Since her first appearance in Captain Marvel #8, Star became a sensation; readers wanted to know who she was, what her intentions were, and how she would get along with Captain Marvel. And as the Falling Star arc continued, everyone wanted to know, what was to become of Ripley Ryan, aka Star? Fortunately, Star is headlining her own five-issue mini-series with the first issue created by the superstar team (okay, I promise, no more ‘star’ words after this) of writer Kelly Thompson, artists Javier Pina and Filipe Anrade, with color artist Jesus Aburtov, and letters by VC’s Clayton Cowles. 

Ripley’s life was upended when Captain Marvel punched a hole in her chest, and she didn’t die. It remains to be seen if that’s a blessing or a curse because now she’s bound to the Reality Stone and has powers far beyond her ability to understand and control. She’s still traumatized from her kidnapping and her very near-death experience, and now she’s wanted by the police and Captain Marvel. Her problems don’t stop there as other well known Marvel characters interact with her all in hopes of getting control of the Reality Stone. Thus far, Star has been lucky in getting out of fights, but face to face with one of the most powerful reality manipulators in the Marvel Universe? The odds aren’t in her favor.

Thompson goes hard in this issue, setting up a number of conflicts for Star. There’s also an element of suspense and mystery as it’s not clear whether Star will continue as a villain, or if she’ll try and redeem herself. Given how well Thompson wrote Star’s arc within the Captain Marvel series, there’s no doubt that whatever choices Star makes, they’ll be handled well. And based on the characters Star’s interacted with just in this issue, she’s in for a very wild ride. 

The art team of Pina, Anrade, and Aburtov, does a fantastic job in this issue. Star’s body language completely changes depending on the situation she’s in. When she’s trying to project confidence and power, she holds herself very similar to Captain Marvel. Still, when Star wants Jessica Jones to think she’s a weak victim, she completely changes, hunching her shoulders and struggling to make eye contact. This seems like such a small detail, but it cleverly shows how masterful of a manipulator Star is becoming. In addition to this, the coloring of this issue is genuinely marvelous.

Whenever a book has so much hype surrounding it, there’s always the potential that it might not live up to the high expectations. Fortunately, Star #1 has lived up to and even exceed these expectations. Between the story and the art, this is a fantastic story, and since it involves the Reality Stone, who knows what repercussions it will have for the larger Marvel universe. 

GRADE: A