Star #1

By Kelly Thompson, Javier Pina, Filipe Andrade and Jesus Aburtov

Spinning out of the pages of Captain Marvel, this week we see the release of Star #1. Captain Marvel is a polarizing character in comics. Some people love her, while others flat out despise her. The introduction of Star a while back really gave the series a boost though, and it created a buzz around the book. Kelly Thompson, who created Star, is writing this adventure for Ripley Ryan. The character is in good hands, let’s just hope she can start doing some good with her powers.

Kelly Thompson is on writing duties for the morally gray Star. Thompson opens up this issue with a little PTSD. Ripley is battling with the events that happened to her, and having a hole in your chest would freak anyone out. Thompson shows us a Ripley who is going down a destructive path. She’s picking fights and drinking in the bar with no name. Thompson succeeds in making us want to root for Star. We want her to turn it around and do something good, but we rarely get what we want in comics. Thompson also highlights how having too much power can be a bad thing. People start looking for you and you have a target on your back. If you’re a fan of Star, the first issue is a good read. We get to see inside her a little and see where she is as a person. I’m excited for the next issue.

The pencils this issue are handled by Javier Pina and Filipe Andrade with colors by Jesus Aburtov. The pencils look very good this issue, Pina and Filipe draw great panels and have smooth lines. As Titania approaches Star at the bar with no name, the scale of the characters is perfect. The fight scenes are well drawn and easy to make out. Another thing the art duo does well is facial expressions. When Ripley is in pain, we can see it on her face. The colors by Jesus Aburtov are great here. He uses a lot of red because of Star’s power, but it’s not used typically. As Star powers up in the bar with no name, Aburtov allows the red to faintly spread throughout her body. It’s just the right amount of red and it looks wonderful. The art in this issue is very good on all levels. The pencils are crisp and clear, and the colors are amazing. This was an outstanding job in the art department this week.

Star #1 was a good read. I was excited for the book because I like the character, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the issue. Kelly Thompson knows this character well and has written her as a likable villain. The art was a spectacular this issue, one of the best drawn and colored books of the week. Star #1 is a standout book this week!