Starbolts #677: Real American Heroes

 

 Hail!

    This week we learn more about Steve and his organization. It turns out that they were stringing our heroes along this whole time. But, at what cost? They used alien technology to surround the island of Manhattan in a force field, prevent the Starbolts from using their powers and caused great physical harm to two members of the Aquan royal family. If this was a test, can you imagine what the real thing would be like? We'll be seeing them again soon and you can bet that our heroes are not going to welcome them. Plans will have to be made for their inevitable return. Which will be soon. This isn't over by a long-shot.

     I do wonder where all of New York's heroes were during this crisis. Perhaps they were stuck in their homes because of their lack of powers and because the robots were patrolling the streets. But, that doesn't make sense. Some superheroes don't have powers. You'd think they'd have been okay. I suppose M'anta might be lodging an inquiry into what happened because I'm sure the Starbolts could have used the help.

    I also thought I would cover Steve's origin a little. Steve volunteered to become Iron Eagle as the US government didn't like Andrea as Lady Liberty. They hid it with smiles and everything. But, they wanted to bring back her father. To do that, they made Steve here Iron Eagle. And then he snapped. 

    Jack was definitely in the right to defend his family here. Yes, he and his siblings were tested on. But. the difference is clear. Jack volunteered for the Soldier Six program. His sisters did not. Jack will defend them and what his parents had to do to save his life. He'll never back down when someone offends him or his family.

    At least everything is sorted for now. There are more questions to be asked like "What is the deal with these people?" and "Why would they test the Starbolts like this?" Those are all good questions and we'll be answering them soon. These new baddies seem to be nothing like our heroes have ever dealt with before. Let's hope they stay on their guard.

 See ya next time!

Starbolts #676: Rock the House

 

 Hail!

    It's honestly hard to believe Steve was ever Iron Eagle isn't it? I'd hate to say it but the only reason Steve ever became Iron Eagle was because the US government was uncomfortable with Andrea being the sole symbol of America in red, white and blue spandex. Once this story is over, you can bet she'll be explaining this to Jack and Crystal. 

    Jack is about to have a very public battle with Steve on the streets of New York and you can bet the court of public opinion will have strong feelings about their former hero being beaten up by this much younger upstart. Then again Jack might get some leeway here. I mean Steve did surround the island of Manhattan in a force field and had an army of robots lock everyone up. I don't think there's a chance he can come back from this at all.

    Natalia seemed to have ditched her lover. However, I don't think we've seen the last of her. She'll be back sooner or later. She was probably right to leave the fight. Though, I think her relationship with Steve may be a little strained after this incident. She'll be back for sure. 

    Back to Jack and Crystal. I think times will have changed to the point where America will accept two symbols of America running around. They'll have to because Jack will have stopped Steve and Crystal is a heroine in her own right. A rocky road is ahead for the both of them and I see their sister Carter taking them out  for drinks once the dust settles.

    As far as Terrans using alien tech goes, M'anta does have a point. The Terrans in the comic have proven to be irresponsible with some alien technology. It's enough to annoy him for sure. Luckily there are good humans out there as Kevin explained. They just have to stop the bad ones from wrecking hard fought alliances humanity cannot afford to lose! Here's hoping limitations on alien tech is put in place. We don't want anyone vaporizing themselves!

See ya next time when we'll have Eagle vs Eagle!

Starbolts #675: Disrupting the Signal

 

 Hail! 

    Looks like a BIG secret was revealed this week! We finally learn what's been causing M'anta and Aquita to have intense headaches and a loss of their telepathic abilities. It seems that the mysterious "Director" bought some Mosqukatara technology and decided to use it on our heroes. He unfortunately had no idea that it would have such a profound impact on the blue-skinned members of the Starbolts. This is why you should always read the fine print when you buy something of alien origin.

     I should probably back up and explain who the Mosqukatara are for those who aren't in the know. They hadn't been featured in the comic for some time and may make a come back in the not too distant future. The Mosqukatara are an insectoid race that enslaved Aquans for fifty long and grueling years. M'anta's grandfather Criam was instrumental in liberating the planet. The insects fled Aquarius and returned multiple times to plague the galaxy. 

    Eventually, they set their sights on Earth and attempted to invade. Each time they did so, they were thwarted by the Starbolts. The Starbolts even went to their world when it was discovered that they enslaved two other races, the peace-loving bird-like Dovianni and the mercantile lizard-like aliens called the Setleth. Both worlds were liberated and the Mosqukatara homeworld was destroyed in Starbolts #99.

    After the destruction of their world, the Mosqukatra vanished until Starbolts #384 when it was revealed that they took on more humanoid forms. They hadn't been seen since. They are a staunch opponent of the interplanetary alliance and would do anything to disrupt the peace. The question is...Do they know about this device? Are they back? That remains to be seen. For all we know the humans really didn't know what they were buying. Talk about "buyer beware".

    I do admit I like how Kevin dealt with the bots. It kind of reminds me of how Kirk talked an artificial intelligence into killing itself once it found a fatal flaw in its programming. Looks like Steve is going to be fighting a battle on multiple fronts next week.

See ya then!

Starbolts #674: The Journey to Rock Bottom

Hail!

    This week we learn all about how Crazy Steve started on his journey from being a down on his luck hero to supervillain. All it took was a master manipulator like the Director and a pretty face. You probably have another thing coming if you think Natalia is to be trusted. Newsflash. She isn't. She likely has an ulterior motive here now that she's pregnant with Steve's child. This whole plot of theirs reeks of eugenics and you can bet that it would go over well with our heroes.

    The Director plans on creating a race of perfect humans and is starting with the former Iron Eagle. Meanwhile the current and more well-liked one just had his "Captain America" moment in front of Guardians Mansion. I think the cops are pleased but are mad that they're clearly outgunned by the army of robots who have swarmed the city.

    One thing to note is that Aquita's sonic scream seems to work fine with the shield in place. That has nothing to do with her telepathic abilities. That power comes from the gods who made her an avatar. So, why aren't M'anta's powers working since he is an avatar, too? Well, he's a lot closer to whatever has been driving the Aquans for a loop. Once that's out of business, I'm sure both Aquita and M'anta will be perfectly fine. I hope.

    Crazy Steve has certainly hit a low point here. Though, perhaps the Director is equally to blame. The man did take advantage of him at his lowest point. Most of his friends are dead. Apollo left for Mount Olympus. He's got no one and the guy swooped in like a vulture with his femme fatale assistant. Yeah, it doesn't take much to believe she doesn't have his best interests at heart.

See ya next time!

Starbolts #673: Metahumans in Disguise

 Hail!

    The Starbolts are finally getting closer and closer to the mansion! Hopefully, they'll soon be able to free their friends, M'anta Kevin, TK and Kaori. They've been held captive by Crazy Steve since Starbolts #671. We'll be catching up with them next comic. I have a feeling there's a method to the bots' madness. They don't like biological lifeforms. So, they're doing what they can to detain them. What if they set their sights on the former Iron Eagle? Time will tell.

    I admit I do like Marcus and Crystal flirting while on the mission. Sure lives are in danger but it's well within their character. They still get down to business when the situation calls for it and that's exactly what Marcus did. Running around NYC and getting five bots to fall into a trap is pretty cool. Though, don't expect Crystal to return to her southern accent. I think she's fine as is.

    At least we're now getting close to whatever has been causing Aquita to lose her telepathic abilities. Once that's out of business, I'm sure there'll be hell to pay. Here's hoping our heroes find the others in time and stop Steve from doing his new organization's bidding. We'll be finding more about them next week, too. How did Steve get roped into this organization? What do they want with our heroes? All of this will be revealed soon!

Stay tuned! See ya next time!

Starbolts #672: Sentinels in New York

 Hail! 

    The Sentinels have taken Manhattan and now it's up to the Starbolts to save the day. With a team of Jack, Crystal, Firaxil, Marcus and Aquita, you can bet Steve is going to have his hands full. Though, I wonder what could be preventing the Aquan princess from sensing people around her...Hmm,...That is a mystery indeed. ;)

    Marcus and Crystal were definitely in the sewers of Boston once way back in Starbolts #370.  That was a fun adventure. Crystal was cursed by the witch Zarantha and it took the ancient being known as "The Green Monster" to break the spell. Zarantha trued to prevent her from feeling true love and it was something neither she nor her new boyfriend (at the time) Marcus could live with. So, they sought out the Green Monster and she saved her life. I'm thinking someday she and Marcus might revisit TGM. Let's just hope she moved out of the sewers and somewhere less foul smelling.

    You've got to feel a little bad for Steve in his scene this week. His friends are gone and now an organization is using his old friend's armor as a type of foot soldier for their army. Who are they? They obviously know about the Starbolts. That and other mysteries will be solved very soon. I plan on revealing just how Steve got caught up in this mess. 

Look for some more action soon! See ya next time!

Starbolts #671: Night of the Sentinels

 

 Hail! 

    I think I'd have to agree with M'anta's assessment here. There is absolutely no way for Steve to come back from this. This is now the second time he went off the deep end and threatened our heroes. The first time was the story arc that lasted from Starbolts #240 to Starbolts #275. To be fair his last bout with the darkness was brought on by the evil Jade Skull possessing his body. That's not what's happening here. Nope. A new organization managed to take a hold of the former Iron Eagle and shifted his already weakened mind to their way of thinking. It's a shame. It really is. A once decorated hero is now cuckoo for Coco Puffs.

    Who this mysterious organization remains a mystery and will be a mystery for some time. Sufficed it to say they capitalized on the evil organization void left by Terra Nova. Once they were out of the picture, other organizations were now able to come out of the shadows. Whoever they are, they'll have to deal with the Starbolts. Let's hope our heroes can put this new group out of business because not only have they turned a good man against them, they've co-opted a dead man's technology and used it to create an army of Sentinels.

    This week's title comes from the first episode of the 1992 classic X-Men cartoon that ran from 1992 to 1997 on Fox Kids. I totally watched it and I will definitely be watching the sequel show, X-Men '97 on Disney + when it streams on March 20th. I so can't wait for that show. It should be epic!

    As far as this week's comic goes, it looks like Norad is fine after being spared by the robots. Let's hope help arrives. I don't think the Starbolts will be pleased with Steve and his army of robots. Stay tuned for next week's comic "Sentinels in New York". 

See ya then!