If the door is locked, it must be worth something.
StarCraft Scavengers
Issue 1 of 4
Written By Jody Houser
Art By Gabriel Guzman
Colors by Michael Atiyeh
Letters by Steve Dutro
Publisher Dark Horse Comics
What you need to know: Many years were spent on the war between the Terrans and enigmatic Protoss and the savage Zerg. As a cease-fire agreement is all that holds peace. All it could take is one ship, one crewmember, everything could change, and the peace could be gone with a blink of an eye. A group of Terran space scavengers are hoping to make a fortune in the Koprulu sector.
What you’ll find out:
An older beat up spaceship floats in space as the stars twinkle nearby. The Magpie, a Kel-Morian scavenger ship. Caleb works on repairs of the dust bucket of a ship. Kyra comes by to give words of ‘encourage’ as we are introduced to Orry who appears to be Captain Theban second in command as she demands the two to hurry and not to keep the Captain waiting.
The Captain begins to tell the crew of their mission. They have a target in the Dominion of space. The Captain talks about how much wealth is to be had upon completion of their mission. Their mission is to scavenge a neglected Protoss ship. The Captain continues to inform his crew not only is this a dangerous mission but it’s also an illegal mission. Some of the crew, rightfully so, show concern of the mission, concerned about the current peace treaty. Fearful if they are caught, they will have a target on their back. The Captain reassures his crew as he informs them they will not leave any evidence behind. The decaying ship is currently headed towards an uninhabited planet. They will board the ship before it is pulled into the atmosphere and plummets to the surface destroying the ship leaving no evidence behind. The Captain sweetens the deal, whoever boards the ship will get double the share. Newbie Caleb volunteers with Kyra. With double the shares, the Captain has no shortage of volunteers.
As the crew begins to get ready, Captain and Orry pull Kyra aside questioning Caleb possible motives. A cryptic conversation between three, bringing him (Caleb into the fold, Kyra was instructed to keep an eye on him.
The Captain begins to give their final orders before they board the ship, reminding them, that they are on a strict time limit. The crew will split into teams. Captain tells Caleb he is with his boarding party. The doors open in pitch darker only seeing the lights from their space helmets. As the crew runs out Caleb freezes until Orry pulls him into the run. While they look around, a conversation about what happened to Protoss crew? Kyra believes it could be an infestation, which is described as Zerg swarms, possibly turning people into one of the Zerg. Caleb wonders if the Zerg could possibly be on the ship still. The Captain assures him that they cannot infest Protoss, while also providing a hint of the uncertainty of his own words. Captain informs the two that they are looking for a Protoss gunnery power sell. On the other side of the ship Orry radios the Captain stating they found something. They are unable to open a sealed door. They struggle to open the door, but determined to open it.
Anything behind a closed locked door must have worth to it. The captain asks if the door was open as Orry screams “Captain, Captain they are all…” followed by repeated “no. noo.. noo” and a final scream.
What Just Happen:
There was a lot of information given in 25 pages. They wasted no time to talk about the mission and jump right into the action. You were introduced to Caleb the newbie who is the current engineer, also from the same homeworld as Kyra. Kyra appears to have been on the ship longer and is trusted by the Captain and what appears to be his first officer Orry. The other character that was introduced was Vince who had questions about the mission.
The Zerg certainly appear scary as they seem larger in life, red glowing eyes, wings from hell.
They know their mission; they believe the ship is empty, but the real question is it empty? If it’s not empty (which it appears someone or something is also on board) who or what was behind the sealed door? Could it have been other scavengers, leftover Protoss, or is it the Zerg?
Rating: 9/10
Final Thoughts: The story can be amazing in a comic book, but if the art isn’t what I like, I lose interest in a book. That is not what happens here. The story thus far is amazing. The art is beautiful. The art really takes you inside the story. It really has the horror movie feel to it. I cannot wait until the next issue. I want to see who was behind that sealed door.
