Comic Review: Starhenge #1

Starhenge #1

Publisher: Image Comics

Creator: Liam Sharp

This week sees the release of what promises to be a great new ongoing title on Image Comics. Created by comics veteran and artistic powerhouse Liam Sharp, Starhenge #1 begins setting the stage for a time-traveling, space exploring, fantasy amalgamation.

The plot for Starhenge revolves around the idea that Merlin was born in the future and died in the past. Sharp came up with a very convoluted explanation for that and it sustains a surprisingly engaging adventure story. It revolves around an ongoing conflict in the future between The Cast, a once dormant alien AI, and humanity. The Cast’s only weakness is discovered to be magic. The catch being that magic only exists in the past and the Ur-Queen, head of humanity’s great expansion, decides to send her own son, Wyllt, to go and get some. We’re told the story through Amber, an eighteen year old Wicca fan, in our present day who is somehow connected to all of this conflict.

As most number one issues, Sharp made sure to introduce us to basic lore of everything that’s going on. But I feel like the way that this is done is equally important as it’s the defining format for the series. The narration is very nonlinear. This is crucial for the plot’s multi-epoch aspect. Other than that, every one of those epochs is quite straightforward in its introductions. Sharp also managed to frame the blatant exposition to what consists of Amber telling us what the heck is all that about Ur-Queen and The Cast and whatnot. In this framing the writer also takes advantage of Amber’s being our contemporary to present us his artistic influences.

As convoluted as the plot may seem, it’s not what drew me to this title. The main cover alone was jaw-dropping for me. It reminded me of something like Warhammer 40k. That and the title got my attention. A great sci-fi epic with a side of magic. As I read on, my expectations were satisfied time and time again. Sharp’s realistic approach to a distant future beyond our comprehension is super bold and beautifully executed at all times. Not only is the lineart and coloring fantastic but the designs also deserve a big credit to what makes this series, from the get go, memorable. The brief scenes in the Arthurian days also fit very well with the artist’s approach. The only segments where the artwork really bothered me were the present day ones. Though the illustrations are still incredibly done, the coloring goes completely bland. I believe these segments are supposed to act as a downtime for the reader – as well as for the artist – but it really broke me off from the comic when I saw what seems to be a tracing of actress Florence Pugh in one of the panels.

After going through the deets of this first chapter I feel nothing but excitement about what comes next. Liam Sharp’s experience and ability gives me hope of a fantastic tale to be read and experienced in the years to come. I’ve honestly never felt this excited about a comic ever since I first read Vaughn and Staples’ Saga, so I’d say it’s definitely worth a check.