I’ve been reviewing Starfire for the last couple of months mainly because I was surprised by it. I didn’t expect the book to be bad by any means, but I also didn’t expect that I would enjoy it as much as I do. Writing duo Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti along with the art team of Emanuela Lupacchino, Ray McCarthy and Hi-Fi have created one of my favorite super hero comics that I look forward to every month and its still not too late for you to jump on board if you haven’t already done so.
I know I’ve said it a lot and I will say it again, Jimmy and Amanda do an amazing job of creating the Starfire that readers actually want. She maintains the core elements of what make her unique in the DC universe with out making her seem over the top or overly sexualized. Their writing keeps readers engaged in the story in front of them and provide a story interesting enough to keep you wanting more. They have also done an incredible job making this comic feel current and have created a well written cast of characters that feel relatable to real people of all types.
Like I’ve been saying for the last 2 months, this book is vibrantly colorful and fun to look at. The actual drawing isn’t something you couldn’t find in other comic books but the tone that is set by the art in this book is what truly stands out. The art team manages to create panels that are vibrant and exciting, yet funny and lighthearted, all without taking away from the seriousness of the situation.
I would like to explain why this issue stands out for me as being the best yet but it will contain mild spoilers.
Starfire is still getting settled into her new home in Key West, but arriving in Florida wasn’t as pleasant as you’d imagine. In the first 2 issues Starfire had to deal with a hurricane and while it was fun to read, it lacked any real threat for Kori. In issue 2 we saw the beginnings of a giant red monster that the audience could assume Kori was going to have to fight against only to find out in issue 3 that its actually a piece of a much bigger story. It turns out there is another super-powered woman hanging out in Key West that is responsible for the monster; which I am actually really glad to find out because I was not fond of how nonchalantly he came into the story last month. At the beginning of issue 3 we also get a glimpse of another villain who has found their way into Key West and from the looks of him, I think we can expect some pretty good action in the future.
This issue really stood out from the previous 2 for me because it was by far the most exciting. With a battle on the horizon, a mysterious murderer and an exciting new super-powered character, I think its safe to say that from here on things are going to get much more intense.
In the end I found this to be the most interesting Starfire issue. The future for this comic is looking even brighter thanks to the developments in that took place this month. This issue has set the bar for this series and I look forward to seeing how they are going to raise it again. With what’s going on in this comic now, I can only imagine that bar is just going to keep going up.
Rating: [star rating =”4″]