Review: ZODIAC STARFORCE #2

Written by: Kevin Panetta - Art and Colors by: Paulina Ganucheau

Color flats by: Savanna Ganucheau - Cover by: Kevin Wada

Zodiac Starforce continues to be just such a gust of fresh air. It has all the fun and lightheartedness of old school Power Rangers, but with more modern characterization. In issue two, the team seems to be pretty much back together from their hiatus, and their sisterhood really shines. Even Molly, who is the least enthralled with this whole superhero thing, seems to finally be on board.

What Kevin Panetta does throughout issue two (and one, as well) is completely hook you into these girls' personal lives. You end up being just as invested with Savi and Lily’s burgeoning friendship as you are with finding out who is behind these attacks, not to mention what is happening to Emma. All of these moments are handled with a deft touch, both in the writing and the lovely art by Paulina and Savanna Ganucheau. There isn’t panel to panel action on the majority of pages here, so everything hinges on the excellent reactions and expressions by the art team.

While every member of the team has her moment to shine, my love for the wonderful Savannah (Savi for short) has grown exponentially. Her outright owning of Darren is one of many highlights of the series, and she really seems to be the glue that holds the team together.

I can’t say enough good things about this book. If I had to point out one nitpick, it's that Emma continues to be the weak point for me. I will say I did feel much more empathy for her here than in issue 1. When you are fighting any affliction and you don’t know what is happening to you, rational thinking is typically the first thing to go, and I feel like that is what is happening here with Emma. Of course, most people don’t have a dark infection from a hell beast either, so some slack should probably be thrown her way. I’m just really hoping for that big power moment from her in future issues.

You can catch a preview of Zodiac Starforce #2 here.