Comics
Review: “Starlight” #4
“Starlight” #4 continues the inter-dimensional adventures of Captain Duke Mcqueen and his teenage side-kick Krish the Space Boy. Duke is rescued from his malevolent captor Admiral Pindar by the resistance and set to lead them in their rebellion. Writer Mark Millar makes notable strides to add emotional weight and intrigue to this hastily plotted series. Despite the inconsistent tone between issues, perhaps there is still hope for a unique and complex narrative.
WRITTEN BY: Mark Millar
ART BY: Goran Parlov
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: June 11, 2014
Reviewed by Epic Switzer
I’m still not sure what kind of book “Starlight” is. While being uncategorical isn’t always a bad things in comics, I’m finding this series to be more confused than unique. Going by the solicts you might guess “Starlight” is a throwback to the golden age of sci/fi adventure stories; simple, straightforward, but captivating in their imaginative settings. “Starlight,” I think, strives to be more than that however. The book occasionally has the hyper sexualized and ultra-violent signature of Mark Millar while sometimes slowing down for a moment of catharsis for our deeply troubled protagonist. The latter moments are where this book truly shines.
Gone are the severed torsos and sex orgies from issue #3 and in it’s place is a cartoonish super-villain, cheeky gaffs about Tom Cruise’s love life, and dialogue like “See you later, alligators!” and “Take that, bad guys!” This tonal shift from one issue to the next makes it difficult to determine what kind of book “Starlight” wants to be. In this instance that sort of incongruous storytelling ultimately hurts this title: had you asked me after issue #3 if the book would be appropriate for an all ages audience, I would have said absolutely not. But reading issue #4 as an indication to what the series might be I find no reason not to recommend it to your nephew, and possibly might even suggest its actually geared towards younger readers.
My biggest problem with this particular issue has to do with the narrative principle of delayed gratification. Twice in this book something is foreshadowed, and by the end both plot points are revealed. It is important to establish mysteries about characters’ backgrounds; it makes them dynamic and encourages readers to keep reading. It can be fun to look for these clues about what the future may hold, but when the payoff happens 8 pages later, it isn’t much of a payoff at all. In fact, both reveals have the opposite effect in making the book feel predictable and contrived.
On the other hand this issue returns to the pathos that initially attracted readers back in Starlight #1. Duke’s central emotional conflict is both unique and interesting: after returning to earth a hero from his first interstellar adventure, Duke becomes a discredited laughingstock in the media. His identity is challenged and dismissed by everyone, including his own children, and he is forced to fade into obscurity. Only his late wife believes his story, and it is this idea illustrated so powerfully in one particular scene that in fact warrants pause for consideration.
This is by no means a bad book, just one that hasn’t found its feet yet. The potential for something more than a alien slugfest is certainly there, and in this instance it would be wise to give Millar the benefit of the doubt. If he continues to capitalize upon the intriguing premise, and delivers a tonally consistent story, I see no reason why “Starlight” won’t be worthy of the already optioned 20th Century Fox adaptation.
Epic Switzer AKA Eric is an aspiring filmmaker and screenplay writer living in Los Angeles. His work tends to focus on the lighter side of entropy, dystopic futures, and man’s innate struggle with his own mortality. He can be found on twitter @epicswitzer or reached via email at ericswitzerfilm@gmail.com.
Comics
‘You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive’ – IDW Dark’s Next Horror Comic Will Make You Question Reality
Five friends. Four houses. One perfect life. Bloody Disgusting is excited to exclusively announce You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, a brand new horror comic from IDW Dark.
From Eisner-Nominated writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and rising horror artist Heather Vaughan, You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is described as a “paranoia-laced, socially-conscious, horror mystery that will leave you questioning reality, and reveal that this crafted world is more of a nightmare than the idealistic dream they were expecting.”
Phoebe Joplin has never questioned the world her parents built: a secluded community where she and her friends were raised to be smarter, stronger, and better than anyone else. No distractions. No dangers. No secrets. Until the night of their graduation.
When one of them dies under impossible circumstances, Phee starts to pull at the edges of her perfect life—and what she finds is something far more terrifying than she ever imagined.
Because this place isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a cage. And no one who discovers the truth ever leaves it alive.
Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface, Star Trek: The Last Starship) co-write the upcoming IDW Dark horror comic, featuring art by Heather Vaughan.
Jackson Lanzing said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is in many ways a spiritual successor to our last creator-owned horror, The Principles of Necromancy – a dive into the promise and consequence of playing god with the blood of innocents. But the Hivemind book this reminds me of most is Clayface: One Bad Day. This is a deeply human story with intensely raw emotions – five best friends and their five mysterious parents, tearing one another apart for the promise of some impossible glory that’s waiting just beyond their darkest actions. We’re thrilled to be bringing this story to life with our long-time partner in crime, editor Heather Antos, at IDW Dark – and we’re particularly excited to give our Clayface fans a new, brutal and emotional horror made just for them.”
Adds Collin Kelly, “We’re deconstructing a feeling that seems universal these days; our elders have a death grip on their power, without any intention of giving it up to the generations that come next. YNLTPA is about growing up with the limitless potential of the future… and realizing how much it’s a lie we’ve been fed to keep us under the yoke of the past. Bringing this brutal experience to life is our artist and co-creator, Heather Vaughan, who brings an incredible amount of humanity to our cast. But it’s in our youthful leads that Heather’s art really shines – you are going to fall in love with these young people, even as they go through the worst experience of their lives. What we’ve all crafted together is going to be tragic, painful, but above all else, sincere – with a future so uncertain, there’s only one thing we can trust: you’ll never leave this place alive.”
“Some horror stories are about monsters in the dark. YNLTPA is about realizing the monsters raised you,” previews Senior Group Editor Heather Antos. “Working with Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly on this series has been a dream in the darkest possible way. They’ve built a story that’s layered, brutal, and deeply emotional, and every issue gives artist Heather Vaughan opportunities to push the art into places that feel both haunting and deeply personal. Some horror comics will keep you up at night…this is one that will stick with you for years to come.”
The first issue of You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive goes on sale October 14, 2026! Make sure to pre-order at your local comic shop by September to guarantee a copy.
Exclusively check out the various covers for Issue #1 down below.
IDW Publishing’s horror imprint IDW DARK features comics like A Quiet Place: Storm Warning, Smile: For the Camera, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Twilight Zone, Event Horizon: Dark Descent & Event Horizon: Inferno, and more.
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