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Rating: 
Summary: Major Comic Book from the '80s
Review: This comic book series was first serialized in "Heavy Metal" magazine, then collected (here) as a Marvel graphic novel -- and then continued forward as a Marvel Epic Comics limited run series and later picked up by Dark Horse comics. It's a far-future story with a large cast, nominally centered around the adventures of ex-Space Marine Brucilla the Muscle and interstellar amazon Galatia-9 (the two together being a kind of space-travelling, feminist Fafhrd and Gray Mouser), but with a large number of intersecting plotlines and additional characters. The tone of the story is deeply ironic, with a huge amount of wit and intelligence keeping its energy-level high. My overall impression is that this comic book represents a *major* culmination of lessons learned from the feminist movement of the 70s and the postmodern pastiche-aesthetic of the 70s and 80s. You won't find a smarter comic book than this.I was in high school when I first came across chapters of "Starstruck" in "Heavy Metal". I was immediately attracted to the delicate and intricate art nouveau / Moebius style of Michael Kaluta, and the quietly ironic, cryptic, and funny writing of Elaine Lee. When the entire series was anthologized by Marvel and I got to read the whole thing, I fell in love. The story unfolded like a mysterious puzzle putting itself slowly together before my eyes. The story seemed like a weird amalgamation of Thomas Pynchon and the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," or the feminist science fiction of Joanna Russ and Samuel R. Delany. Although the various threads of the storyline in the graphic novel remain diffuse and unresolved (which I had no problem with, as there was too much else going on of interest to worry too much about resolution) it was fun to proceed to the Marvel Epic Comics series, where the plot threads knotted together quite tightly, with most of the major action taking place on Rec Station 97, a kind of interstellar mega-mall. To this day, "Starstruck" remains a key comic book for me -- the platinum standard by which I measure all other comic book writing and art. I sincerely hope all the various installments of the series are collected some day under one cover. I'll buy ten copies -- two for me and the rest to pass on to friends. A wonderful, wonderful comic.
Rating:
Summary: Killer
Review: This is my favorite book, graphic or otherwise. It's funny, witty, and passes its story under the table with a knowing nod, hinting at its place in a vast universe, not spoon-feeding every detail as if all the players were automated agents of a narrative. This is Shaksper in outer-space (if he survived a bit better) -- a bit of fluff with enlightened commentary on the human condition at its core. Thanks, Elaine.
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