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geekwayne's review
4.0
'Starlight' by Mark Millar takes the type of Sci-fi adventure we found in the golden age of pulps and adds some fun twists to it. I really enjoyed the story.
40 years ago, Duke McQueen saved an alien world from destruction. He came back to Earth, and his life, only to find that no one believed him. Now, with the recent death of his wife, and his grown children busy with their own lives, Duke finds himself alone and unimportant. Until, the planet he saved so many years ago needs him again. Can his aging body save the day and save the planet again? Will he ever be able to convince his kids that he's really a hero?
I loved the concept. A Flash Gordon or John Carter who has aged, and then has to go back and be the same hero he was. It's as fun as it sounds. I loved the art by Goran Parlov, and all the various covers and the included cover gallery. I wouldn't have minded a little more difficulty on Duke's part to adjust back to being the hero he was 40 years ago. 40 years on a body takes quite a toll. I still enjoyed it and recommend it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Image Comics, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this adventurous graphic novel.
40 years ago, Duke McQueen saved an alien world from destruction. He came back to Earth, and his life, only to find that no one believed him. Now, with the recent death of his wife, and his grown children busy with their own lives, Duke finds himself alone and unimportant. Until, the planet he saved so many years ago needs him again. Can his aging body save the day and save the planet again? Will he ever be able to convince his kids that he's really a hero?
I loved the concept. A Flash Gordon or John Carter who has aged, and then has to go back and be the same hero he was. It's as fun as it sounds. I loved the art by Goran Parlov, and all the various covers and the included cover gallery. I wouldn't have minded a little more difficulty on Duke's part to adjust back to being the hero he was 40 years ago. 40 years on a body takes quite a toll. I still enjoyed it and recommend it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Image Comics, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this adventurous graphic novel.
mscherer's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
hummeline's review
4.0
Short and sweet. Some reviews said predictable, but who cares? It’s endearing, and a good ride, and I dug it.
lunchlander's review
4.0
I'm honestly kind of surprised I liked this one, because Mark Millar's shtick tends to grate on me, but this had Goran Parlov art and a premise (Unforgiven, but with Buck Rogers, more or less) that I liked. Basically, Duke McQueen, now in his 70s, was once a test pilot who became a hero on an alien world. He returned home and nobody, except his wife, who has just died, believed him. Now he's left alone with two ungrateful sons and bratty neighborhood kids who taunt him for his "delusions." Until a young boy shows up in a rocketship, telling Duke that he's needed once again. (That's the first issue... I haven't spoiled anything, I promise.)
The execution of it is pretty damn good. Oh, sure, Millar's annoying tics like horrific violence by the bad guys and a cynical outlook on people in general are in full effect, but this is not about a good guy succumbing to the temptations of being bad.
Instead, it's about realizing you're not as used up as you thought you were, becoming an inspiration and getting to be the hero again. I kept waiting for the cynical twist where our hero, Duke McQueen, would be revealed to be terrible, or would just be shot in the face by the cackling bad guy, but it never came. In fact, the ending is so sweet and lovely it actually brought a tear to my eye.
As did the art throughout. Man, Parlov is good. In order for this to work, you needed to buy both McQueen's mundane retiree life *and* the splendor and scope of the alien world equally, and Parlov more than delivers the goods.
The execution of it is pretty damn good. Oh, sure, Millar's annoying tics like horrific violence by the bad guys and a cynical outlook on people in general are in full effect, but this is not about a good guy succumbing to the temptations of being bad.
Instead, it's about realizing you're not as used up as you thought you were, becoming an inspiration and getting to be the hero again. I kept waiting for the cynical twist where our hero, Duke McQueen, would be revealed to be terrible, or would just be shot in the face by the cackling bad guy, but it never came. In fact, the ending is so sweet and lovely it actually brought a tear to my eye.
As did the art throughout. Man, Parlov is good. In order for this to work, you needed to buy both McQueen's mundane retiree life *and* the splendor and scope of the alien world equally, and Parlov more than delivers the goods.
ericbuscemi's review
4.0
This graphic novel is Mark Millar's love song to [a:Edgar Rice Burroughs|10885|Edgar Rice Burroughs|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1207155710p2/10885.jpg]' pulp science-fantasy adventures of a century ago. It was as inventive and subversive as Millar's past successes [b:Kick-Ass|3918010|Kick-Ass|Mark Millar|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343964935s/3918010.jpg|3963458], [b:Kingsman: The Secret Service|17182372|Kingsman The Secret Service|Mark Millar|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1421937569s/17182372.jpg|24882779], and [b:Superman: Red Son|154798|Superman Red Son|Mark Millar|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1298557533s/154798.jpg|1950026], which all took familiar tropes and shook them upside-down to see what would shake out.
I was engaged right from the start of the story. A fighter pilot named Duke McQueen is transported to another world, where he saves them from a tyrant in a series of swashbuckling adventures. When he returns home, nobody except his wife believes him and he is considered a bit of a crackpot. Years later, Duke, now an old man and a widower, is visited by someone from the world he saved, pleading him to return and help them again. And thus begins Starlight...
I won't say more about the plot as not to spoil it, but I will add that while the focus is on action, there are a lot of moments where the reader is reminded of how human -- and past his prime -- the protagonist is, which makes him quite sympathetic. This is definitely a must-read for fans of throwbacks like John Carter, Buck Rogers, and especially of creator Mark Millar.
Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
I was engaged right from the start of the story. A fighter pilot named Duke McQueen is transported to another world, where he saves them from a tyrant in a series of swashbuckling adventures. When he returns home, nobody except his wife believes him and he is considered a bit of a crackpot. Years later, Duke, now an old man and a widower, is visited by someone from the world he saved, pleading him to return and help them again. And thus begins Starlight...
I won't say more about the plot as not to spoil it, but I will add that while the focus is on action, there are a lot of moments where the reader is reminded of how human -- and past his prime -- the protagonist is, which makes him quite sympathetic. This is definitely a must-read for fans of throwbacks like John Carter, Buck Rogers, and especially of creator Mark Millar.
Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
jhouses's review against another edition
3.0
¿Qué fue de Flash Gordon después de salvar Mongo? Esta es la premisa a partir de la que se desarrolla el cómic. No es original, como tampoco lo es el desarrollo, pero esta llevada a cabo con la probada habilidad de Millar, trufada de carño hacia el viejo pulp que homenajea y con un arte impactante , con cierto regusto a Moebius y su desbordada imaginación.
acrisalves's review
5.0
Com imagens em https://osrascunhos.com/2016/12/31/starlight-mark-millar-e-goran-parlov/
O conceito de herói apresentado em Starlight é ingénuo e representa uma abordagem clássica, quase romântica na forma como transforma um comum mortal em guerreiro destemido. E, apesar da forma cliché como desenrola a narrativa, consegue ser uma das melhores histórias que li recentemente pela forma como consegue criar empatia e sentimento no leitor.
Há muitos anos um homem da Terra salvou um planeta inteiro. Quando regressou, não trazendo provas para além de um fato de super-herói em poliéster, foi desacreditado e a história que contou tomada por embuste. Ninguém terá acreditado na viagem e muito menos no seu papel heróico, salvo a esposa, a sua alma gémea.
Muitos anos depois, a esposa morre. Os filhos já constituíram as suas próprias famílias e, velhote, fica sozinho, recordando os tempos com a falecida mulher e as aventures que viveu naquele outro mundo. É nessa altura que uma nave surge do nada, em busca do herói que poderá, novamente, ajudar a salvar o outro planeta que se encontra, agora, sob o jugo de um ditador.
Depois de alguma resistência, acomodado à vivência pacata, lá se deixa convencer pelo rapaz e viajam juntos, de volta. O que encontram é um ditador corrupto que apresenta publica e regularmente, a morte dos inimigos da nação, para desencorajar possíveis rebeliões.
Nas ruas as situações injustas sucedem-se e o nosso herói decide, claro intervir. Apesar de lutar como um bravo é apenas um e acaba na prisão onde o expectável acontece – os prisioneiros são salvos pela resistência que assume o velhote como líder, não só pelo símbolo reconhecível que constitui para todos os cidadãos, mas pela experiência anterior.
Acima de tudo, Starlight dá uma dimensão humana ao herói, um homem com as características físicas clássicas de uma figura masculina poderosa e correcta, expressas no quadrado do seu queixo, na postura elevada e recta mas acima de tudo, pelas acções, algumas impulsivas por boas causas, que revelam um sentido de justiça apurado.
Acima de tudo, Starlight dá uma dimensão humana ao herói, um homem com as características físicas clássicas de uma figura masculina poderosa e correcta, expressas no quadrado do seu queixo, na postura elevada e recta mas acima de tudo, pelas acções, algumas impulsivas por boas causas, que revelam um sentido de justiça apurado.
É, assim, na forma como explora um herói mais humano, mais envolvente mas também mais dependente dos outros que Starlight se transforma numa emocionante e empática leitura, conseguindo inovar ao mesmo tempo que mantém os habituais elementos cliché dos heróis que, numa outra civilização, conseguem destronar déspotas e libertar povoações.
O conceito de herói apresentado em Starlight é ingénuo e representa uma abordagem clássica, quase romântica na forma como transforma um comum mortal em guerreiro destemido. E, apesar da forma cliché como desenrola a narrativa, consegue ser uma das melhores histórias que li recentemente pela forma como consegue criar empatia e sentimento no leitor.
Há muitos anos um homem da Terra salvou um planeta inteiro. Quando regressou, não trazendo provas para além de um fato de super-herói em poliéster, foi desacreditado e a história que contou tomada por embuste. Ninguém terá acreditado na viagem e muito menos no seu papel heróico, salvo a esposa, a sua alma gémea.
Muitos anos depois, a esposa morre. Os filhos já constituíram as suas próprias famílias e, velhote, fica sozinho, recordando os tempos com a falecida mulher e as aventures que viveu naquele outro mundo. É nessa altura que uma nave surge do nada, em busca do herói que poderá, novamente, ajudar a salvar o outro planeta que se encontra, agora, sob o jugo de um ditador.
Depois de alguma resistência, acomodado à vivência pacata, lá se deixa convencer pelo rapaz e viajam juntos, de volta. O que encontram é um ditador corrupto que apresenta publica e regularmente, a morte dos inimigos da nação, para desencorajar possíveis rebeliões.
Nas ruas as situações injustas sucedem-se e o nosso herói decide, claro intervir. Apesar de lutar como um bravo é apenas um e acaba na prisão onde o expectável acontece – os prisioneiros são salvos pela resistência que assume o velhote como líder, não só pelo símbolo reconhecível que constitui para todos os cidadãos, mas pela experiência anterior.
Acima de tudo, Starlight dá uma dimensão humana ao herói, um homem com as características físicas clássicas de uma figura masculina poderosa e correcta, expressas no quadrado do seu queixo, na postura elevada e recta mas acima de tudo, pelas acções, algumas impulsivas por boas causas, que revelam um sentido de justiça apurado.
Acima de tudo, Starlight dá uma dimensão humana ao herói, um homem com as características físicas clássicas de uma figura masculina poderosa e correcta, expressas no quadrado do seu queixo, na postura elevada e recta mas acima de tudo, pelas acções, algumas impulsivas por boas causas, que revelam um sentido de justiça apurado.
É, assim, na forma como explora um herói mais humano, mais envolvente mas também mais dependente dos outros que Starlight se transforma numa emocionante e empática leitura, conseguindo inovar ao mesmo tempo que mantém os habituais elementos cliché dos heróis que, numa outra civilização, conseguem destronar déspotas e libertar povoações.
jithinjohn's review
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5