Stargazer is probably one of our more interesting requests. It builds a story from an anthology we reviewed, this one doesn’t even need AI art. But does having artists around keep the soul of Adam J. Rodriguez’s story? Let’s find out.
Stargazer: Episode Zero
In the prequel showcased in Art Ex Machina, the AI art shows an alien presence in the form of a bright light. This “Ring of Fire” first appeared in the Vietnam War causing anomalies from burning down villages to destroying military vehicles. Just staring into this vortex caused soldiers to go insane before they were consumed by it. Somehow the vortex was stopped with a nuclear payload by a soldier’s sacrifice, but now it’s come back.
I’ve had a few problems with the AI art but they’re nit-picky and I have a bias. My main issue is how some characters’ faces change, looking like completely different people. The soldier who blew the nuke looks younger and clean shaved than he did a page ago. Then Lt. Skylar spontaneously has a mustache on the same page as his younger counterpart.
But it was still a fairly decent story on how something pointlessly terrible looks in comparison to some cosmic horror. Stargazer: Ring of Fire perfectly throws people into a state of hopelessness that feels sublime. That’s due in no small part to the smooth dialogue by Rodriguez and the AI art’s beautiful carnage.
Blinded By The Light
That brings us to the followup starring the son of the spontaneously changing soldier. Dylan Skylar has every reason to feel helpless after his father’s sacrifice. Living with his mother’s abusive boyfriend can do that. Not even turning the other cheek will help since sticking up just makes the bully more aggressive. So when he kicks Dylan out, readers can’t help but empathize with the lost teen. If push came to shove, he would’ve gone down a bad road.
Then the “Ring of Fire” from the prequel reappears, possessing Dylan. If the visions he received from bonding with this alien light had gone to anyone else, they’d drive people to despair. Instead a splash page of art comparable to the AI’s from the prequel feel sublime. It’s like this force helps Dylan come to terms with his helplessness, burning out all of his frustrations. For whatever reason Dylan feels at peace with this impending doom and isn’t nihilistic about it.
That’s not the only change as the Ring of Fire seems to have given Dylan healing powers. And now he’s on a pilgrimage to make a difference for himself. But what will happen when this new status quo clashes with the world?
Stargazer: Continuation On The Horizon?
When looking at the prequel and Stargazer: Blinded By The Light side-by-side, there’s a sense of gaps. General Banner, Lt. Skylar’s former S.O. looks ready to go out in a blaze of glory against the Ring of Fire. He serves as a good foil to Dylan, becoming sublime by the same source but ready to snuff it out to give his life meaning. It’s a better purpose than having an excuse to mope around.
As for Dylan, what will his journey do besides an inevitable clash with the military? Give visions to his stepfather that confront what made him what he is? Will people be ready to open up to Dylan and confront what made them miserable in the first place? Because that’s what the Ring of Fire seems to do.
There’s a lot of anticipation on what will happen next.
Stargazer Art Limits
All of the prose writing and story potential’s good. But then I have to question some of the decisions Rodriguez made. Near the end of the prequel, General Banner’s narrations shift to different people including Dylan’s father. Without even a final saying on what the general wants to do differently, it’s like the story he was telling got away from him.
As for Blinded By The Light, it has some of the same art problems as its prequel. Despite being illustrated by people, there’s a lack of continuity with some of the pages. Sometimes Dylan’s t-shirt changes between orange and blue. It’s like the colorist Brian Magnaye wasn’t communicating with the artist Rita Torres. As for Torres the artwork’s details tend to shift around. Sometimes the pages look roughly simple on the outside, like they never went beyond the initial sketch. In comparison, the visions look monumental by scale and details.
Look For The Right Constellation
Stargazer has a lot of potential with its plot and character dynamics. But it needs a clear direction in both its overall story and art to reach its full potential. Thankfully anybody who wants to give this series a chance can get digital copies for free on Amazon. So for sublime artwork through the rough patches that can tell a pretty good story gets 7/10.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.