Starlight Volume 1

The story of the return of Duke McQueen to Tantalus is a good one. It's also not what it's alleged to be by some readers, that of being joined at the hip with with more popular SF adventure romance giants, Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. The problem with that assertion is two-fold: 1. it minimizes the humanity of this tale as well as obvious differences, 2. it lumps those characters into the typical derivative dismissal of so many wonderful but dated characters that allows for them to be dismissed by readers who are only passingly familiar with them, the curse of popularity without enough people bothering to know enough about the source to have an informed opinion.Duke is different even is he is derivative, but it's like comparing Eric John Stark to Tarzan (anyone who's aware of the distinction, well, it's nice to have you reading). What drives this story is the desire to plant those fantasy SF worlds in our very real one and make it work. It does so not by building a huge backstory. It does so by making the idea desirable, and that's it. The first thing to make it plausible is our relative unawareness of such places as Tantalus. That makes easy for us to dismiss without really trying. The guy who saved it, a delusional astronaut who got lost out there.Many years later, with all the press coverage and naysayers quiet a just barely still middle aged man, a widower with grown kids off and gone, is approached by one of the same people he once saved to do so again. Is he too old? He sure looks old, but he is still pretty fit. But, man, he's old….Well, read the book and see.The real surprise for me is the writer. Mark Millar is hardly the guy I'd go to for a romantic adventure. To be honest it was Goran Parlov's line art that got me try it. He's an artist who reminds me of Moebius (Jean Giraud) but also Alex Toth in his simplicity -that's anything but simple. It's also a good yarn about the ability to rally and DELIVER regardless of your age and situation.This is also a tale with a lot of old fashioned heart, the kind everyone laments is rare but also is ignored even when it's staring those cynics-by-circumstance square in the face.Is it perfect? Well, it's perfect to me for what it is, a good solid story with characters I care about and a situation where a man can be all he ever wanted to be, even if he doesn't know it…. again.The wrapping of the tale delivered a very nice bonus too.My gripe. As good as this is they should have considered a nice hardcover edition. The edition reviewed is fine and it's priced as a bargain. I would also have preferred Parlov providing the cover art. Small gripes.

Starlight is a tale that warmed my heart. There so many "what if this superhero aged?" stories that it's refreshing to see this type of story based on a comic strip hero and not a superhero one. Goran Parlov also does a good job with the art, with a clean style that matches the tone of the book. Highly recommended.

This story begins at the End... (Spoiler Alert) the End of the backstory, that is. Duke McQueen is stock "serial sci-fi hero"(think Buck Rogers, Flash Gordan, John Carter, he'll, John Crichton): an Air Force pilot stranded on a distant alien planet. He's fought every obstacle, enemy, and challenge placed before him(flashbacks) and has finally killed the planet's evil tyrant and freed the beautiful princess. And that's the beginning. What happens next is the focus of the story: What do you do once you've basically freed an entire planet, conquered all the bad guys, and won the adulation of an entire race of people? Answer:return to Earth, marry the girl you left behind, start a family, live the American Dream...Fast forward 40 years later: wife's passed on, kids are grown and too busy; you've gone to seed and glory days are behind you...Or so you think until the spaceship lands in your front yard....

Starlight is a retro sci-fi inspired story in the style of the old Flash Gordon era space adventures. The twist being that the hero is an old retired hero called back to action long after his prime.This story follows Duke McQueen, who when he was younger saved a distant alien civilization. When he returned to Earth he tried to tell his story but became a laughing stock as nobody believed him. Fast forward to his elder years and he is suddenly contacted by a young alien who is desperately seeking the legendary hero who saved his homeworld. It is time for Duke to become a hero again.The story and art style is overall very in line with how the older sci-fi genre used to be, with a decent self contained story. If you are a fan of older science fiction this is a decent read, even if it doesn't do anything particularly new with the genre.

Millar has a reputation for writing depressing stuff. Kick Ass is dark and toxic. Nemesis is horrifying. Kingsman killed your favorite character in the face. And poked fun at amputees (but gets points back for knowing what Red Dwarf is). Even Civil War, widely regarded as one of the best event series ever (it's certainly better than every single event Brian Michael Bendis wrote. (I seriously dislike BMB. His Spider-Man stuff is amazing, everything else was just kind of disappointing.)) was depressing as hell. And featured Steve Rogers at his most out of character ever. But then the Scotsman puts out this wonder. Beautiful in both writing and art (holy cow Goran Parlov is amazing!). Millar writes a Flash Gordon style adventure both swashbuckling and nostalgic. Easily Millar's best.

Recommended to me by a few different artists at the Emerald City Comic Con 2015. They talked up Goran Parlov's simple line art and Mark Millar's Pixaresque story. Not a bad comparison because this is basically  The Incredibles  meets  John Carter (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) . While the story itself was enjoyable, the art didn't grab me the way it did others and I found the plot rather derivative, without any real surprises. There are some great moments (like the flashback of hero Duke McQueen saving a planet with a kick to the villain's groin) but overall I was hoping for more after so many people recommended it. For parents who want to give their kids something other than Marvel or DC superhero comics, this is a really good all-ages book from a guy who usually writes very adult stuff.

A cada material novo de Mark Millar na Image, ele faz uma temática diferente. Misturando sci-fi, ação e terceira idade, o autor conta a história de Duke McQueen, um antigo herói que salvou um planeta de outra galáxia, mas na Terra ninguém acredita que isso rolou. Esquecido pela família e viúvo, ele tem a oportunidade de repetir o feito de quando era mais jovem, e salvar o outro planeta novamente.Com uma arte incrível de Goran Parlov, o gibi é uma delícia de ler. Talvez um dos gibis mais divertidos do roteirista dos últimos tempos. Despretensioso e de leitura fácil, Starlight é um "gibi gibi", ideal pra ler na privada ou algo parecido.

Imagine that Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers had only had one adventure before returning to Earth - and never got to go back.That's the case with Duke McQueen, who now sits alone at home missing his late wife and putting up with the scorn of neighborhood kids - and the disbelief of his own family from the days when he shared the story of his big adventure.Then, 40 years after being an intergalactic hero, Duke gets the call to go back and be a hero again.Mark Millar has written a lovely Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers-type serial set in the present. He deals with reasons that Duke was never believed (His alien clothing? Well, Earth developed Spandex and Velcro, too! His medal? Earth has aluminum, too! Etc. etc. etc.), building a portrait of a man out of his time - before sticking him back there, only in less than optimum shape to get the job done. Which makes Duke even more heroic than before.Mark Millar is known for taking genres and archetypes and playing with them - usually with a hard-R-rated edge, but with Starlight, he's created an all-ages satire/spoof that plays on the same level as Flash, or Buck, and (as is all good satire/spoofery) stands on its own as a ripping yearn.Goran Palov's art recalls/echoes Alex Raymond without stealing from him. It's dynamic and exciting - matching up nicely with Millar's delightful script to produce a genuinely fine bit of fun that holds up well through repeated readings.

Worth a read, quite fun, nostalgia meets reality, as in "what WOULD happen to Flash Gordon after coming back to Earth?"

Amazing art and story..Millar and Parlov are a perfect team!

Fantastic read!