WRITER: KELLY THOMPSON | ARTIST: JAVIER PINA, FILIPE ANDRADE | PUBLISHER: MARVEL | FORMAT: SINGLE ISSUE | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Marvel Comics have always been good at basing stories around a neat premise. The first issue of Star asks the question “What if a pretty bad person got god-like powers, but had no idea what to do with them?” Star is the story of Ripley Ryan, a plucky journalist who fell into the hands of bad guys and in order to survive, became a villain herself. After a near-death experience at the hands of Captain Marvel, Ripley finds herself in a difficult situation. Too powerful to be easily contained, and yet still on the run from the law, Ryan needs to figure out exactly how to control her powers. Preferably before she’s captured or killed.

Her power-set is also interesting. Thanks to an Infinity Stone, she has limited control over reality, which in theory means she has any power she wishes for. However, the wording needs to be precise and using the powers can seemingly break the world. She’s a danger to herself and all of existence. All of this makes for a great set-up for a story, and issue one does a great job of establishing exactly how dire Ryan’s situation is.

Javier Pina and Filipe Andrade’s art is the right mix of fantastic and urban grime, which is a very Marvel Comics vibe in general. An interesting start to the series.