So… Stan Lee’s a big name huh? I think it should be said first that Stan Lee is a big name. When I first found out about his three new super-heroes, I did get a bit excited. In my opinion, one thing lacking from modern comics is the super-hero origin story and I think Stan Lee had something if not a lot to do with some of the most memorable origin stories in comic book history.
Soldier Zero was good, didn’t read The Traveller, now brings us to Starborn. If you’re planning on reading it, I suggest that you skip to the end because one of the best parts of this comic relies on not knowing the following pieces of information…
When you start reading, you’ll find yourself in the middle of a familiar and poorly written space opera, and feel utterly let down that you didn’t get the origin story you were expecting. Luckily though, this was the main character writing a story, not the actual story. Neat trick huh? Until you find out that the story he was writing is actually true and he finds himself caught up in a space opera. BAM!
To the credit of the comic, it pulls this off really well. Even when some of the content didn’t seem that fresh, the way it’s been written really helps it stand out amidst the hundreds of other titles on shelves, so kudos to iZOMBIE’s Chris Roberson for his writing skills. Also, it should be said that the other two recent releases with ol’ Mr Lee’s name didn’t fill me with as much want for more as this did, which is my one major gripe. There’s not enough of this, I think it should be longer.
The art is great, it’s the one of the three that really caught my eye aesthetically. Khary Randolph is the artist on board, and has done a really great job providing some individual style to the proceedings. The alien content really jumps off the page and makes the everyday office stuff seem incredibly dull, which was probably the idea, as I’m assuming the next issue will not be set on Earth SPOILERS.
So, a good start to this series. Let’s see more. Thank-you and goodnight.
Joe Innes.
