“Nova, for the last time it’s paintball!”
Star Blazers: The Magazine Of Space Battleship Yamato #1
Argo Press (August, 1995)
“The Gift”
WRITER/ARTIST: Tim Eldred
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: David Merrill & Matt Murray
COLORISTS: Tim Eldred & Bruce Lewis
LETTERER/PRODUCTION DESIGNER: John Ott
VIDEO ARCHIVIST: Jerry Fellows
Now the story of the series is told from the perspective of Desslok, leader of the Gamilon forces who attacked Earth and tried to stop the Argo from reaching Iscandar. These actions put him at odds with Starsha, who believing there was a better way to save the people of their twin planets than attacking Earth, but Desslok saw them as beneath him. That is until he began to realize that the Earth people, specifically Derek and Nova, could love their planet and each other enough to fight to save both. Now at peace with Earth, Desslok leads a crew to find a new planet to rebuild the Gamilon Empire.
What they got right: While I don’t think every villain needs to be sympathetic or redeemed I’m not against the former and I do love a good redemption story. While I don’t know the show very well Desslok seems like a fascinating character and wanting to see what led to these events and revelations is a good move for this comic. Remember, this is when you still had to get a VHS set. Now you have DVDs and if you can find it, streaming options, plus a remake apparently. Personally I’m more interested in the original if I can ever find it.
What they got wrong: Truncating three seasons into one comic does feel like a lot of pieces are missing. This feels more like a reminder for someone who hasn’t seen the show in years more than someone coming in fresh (or in my case with only two episodes on a VHS tape I stumbled across).
What I think overall: A decent summary but definitely not a replacement for watching the original Space Battleship Yamato/Star Blazers show itself.
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