Dark Horse Comics reviews 7/8/26 – Star Crossed 1
Star Crossed 1 marks a welcome return for some of the more fun characters in the Millar World universe.
It’s been a while since the characters in Star Crossed 1 have gotten the spotlight. The original mini-series, Space Bandits, ended in 2019 (see also pre-pandemic) so it’s easy to see some readers having no clue about the intergalactic Thelma & Louise or Bonnie &…Bonnie.
Star Crossed 1 finds Cody and Thena, aka the Space Bandits, still enjoying the spoils of their last big score robbing from the royal family of Abysstus. Their cruel leader, the Queen of Enough, puts a bounty on their heads and gives her daughter a stern warning to bring them in ASAP.
Cody and Thena are finding semi-retirement taxing for different reasons. Thena misses the thrill and adrenaline rush of being a space bandit while Cody is facing some sort of health crisis that she hasn’t shared with her best friend yet. Tonight, they’re going to party and have an unforgettable night. Writer Mark Millar does a strong job of quickly summarizing the characters and their distinct personalities midway through Star Crossed 1 making it easy to jump to the action.
Initially, that’s Cody and Thena dealing with some obnoxious fellow partygoers, who are using 90s slang since they’re a decade ahead on Earth culture compared to where the Space Bandits reside on Moorn. That makes for a fun visual gag as artist Corrado Mastantuono shows the Space Bandits dressed like they’re set for a night at the club in the 80s while the mean girls are in their 90s best.
Millar also has fun with the mean girls being so over the top with their 90s insults as Thena imagines how much more fun she’d have in a shootout. Mastantuono gives Star Crossed 1 a distinct look with unique character designs and interesting background characters and backdrops. Star Crossed 1 doesn’t look like any other comic on the stand helping it to immediately set itself apart.
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Club insults are one thing, but Millar ramps up the action for Star Crossed 1 when a group of bounty hunters come gunning for the bandits. Mastantuono does solid work with the action sequences as Cody has to outwit the bounty hunters while working with a limited amount of time.
Niso Mastantuono joins Mastantuono on the coloring, providing Star Crossed 1 with a rich, captivating presentation in a galaxy that isn’t drab and devoid of any interesting color combinations. Letterer Clem Robins keeps the dialogue clean and easy to read with some well-timed sound effect fonts.
Star Crossed 1 picks up on a cliffhanger from Space Bandits as their exploits made them famous to the wrong bounty hunter. The acclaimed Sharkey the Bounty Hunter has been tracking them down and hasn’t given up his pursuit of the duo. Sharkey knows bringing in Cody and Thena is the quickest way to a no-hassle retirement. He’s had trouble finding them, but Millar didn’t just casually throw him into the issue to not have his fruitless search come to an end. Maybe it’s Sharkey who finally brings the Space Bandits in?
Star Crossed 1 gets the new mini-series off to a very solid start with an excellent refresher/primer on the characters and an easy to get into premise that should keep readers invested throughout this ride.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Photo Credit: Dark Horse Comics
After reading Star Crossed 1, check out the story that introduced the characters in Space Bandits in trade paperback on Amazon.
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