Starlight!

[matt levin]

I like “Alex and Aja.” “Starlight’s” got the same sensibility: totally different story, but the same sensibility, that who you are really matters to the story.
I’m beginning to see a new insurgence of “older” lead characters, here and in “Velvet,” and elsewhere, and I hope ‘Grandpa’ keeps his mature appearance on other worlds. I really like the contrast between what was, and what is, and that enough time’s passed between for Duke McQueen to be able to deal with the difference gracefully.

I think I’d’ve liked the first issue even better if Captain McQueen didn’t see what he sees, at the first issue’s end, for another couple of issues, time long enough to give us cause to doubt him, as clearly so many in the story have for many years. Might’ve made for an additional tension to the story if we didn’t *know* for a while if ‘the past’ were real or not. Still, I guess y’gotta get him off into space--.

I was sorry to see both sons pretty much reduced to clichés: both are too forgetfully busy to bother with Dad? Perhaps we’ll see more of them, see why they’re like this. I can think of reasons. But for issue one, they’re throw-aways, there to show McQueen’s got no ties left on this world.

The artwork is really pretty to see, at times (especially off-earth) comparable to Eric Shanower and Ron Espinosa. And issue one starts off with a very iconic cover.
Here’s hoping for a series that continues as strong as it’s opened.

[Flash Gordon]

I don't think the past was ever presented as *real* or *not*. I thought from issue 1 it was pretty much stated that he saved the universe, but of course no one on Earth believes his stories.

[matt levin]

Yup, Flash, yer right. But as a reader, I think it'd've been cool not to be sure for a couple of issues. Meanwhile--what a great first issue!

[Groo Odyssey]

I really love the first 2 issues of straight. Picked it up after reading reviews here and had to go out and added the new flash Gordon series from dynamite to my pull list as well. This is my first introduction to flash Gordon and had no idea it was so much fun.