Star Power - TBP Vol 4 - Star Power and the Lonely War

Star Power has to be the most under-rated comic book out there today. With super strong story telling, beautiful art, engaging stories, and characters you actually grow to care about, this series of graphic novels is probably one of the best comics out there - and if you aren't reading it, then you are truly missing out!  I first picked it up at a comic convention, and I've been faithfully searching these guys out at every convention and buying the new books as they come out because I am dying to know what happens next!

Star Power and the Lonely War is the fourth book in the series, and it takes our hero to uncharted territory - both literally and figuratively. Danica Maris has the Star Power, and with those abilities, the Millennium Federation has grown to depend on her. But now Danica has the opportunity to take on a whole new mission - to take a trip beyond the known galaxy. It is a huge unknown, and she will not have her friends and the Federation to back her up - is she ready for such responsibility?  And what happens when a distress signal leads her to a planet in the middle of a civil war? How will she decide which side is right and which side is the enemy? Or will something happen to make that choice for her?

Terracciano provides plenty of drama and adventure as Danica explores these new regions - and along the way, she has to get used to the upgrade that her Star Power seems to be giving her. She has no idea what this upgrading of her powers means or how it will affect her, but one thing is for sure - it makes for a wild ride!  Meanwhile, as with every story so far, there is more going on than just Danica's space exploration. Burke Tacken has been brought aboard, and Grex must interrogate him - will she have the strength to face a Void Angel, and how will this interrogation change her?  At the same time, Din Ailua is gaining all the insight she can from Legionnaire T.O.M., who may be the last sentinel to have any knowledge regarding the Star Power sentinels - but what will she do when she discovers that "Old Tom" has explicit orders to kill Danica is she does not measure up and found worthy to bear the Star Power?

Oh, yeah, there's also the fun clips of Psi-Cop, the over-dramatized television show about a sexy male police officer with psychic abilities that Danica's friends can't help themselves but watch. After all, every good space opera needs some humor in it, right?

Graham's art is as exceptional as always, and I think he did an outstanding job on the facial expressions with this book, especially those of Burke Tacken - a man who is dealing with the internal struggle of what he's done, what he's discovered he's been doing, and how he is going to deal with it. That struggle is so clearly seen on the page with every panel Burke is in - his eyes, his jaw, his entire demeanor in the panel gives so much more expression than any words ever could.  I can't imagine that is an easy thing to do, but Graham does it so effortlessly - makes reading the book worthwhile just for that portion of the story!

The only thing I can say I did not like about the book was the cover - and not because of the art, because that, in and of itself, was gorgeous! No, I didn't like the cover because it is a major spoiler! It gives away something very important about the story that I would have liked to have seen kept as a surprise - but, that is only a minor thing and doesn't truly detract from my enjoyment of the book, the characters, and the story!

RATING:  9 surprise mind javelins out of 10 for making comics like they should be made - with good, strong stories, appealing art, light-hearted yet filled with drama and adventure! This is what comics should be!

Star Power - TBP Vol 3 - Star Power and the Mystery of the Zel Gux Dynasty

Michael Terracciano and Garth Graham created a unique comic and a one-of-a-kind comic character when they created Star Power.  What started as a simple space adventure with a new star-powered super hero in Star Power and the Ninth Wormhole, continued as a space opera that not only more defined the characters, but opened up more questions about the star power and where it came from in Star Power and the Search for Black Hole Bill. Now, with this third graphic novel in the series, Terracciano and Graham conclude the so-called origin story of Star Power by sending Danica Maris on a quest to learn more about her power and whether she truly is the last Star Powered Sentinel.

The Mystery of the Zel Gux Dynasty is more than just a discovery quest about the Zel Gux Dynasty and why Danica’s star power seems to have no knowledge of these alien creatures.  It’s also a path of discovery for Danica and her friends.  Readers learn more about the Countess and the reason she is who and what she is.  Readers get another glimpse of the Void Angels and their thirst for vengeance against the Star Power (as well as a change of heart in one of them).  And readers will see the camaraderie, friendship, and jealousies grow within the group as they travel from one world to the next to find the keys that will lead to Danica’s ultimate discovery – is she truly the last Star Power, or do more Sentinels exist?

Terracciano provides a fantastic sci-fi ride through space and star systems, with each planet unique in its inhabitants, their interaction with Danica’s team, and the fallout from Danica’s discovery on each planet. Danica’s relationship entanglements with Beena and Burke are also explored as Danica learns how to deal with jealousy and how people can change, regardless of their vocation and history.  Graham maintains his beautiful art, with panels and angles that are cinematic and moving in nature, keeping the story going at a pace that moves not only the action, but the reader, forward.  The intermittent jumps between Danica’s story and the psychological interrogation of the Countess play flawlessly against one another, and the brief interludes to drop subplots never interrupt the flow of the story at all, but rather leave the reader wanting for more.

I love Danica’s almost-child-like innocence with her star power; but it’s her determination and her willingness to sacrifice anything for her friends and for others that truly defines her as a hero.  She’s not in it because someone killed her parents, or because her home planet exploded, or because of any other tragic event in her life.  She’s also not doing it because she feels she has to, or because she has been ordered to do so.  Danice, a/k/a Star Power, is using her powers for good, to help people, because that’s simply who she is, and quite frankly, she enjoys doing it.  For me, the Star Power series is a completely refreshing take on the super hero / sci-fi story, and I give Terracciano and Graham the highest praise for sticking with it and providing truly entertaining, fun stories.  This is truly what comics are meant to be!

I’m hoping this is not the last graphic novel in the series. While the online comic appears to be continuing, both the writer and artist indicate in their introduction to this third book that this could possibly be the final printed book, depending on sales.  Hopefully, sales will be enough to continue with printed collections, as I definitely want to see more Star Power!

RATING:  9 flying sand dragons out of 10 for neatly wrapping up a lot of loose plot threads, while leaving just enough story open to continue the tale of Danica Maris – the Star Power.

Star Power - TBP Vol 2 - Star Power and the Search for Black Hole Bill

Last year at DragonCon, I picked up the first volume in the Star Power graphic novel series.  This year at DragonCon, the creators were back and they had volume two of this series out.  Since I enjoyed the first volume so much, it didn't take much arm-twisting for me to pick up this second book.

The Search for Black Hole Bill picks up shortly after the end of the first volume.  Our heroine, Danica Maris (a/k/a Star Power) is unable to call upon the star power any more.  Her friends - Grex, Kaylo, and Shi Lalis - remain by her said, determined to help her figure out how to reboot her star power.  But all hell breaks loose when the space station's prisoner, Black Hole Bill, escapes during a transport to a prison, and the two escorts are gravely injured - one of them being Grex!  Danica finally makes contact with "Mitch" (her name for the star power) and finds the only way to reboot her power is to remain in close proximity to a star for a one-month period.  They find what they feel to be a relatively quiet, backwood star system where they won't be bothered for her recoup period - but unbeknownst to them, Black Hole Bill has teamed up with the vigilante Supernova Dragon Lords, and they are headed to the very same system.  Throw in a void angel bent on revenge and you've got the makings of another big battle brewing!

While the first book was pretty much action from the get-go and non-stop throughout the entire story, Terracciano (author) and Graham (artist) set a different pace in this book. We get to see a lot more character interaction and development as we learn not only more about Danica and her past, but also about the lives of Grex, Kaylo, and Shi Lalis.  Heck, when Grex is attacked and left for dead in the first chapter, I admit to feeling a bit shocked and angry, thinking, "How could they kill her off like that?"  And, as soon as I thought it, I realized how much Terracciano had made me feel for the character that I would even get angry at the thought of her being dead.  That is truly the mark of a great writer (and artist), when he or she can make you feel so passionate about a character that you are reading.

This is not to say there is no action in the book.  Sure, we get the contemplative moments when Danica is recharging near the star and during the times she is trying to communicate with Mitch to reactivate the star power; but, we also get the moments when she and her friends are facing off against Black Hole Bill and the Supernova Dragon Lords.  In fact, the final battle of this book is quite fast-past and action-packed, and it even has its humorous moments with Grex's attempts at revenge on Black Hole Bill for having killed her compatriot.  And Danica learns something surprising (and fortuitous) during the battle that will likely have an impact on future stories.

All-in-all, a very satisfying read, one that will definitely have me coming back for more. Here's hoping they have volume three ready by next DragonCon!

RATING:  10 renzalon junior telescopes out of 10 for breathing more life into these characters and driving them forward, even though the craziness of Black Hole Bill.

Star Power - TBP Vol 1 - Star Power and the 9th Wormhole

Good, old-fashioned fun reading!  Those are the best words I can think of to describe this graphic novel that I picked up at DragonCon this year.  It was the cover that caught my eye, so asked the creators behind the table what it was about.  He described it as a girl who suddenly gains the ability to wield the cosmic energy known as the Star Power in the far future and uses it to protect the Millennium Federation of planets.  That intrigued me enough to glance through the book.  The art was stylistic but good, so I decided to give it a shot.

SOOOOOOO glad I did!

This was a great comic book, set on a semi-epic scale, but with down-to-earth characters (so to speak, since the story takes place on a space station who-knows how many light-years away from Earth), enjoyably over-the-top villains, and space battles galore!  The main character, Danica Maris, reminds me a lot of Ralph Hinkley, William Katt's character in The Greatest American Hero, as she suddenly finds herself with all this power, but has no idea how to use it.  Unlike Katt's character, Danica does have a disembodied entity (who she calls "Mitch") that from time to time offers a bit of assistance and instruction.

Danica is a lab assistant on Space Station Sanctuary Six, where she is providing research assistance in the study of stars - but one particular star ends up not being a star at all, but an energy source that shoots straight through Danica's telescope and into her, transforming her into a star-powered sentinel.  The last of her kind, Danica (or "Star Power" as she comes to be known) finds that she has the power to protect her fellow scientists and lab assistants from the coming threat of alien attack.

The plot moves along nicely, without all the filler we seem to get in today's mainstream comics (or "padding" as I call it, so that the companies can pad out the story to fill a trade paperback), and the characterization and dialogue is superb!  And the art!  WOW!  The style of Garth Graham works well for this story, and he creates some very distinct alien races and unique spaceships.  We get very few splash pages, those that are there being reserved for big moments in the story - most pages have 4, 5, or even more panels, which equals out to more story content!

Michael Terracciano, the writer, handles the young Danica Maris like a pro.  She is very believable as a young girl who suddenly gains massive powers.  I particularly loved the scene in Chapter Two where Danica finds out she is capable of interstellar travel.  When her mentor and friend, Dr. Brightman, goes to comfort her for the shock, Danice surprises her by screaming and jumping for joy.  "When can I start traveling to other planets?  Other stars?  Other systems beyond the jump gate network?"  Let's face it - what normal human being wouldn't jump for joy if they found out they could do that!?

And despite the fact that this is a big space drama with tons of alien races, alien worlds, and alien spaceships with alien technology and languages, Terracciano manages to handle it all so that you don't need to be a scientist to read it.  It reads easily, and by the time I finished this first graphic novel, I felt like I really got my money's worth for what I spent.

Star Power is a web comic that can be found at http://www.starpowercomic.com/, and this first trade paperback collects the first six chapters of the story.  I spoke with the creators, and they said they currently have a kickstarter going for the second volume in the series and plan to have it by next year's DragonCon, if not sooner.

RATING:  10 out of 10 star-smashing space battles for giving a jaded comic fan what he has been clamoring for - a comic that is FUN to read!