Moonstar #1 // Review
It was forged by dwarves. It was a sword so powerful that it would never allow itself to be sheathed until it caused death. A blade that never failed. A blade that did damage that would be described as being irreparable. Perhaps it was enchanted. Perhaps it was cursed. It’s become sentient. It’s an artifact that will become a primary concern for a woman once known as Mirage in Moonstar #1. Writer Ashley Allen grants Mirage a long overdue solo series with artist Eduardo Audino and colorist Arthur Hesli.
As the issue begins, Dani’s returning home on the winged horse. She’s been living with her parents in Boulder, Colorado while she recovers from the run of danger that she’s been thrust into in recent months. Her parents seem perfectly fine even if they seem to have forgotten certain elements of her past. And maybe she feels at home, but maybe she doesn’t feel quite as at home as she should. Then there’s a knock at the door...
Allen establishes a solidly interesting conflict for Dani. The dark fantasy around the edges of her identity is pretty firmly rooted in the Norse legends that serve as much of the foundation for the magical end of the Marvel Universe. The first issue of the series is so VERY centered on her, though, so it would seem as though there’s a good chance for a multicultural fusion between different elements. Dani’s original power of manifesting an illusion of a target’s fears or wishes held so much dramatic power to go in so many dark directions the could carve their way into really interesting horror if Allen wanted to explore them further.
Audino’s art delivers a powerful sense of light, shadow and perspective, amplified as it is by Hesli’s colors. Dani has a tendency to look really young under the pen of Audino...arguably younger than she did back in the early 1980s, which feels like a bit of a. disconnect from the overall continuity of the character. This wouldn’t be a huge issue were it not for the fact that Allen is taking a brief dive into the character’s history early-on in the series. She’s been through a lot. Theres should be a bit more of a honed sense of jaded experience in her visage. The fresh face of youth doesn’t quite feel right.
The logo design for the series is a charming homage to the 1985 Alex Jay design for The New Mutants logo. It would be really cool of Dani’s series could be more of an ongoing thing. She was always one of the stronger, more interesting characters of the original New Mutants series. As she’s had a tendency to share page and panel with a lot of other characters over the years, she’s rarely had an opportunity to be the central focus as she is in her own title. As a result...there’s still a lot of potential in a character who debuted over 4 decades ago.
