Scutum Apus Aquarius Aquila Ara Bootes Canes Venatici Capricornus Centaurus Cepheus Circinus Coma Berenices Corona Austrina Coro
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Polaris Ursa Minor Cepheus Camelopardus Thuban Draco Cassiopeia Mizar Ursa Major Lacerta Lynx Deneb Capella Perseus Auriga Canes Venatici Algol Cygnus Vega Cor Caroli Andromeda Lyra Bootes Leo Minor Castor Triangulum Corona Borealis Albireo Hercules Pollux Alphecca Gemini Vulpecula Coma Berenices Pleiades Aries Pegasus Sagitta Arcturus Taurus Cancer Aldebaran Denebola Leo Delphinus Serpens [Caput] Regulus Equuleus Altair Canis Minor Pisces Betelgeuse Aquila Procyon Orion Serpens [Cauda] Ophiuchus Virgo Sextans Monoceros Mira Scutum Rigel Aquarius Spica Cetus Libra Crater Capricornus Hydra Sirius Corvus Lepus Deneb Kaitos Canis Major Eridanus Antares Fomalhaut Piscis Austrinus Sagittarius Scorpius Antlia Pyxis Fornax Sculptor Microscopium Columba Caelum Corona Austrina Lupus Puppis Grus Centaurus Vela Norma Horologium Phoenix Telescopium Ara Canopus Indus Crux Pictor Achernar Hadar Carina Dorado Tucana Circinus Rigel Kentaurus Reticulum Pavo Triangulum Australe Musca Volans Hydrus Mensa Apus SampleOctans file Chamaeleon AND THE LONELY WAR Sample file STAR POWER VOLUME FOUR: STAR POWER and the LONELY WAR Copyright © 2018 Michael Terracciano and Garth Graham. All rights reserved. Star Power, the Star Power logo, and all characters, likenesses, and situations herein are trademarks of Michael Terracciano and Garth Graham. Except for review purposes, no portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the express written consent of the copyright holders. All characters and events in this publication are fictional and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Star chartsSample adapted from charts found at hoshifuru.jp file Portions of this book are published online at www.starpowercomic.com. This volume collects STAR POWER and the LONELY WAR Issues #16-20 published online between Oct 2016 and Oct 2017. First edition 2018 Printed in TAIWAN AND THE LONELY WAR WORDS MICHAEL TERRACCIANO ART GARTH GRAHAM Sample file Space is pretty hecking cool, isn’t it? I’m a fantasy writer and I have been ever since the Great Genre War in which I lost six friends at the Battle of Frodo’s Baggins, but before I was into The Hobbit, I, along with every other young weirdo with a dream of having a better hairstyle than a bowl cut, was into Star Wars. FOREWORD Like way, way the heck in. And don’t get me wrong, like any young-blooded person, I loved lightsabers, battles between good and evil, rescuing princesses, but what I really loved is what no one seems to talk about anymore. The vast, cold emptiness of space is seen alternatively as a horrific void from which nothing escapes and a whole lot of nothing you traverse to get somewhere. But to me, space was a promise. Or a suggestion. Or just a big canvas upon which anything could be scrawled—any planet, any species, any creature you could possibly imagine could be out there on a planet you’ve never heard of in a world you’ve never dreamed of thinking things you couldn’t imagine. To some, I guess, that might seem daunting. Daunting enough that most science fiction likes to put down hard and fast limits and explore the space between those limits (if you’re breaking your fingers on your keyboard writing an angry email about how Star Wars isn’t science fiction, just bear with me), but for me, the unknown was always the coolest part about space and it feels like a few people agree with that. People like the two fine lads who wrote this book you’re about to read. Or at least, I assume you’re about to read it. Maybe you picked it up for other reasons, like to kill a really big spider or to read while you pretend not to notice someone. But you really should read it. Star Power has everything I adore about space: endless worlds with endless characters in endless situations. Federations enforcing order, pirates plying the stars, aliens big and small and also a show about a psychic shirtless detective. But all of those are simply facets of the greater, more important quality of this book. Star Power, in an era that sometimes has too much reality, is a creation of pure imagination. Anything that’s exciting, anything that’s joyful, anything that’s wondrous, Garth and Michael have put in. This book, in its exuberant characters and exciting worlds and optimistic relationships, is two people meeting questions like “why bother” with “what if” and “who cares” with “where to?” Simply put, these two fellows are packed to the brim with joy for what they do. The same joy that you felt when you were a kid watching good fighting evil, the same joy you felt whenSample you looked out the window and wondered what else was out there.file It is fun. It is wondrous. It is a product of utter love. Explore it. Sam Sykes Author of the Bring Down Heaven trilogy, Affinity for Steel and Brave Chef Brianna This is the darkest story we’ve ever told for Star Power. In the years and books leading up to this, we prided ourselves on the comparatively light content of our comic. We often said “Star Power has more action than violence.” It’s based on a quote from Stan Lee when he described his approach to his own work. He believed there was a big difference between action and violence, and that is something I subscribed to when I sat down to write Star Power scripts. I’ve always wanted Star Power to be action-packed instead of violent. Then came this story, and I broke my own rule for the sake of drama. It’s more like I bent my personal rule, because we had been describing the worlds beyond the Millennium Federation for years without ever traveling beyond its borders. The Eighth Wormhole Invasion was “the most devastating war ever fought,” and the shattered worlds left in its wake had never truly recovered. Danica had to be shaken by what she saw, and for that we had to forego action for violence. I think the effect worked because we had avoided gruesome violence for so long. This is the first time we showcased the horror and despair of war, and Danica’s first time witnessing it became our readers’ first time. It’s not something one would expect to see when reading Star Power, and we think the imagery helped our readers share in Danica’s shock. But while this is the darkest story we’ve ever told for Star Power, we’re not going to linger in this darkness. Star Power is a tale of hope and optimism, of compassion and kindness in the face of overwhelming odds. I prefer writing action over violence, but sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone to grow. I think the story, the comic, and the characters all benefited from this dark journey. -Michael, the writer Sample file FROM THE WRITER.