Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Filipe Andrade, Javier Pina
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 1, 2020

I like the character of Star and was excited when Marvel announced she would headline her own book. The first couple of issues were good, and while I wish we got a little more character progression, the guest stars made it fun, at least. While I think the book didn’t go much further than an extended fight scene after that, I hope Kelly Thompson can end it with a bang. Well, does she? Let’s find out…

After the last issue, I expected Star and Captain Marvel (and Corvus) to wake up on the other side of some crazy portal, but even though the recap page kind of hints at that, it’s not the case. It looks like the device Black Swan gave Star was more like a Ghost Busters Ghost Trap, and Corvus ended up being Slimer! Before that, though, we get a bit with the Black Order sitting around, coming up with their 9021 disguises and realizing that family is the most important thing. I like the sentiment, and maybe it will open things up for the Black Order, but it also dialed down the badass meter on the team, big time!

As I said, the pocket dimension promised in the recap never really came to be, but Corvus being trapped is the main plot point of the issue. The Black Order attacks, and when Scarlet Witch arrives, they are outmatched, even though the numbers don’t suggest that. That’s when Star uses her Reality Stone to talk to the Black Order and come up with a truce… Star will give them Corvus as long as they leave her the hell alone. After finding out how all this happened and coming up with a plan for the eventual confrontation with Thanos, they agree, and Star passes out.

It felt like Black Swan’s plan was bigger and more personal than just a ruse to trap Star. One of the most exciting things in this series was finding out Black Swan was sick of Thanos and the Infinity Stones and wanted her own life. It seems that Kelly Thompson had to hurry and condense that into the “family” bit we got earlier in the issue, which is a shame because it felt too sudden and out of place compared to what she set up throughout the series.

We continue with Star in her dreamscape world of bullying, abuse, and insecurities. This is the best bit of character work in this mini, though it feels tacked on, but maybe that’s more to do with the art change. It’s the moment of truth for Star as she decides to be good or bad and seems to choose the latter. That hero/villain choice is stressed by Captain Marvel and Scarlet Witch, debating what they could have done and what they should now do.

The issue ends with Star strutting her stuff down the street like Neo at the end of the Matrix (or John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever) and possibly killing many people with a smile on her face. Alright!

This finale felt rushed and was not very satisfying as a fan of Star. It’s not that I needed her to be a hero, but Kelly Thompson didn’t expand on the character much. Most of this mini was taken up with Star and Carol bickering back and forth, and while it started with the idea of Star’s redemption, and what that would entail, Thompson just tossed that aside for a bunch of fight scenes. I guess that all of this (and Hector Bautista and the Time Stone) will lead to Star joining up with Thanos when he eventually returns. We will have to wait and see.

Final Thoughts:

This was a disappointing finale to a mini-series that I was looking forward to reading. Everything felt rushed here to put the pieces into place for what is coming next for Star, but with that, Kelly Thompson never got to expand on her character fully. Maybe I expected too much.

5.0/10