Wandering Star, Vol. 3

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and heart-wrenching
Review: Wow! Wandering Star is a novel in graphic format, the story of a girl from Earth growing up in the midst of an interstellar war. I actually read Book Three first, because it was the only one in stock at my local comic store. I picked it up on a whim, and then stayed up late finishing it, and read parts over and over again. Then I went out and bought every other Wandering Star I could find.

Wandering Star is what comics *should* be. Teri Sue Wood's love of her characters and story shines through in every page. She tells the story of a group of misfits -- Casi, the human girl in an alien world; Madison, the sensitive, tormented psychic; Elli, the energy being who wears a ship for a body; Mekon, the spoiled, bullying rich kid who is remade into a hero when he's flung headlong into war; Joey, the daredevil kid from Earth coping with war in the only ways he knows how. The enemies are also interesting, an alien race who believe that the universe is based on violence and the dead will only go to heaven by dying in battle. They believe they're doing their opponents a favor by killing them.

The characters struggle not only against their alien oppressors but also against their own fear, prejudices and indecision. Some of them win. Some of them fail. Their tale is engrossing and heartrending.

I admit to a weakness for Madison...probably the character in the series who stands out in my memory after I finished reading it. Madison is a gifted psychic from an alien world who can heal or kill with a touch. His family and his world have outcast him; he winds up as a test subject for scientists trying to understand his powers. They attempt to use him for their own ends; unbeknownst to them, Madison is using his own mind-bending powers to prevent them from exploiting them. Only a handful of people, including Casi (who Madison met when he rescued her from bullies at her academy), are able to overcome Madison's fearful reputation and cold exterior to get to know the gentle, loyal person underneath. Wood writes him with a mix of frigidity and warmth that is both believable and sympathetic.

If you love comics, or science fiction, give Wandering Star a try! It's worth it!