Written by: Kevin Panetta
Art by: Paulina Ganucheau
Colours by: Sarah Stern
Letters by: Christy Sawyer & Nikki Foxrobot
Published by: Dark Horse Comics
Are you ready for the next instalment in the adventures of the Zodiac Starforce? Are you looking at the comic a fresh newbie to the story as I was? Either way, if you are looking for a group of heroes who are ready to take on a new adventure – this comic is for you.
One of my favourite things about this comic was the pastel colour palette is a change of pace from the normally grimier colour schemes seen in a lot of main stream comics (especially from Dark Horse Comics) but it is perfectly fitted to the characters and the subject matter. It immediately gives you a feel for this feminine group kicking butt and it instantly put me in a good mood while I was reading it.
I absolutely adored the variety of characters in this book. Not only their designs, which are a great example of diversity, but their individual and unique personalities jumped out of the page. The first thing you notice even looking at the cover is that not one of these girls in the Zodiac Starforce looks like the other girls. Whether the difference is weight, size or skin tone all of these girls are powerful in their own unique way. I think that the knowledge that young women will see this, instead of just the cookie-cutter superheroine image, puts this comic up there in my ranks. The cast is full of equally strong and sensitive people – no matter the gender.
The story itself was enjoyable and was helped by the instant connection I felt to the characters. It was the perfect pace, starting slowly and not zooming too quickly through fight scenes so you could see the individual characters in action and how they worked as a team. While there was an end goal and a villain to fight you could tell that thought had not just gone into getting from point A to B. It was clear that the writer had also thought about how each individual character was going to develop and evolve by the end of the book. Not to mention it ends on a cliff hanger that had me both in frustrated and excited because it meant that there will be more to enjoy in the future.
Filled with emotion, beautiful art and great character designs and interactions which left me giddy and eager for more – The Zodiac Starforce have utterly and undeniably stolen my heart.
Overall: 9/10
Victoria Wilton spends the majority of her time writing and creating anything to do with comics, books and art and records her journey of being a wannabe comic creator on her YouTube channel, Twitter and Instagram (@toriteaturtle). In her free time Victoria enjoys comics, movies, video games, being outdoors as well as spending quality time with her partner and two pet rabbits.
