TROY TRAILBLAZER AND THE HORDE QUEEN

If you’re a parent that loves sci-fi or films like Alien, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Thing or Star Wars then Troy Trailblazer is the gateway drug that you need to inspire a similar passion in your children.

Part of the Phoenix Presents line of books that collect comic strips from the amazing weekly comic The Phoenix, Troy Trailblazer and the Horde Queen is a fantastically vibrant collection. Suitable for all ages but surprisingly dark in places, this is creator Robert Deas’ finest work to date.

Space adventurers Troy and Jess, along with furry friend Barrus and robot Blip, read like Indiana Jones meets Han and Chewbacca, a mismatched group of star travellers that reclaim space relics from the wrong hands and try to put them back where they belong.

We use a lot of comparisons when talking about Troy Trailblazer because it is a derivative work, but it takes the best parts from the Alien series of films, merges them with the time travelling of Doctor Who and comes up with something that is pitched perfectly for children. That’s a very special talent and serves as a fantastic introduction to some of the concepts that older sci-fi fans take for granted.

This particular writer’s 6 and 4-year-old children were much more enthralled than me with the earliest Troy Trailblazer Phoenix strips. There was something very safe about the strip in the past that appealed to children, but not to me. The story collected in the Horde Queen book, however, is much more layered than any of the strips that came before it, and doesn’t talk down to the reader at all. This is light years ahead of those early strips and we can’t wait to read whatever adventure comes next.

Troy Traliblazer and the Horde Queen is a nuanced, gorgeously coloured and illustrated, fast-paced adventure, exploring themes of friendship, responsibility, consequence and ray-guns. If you’re a regular Starburst reader AND parent, you probably need this book in your life.

INFO: TROY TRAILBLAZER AND THE HORDE QUEEN / AUTHOR & ARTIST: ROBERT DEAS / PUBLISHER: DAVID FICKLING / RELEASE DATE: JUNE 4TH