Starborn #4

Ben (Starborn) continues to discover that the sci-fi stories he wrote about actually deal with himself and other alien worlds. 
 

The Good 

The story is beginning to unfold. The idea of being thrown into an intergalactic battle based on what you thought were just stories from your imagination would be a crazy experience. For Ben Warner, he's discovering more and more that everything he wrote about is part of his long forgotten past. Sounds like fun but he has hordes of aliens determined to prevent the heir to the House of Bin to make it to his homeworld. We're seeing more alien species and find out who killed his father. The introduction of an ally may help turn the tables in Ben and Tara's favor but the revelation at the end now turns the entire book on its side. 
 
I've been enjoying the story but Roberson's storytelling feels tighter and faster paced in this issue. We're finally getting the big twist that was mentioned before but somehow (and thankfully) I had forgotten it. I had also mentioned that in previous issues Randolph's character designs felt a little generic, specifically in the armor designs of Ben and Tara. The depiction of more alien species and different settings added some variety that really spruced up the visuals. 
 

The Bad 

I'm a big fan of monthly comics but I keep seeing how this series would really benefit from a collected format. Part of it is the story keeps you hooked and wanting more. The other part is it almost loses some of its momentum each month at the close of each issue and you find yourself waiting for the next issue. As much as I'm enjoying the series, it becomes an out of sight, out of mind thing until I notice that the book is on the release schedule for the week's comics. 
 

The Verdict 

I'm liking this book more and more. It's a great and fun concept that a sci-fi writer finds everything he's written is actually his reality and is thrown into a huge and deadly adventure. Before that can get old, we're starting to move on to the next stage of the story that will clearly change everything. The lead character may think he's finally getting all the answers he needs to survive but he ain't seen nothing yet. This twist could completely turn the series in a different direction and the idea of not knowing which way it will go or when is a great feeling. It's just unfortunate that the monthly schedule feels like it disrupts the momentum of the story. Simply put, Starborn is a fun and exciting story full of surprises.