Starbolts #464: All the Pain of Yesterday

Trigger Warning: This week's comic contains references to sexual assault. Viewer discretion is advised.

 

Hail,

This week’s comic had a trigger warning for obvious reasons. I revealed that Crystal was almost sexually assaulted just minutes before meeting Marcus. It’s the reason why she was crying on the rock in Starbolts#304’s flashback scene. Normally, I try to keep the comic light from time to time. However, certain things need to be addressed when talking about certain characters. Characters like Sara, Firaxil and Crystal have not had easy lives and I hope that I am conveying that in the best and most tasteful way possible. My friend, Sam, has been very helpful in that regard. The comic doesn’t make light of what happened to any of those characters. But, sadly it is a fact of life for many and I’m trying my best to treat the situations with the utmost care and delicacy. Despite the fact that these characters have fantastic powers and abilities, they are still characters who have gone through the wringer.

There is a bit more to Cody Dillinger’s story that will be revealed in due time. I don’t enjoy writing this character at all.  However, readers will soon see that he got his just desserts. In time, Crystal is going to learn that Cody was more than just a mere farmhand. I don’t want to give anything away. That one time on the rock wasn’t the only time he did something to her. Let’s just leave it at that. More on his backstory and what happened to him soon. 

Sufficed it to say, it took her a long time to recover from that and other things Cody did to her over a three year period. The point is that she did and is now in a much healthier relationship with someone who actually loves her and has a great support system. 

Picking that period of time was a tough choice for Sam and me. We needed to pick a moment in time where Crystal outright rejected Terra Nova, the people who “raised her” and embraced the life of a superhero. The farm she lived on was not really a farm and the community outside of Bowling Green, Kentucky was not really a community. She was basically raised in an environment akin to the “Truman Show”. Only nastier. All of the children except for Firaxil were children of Terra Nova agents and there were agents running around. I’ll be delving into that story soon, too.

As for the others, the Starbolts are going to have a hard time coming to grips with the time periods they have to go to. These include:

1. Crystal rejecting Terra Nova (as discussed.)
2. Sara's death
3. Firaxil and the shuttle leaving New Inobus
4. The life bomb on D.I.S.C.O.R.D. island
5. Jenna burning down her school
6. The death of Sirak J'arrsti
7. The death of Criam J'arrsti
8. The death of Kevin's mother
9. The death of Angela

Those nine events shaped Crystal, Sara, Firaxil, Jack, Jenna, M’anta, Aquita, Shrall, Kevin and Angela into who they are now. Once the Starbolts finally confront The Professor, you can be damn sure that there’ll be hell to pay. Since those Starbolts in particular will be angry, the whole team will be. One thing, though. What are M’anta and Crystal going to do since they won’t be going to these nine time periods? That, readers, we’ll find out next week!

Should also note that the kids are really angry about this. They learned about these events from their parents. MJ almost wanted to reveal himself to his parents. He did feel for them, you have to admit. He’s a good kid.

See you next time!

Starbolts #463: The not too Distant Future

Hail!

This week we find out what was behind that ominous glow in last week's comic and it turned out to be the arrival of the children of the current Starbolts from the future! Fifteen years in the future to be exact! Let's take a look at who's who:

Sirak Arlandero, the son of Mateo Arlandero and Aquita J'arrsti.
Dendra Odanta, the daughter of Firaxil Odanta and Sara Whitefox.
Marcus Johnson Jr, the son of Marcus Johnson and Crystal Whitefox.
Jacob Whitefox, the son of Jack Whitefox and Anya Petrov.
Angelo Stanton, the son of Kevin Stanton and Angela Arlandero.
Rose J'arrsti, the daughter of M'anta J'arrsti and Jenna Dastara.

As you can see, there are quite a bit of cousins in this team. But, that's fine. The next generation of Starbolts is here to help the older generations take care of the Professor. The Professor was once a cosmic entity who was nice and helped out M'anta once when he was hurting and looking for Jenna in the time stream. What could have caused his heel turn? We'll find out soon enough.

I'm aware that the future Starbolts are all dressed like Power Rangers. That's just a sight gag. They won't be summoning any zords or anything.

Either way, I guess if you're going to have wedding crashers, it might as well be your children from the future! See ya next time!

Starbolts #462: The Whitefox Wedding Itinerary

Hail!

Superhero weddings never turn out the way you expect them to don't they? Who crashed Sara and Firaxil's wedding? What just happened? We'll find out soon enough. Everything was going smoothly until someone or something arrived! Who could it be? Well, there was a hint in the New Years' Eve comic about some timey wimey things going on. Could Sirak's older self have returned? Maybe. Then again this temporal incursion was a lot brighter and more dynamic than usual. Perhaps he brought some friends with him!

Eagle-eyed readers of this week's comic may have noticed the lack of Southern accent for Crystal and it's really for the best. She had been practicing for years and I think now it has finally sunk in. That and she doesn't want to be reminded of anything related to Kentucky for the rest of her life. Can't say I blame her. The same thing with Sara. They're ditching their accents and moving on. It's a new year (for us anyway).

It's a new year, everyone. The new story has just begun and it's gonna be EPIC! Stay tuned!

Starbolts 2020 Vision

 Hail!

It's the annual end of the year comic and I thought I would mix it up a bit. The first sixteen panels or so are not really in canon. However, the rest of the comic is very much IN canon. As you can probably guess, the next storyline will involve time travel. Young Sirak has traveled back in time and is on a mission. What could his mission be? Who does he sense. What's going on? We'll find out in time. All I can say is that there is a time monster on the loose. Can three generations of superheroes stop him? I hope so!

2019 has certainly been a rough year for our heroes. Crystal and Sara found out that they were blood Whitefoxes this whole time. Firaxil found his parents. So much stuff happened that it would have been hard to recap everything in just one comic. Either way, we have the future to look forward to. And it is going to be amazing!

Look for this storyline to begin early next year!

As far as this comic goes, I wanted to include how the Agents got together. Stan, Andrea and Richard met on the roof of the Department of Metahuman Affairs building. The rest as they say is history. They really did end up making a great team.

Of course with the Whitefoxes meeting, all I can think of is Stan saying to Jack, Sara and Crystal "And that, children, was how I met your mother."

This comic was definitely fun to do and I look forward to showing everyone what we have planned for next year. Stay tuned and Happy New Year!

Starbolts #461: The Gift

 Hail!

This year I bring you a different kind of holiday comic. Like the Halloween one, this one is in canon. It is holiday themed because Jenna has received a very important gift. Time. She wants to start a family with M'anta and sadly has to wait a while before she can actually do so. You can also say that she has a lot more in common with Sara now. Remember back in Starbolts #275 when she fought Jade Skull? Well, that ending wasn't as happy as we thought. Jenna still has a few lingering aftereffects of her transformation into her torch form. Sara used to have similar troubles with her solar powers back in the day.

Speaking of back in the day, I show off yet another glimpse into the Agents' past with Richard Dastara's armory. Richard used to be the hero known as Cobalt. His armors made him an important member of the team. I have been showing a lot of the old Agents recently. This isn't a coincidence. It's all leading somewhere. It will all come together in the next storyline! Wait and see what Sam and I have up our sleeves!

The past, present and future are going to collide!

Starbolts #460: Earth's Mightiest

Hail!

Wow! We have a lot going on this week don't we? The first thing we should talk about is Clive and Stan's conversation. I never really explored what Stan can do. He has the ability to tap into a mystical source and use its energies. Sam and I figure it's the reason why Sara can teleport. Maybe it's also the reason Crystal can turn invisible and why she has claws? Hmm. Makes you think doesn't it? Still, this is the last we are going to see of Clive for the foreseeable future. He'll be rotting in prison for a long time and I wanted to have Stan have it out with the mad scientist who stole his children. There's certainly a lot of tension here!

Next we have Crystal. She has become the woman the Starbolts all knew she could become someday. Her parents' knew it. She is ready for the next great step in her life as a superhero. What will happen? That remains to be seen. Her new middle name comes from the Cherokee "She who brings happiness". That was going to be Crystal's name if she had been raised by Stan and Andrea. Stan belongs to the Cherokee nation and I thought that name really fit her.

Sara gets a new middle name as well. Her middle name is Carter. She takes her name from the first Lady Liberty, Linda Carter. As you can imagine, the girls' birth certificates were changed to reflect what their names were supposed to be. They decided to keep Sara and Crystal as names for convenience. The middle names, though, now give them a closer connection to their families and in Crystal's case, her heritage.

Really wish I could have found the Cherokee word for fox, though. That would have suited Crystal!

Now, then. What about Jenna? Will she give up her mantle as Lady Liberty to Crystal? Find out next time!!

Starbolts #459: The Kids Are Alright

Hail!

Beginning a December to remember this week as the Whitefox children react to the news from a few weeks ago. If you recall, last comic it was revealed that Sara and Crystal were blood Whitefoxes the whole time. Now that's an early Christmas present for the family! The dust settled and now everyone has to deal with the news in their own way.

Funnily enough, this week's comic presents the kids' bits in reverse birth order. Jack was born first, naturally. Then came Sara. Crystal, of course, is the baby of the family. She's the youngest and most precocious out of the three of them. I can't wait for the day when the three of them confront Cobra over his misdeeds. It'll happen sooner or later. Don't you worry!

It also looks like the three of them have made significant steps with their significant others. Crystal is no longer afraid to have children. Sara's sure about bringing a child into this world. Jack admitted his love for Anya. I think the parents would be proud of their kids. They are in fact going to be alright.

And to make sure it stays that way.....

Well, tune in next week for that comic!

See ya next time!