Posted in: Comics, Review | Tagged: captain marvel, comic book reviews, marvel, star

REVIEW: Star #1 — "Less Of A Star And More Like A Meteorite"

Published Thu, 09 Jan 2020 12:00:19 -0600

(Marvel Comics, creative team: Kelly Thompson, Javier Pina, Filipe Andrade, Jesus Abertov, Clayton Cowles)

With a milquetoast, uninspiring protagonist carrying a vague and unclear power set, it might be difficult to understand why this comic book is even happening. According to what's written here, plain Jane reporter Ripley Ryan got assigned to interview superhero Captain Marvel, but some beef led her to make an eldritch deal for super powers and ended up nearly killing half of New York City. Now she's a wanted escaped felon with new (to her) and largely undefined super powers paired with a host of bad decisions. Her personality is like a cipher, without distinction or any relevant factors to engage the reader. Her powers are the definition of deus ex machina, set to fail or succeed at the whim of the plot, like a dungeon master forcing you to roll at advantage or disadvantage when they feel like it. The use of lore for supporting characters was okay (if you know it, there's a brush past it in dialogue) and the visual storytelling is fine. The underlying ideas and the character we're focused on, however, are less of a star and more like a meteorite, falling unbidden and crashing. RATING: MEH.

STAR #1 (OF 5)
Written by KELLY THOMPSON
Penciled by JAVIER PINA
Cover by CARMEN CARNERO
Variant Cover by JEEHYUNG LEE
THE BREAKOUT CHARACTER GETS HER OWN DEATH-DEFYING SERIES!
Ambitious reporter Ripley Ryan was one of the victims caught up in Nuclear Man's apocalyptic schemes and later became the hero STAR, adored by everyone. But in truth she was Dr. Minerva's attempt at a Kree-human Super-Soldier. Desperate for the power and strength to control her own destiny, she tried to kill Captain Marvel — and failed. Ripley was left, defeated and powerless, in the Raft. But something strange has happened, and Star now finds herself more powerful than ever before. And no one in the Marvel Universe is prepared for what it means.