Advance Review: Star Runner Chronicles - Dark Star #1 -#3

There are a lot of coming of age stories, from all sorts of media such as Buffy, Supergirl and Sweet Valley High? It is these main three influences that make the biggest impact of this all ages book, with all three issues scheduled to drop in the same month! No chance of missing an issue nor a need to wait and see what happens; a unique way of publishing a book series!

Aurora Palmer has settled into a kind of easy life. Sure she knows a little about her origins and of course she has her friends and boyfriend, all of whom help her enjoy a pretty normal high school life. But as with every silver lining, there is a cloud or two. In this case a new girl in town starts to turn some heads, as a darkness starts a hunt for Aurora and her powers!

Created and written by James Watson who has a fun writing style that looks to build on several influences. There is a high school, that is Buffy, friend and boy trouble that is straight out of Sweet Valley and of course Aurora is a blonde aliens girl; tell me you don’t think Supergirl! Watson manages the influences well, adding in extra elements to deliver a fresh look to familiar elements. Watson has three strengths for me. First up, pacing. Watson sets his stall early delivering a start, middle and end, at least to this arc. Secondly, the dialogue works across the board. No character sounds wooden and feel engaged within the story. This leads to the third strength which is maintaining his goal to ensure that the whole story fits within the “all-ages” vibe. These elements lead to an entertaining read.

The art is supplied by Leo Cordeiro whose style is easy on eye, with clean lines accentuating realistic body poses, which helps the art meet Watson’s overall goal. Cordeiro’s work moves from school, normal, to alien shenanigans with nary a hitch. Maybe there could be a touch more dynamic, but this is a minor quibble. Cordeiro is helped out immensely by colorist Mohan Sivakami who drops a gorgeous digital scheme that practically glows off the page. The colors are so good, so full of depth that you forget that this is an indie book; you would expect to see this level of work from a bigger publisher. Sivakami is a talent to watch out for in the future! The book can be wordy; Watson juggles a lot of conversations, yet letterer Wilson Ramos Jr. is more than up for the challenge.

Dark Star is the second arc in the Star Runner Chronicles. The original story Fallen Star, is available as a graphic novel with extra pages and ships on March 16th, giving you plenty of time to catch-up. before all three issues of Dark Star ship April 27th. For more information about Aurora and her journey, listen to an interview with creator / writer James Watson on Outside the Panles by clicking here.

Writing – 5 Stars

Art – 5 Stars

Colors – 5 Stars

Overall – 5 Stars

Created & Written by; James Watson
Art by; Leo Cordeiro
Colors by; Mohan Sivakami
Letters by; Wilson Ramos Jr.
Published by; Atlantis Studios

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network