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Black Star
Stranded on an alien planet, two astronauts must battle deadly elements and each other to recover a reserve shuttle built for one
Black Star is a debut graphic novel by Eric Anthony Glover, based on his original unproduced screenplay, and illustrated by Arielle Jovellanos. In the future, interstellar travel is past its prime and sending shuttles beyond our solar system—even for vital scientific research—is a life-threatening gamble. However, in order to retrieve samples of an alien flower that may hold the key to saving countless lives, Harper North and her crew of scientists must journey to Eleos, a dangerous planet in deep space.
But as they approach Eleos, their ship is caught in an asteroid storm and as it hurtles towards the surface, its reserve shuttle detaches, landing over 100 kilometers away. When the rest of the crew perishes in the burning wreckage of the ship, North races towards the rescue shuttle built for one, hoping to fulfill their mission and survive.
But North isn’t The team’s wilderness expert is still alive and hell-bent on hunting North down and claiming the shuttle for herself.
Now, North has no choice but to reach the shuttle first—and fast. The fuel is leaking. Her GPS battery is dying. And the planet’s deadly seasonal change is coming. As she battles the flora and fauna and tries to elude her ruthless former crew mate, North will find the cost of survival is dear . . . Will she be willing to pay that price?
Black Star is a debut graphic novel by Eric Anthony Glover, based on his original unproduced screenplay, and illustrated by Arielle Jovellanos. In the future, interstellar travel is past its prime and sending shuttles beyond our solar system—even for vital scientific research—is a life-threatening gamble. However, in order to retrieve samples of an alien flower that may hold the key to saving countless lives, Harper North and her crew of scientists must journey to Eleos, a dangerous planet in deep space.
But as they approach Eleos, their ship is caught in an asteroid storm and as it hurtles towards the surface, its reserve shuttle detaches, landing over 100 kilometers away. When the rest of the crew perishes in the burning wreckage of the ship, North races towards the rescue shuttle built for one, hoping to fulfill their mission and survive.
But North isn’t The team’s wilderness expert is still alive and hell-bent on hunting North down and claiming the shuttle for herself.
Now, North has no choice but to reach the shuttle first—and fast. The fuel is leaking. Her GPS battery is dying. And the planet’s deadly seasonal change is coming. As she battles the flora and fauna and tries to elude her ruthless former crew mate, North will find the cost of survival is dear . . . Will she be willing to pay that price?
176 pages, Hardcover
First published May 11, 2021
11 people are currently reading
1816 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
January 1, 2023
A group of scientists are on their way to a planet where a flower grows that within it holds the key to helping humanity survive (not entirely sure in what way, I guess in a curative way?). The mission is to retrieve samples of the flower to take back to Earth. The crew is hybernating snugly in their hybernation pods, when the ship collides with some comets (I think..?), and is about to explode. One of the scientists, Harper North awakes, and quickly flees the burning ship (not entirely sure how she gets to the surface of the planet?).
Turns out through a flashback that another crewmember was awake, Parrish, who was pleading to North to help save yet another crewmember called Fletcher. North says she thinks she can't help, and leaves. We then see Parrish trying to save Fletcher, failing and she also jumps ship, to the planet below.
There is an auxillary shuttle on the planet, that will carry one (1) person back to Earth. Both Parrish and North have been dropped (I guess) about 4 hours from the shuttle. Who gets there first has to repair the shuttle, and can then leave. Parrish despises North for not helping her save Fletcher - turns out Fletcher was Parrish's partner. North argues that she deserves the shuttle, to take back one of the flowers. Supposedly Parrish is only interested in the flower for the money (not entirely sure why this is bad, per se, as long as the flower is delivered back to Earth?).
And so there's a race against time, and against a very hostile planet. It's unclear if we're supposed to root for one character over the other. We spend most time with North, but I quickly came to dislike her - I guess this ambiguity is what the author was going for?
Thing is, comics can be ambiguous as a medium, especially when they're based on the script for an unproduced film. There's a lot of action, and I don't feel the art is proficient enough at correctly conveying what is happening. I'm not a huge fan of narration in comics, but I feel like this book could've used some in places. The fact that there are so many things I'm unsure about should tell you something, both about script and art.
In the end, a filmscript is a fundamentally different thing than a comic script. I don't know how this book was produced, but it feels like either they took the filmscript as it was, or it was badly rewritten.
The book is produced as part of Abrams Comic Arts' Megascope initiative, which dedicates itself to producing stories by and about people of colour, which is fantastic. Sadly, this book isn't that fantastic.
({Picked up an ARC through NetGalley)
Turns out through a flashback that another crewmember was awake, Parrish, who was pleading to North to help save yet another crewmember called Fletcher. North says she thinks she can't help, and leaves. We then see Parrish trying to save Fletcher, failing and she also jumps ship, to the planet below.
There is an auxillary shuttle on the planet, that will carry one (1) person back to Earth. Both Parrish and North have been dropped (I guess) about 4 hours from the shuttle. Who gets there first has to repair the shuttle, and can then leave. Parrish despises North for not helping her save Fletcher - turns out Fletcher was Parrish's partner. North argues that she deserves the shuttle, to take back one of the flowers. Supposedly Parrish is only interested in the flower for the money (not entirely sure why this is bad, per se, as long as the flower is delivered back to Earth?).
And so there's a race against time, and against a very hostile planet. It's unclear if we're supposed to root for one character over the other. We spend most time with North, but I quickly came to dislike her - I guess this ambiguity is what the author was going for?
Thing is, comics can be ambiguous as a medium, especially when they're based on the script for an unproduced film. There's a lot of action, and I don't feel the art is proficient enough at correctly conveying what is happening. I'm not a huge fan of narration in comics, but I feel like this book could've used some in places. The fact that there are so many things I'm unsure about should tell you something, both about script and art.
In the end, a filmscript is a fundamentally different thing than a comic script. I don't know how this book was produced, but it feels like either they took the filmscript as it was, or it was badly rewritten.
The book is produced as part of Abrams Comic Arts' Megascope initiative, which dedicates itself to producing stories by and about people of colour, which is fantastic. Sadly, this book isn't that fantastic.
({Picked up an ARC through NetGalley)
June 23, 2021
A cat and mouse story with a sci-fi twist. North and Parrish are two scientists that have crash landed separately on a deadly planet with 4 days to get to the only rescue shuttle that can only carry one person. They are also there to find a flower that could somehow save humanity. (How is not explained, it's just a macguffin.) The two do not get along and are at odds to get to the shuttle first. Some of the story is told in flashbacks that aren't that clear as to what their backstory is.
I did like how the two of them would use the tech in their suits to monitor each other in different ways even if it wasn't clear at first as to what was happening. An inner monologue in these instances would have been helpful.
Jovellanos art was pretty solid. It had same cartoon and anime influences to it. My only issue were more along with her panels. Sometimes the action wasn't clear who it was happening to.
With a second pass at this, it could have been great. As it is now, it's just some decent sci-fi.
Received a review copy from Abrams ComicArts and NetGalley.
I did like how the two of them would use the tech in their suits to monitor each other in different ways even if it wasn't clear at first as to what was happening. An inner monologue in these instances would have been helpful.
Jovellanos art was pretty solid. It had same cartoon and anime influences to it. My only issue were more along with her panels. Sometimes the action wasn't clear who it was happening to.
With a second pass at this, it could have been great. As it is now, it's just some decent sci-fi.
Received a review copy from Abrams ComicArts and NetGalley.
May 28, 2021
So yeah, I just read a bunch of the reviews and a lot of people are saying how this book was confusing. Let me ask you this, how many whippits did you do before reading this? I did three and I was still able to understand what was going on. Either put down the aerosol can before reading or try to build up a tolerance. Holy, I’m turning into a life coach over here.
Anyways, in this simple and easy to understand story, our main gal is named North. She’s this big deal scientist who’s discovered this miracle cure thingy but needs this flower from another planet. She’s also stuck up and not the best at making friends. Then there’s Parrish who is the expert on the planet’s hostile conditions. She’s a jerk and is in love with another crewmate named Fletcher. There’s an unnecessary fourth chick and I don’t really know what her deal is. Typical redshirt I guess.
So these four chicks go on an expedition to this planet when their ship collides with an asteroid and crash lands. North gets out of her pod and the whole place is an inferno. The fourth crew member is deader than dead, Fletcher’s pod is full of smoke, and Parrish’s pod is pinned down by a girder. Being the high-and-mighty person that she is, North decides to save her own skin and bail. Leave the others for dead. Stone cold North, stone cold. So Parrish is rightly pissed! She eventually escapes but can’t save her partner Fletcher. Hell hath no fury like a woman left for dead bro. One time I went to this potluck with this girl I was seeing. It was super lame, people were just talking about traffic, so I bailed. Holy shit, the tongue lashing I got after that one. Man alive! I could only imagine the blood curdling rage she’d have for me if that potluck was on fire and I skipped outta there. Ya toast North!
Now North is trying to reach this escape shuttle that’s like 150km away. She’s got to get there first because, get this, the shuttle only fits one person… Didn’t we learn anything from Jack and Rose on the Titanic? #1 rule of ships: as many lifeboats as there are people. If there were more lifeboats, Jack and Rose would have had dozens of lil’ grandkids running around and North/Parrish wouldn’t be in this predicament. So the two of them are racing to the escape pod in a battle against the hostile elements of the planet and each other. Woman vs woman, woman vs planet, planet vs woman, you know, all the standard themes.
Was this perfect? Nah, but what is? I need to work more on my glutes so I’m not one to nitpick too hard. I liked it, and in the end, that’s all that counts.
Anyways, that’s about all I got. Adios amigos!
Oh wait, check out my rad site for more content like this: The SciFi Book Guy
Anyways, in this simple and easy to understand story, our main gal is named North. She’s this big deal scientist who’s discovered this miracle cure thingy but needs this flower from another planet. She’s also stuck up and not the best at making friends. Then there’s Parrish who is the expert on the planet’s hostile conditions. She’s a jerk and is in love with another crewmate named Fletcher. There’s an unnecessary fourth chick and I don’t really know what her deal is. Typical redshirt I guess.
So these four chicks go on an expedition to this planet when their ship collides with an asteroid and crash lands. North gets out of her pod and the whole place is an inferno. The fourth crew member is deader than dead, Fletcher’s pod is full of smoke, and Parrish’s pod is pinned down by a girder. Being the high-and-mighty person that she is, North decides to save her own skin and bail. Leave the others for dead. Stone cold North, stone cold. So Parrish is rightly pissed! She eventually escapes but can’t save her partner Fletcher. Hell hath no fury like a woman left for dead bro. One time I went to this potluck with this girl I was seeing. It was super lame, people were just talking about traffic, so I bailed. Holy shit, the tongue lashing I got after that one. Man alive! I could only imagine the blood curdling rage she’d have for me if that potluck was on fire and I skipped outta there. Ya toast North!
Now North is trying to reach this escape shuttle that’s like 150km away. She’s got to get there first because, get this, the shuttle only fits one person… Didn’t we learn anything from Jack and Rose on the Titanic? #1 rule of ships: as many lifeboats as there are people. If there were more lifeboats, Jack and Rose would have had dozens of lil’ grandkids running around and North/Parrish wouldn’t be in this predicament. So the two of them are racing to the escape pod in a battle against the hostile elements of the planet and each other. Woman vs woman, woman vs planet, planet vs woman, you know, all the standard themes.
Was this perfect? Nah, but what is? I need to work more on my glutes so I’m not one to nitpick too hard. I liked it, and in the end, that’s all that counts.
Anyways, that’s about all I got. Adios amigos!
Oh wait, check out my rad site for more content like this: The SciFi Book Guy
July 21, 2021
2.5 stars. Action packed with kickass female characters is probably the best I can say about this comic. The art was ok, and while the writing did a good job with exciting set pieces and an overall chase structure, we didn't get enough backstory in the brief flashbacks to really understand what was going on, develop a connection with any of the characters, or know the limits and abilities of the future technology to not feel like some of the twists were convenient deus ex machinas. There may have been well thought out rules and word building, but we didn't get enough to really tell.
**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 8, 2021
Very confusing graphic novel about a mission to get the flower and if not the flower the seed of a plant that save humanity. There are only two survivors in the mission, North and Pattish when an asteroid storm destroys the ship and put the shuttle ship that could save them, four days walk away from them.
What is never clear is why Pattish is so angry at North, and who we should be rooting for. Shouldn't we be rooting for someone? But we have no idea why North should survive more that Pattish should. And why is NOrth so angry at Pattish. Is Pattish the one that we should be rooting for.
The point of view is of North until near the very end, where it switches to Pattish.
Nicely drawn, however, even if confusing.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review
What is never clear is why Pattish is so angry at North, and who we should be rooting for. Shouldn't we be rooting for someone? But we have no idea why North should survive more that Pattish should. And why is NOrth so angry at Pattish. Is Pattish the one that we should be rooting for.
The point of view is of North until near the very end, where it switches to Pattish.
Nicely drawn, however, even if confusing.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review
May 6, 2021
Full Review
3.5 Stars
In spite of the problems with the writing, often feeling like an early draft of a much better story, it remains a thrilling ride with excellent artwork. Fans of sci-fi action will likely enjoy this. This was also Eric Glover’s first book and he shows promise to write much better work in the future.
3.5 Stars
In spite of the problems with the writing, often feeling like an early draft of a much better story, it remains a thrilling ride with excellent artwork. Fans of sci-fi action will likely enjoy this. This was also Eric Glover’s first book and he shows promise to write much better work in the future.
May 14, 2021
This is a tense, action-packed story that I massively enjoyed. Every time I thought there was a moral line that couldn't be crossed, the characters pushed it. I didn't know who to root for, and I couldn't guess the ending. Full review here: https://youtu.be/FZdNAfPKLxg
May 28, 2021
If movie storyboards came to life in vivid technicolor (and sometimes they do during dvd special features) it would pretty much be just like this book. Because that’s exactly what this book is, an unproduced movie screenplay. I’m not sure why it was never produced, because it seems to be very much in line with the sort of science fiction movies that do, but there it is.
The basic story is actually very basic. It’s essentially a two player survival themed get to the shuttle or die situation. Out of a small team of astronauts (all female interestingly enough) on a mission to retrieve a very special extraterrestrial nature sample, only two survive the asteroid crash and now their only chance is getting to a shuttle, a shuttle for one. So the two women must complete an extreme endurance race through the hostile terrain on a very limited time table, fighting the elements and each other.
A very straight forward story that somehow gets strangely convoluted and confusing in telling, though easy enough to figure out in retrospect, especially with the handy plot summary available. The art is nice and survival story are inherently fun, so this, while not mind blowing, was entertaining enough and a quick read.
The basic story is actually very basic. It’s essentially a two player survival themed get to the shuttle or die situation. Out of a small team of astronauts (all female interestingly enough) on a mission to retrieve a very special extraterrestrial nature sample, only two survive the asteroid crash and now their only chance is getting to a shuttle, a shuttle for one. So the two women must complete an extreme endurance race through the hostile terrain on a very limited time table, fighting the elements and each other.
A very straight forward story that somehow gets strangely convoluted and confusing in telling, though easy enough to figure out in retrospect, especially with the handy plot summary available. The art is nice and survival story are inherently fun, so this, while not mind blowing, was entertaining enough and a quick read.
August 5, 2022
3.5 stars. Two women crash landed on a hostile planet and now have to race to an escape pod built for one that was thrown 187 kilometers away. Very fun cat and mouse plot with morally ambiguous characters who use technology in interesting ways to keep tabs on one another. I like that the backstory is revealed in flashback recordings that our main character watches while waiting out acid rain storms and the like, but I wish there had been more fully fleshed out character development. I enjoyed how the reader is initially on the main character’s side but we increasingly grow to despise her- then again, how far would you go to survive? I don’t buy that she was solely seeking to save humanity with some kind of curative flower that she had that was supposedly the reason behind the mission to this violent planet in the first place (that could have been better explained). Great concept, couldn’t put this one down.
Read
June 1, 2021[Received as a GR giveaway. Thank you.]
VERDICT: 2.75 stars (2 stars for plot/flow, 3+ stars for art & design).
Decent to good artwork--but in many panels, it's confusing or not immediately clear what is happening or being insinuated. The ending was okay-ish, even though .
Also, don't deep space pilots or crew undergo at least a minimum of psychological screening?
Nope, apparently not! These 2 gals are at it like 9-year-olds fighting over the last can of unicorn glitter slime. Under the circumstances, you'd think they could at least consider working together towards survival.
Old-school (20th century) letter grades:
Cover art: A
Overall style/design: B+
Plot: B- (simple/thin, but good enough)
Characters & Motivation: C+ (a little over-the-top)
Clarity/Flow: C- (more confusing than it should be)
Ending: B (or
I assume the hardcopy I received was a final product (I see no Advanced Reader Copy notes anywhere), but it sometimes felt more like an ARC than a 100% finished, coherent product. On the plus side: it was mostly pretty to look at, and I enjoyed some of the dangerous situations.
PS: In this far future "hard drives" still exist. Funny--in 2021 you can barely find a new computer with those. It's been SSDs for a while, folks. A more futuristic-sounding name (crystaldrives, U-drives, aether-storage, or whatever) would have been a better choice.
VERDICT: 2.75 stars (2 stars for plot/flow, 3+ stars for art & design).
Decent to good artwork--but in many panels, it's confusing or not immediately clear what is happening or being insinuated. The ending was okay-ish, even though .
Also, don't deep space pilots or crew undergo at least a minimum of psychological screening?
Nope, apparently not! These 2 gals are at it like 9-year-olds fighting over the last can of unicorn glitter slime. Under the circumstances, you'd think they could at least consider working together towards survival.
Old-school (20th century) letter grades:
Cover art: A
Overall style/design: B+
Plot: B- (simple/thin, but good enough)
Characters & Motivation: C+ (a little over-the-top)
Clarity/Flow: C- (more confusing than it should be)
Ending: B (or
I assume the hardcopy I received was a final product (I see no Advanced Reader Copy notes anywhere), but it sometimes felt more like an ARC than a 100% finished, coherent product. On the plus side: it was mostly pretty to look at, and I enjoyed some of the dangerous situations.
PS: In this far future "hard drives" still exist. Funny--in 2021 you can barely find a new computer with those. It's been SSDs for a while, folks. A more futuristic-sounding name (crystaldrives, U-drives, aether-storage, or whatever) would have been a better choice.
February 7, 2021
*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have been in a real science-fiction mood recently so took the opportunity to read this upcoming graphic novel.
Unfortunately I don’t feel like I could enjoy this one because the story was so confusing. I couldn’t figure out what was going on from panel to panel and although there was a lot of drama, there was no suspense because it felt incoherent.
This is a case where I enjoyed the illustration style but the story was just not well explained. I would pick up another book by this author but this just didn’t work for me.
1 out of 5 stars!
I have been in a real science-fiction mood recently so took the opportunity to read this upcoming graphic novel.
Unfortunately I don’t feel like I could enjoy this one because the story was so confusing. I couldn’t figure out what was going on from panel to panel and although there was a lot of drama, there was no suspense because it felt incoherent.
This is a case where I enjoyed the illustration style but the story was just not well explained. I would pick up another book by this author but this just didn’t work for me.
1 out of 5 stars!
January 11, 2021
I never once got to enjoy this graphic novel of a stranded astronaut, and whichever race against time it was she was facing. Too often I was struggling to work out what the heck I was reading – something about crabby women, and possibly a flower... I gave up too quickly.
October 18, 2024
Enjoyed the art style, had my heart racing with anticipation for what was going to happen, but didn't generally enjoy it.
March 17, 2024
Found this at the library. A stranded astronaut is chased by another stranded astronaut across a hostile planet. Both characters hate each other and try to kill each other a number of times. Wasn't great, but it was fast.
May 11, 2021
An excellent, edge of your seat tale of space exploration, greed, and the instinct for survival that drives every human. I know several reviews have said they found the story confusing but I don't think it is at all - a team of astronauts are on their way to an inhospitable planet in search of a plant that cures some kind of deadly cancer. terrible accident occurs and two crew members that hate each other are the only survivors, crashed miles apart on a planet that is out to kill them, and must find their way to the emergency vessel that will allow ONE of them to return home safely. Action ensues. Very well crafted and nicely drawn. I had an ARC copy from Netgalley which was in black in white, I can imagine it would be even better in full color!
April 16, 2021
I was quite underwhelmed with this one. The story starts off confusing regarding the characters and why they hate each other so, the reasons for being on the planet, and why they are stuck there.
The story moves very fast with nothing being explicitly stated as to what the actual problem is with the two female characters (miscommunication perhaps). It’s a very high-stakes action, life or death with both characters trying to outsmart the other while attempting to get to their downed ship.
Ultimately I think this story needs to be longer, it was way too short for the interesting situation these characters were placed in.
2.5 stars.
**ARC provided by Abrams Comics via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The story moves very fast with nothing being explicitly stated as to what the actual problem is with the two female characters (miscommunication perhaps). It’s a very high-stakes action, life or death with both characters trying to outsmart the other while attempting to get to their downed ship.
Ultimately I think this story needs to be longer, it was way too short for the interesting situation these characters were placed in.
2.5 stars.
**ARC provided by Abrams Comics via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 10, 2021
This is just a race to be the only survivor to get to them only shuttle. No back story to explain how they come to this scenario or why. Story mostly told through illustrations. But really lacking any depth.
February 9, 2021
Was sitting on the edge of my seat to see what happens.
Want to read
February 10, 2021I received an advance review copy of this graphic novel from NetGalley.
There are a few things I really like about this book, however there were several issues with the ARC which I have not run into in the past.
Firstly, the cover is absolutely brilliant. Readers will see this on the shelf and will immediately be compelled to pick it up to see what it is all about.
Second, I am thrilled with the fact that the Author chose to make this book with solely female characters. I don't remember ever seeing an all-female graphic novel before. It is unique.
Third on my list of comments is that the interior of the advance copy was only shown in black, white and grey. The novel that will be released for sale will be in full colour and even though I really liked the illustrations, I believe I would have rated it higher if I could have seen it in colour.
My fourth and final comment again has to do with the fact that I received an incomplete copy of this book. I had a difficult time following the story since much of the dialogue was missing.
Keeping in mind that the finished product will be much better, I am rating this as ,3 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐
There are a few things I really like about this book, however there were several issues with the ARC which I have not run into in the past.
Firstly, the cover is absolutely brilliant. Readers will see this on the shelf and will immediately be compelled to pick it up to see what it is all about.
Second, I am thrilled with the fact that the Author chose to make this book with solely female characters. I don't remember ever seeing an all-female graphic novel before. It is unique.
Third on my list of comments is that the interior of the advance copy was only shown in black, white and grey. The novel that will be released for sale will be in full colour and even though I really liked the illustrations, I believe I would have rated it higher if I could have seen it in colour.
My fourth and final comment again has to do with the fact that I received an incomplete copy of this book. I had a difficult time following the story since much of the dialogue was missing.
Keeping in mind that the finished product will be much better, I am rating this as ,3 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐
June 17, 2025
You have to love graphic novels, because if I somehow found myself watching this story as a movie in a theater I would probably attempt to suffocate myself with the popcorn. As reading material, it was okay.
The plot centers around a spaceship that wrecks on an abandoned planet, as the crew's only survivors attempt to reach a vessel that can carry them to safety, except it can only carry one person.
This story was a screenplay turned into a graphic novel, so the writer probably didn't have a lot of experience writing in this medium. I feel like the artist should have picked up the slack of making the story visually clearer, but she didn't. The result is not necessarily confusing but it is a lot less clear than it could have been, and not in a pretentious "wow this is so deep" way but in a way where the ideas the writer had in mind are literally not coming through for the reader.
It was a... bold choice to make the protagonist so unlikable? I was rooting against her the entire time.
The plot centers around a spaceship that wrecks on an abandoned planet, as the crew's only survivors attempt to reach a vessel that can carry them to safety, except it can only carry one person.
This story was a screenplay turned into a graphic novel, so the writer probably didn't have a lot of experience writing in this medium. I feel like the artist should have picked up the slack of making the story visually clearer, but she didn't. The result is not necessarily confusing but it is a lot less clear than it could have been, and not in a pretentious "wow this is so deep" way but in a way where the ideas the writer had in mind are literally not coming through for the reader.
It was a... bold choice to make the protagonist so unlikable? I was rooting against her the entire time.
August 12, 2023
2.5 stars
Dr North's science team’s space shuttle has crashed. After leaving the rest of her team for dead, Parrish, the other surviving member of the team, has developed a bit of animosity towards North. Luckily for North, there’s an auxiliary space shuttle close to the crash site. Unluckily for North, Parrish was the survival expert on the team, and she’s a total badass.
It’s a fun story told from the villain's perspective, but it often has visual clarity issues that mar an otherwise short sci-fi romp.
Dr North's science team’s space shuttle has crashed. After leaving the rest of her team for dead, Parrish, the other surviving member of the team, has developed a bit of animosity towards North. Luckily for North, there’s an auxiliary space shuttle close to the crash site. Unluckily for North, Parrish was the survival expert on the team, and she’s a total badass.
It’s a fun story told from the villain's perspective, but it often has visual clarity issues that mar an otherwise short sci-fi romp.
April 3, 2021
I received a review copy from Netgalley in return for an honest review. The review copy being black/white is a bit disappointing, but I tried not to let it impact my views.
The story starts mid-action. We see North's ship crash into the planet and her begin her journey to locate the escape pod. This journey takes her through the planet's dangers. Apparently, Black Star began its life as a screenplay, and I can that influence in this book. The travels of an unfamiliar MC through dangerous environments is something I think would catch my interest more in a film format. After a while, we discover that North isn't the only survivor. The story then has some flashbacks to set-up the dynamic between North and Parrish. As the MC, North is set-up as being the hero, but slowly the story reveals that may not be the case. I enjoy this trope, but I can't help but thinking this book didn't nail the execution. Overall, Black Star is enjoyable but a bit lacklustre story-wise.
Positives
The art is well done, but I cannot say it blew me away at any point. I only took one screenshot whilst reading it, which is substantially below average for a book where I like the art.
The characters, although not particularly developed, where pleasingly diverse. I can't be sure in a black/white book, but I would say the majority of characters were POC. There's also a lesbian relationship which drives quite a bit of the background story.
Negatives
The plot is a bit bare-bones. The characters are on a mission to locate a flower that is very important for unspecified reasons. I would say it's a MacGuffin, but although it's important for the set-up it doesn't drive the plot. It's just there. The ship crashes and then the survivors are in a race to get to the emergency shuttle first. There's friction between the survivors, but mostly the plot hangs on the race to the shuttle.
The characters are not well-developed. Even North is a bit one-note. Again, I think this might have worked better on the big screen.
The story starts mid-action. We see North's ship crash into the planet and her begin her journey to locate the escape pod. This journey takes her through the planet's dangers. Apparently, Black Star began its life as a screenplay, and I can that influence in this book. The travels of an unfamiliar MC through dangerous environments is something I think would catch my interest more in a film format. After a while, we discover that North isn't the only survivor. The story then has some flashbacks to set-up the dynamic between North and Parrish. As the MC, North is set-up as being the hero, but slowly the story reveals that may not be the case. I enjoy this trope, but I can't help but thinking this book didn't nail the execution. Overall, Black Star is enjoyable but a bit lacklustre story-wise.
Positives
The art is well done, but I cannot say it blew me away at any point. I only took one screenshot whilst reading it, which is substantially below average for a book where I like the art.
The characters, although not particularly developed, where pleasingly diverse. I can't be sure in a black/white book, but I would say the majority of characters were POC. There's also a lesbian relationship which drives quite a bit of the background story.
Negatives
The plot is a bit bare-bones. The characters are on a mission to locate a flower that is very important for unspecified reasons. I would say it's a MacGuffin, but although it's important for the set-up it doesn't drive the plot. It's just there. The ship crashes and then the survivors are in a race to get to the emergency shuttle first. There's friction between the survivors, but mostly the plot hangs on the race to the shuttle.
The characters are not well-developed. Even North is a bit one-note. Again, I think this might have worked better on the big screen.
April 25, 2021
Black Star starts with out protagonist Dr.North struggling to make her way to the rescue ship after awakening from a catastrophe that practically destroyed her whole crew.
Right away I’m drawn in by the art style, truly mesmerized by it. It makes reading it all the better, it’s as if I’m watching a show.
I especially love the technology here, it’s very creative the alien life as well!
So, Dr. North has all the odds stacked against her, but perhaps this is karma for a past decision she has made? I still find myself routing for her though, as the rescue ship is only built for one. And as you discover early on, she isn’t the only one who survived the catastrophe. Her crew mate and once friend Parish survived as well, now full of hate and revenge for Dr.North
The whole purpose of the mission was to recover a flower needed for the survival of their kind, our kind, humans! So a lot of pressure, I can understand why Dr. North made the decision she did, I’m still side eyeing her though lol.
It’s become a battle of time, elements and each other now. As they race to the rescue ship, each using dirty tricks on one another, basically using their humanity against each other if you really think about it. We feel, deeply, it’s apart of what makes us, well us!
In the end, the two finally reach the ship, and the real fight begins. Who will be left? Read it and find out!
I really, enjoyed this Graphic Novel. I was engulfed by it, couldn’t put it down.
Thank you to NetGalley and the amazing publishers/authors for giving me a chance to read & review such a wonderful story.
Right away I’m drawn in by the art style, truly mesmerized by it. It makes reading it all the better, it’s as if I’m watching a show.
I especially love the technology here, it’s very creative the alien life as well!
So, Dr. North has all the odds stacked against her, but perhaps this is karma for a past decision she has made? I still find myself routing for her though, as the rescue ship is only built for one. And as you discover early on, she isn’t the only one who survived the catastrophe. Her crew mate and once friend Parish survived as well, now full of hate and revenge for Dr.North
The whole purpose of the mission was to recover a flower needed for the survival of their kind, our kind, humans! So a lot of pressure, I can understand why Dr. North made the decision she did, I’m still side eyeing her though lol.
It’s become a battle of time, elements and each other now. As they race to the rescue ship, each using dirty tricks on one another, basically using their humanity against each other if you really think about it. We feel, deeply, it’s apart of what makes us, well us!
In the end, the two finally reach the ship, and the real fight begins. Who will be left? Read it and find out!
I really, enjoyed this Graphic Novel. I was engulfed by it, couldn’t put it down.
Thank you to NetGalley and the amazing publishers/authors for giving me a chance to read & review such a wonderful story.
July 12, 2022
I liked the art a lot, however I felt like the story was missing pages. They would jump to events very quickly with out any hint that was going to happen
December 29, 2022
3.5
The action is good and I think the plot is interesting but I don't get what really happened 😶
The action is good and I think the plot is interesting but I don't get what really happened 😶
September 23, 2021
I was excited to read this one, but unfortunately there really isn't much plot here. We were never given enough details for me to care about either character. This gave me major This Is How You Lose the Time War vibes - and I didn't like that either. I just can't connect to books that don't have much of a plot.
I will say I loved the artwork and coloring, I thought the art was stunning! The story just lagged and I didn't care about it at all...
I will say I loved the artwork and coloring, I thought the art was stunning! The story just lagged and I didn't care about it at all...
May 3, 2021
A sci-fi comic about a ruthless scientist searching for a plant with miraculous potential after crash landing on a dangerous alien planet. The steps she took to survive go far beyond morally gray, but she believes it will all be worth it if she can find the plant and create the cure. But one of her crewmates survived the crash, too--and she wants revenge. A fun read with lots of sci-fi survivalist adventure.
February 9, 2021
NOTE: I received a free preliminary, and likely unedited copy of this book from Netgalley for the purposes of providing an honest, unbiased review of the material. Thank you to all involved.
I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I was awarded a review copy of Black Star. The plot was intriguing, but I was und=familiar with the creative team, so I had no idea what to expect. What Black Star is, is a solid debut for Eric Glover, one would never guess that this was his first foray into comic writing (granted, this was originally a screenplay) by what we have here.
[…] "In order to retrieve samples of an alien flower that may hold the key to saving countless lives, Harper North and her crew of scientists must journey to Eleos, a dangerous planet in deep space. But as they approach Eleos, their ship is caught in an asteroid storm and as it hurtles towards the surface, its reserve shuttle detaches, landing over 100 kilometers away. When the rest of the crew perishes in the burning wreckage of the ship, North races towards the rescue shuttle built for one, hoping to fulfill their mission and survive. But North isn’t alone: The team’s wilderness expert is still alive and hell-bent on hunting North down and claiming the shuttle for herself." --Press synopsis excerpt
It’s hard to talk about this without giving away tons of spoilers, so I will attempt avoid that. This is an unconventional disaster story of sorts – a survival story akin to Lord of the Flies, in that the protagonists are not necessarily “good guys”. Perhaps the strongest thing about Black Star is its emphasis on moral ambiguity. This is the story of people doing things they need to do in order to survive. Sometimes that means making tough decisions and hurting others, selflessness is not always an option if you believe your own survival is the key to saving the world. That also comes with a burden, can one live with their choices if bad things are done?
There is a point in the book where one of the characters actions was pretty upsetting, I realized that they had basically “turned heel” entirely – their actions are rough to witness and really make you question if, in the same shoes, a sane person could go through with such an act.
All-in-all, Black Star has really put Eric E. Glover and Arielle Jovellanos on my radar. If this doesn’t get picked up as a film, I’m hoping this is successful and they continue in the comics industry. Not only is the story interesting, but it avoids cliches in a lot of comics. The story structure almost reminds me of European comics, such as ones found in Metal Hurlant and Humanoids to name a few. The storytelling has a darker edge, and doesn’t feel the need to have “a happy ending” for the sake of it. I would definitely recommend this book.
I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I was awarded a review copy of Black Star. The plot was intriguing, but I was und=familiar with the creative team, so I had no idea what to expect. What Black Star is, is a solid debut for Eric Glover, one would never guess that this was his first foray into comic writing (granted, this was originally a screenplay) by what we have here.
[…] "In order to retrieve samples of an alien flower that may hold the key to saving countless lives, Harper North and her crew of scientists must journey to Eleos, a dangerous planet in deep space. But as they approach Eleos, their ship is caught in an asteroid storm and as it hurtles towards the surface, its reserve shuttle detaches, landing over 100 kilometers away. When the rest of the crew perishes in the burning wreckage of the ship, North races towards the rescue shuttle built for one, hoping to fulfill their mission and survive. But North isn’t alone: The team’s wilderness expert is still alive and hell-bent on hunting North down and claiming the shuttle for herself." --Press synopsis excerpt
It’s hard to talk about this without giving away tons of spoilers, so I will attempt avoid that. This is an unconventional disaster story of sorts – a survival story akin to Lord of the Flies, in that the protagonists are not necessarily “good guys”. Perhaps the strongest thing about Black Star is its emphasis on moral ambiguity. This is the story of people doing things they need to do in order to survive. Sometimes that means making tough decisions and hurting others, selflessness is not always an option if you believe your own survival is the key to saving the world. That also comes with a burden, can one live with their choices if bad things are done?
There is a point in the book where one of the characters actions was pretty upsetting, I realized that they had basically “turned heel” entirely – their actions are rough to witness and really make you question if, in the same shoes, a sane person could go through with such an act.
All-in-all, Black Star has really put Eric E. Glover and Arielle Jovellanos on my radar. If this doesn’t get picked up as a film, I’m hoping this is successful and they continue in the comics industry. Not only is the story interesting, but it avoids cliches in a lot of comics. The story structure almost reminds me of European comics, such as ones found in Metal Hurlant and Humanoids to name a few. The storytelling has a darker edge, and doesn’t feel the need to have “a happy ending” for the sake of it. I would definitely recommend this book.
June 22, 2021
THIS is the review I was missing, it was driving me to distraction.
This was a short, punchy graphic novel which had some debut roughness but was still super enjoyable for reasons that probably apply more to me. The story is set on a (very) hostile planet, which happens to be the source for a plant which can be distilled into a cure for cancer. A floral MacGuffin, if you will, to create tension and a reason for the characters to want to make it back.
The issue is that the ship suffered a catastrophic failure upon entry (that whole sentence lets me know how much SciFi I consume haha) and there's only one lifeboatshuttle left, x kilometers away. But there are more people alive than just one--as a matter of fact, there are two. And the blood between them (spilt and metaphorical) is real.
One of the oddest things that I enjoyed tremendously about this book is how the two female leads get realistically battered about in their quest to make it to the shuttle. A while back I read this interesting piece about how we often tell female identifying children to "be careful" at a higher rate than we tell male identifying children, and as a result they end up being fearful of putting themselves literally out there. Ever since then I've taken this weird not-at-all-sadistic habit of never telling anyone, ever, to "be careful" and instead loudly encouraging physical risk taking (within reason. I'm not a monster, I swear, I'm not forcing my nieces to walk a tightrope over shark infested waters or anything).
Interlude aside, North and Parrish get hurt when they fall. They have to manage their pain and conserve their energy to achieve their goal. When they get hurt and have lost their first aid kits, they don't magically regenerate.
I'll agree that the plot was slightly confusing. Not in that I don't know what happened--it's not that confusing--but in that I would have gladly read some additional pages with some context or scene setting. Took me a while to piece together some issues (why only one life shuttle?) and it's not like I missed the answer--Glover expects you to use some brainpower to noodle out the answers. In that sense it's clear that this was meant to be a screenplay. A cat and mouse type situation with female astronauts? North could be Gina Torres? A girl can dream...
This was a short, punchy graphic novel which had some debut roughness but was still super enjoyable for reasons that probably apply more to me. The story is set on a (very) hostile planet, which happens to be the source for a plant which can be distilled into a cure for cancer. A floral MacGuffin, if you will, to create tension and a reason for the characters to want to make it back.
The issue is that the ship suffered a catastrophic failure upon entry (that whole sentence lets me know how much SciFi I consume haha) and there's only one lifeboatshuttle left, x kilometers away. But there are more people alive than just one--as a matter of fact, there are two. And the blood between them (spilt and metaphorical) is real.
One of the oddest things that I enjoyed tremendously about this book is how the two female leads get realistically battered about in their quest to make it to the shuttle. A while back I read this interesting piece about how we often tell female identifying children to "be careful" at a higher rate than we tell male identifying children, and as a result they end up being fearful of putting themselves literally out there. Ever since then I've taken this weird not-at-all-sadistic habit of never telling anyone, ever, to "be careful" and instead loudly encouraging physical risk taking (within reason. I'm not a monster, I swear, I'm not forcing my nieces to walk a tightrope over shark infested waters or anything).
Interlude aside, North and Parrish get hurt when they fall. They have to manage their pain and conserve their energy to achieve their goal. When they get hurt and have lost their first aid kits, they don't magically regenerate.
I'll agree that the plot was slightly confusing. Not in that I don't know what happened--it's not that confusing--but in that I would have gladly read some additional pages with some context or scene setting. Took me a while to piece together some issues (why only one life shuttle?) and it's not like I missed the answer--Glover expects you to use some brainpower to noodle out the answers. In that sense it's clear that this was meant to be a screenplay. A cat and mouse type situation with female astronauts? North could be Gina Torres? A girl can dream...
Read
August 23, 2022This was such an interesting comic. You go in rooting for the protagonist, but as the story progresses you question that innate assumption that you should. Unsure how I feel about the characters after reading this, but I absolutely loved the concept, art, and world of this story.
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