Writer Tim Seeley and artist Carlos Villa bring new life and dimension to one of Marvel’s most beloved 90s cult-characters in the inventive and entertaining Shatterstar #1.
Shatterstar #1
Written by: Tim Seeley
Art by: Carlos Villa
Inks by: Juan Vlasco
Flashback art by: Gerardo Sandoval
Colors by: Carlos Lopez
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
A gladiator, a warrior, a hero…the man called Shatterstar has been many things, but one thing he’s always been is deadly. He’s not a man you want to cross or you’ll learn that fact all too well. Walk back into the darkness with Shatterstar!
*****SPOILERS AHEAD*****
Writing
Shatterstar is one of Marvel’s most well-known ’90s characters. He may not have the pop culture presence of Deadpool or Cable, but like those two juggernauts, he made his debut in the final issues of New Mutants as it transitioned into X-Force. Over the years Shatterstar went from an almost literal Longshot clone to a more well-developed character of his own. And now Time Seeley has added even further depth and development to him in a very good first issue. Seeley is a seasoned comic writer and it shows. In the span of this issue, he reintroduces Shatterstar in a new role as a loving landlord, creates a great concept (an apartment building for wayward folks from Marvel’s multiverse) and an interesting cast to populate that place, while still giving newbies enough background on Shatterstar to make you care and understand. Everything is full of clever details, refreshing humor and genuine heart. 
Seeley seems to be giving us an almost sitcom vibe…then he pulls the rug out from under us as Shatterstar’s past catches up to him and things turn violent and deadly. By the end of the issue, these new characters that charmed us are all dead and Shatterstar is in full-on revenge mode, ready to pick up his twin blade swords once again. Oh yeah, and then we get the freakin’ Grandmaster on the last page!
Art
The art team does a solid job here of telling a clean, well-paced story. The color palette in the apartment scenes is soft, creating a sense of ease. Facial expressions and figures are also given a nice, light touch. When this is juxtaposed with the harder-edged, fever-dream violence that is Mojoworld (the place of Shatterstar’s ‘birth’) the sensation is effectively jarring. The attack on the apartment is also done well, coming on hard and fast as it should. It’s ‘meat and potatoes’ comic book storytelling and it delivers what the story needs.
Conclusion
If the rest of this mini-series is as good as this first issue, then we are in for a nice treat. Seeley and company have created a very fun, engaging and readable comic you should not overlook.
