Starlight #4 (Image)

writer: Mark Millar
artist: Goran Parlov

via Panels and Pixels

Any time you discover something new and love it instantly, you kind of wonder if you're jumping the gun.  Will you still love it the next time?

So that's where I was with Starlight, which has become my favorite Mark Millar project.  It's a pastiche of John Carter/Adam Strange/Star-Lord (the last being our fearless leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy variety, lately star of his own series, naturally), but from the vantage point of a hero revisiting his glory days years past his prime.  His family, once he returned and he became an ordinary guy once again, didn't necessarily believe he stomped around in space having adventures (the perfect setup for the Nova reboot that hasn't necessarily been capitalized on in that title).

Being drafted into the role of hero again, especially when you're older, may not exactly be wish-fulfillment, but Duke McQueen is working himself back into the role.  It doesn't hurt that he gets to enjoy one of those classic dramatic prison breaks this issue, or that the little boy who drafted him reveals more of his own story.

It doesn't hurt that Starlight increasingly matches up well with another space adventure I'm loving, Saga.  It's prone to some of the same cool random alien details (wood-giants who are, alas, extinct!).  It's got a different approach, different art style (though Goran Parlov isn't as lush as Fiona Staples, he's perhaps got a better grasp of storytelling), but even though I've got more experience with Saga, Starlight is fast catching up in my personal estimation.

There's a big twist on the last page.  That's another hook right there.  Not that I need it at this point.  However long this Millar journey lasts, I'm pretty sure I'll be following along.