Written by Mark Millar
Art by Goran Parlov
Colouring by Ive Svorcina

I don’t know about you, but as a child I loved Flash Gordon. I loved the film, the concept, the idea of a man taken to another Galaxy and tasked with saving it, defending it and bringing peace to it, all whilst wearing a rad spacesuit. But what happens after the wars are won, peace is restored and McDonalds offers the olive branch of peace whilst opening a store on deepest, darkest Mongo?

This is what writer Mark Millar and artist Goran Parlov set to find out, in Starlight #1 from Image Comics.

This book is a must for classic science fiction fans. If you like Buck Rodgers or Flash Gordon, then this book will feel like putting on a pair of your comfiest slippers. The concept within the pages of Starlight is how does a decorated, intergalactic hero adjust to normality and the regular world after all the wars are fought? Millar sets up a world which doesn’t take his hero, Duke, seriously. His sons don’t have time for him, his wife of 38 years has tragically passed away, described through scenes which invoke the heart wrenching opening to Disney’s Up, and the world at large brands him a charlatan and a fraud. Millar’s writing is aimed at an older audience, dealing with getting older and trying to figure out your own place in the world. It shows a maturity which I haven’t seen in much of his other work, and the way he weaves his story together makes for a very compelling, engaging story that most of us can relate to in someway.

We are treated to a narrative that weaves past and present as one, giving us Duke’s backstory as saviour of a different race through flashbacks, whilst also dealing with Duke’s present day issues. The scope of Millar’s storytelling is all encompassing, we can see the differences in Duke’s character and personality over the years, how he seems to have lost his spark through the loss of his wife and years of ridicule and scorn. We are given a beautifully fleshed out story which provides us with a fantastic foundation for what looks set to be a classic series.

Goran Parlov’s art really seals the deal. It is a beautiful amalgamation of Silver and Golden age comics with a modern flair. The fantasy scenes are beautifully retro, with ornate laser blasters, exotic worlds, 50′s style representations of spaceships and this is really masterfully offset with the present day. Parlov’s present world is a gritty, drab place, with darker, more washed out tones than in the flashbacks scenes. Special mention should go to Ive Svorcina’s wonderful colouring work, as with Parlov’s inking, it really captures the mixture of the two eras of comics. It’s a wonderful metaphor for the state of comics today, with characters who were initially wholesome and naïve now weighed down by the grit and darkness of the world around them.

I couldn’t pick a fault with this book, the exposition, the dialogue, the concept, the art were all stunning for me. The classic sci-fi feel really stirred a buried sense of nostalgia in me, making me want to look up to the stars and imagine what could be out there again. It’s an emotional, weighted, character driven story which leaves you wanting more. What Millar, Parlov et all deliver is a modern classic in the making and I for one cannot wait to follow the twilight adventures of Duke McQueen!

I give this book a perfect 10 out of 10!

Hit the Queen, grab Brian Blessed and DIIIIIIIIIIIIVE on over to the Inter-Comics website to order the Starlight series right HERE

For more comic views and reviews follow Robin on Twitter at @Hulksmash1985

Hit-Girl continues in her mission to train Kick-Ass

First of all when this series was announced way back at the first Kapow comic con in London, I was majorly excited as I’m both a Mark Millar fan and a massive Kick-Ass fan. I was very intrigued to find out where/when Hit-Girl’s miniseries would fit into the Kick-Ass story, and was pleased to find out that it was set in-between Kick-Ass volume one and two.

Kick-Ass learns the art of crashing through windows...15 attempts later

We kick off straight after the events of Kick-Ass volume one with both Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl coming to terms with the tragic death of Big Daddy (Hit-Girls father and crime fighting partner). Mindy’s (Hit-Girl) sole mission now is  to bring down the people responsible for her father’s death aka Red Mist, who himself begins to put the wheels in motion of gaining his own revenge by putting together his very own super criminal gang. While Mindy is planning to continue her crime fighting career she is also back living with her mother and this brings its own struggles as she finds it impossible to acclimatise to a normal life resulting in her being the #1 target for the “in-crowd” at school. This culminates in her making an agreement with Kick-Ass to train him in return for him to showing her the ways of blending in with everyday life and to know what it’s like to be a normal teenage girl in which Kick-Ass agrees.

Mindy is secretly training Dave to be a better hero, and Dave is teaching Mindy how to be a regular 12-year-old girl.

Issue two continues with Kick-Ass training to become a more complete and lethal crime fighter, in which Hit-Girl is putting him in some pretty awesome action scenes. Trust me this is your typical Mark Millar gory comic that we all know he can deliver, combine this with John Romita JR’s fabulous art and you have fight scenes which are truly awesome. While Kick-Ass is progressing with his training under Hit-Girl’s tutelage, Red Mist looks set to make his mark with his organized crime gang and take revenge on Kick-Ass.

Overall i think this comic is an absolute must read for any Mark Millar / Kick-Ass fan and in my opinion fits into the Kick-Ass story amazingly well along with fantastic art by John Romita JR.

MUST READ……

Story: 5/5
Art: 5/5

You can follow Dean on Twitter at @2thacd

Secret Service #3 Cover

First of all when it was announced that Mark Millar would be working on a new comic project with Dave Gibbons I was very pleased that they would finally be working together. I thought the first two issues were very well written and they introduced a very good storyline, something which was very different to Millar’s usual genre when compared with his other creator owned comics. Although the first two issues were very well written, I thought that they were a bit slow in terms of getting into the main plot, excluding the action scene right at the start of issue one. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the art was a bit of a let down by Gibbons and certainly isn’t the best that I’ve seen of his.

Garry was introduced to the elite ranks of the British Secret Service by his uncle; a highly trained secret agent.

So with issue three coming out I was quite excited to get my hands on it, hoping that this issue would be the one where it would finally kick-start the series with a lot more action and advance further into the story of Garry’s training. Garry was introduced to the elite ranks of the British Secret Service by his uncle; a highly trained secret agent who wants Garry to follow in his footsteps, and come away from a very troubled thuggish life on the streets. It is safe to say this issue does have a kick-start feel to it, the story shows that Garry is getting on well with his training, but at the same time it shows the trouble he is having fitting in with other trainees within the origination. This series has a very British James Bond type feel to it compared to others that Millar has done, this makes it stand out in its own right. Yet again this issue is let down by the art, which in my opinion is very dull in parts and could be a lot better and certainly isn’t up to the high standards of John Romita’s ‘Kick Ass’ or Leinil Yu’s ‘Supercrooks’.

Mark Millar brings a 'James Bond' feel to Secret Service.

Overall this series isn’t your typical gory type Mark Millar comic book but is a fantastic alternative for fans that are into a different type of genre/storytelling, however, in my opinion, the art brings the whole story down. If you are a Mark Millar fan, that won’t matter much to you though.

Story: 4/5
Art: 3/5

You can follow Dean on Twitter at @2thacd