Starstruck

Starstruck is a fascinating, energetic comic first created in 1982 by Elaine Lee and Michael W. Kaluta, based on a play that premiered off-Broadway in 1980. The comic was taken up by various publishers throughout the years, both re-publishing previous materials as well as expanding the story. IDW published a deluxe hardcover and softcover collection of Starstruck in 2011 and 2012, respectively. It includes the „Galactic Girl Guides“ comics as an extra, which provide backstory for Brucilla the Muscle, a character from the main comics.

[Some spoilers follow]

So, what is the main comic (the IDW collection) about? It is something like the prelude and first act of an epic space opera, telling of the schemes and machinations between members of the Bajar family and the Medea family. Mary Medea, head of a company producing pleasure androids („Erotica Ann“), wants access to the Bajar family, and is specifically interested in which of the twins might be the heir. The inquisitive and disruptive character of Lucrezia Bajar and her inhibited and emotional twin brother Kalif Bajar are introduced. Lucrezia runs psychological experiments on her brother, while their father attempts to increase his influence over various planets. Kalif, unable to live up to his fathers expectations, becomes emotionally attached to a pleasure droid, of which his father blasts the head off. Mary goes undercover after faking her death in an armed religious conflict waged on another planet. The comic next focuses on the rivalry between the two younger sisters of Mary, Molly (= Galatia 9) and Maggie (= Verloona Ti). It tells of the family dysfunctions throughout the years, and how Molly/ Galatia 9 rebels and survives against all odds. Brucilla the Muscle, a new character and brigadier, enters the story, introducing us to a conflict between the Space Brigade and the Cloistered Order of the Cosmic Veil. The Order has close connections to Lucrezia Bajar, by now a bestselling writer better known as Ronnie Lee Ellis. I know, basically everyone is referred to by more than one name in this comic. Then again, most people in Starstruck try to be (or at least appear) something they are not. Anyway, these overtures spanning decades finally lead into a series of tight, action-packed and hilarious scenes on a recreational space station, bringing all the characters together, all pursuing their individual goals, and several of them meddling with the others.

The writing by Elaine Lee is intelligent and witty, the art (by M.W. Kaluta) is spectacularly beautiful. For the IDW collection, Lee Moyer recolored all the pages, enhancing all the details of Kaluta‘s art. Todd Klein‘s letters do a fine job.

Starstruck is notable for a cast of mostly female characters with very different personalities and goals. It also uses supplementary texts (a glossary written by one of the supporting characters, and excerpts from the memoirs of another supporting character), both written at later points in the fictional time, and hence referencing events and persons from the story, but also alluding to events not yet covered by the comic narrative – specifically the Great Change, the political event to which the Starstruck story will potentially lead at some point.

It‘s a rewarding book. The writing is fresh and has lost nothing of it‘s appeal. The hypertext whole (the main comic, the glossary and excerpts, the Galactic Girl Guide comics) provides countless surprises: side remarks intersecting across the various storylines, cameo characters, small details which receive significance at a later point in the narrative, etc. Re-reading is recommended, as well as reading the follow-up volume „Old Proldiers Never Die“ (published by IDW in 2017).