There’s some serious shadiness happening to the Zodiac Starforce. It’s issue 2 and Emma the leader looks as if she’s molting from the inside out. What’s worse is that the goddess Astra, who brought the team together is being obliquely-cryptic about Emma’s condition. There are glimpses of past Starforce fighters, all young women who seem ill equipped or unprepared for the perils they face. Artist Paulina Ganucheau with her panel work showcases the weirdness that is going on in the comic that gives Easter eggs to the past and glimpses of the future.
What writer Kevin Panetta does well here is show the desperation of a group of teenage girls trying to help their friend. What would you do if your friend was dying and the only way you can think of saving her would put your own existence in danger? For Molly she doesn’t hesitate, but that rash judgment leads to dire consequences. More importantly, somehow Emma’s illness seems tied to her mother. Is it possible that Starforces burn out once they have served their purpose?
Whatever it is Astra’s not telling. Still romances are forming, while trusts are being broken. People are getting their feelings hurt and it should be more exciting. Instead this slow build is not giving that anticipatory tingle. That feeling you get when you know that you’re part of the beginning of something big. As a reader it can be frustrating. What exactly does Panetta want to explore? This comic is more than a bunch of teen girls with power. They’ve gone through some off-stage tragedy that is haunting them. Seeing this backstory unfold should be something to look forward to, however the pacing and slow rhythm doesn’t quite match the action packed sequences. That disconnect between the storyline, where you don’t see characters reflect or get a chance to digest what is going on around them, coupled with being thrown into one nearly impossible situation after another is stunting the growth of the characters. As an audience you don’t get to catch your breath. And for a second issue that can’t be good.
Then there’s all these dangling storylines. Are they all connected? Is the audience ever going to find out about the evil mean teen group? Will the Starforce lose their powers at a crux moment? And just how important are all these fringe characters? Are they just cannon fodder or will they have a real purpose? Whoever these people are we’re not given enough of a chance to care, let alone have any emotional investment. If Panetta chose one of these narratives to focus on, then perhaps the reader can get their footing. Exploring one of the members in the “Zodiac Starforce†would give readers a chance to get to know these characters. You can’t just give a main character a possible fatal illness and expect the audience to instantly care. Give people something to hold onto to. Yes, it’s sad that Emma’s dying, that she recently lost her mother and is fearful of losing others that she loves. Since Emma is the head of this squad Panetta should dive into that, the terror of losing everything around you while simultaneously saving the world.
Whatever the case may be, if this series is to have any kind of staying power, it needs to have characters you want to see come out of the other side. At the very least you want to see them survive to the next issue.
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