since they first heard about it back when he had Demonstorm in his head. They went to the Arlandero ranch in El Paso to sort out their feelings and connections. They tried to connect once in between Starbolts #598 and #599. It started to fade and so they decided to try and make it stick. I'd say it finally succeeded. Crystal may not be as strong as Carter in the magic department. But, you can't argue with the results when she puts her mind to it.

    Zarantha wants Crystal's soul because hers was likely lost and since Crystal isn't as strong as Carter, it makes her an easy target. The witch always knew she had magical potential because of who her father is. She's gonna need some more mystical protection and training to keep the target off her back. It remains to be seen if she'll be able to get out of this situation. Contact has been made and our heroes are poised to take the action to Zarantha and save their friend.

   See ya next time!

Starbolts #689: A Nightmare Scenario

 Hail!

    Zarantha has woken up from her coma and she means business! For those who don't know she was put into that state by Nightstrike's leader Ethan Knight back in Starbolts #373 when he realized that there was no reasoning with her. For unknown reasons she always had her eyes set on Crystal and now that she's a void witch she has an even bigger target on her back! However, our heroine isn't the same woman she was when they last fought each other. It's been a little over a year in the comic since Crystal saw her and a lot has changed. Crystal is way more confident. She might end up saving herself from Zarantha. You never know.

    However, Crystal might need some clothes before she goes anywhere. Zarantha kidnapped her at a very ummm....intimate time. That's the most PG way of putting it. Zarantha doesn't seem to care about romance or anything like that. She just wants Crystal and we'll be exploring that as we march toward Starbolts #700. Let's just hope Tom can keep his hands to himself. The guy's a creep and even without her powers I'm confident that she can take him out. She's still a very good fighter.

    Zarantha got herself a younger body as she was well over six hundred years old and being in a coma weakened her. So, she sought out the youthful energy of a nearby young woman. That's pretty gross. I wonder what happened to the lady whose youthful vigor she stole. Never mind. I don't want to think about it.  

    As far as Jack goes, it looks like he's going to have his hands full with Nautilus. Let's hope our heroes can get to Crystal before Zarantha does any more harm to her. Marcus will definitely be leading the charge. He is going to be BIG mad next comic. VERY mad. Stay tuned!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #688: Race to the Top

 Hail!

    Looks like Jack is in deep trouble this week. Nautilus has been sent to wake up the witch Zarantha and there's nothing he or anyone else can do about it. Longtime readers of the comic know her quite well. She very famously erased Cece's mind and made her forget she was a void witch. She was also a thorn in the Starbolts' side for quite some time. She also has a bizarre fascination with Crystal. We'll be exploring that later. If you were to compare the two witches in the comic, Zarantha and Medea, I'd go with Medea being better. Why? Because you can reason with Medea and she is on the road to redemption. There's nothing redeeming about Zarantha and when she wakes up all hell is going to break loose for our heroes. Ler's hope they can take her down.

    Meanwhile, it looks like Iron Eagle is taking a well deserved nap after fighting Jack. He's a bit older than him so he's not exactly in top form. Growing up Jack idolized both his mother and the second Iron Eagle. Too bad the second one turned out to be ten shades of crazy. This likely isn't the last we'll be seeing of him. Stay tuned for that and for Zarantha's return. When she wakes, the Starbolts are in danger and one red-haired Starbolt is going to be in her crosshairs!

Stay tuned!

 

Starbolts #687: BIg Trouble in Pasadena

 Hail! 

    Looks like Jack found a bit more than he bargained for when he went to investigate Cyclone Consulting. Who would have guessed the second Iron Eagle would have been at the building? Well, with the Director around you can bet his friend Steve can't be too far behind. It looks like Steve wants to be America's ONLY red, white and blue themed superhero. That's not going to sit well with Jack. So, a fight next comic is inevitable. Personally, I'm betting on Jack to come out on top. 

    If that wasn't bad enough, it looks like Nautilus is back in the picture. Zack was originally busted by Crystal back in Starbolts #500. She had just been made Lady Liberty and Zack has been hired by the Director to revive Zarantha. That is bad. Very bad. Zarantha is a powerful witch and it took powerful wizards to take her down. That's why she's being held by the mystic team, Nightstrike. 

 Will Nautilus be successful in freeing the witch from captivity? Time will tell. It's about time she comes back anyway. As far as Steve here goes, I don't think there's anything redeeming him. Something's going to happen to that Iron Eagle. I won't reveal what it is. But, I can guarantee that our friend here is going to be permanently on the outs with the hero community. Such a shame! Look forward to the fireworks next week!

See ya then!

Starbolts #686: That Old Red Magic

 Hail!

    There's nothing like a big romantic payoff after a long adventure and Crystal and Marcus deserve one for sure. I mean she had to deal with one of the biggest creeps in the world and she definitely expertly handled him very well. Sebastian never had anyone say "no" to him and he finally got a huge wake-up call. Will he change for the better? It's hard to say. I'm not sure if I'll ever use that sprite ever again. He might be better off as a one-off character or something. His father might show up. Sebastian himself? I don't know. But, I can tell you how the interrogation went. 

    Crystal gave him a choice. Her or Firaxil. Once he made his choice, Crystal made herself untouchable and asked him questions. It sucks that she had to turn herself invisible in the first place. She promised herself and the spell that she'd only use that power as a last resort. She actually talked to her invisibility and claw spells back in Starbolts #554. They agreed to only show up when needed. She used her claws spell when she fought Ruby and scarred her face. However, she hadn't use the invisibility spell since Starbolts #554!

    That's a big deal. But, it was definitely needed like I said. Sebastian was a creep and definitely had some lusty desires for Crystal. Marcus on the other hand is a good guy. I'd like to think that the spells now know the difference between lust and love. At least I HOPE they do. Either way, they're both in for a romantic night. They deserve it. 

    It looks like Carter and Firaxil had a romantic evening, too! Good for them! I think they'll see the respite in order to prepare for what's coming. That organization is still out there and our heroes need to be ready!

See ya next time!