Review: Star #5 (of 5)

With Star issue 5 we are given the finale to our introduction to a new heroine. InÂ the process of trying to build that heroine up Kelly Thompson and the rest of the team strangely reduce the status of some of the greatest villains created in the past 20 years. Infinity war helped to show the world what a great group of villains the Black Order could be. More than Thanos“ backup, they are individual villains with strong personalities and incredible powers. This issue seems to take those villains and tries to turn them into a villainous equivalent of the Fantastic Four.

This issue is the last in the origin of Ripley Ryan also known as Star. Skipping past the point that DC already has a character with a very similar name, the real problem with this anti-hero is that her entire origin is based around a very familiar trope. Feeling the need to tie a hero“s entire origin to an infinity stone, limits her range greatly. Any time her story is told it must be directly tied to the same MacGuffin. That being said it is certainly a way of drawing readers to this characters story.

Star is not a typical hero. She comes from an abusive past and wishes to escape by any means necessary. SheÂ controls the reality stone even while she works specifically to escape reality. Captain Marvel and Scarlet Witch work to bring her to a more heroic place, but she ultimately betrays them, making her own deal with the Black Order simply so they“ll all leave her alone.

The issue“s artwork by Javier Pina and Filipe Andrade starts out very strong but as the issue goes on the battle scenes become less and less detailed. It is as though the artists ran out of time in spite of splitting the art between them. Even the colors by Jesus Aburtov seem to fade as the issue goes on.

It is certainly nice to have a new cosmic level antihero that is also female in the Marvel universe. That being said it would be nice to have something more original than what we are getting here. It is always good to have heroes and heroines who are not directly replacing prior heroes. As limited as this origin is, hopefully this is the beginning of creating some new, interesting properties that can a have long lasting impact on the Marvel universe and add to the mythos rather than simply borrowing from it.

The ultimate problem with this issue is that it takes the Black Order and reduces it down to a family. Having a super villain team that is also a family is not a new concept. It is however not necessary with a team as heartless and interesting as the Black Order has already been. Trying to create sympathy for some of the coolest villains in the Marvel universe is unnecessary. Some villains can just be villains. They can be extraordinary in their brand of evil, they do not have to be ordinary in their love for each other.

Writing: 3.5 of 5 stars
Artwork: 3.5 of 5 stars
Colors: 3.7 of 5 stars

Overall: 3.5 of 5 stars

Writer: Kelly Thompson
Art: Javier Pina and Filipe Andrade
Colors: Jesus Aburtov
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Author Profile

M.R. Jafri

M.R. Jafri was born and raised in Niagara Falls New York and now lives with his family in Detroit Michigan. He's a talkative introvert and argumentative geek. His loves include Star Wars, Star Trek, Superheroes, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Transformers, GI Joe, Films, Comics, TV Shows, Action Figures and Twizzlers.