Moonstar #2: Splintered Arrows

After the loss of Yanisa, Dani Moonstar and Kian somberly press forward on their mission to stop Kyron from killing the world. Their journey brings them to a temple in China to recover an ancient weapon with the power to stop the mad warrior, but what they find waiting for them in its depths proves even more fearsome than death itself. 

Moonstar is proving to be a book that is serving its purpose enough, that being giving its title character something to do, but at the same time it feels hindered by its own narrative. Dani’s former role as a Valkyrie is much of the focus for her own character, but this conflict feels like it has little to her. I stated in my review of issue one that I felt it was a misstep to go this route instead of honing in on her Cheyenne heritage, but that’s not to say the book overall is bad. We’re two issues in, it’s serviceable, but it could be more. 

Ashley Allen understands the character she’s working with, but struggles to give her something meaningful to do. She feels supplementary in someone else’s story, and outside of her normal superhero duty of “saving the world” there are no real stakes for her in this fight against Kyron who proves himself to not be the most interesting of antagonists. His motivation doesn’t need to be deeply complex, but when it just boils down to “my sister died and an evil sword made me angst about it”, it doesn’t really make for a dire reason to see him be taken down. Kian is equally flat, his emo boy routine not really meshing well with Dani’s personality. Their dynamic feels something out of a YA novel. 

Edoardo Audio’s art is solid throughout, but doesn’t really have any moments that make it stand out from anything else on the shelf. Arthur Hesli’s colors help however, elevating the pencils and keeping the overall mood of the book consistent.