Dreadstar 14
“Resolution”
Published: Aug. 1984
Publisher: Marvel (Epic)
Story: Jim Starlin
Pencils: Starlin
Inks: Sam De La Rosa
Letters: Jim Novak
Colors: Christie Scheele
Cover: Starlin

Note: I don’t have access to a digital copy of this comic, so I had to take photos. Apologies if it looks a bit wonky.

Synopsis

Lord Papal, along with minions Infra Red and Ultra Violet, confront Vanth Dreadstar and his companions. After a pitched battle, Papal destroys Dreadstar’s mystical sword, defeating him and causing him to rapidly age.

What’s going on here?

I came to Dreadstar a little late in its run, but once I discovered it, I was hooked (I’m pretty sure I bought this one as a back issue). In retrospect, many of its elements are derivative of other works of fantasy and space opera, but at the time I didn’t know it and I just loved the action, the characters, the ambitious scope of the story and Starlin’s art. I kept on collecting after Starlin stopped drawing it and the comic moved from Epic to First, but as with most comics, it peaked early. The high point is probably the first six issues of the Epic series (later re-printed as Dreadstar & Co.).

Issue 14 represents a turning point, a semi-final confrontation between Papal and Dreadstar that wraps up the first dozen or so issues of the series. In some ways it remind me of Nexus 75, which I looked at a few weeks ago, in they both conclude lengthy storylines with lots of pyrotechnics and not much nuance.

What I liked

Most of it? It’s a fun comic, full of action and big panels and, believe it or not, no ads! The battle breaks down into two fights, between Papal and Dreadstar, and between Ultra Violet and Infra Red vs. Syzygy and the rest of Dreadstar’s crew. The Papal/ Dreadstar fight gets a bit repetitive, but the other skirmish has more twist and turns. The end is a genuine surprise, too, since we are so accustomed to the good guys winning. Here, they lose. Badly.

I also liked the little editorial sketch in the front of the book. Normally they were done by Archie Goodwin, Epic’s editor, and they’re a reminder of the little touches Marvel would include that kept fans engaged and feeling part of the club. (Note the extremely topical Menudo reference).

What I didn’t like

Not much? Really, the only thing worth mentioning is how obvious it is to me now that Papal is just a facsimile of Starlin’s Thanos, who in turn was a copy of Darkseid. In case there was any doubt, consider Papal’s version of Omega Effect in this panel:

Likewise, the stuff about Dreadstar’s sword prolonging his life feels a lot like Elric or other sword-and-sorcery books. But ultimately, so what? Most genre fiction borrows from predecessors, and it’s really about what the creator can do with the elements at their disposal.

Overall

A blast from the past!