BECSTAR #3 – Review

In BECSTAR #3, available from Mad Cave Studios on July 21st, 2021, Becstar, Paprika, and Sally make a pit stop to retrieve a navigation device to help them through an asteroid field. En route, Becstar learns Mordecai has been backstabbing her much longer than she knew.

Wait! Don’t Forget To Sign Up For The Comical Opinions Newsletter.

The Details

• Written By: Joe Corallo
• Art By: Lorenzo Colangeli
• Colors By: Lorenzo Colangeli
• Letters By: Joametter Gil
• Cover Art By: Sweeney Boo
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: July 21, 2021

Was It Good?

I’m starting to lose faith in this title for two specific reasons.

One, the art is not great, especially on faces with bulbous, exaggerated eyes and impossibly wide mouths that look like something out of a 90’s Nickelodeon cartoon. The best we could say is the art is not a good match for the story.

Two, this is a quest story, and for a quest story to work, the journey has to be the only path to the goal for the whole story to make sense. In this issue, there’s a glaring shortcut to the quest that’s become increasingly obvious (even to the main character). As soon as you figure it out, the quest becomes pointless. Let’s take a walk to explain…

Anyssa has the magic glove that can do anything.

Mordecai (the villain) wants the magic glove but he can’t find Anyssa.

The ONLY person who can find Anyssa is Becstar. Mordecai knows this. Becstar knows this. Becstar knows Mordecai keeps letting her get away because he knows she will lead him to Anyssa. But…

This entire story is centered around Becstar finding Anyssa before Mordecai does, so she can prevent Mordecai from getting the magic glove.

It seems cut and dry on its surface until you ask one simple question. If Mordecai can’t find Anyssa without Becstar’s help, why doesn’t Becstar simply stop looking for Anyssa?

Go on the offensive. Attack Mordecai where he lives. Run away. Do something to stop Mordecai other than the one thing that will run the highest risk of giving him exactly what he wants. The more you think about it, the more Becstar’s quest makes no sense, and when she’s challenged about these very questions, she has no response except to plow forward.

To be fair, sometimes the “fun” of the journey is its own reward. However, when you see the main character do the exact thing she shouldn’t be doing, that’s one of the fastest ways to drain the fun out of a story.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

First, read our BECSTAR #2 review to get caught up.

Becstar, Paprika, and Sally leave Anyssa’s Temple of Doom with her hideout coordinates… and a stowaway on board.

The path to Anyssa takes our heroes through a nasty asteroid field, and they need a special device to help get them through. Paprika reveals she knows where to find the device, and it happens to be in a base that Mordecai and Becstar’s former pirates knew about but kept secret from Becstar.

We get a series of flashbacks that clue Becstar into the fact her “friends” were stealing and looting without telling her, leaving her out of a share of the profits.

The three heroes find the base, recover the navigation device and head off to continue their journey. However, a new player shows up at the end to throw everything into confusion for Becstar and the crew.

Final Thoughts

BECSTAR #3 started off with space adventure promise but the central plot is showing unavoidable flaws. When you add on stylized art that doesn’t suit the story, this title is starting to wear out its welcome.

Score: 6.5/10