“Shouldn’t we be inside the ship while in deep space?”
Starburn (trade collection of issues #1-4)
Mankindx3 Books (uploaded March, 2022)
CREATOR/WRITER: Kelly Bender
PENCILER: Brian Balondo
INKER: Cristian Docolomansky
COLORIST: Laura Lee
LETTERERS: Nic J Shaw (#1 & #2) & Micah Myers (#3 & #4)
The crew of the Starburn are guns for hire, this time sent to retrieve a package that turns out to be a prison escapee…except he’s actually just after the ship. So is a member of the crew, taking the opportunity to get it for himself. After sorting that, the captain’s ex wants to stake her own claim, and that’s when the ship’s true master is revealed.
What they got right: The miniseries has four issues to get us to know the crew, so we get the highlights of their personalities and relationships. It establishes all you need to know to follow and be invested in the characters. I like the ship’s design and the art in general. The various “alien” designs are also quite good, though I see a bit of Chameleon Boy influence is one character despite lacking shapeshifting powers. You’ll know when you see it.
What they got wrong: The girls are a bit thin, including the one with superstrength. It’s not 90s Rob Liefeld levels, but a bit close for comfort. The fourth issue could have been it’s own miniseries, exploring the crew, the ship, and various secrets with more time to really dig into them. Instead it comes off as being shoved into an extended epilogue.
What I think overall: The comic bears some similarities to my current favorite webcomic, Sean Wang’s Runners, except these are hired guns instead of smugglers. It does enough different that I can enjoy both stories, and I wouldn’t mind seeing another adventure with these characters, though like I said, the fourth issue’s story should have been saved for its own miniseries.
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