Slamming With The Stars!

 

It only took thirty years but I finally got around to reading Walter Simonson's Star Slammers. This Marvel Graphic Novel made an impression, even if at the time it hit the stands I was not in a mood to sample it. It's been out there ever since, a book I was sort of curious about, but never so that it pushed its way to the top of a buy. It's not the price which has never been all that much, but for some reason my interest and my finding it never coincided. Until a few days ago when I found it lurking in a back issue box for a mere two bucks. That was too good a price to ignore. For the price of a Coke I could finally read this story which I'd known about for decades.

It's pretty good. The Star Slammers are a hidden race of magnificent warriors who are threatened by a much more abundant race of humans who seek to wipe them out. They have made a name for themselves by hiring out their impressive warrior skills as mercenaries, acquiring over the years an arsenal against the inevitable day when their enemies would come seeking their destruction. This is the story of that ultimate battle and of three Slammers in particular who spearhead the defense of their people.

It's strange story of warriors who don't fear death, but only defeat. And it is a secret weapon they all possess but cannot use which is the key to their victory if they can only unlock its secret. Walt Simonson's artwork is impressive, and while his page layouts are at times bizarre, I never found my eye lost on the page as I strolled through the tale.

It took me thirty years to read Star Slammers. If you can find it cheap, don't let it be that long for you.

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