Review: StarCraft Scavengers #1

It seems hard to believe that the StarCraft game is 20 years old this year. It is a great strategy game that remains playable to this day. More importantly, it laid down a vibrant universe that made others want to play in it. Terrans, Protoss, and Zerg all compete for strategic planets, and resources to survive in their rarely ending war.

Now it is Jody Houser (Mother Panic, Faith) and Gabriel Guzman“s (Lady Death, Cable) turn in the playground. Blizzard and Dark House have given them a four issue series to introduce StarCraft to people who haven“t played it or have forgotten about it. If this goes well there may be more series set in this universe.

Set in a time of tenuous truce between the desperate Terrans, the mysterious Protoss and the vicious Zerg, a crew of salvagers has discovered an abandoned Protoss ship in a decaying orbit around a planet. The captain“s plan is, ostensibly, to board the ship grab any of the alien race“s technology which they can sell for beaucoup space euros in Terran-held territories to people interested in figuring out how it works and giving human technology a boost as well. Any evidence they were there will be destroyed when the alien starship crashes into the planet.

Once on-board, of course, things don“t go to plan. The captain is looking for a specific technology to make more impressive weapons. Some crew members know more about what they are really looking for than others. And then they find the locked door on the alien ship.

Guzman does a great job in keeping the characters visually distinctive that you can tell them apart when they are all wearing similar spacesuits. I could just go back and look at how he handles his characters both individually and in groups. There is a natural feel about how they hold their bodies and move around each other. It is a real pleasure to look at.

He also gives the Protoss spaceship a distinctive look and feel from the human technology. Everything feels like it has been there for a long time and these people are intruding on a special place.

Houser and Guzman only have four issues, so this story starts quickly but even if you are not familiar with the game, they bring you along smoothly and give you everything you need to know when it is time to panic. I can“t wait to see what secrets the ship holds and who might survive them.Â Now excuse me, I have to download this game again.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Writer: Jody Houser
Artist: Gabriel Guzman
Colors: Michael Atiyeh
Letters: Steve Dutro
Publisher: Dark Horse

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Andy Hall

Sent from the future by our Robot Ape overlords to preserve the timeline. Reading and writing about comics until the revolution comes. All hail the Orangutan Android Solar King!