BECSTAR #4 – Review

In BECSTAR #4, available from Mad Cave Studios on August 25th, 2021, Becstar and the crew fight their way through asteroid fields and Mordecai’s forces in a desperate chase to get to Anyssa first.

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The Details

• Written By: Joe Corallo
• Art By: Lorenzo Colangeli
• Colors By: Lorenzo Colangeli
• Letters By: Joamette Gil
• Cover Art By: Sweeney Boo
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: August 25, 2021

Was It Good?

Well, it’s fine.

I laid out some fundamental flaws with where this series came from and appears to be headed in the issue #3 review. This issue doesn’t address those flaws and simply barrels ahead with tense action. However, the “barrel”-ing is fun and exciting on its own.

That’s what the good-vs-not-good question comes down to when considering this issue and its place in the context of the series. If you’re fine with reading an issue that’s action-packed with twists and turns, while pushing the nagging plot questions out of your head, then you’re going to enjoy the writing in this issue quite a bit.

If, however, you want your action to make sense in context and play out a scenario that’s additive to a rock-solid story, this issue won’t do much for you. Again, it’s not bad and it’s not great. It’s just fine for what it is.

The art is at least consistent for the series. I noted in previous issues that the elastic anatomy of the characters, especially in the exaggerated facial expression, was verging into kids’ cartoon territory, and there’s nothing in this issue that changes that opinion. The characters’ eyes bulge impossibly. Shouting mouths gape wider than the shape of their skulls. It’s silly and weird in a way that makes you feel the art is intended for a much younger audience than the subject matter, language, and violence would permit.

Overall, if you like this series up to this point, you’ll continue to like it. If you haven’t liked this series up to this point, nothing here will change your mind.

What’s It About?

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

First things first, check out our BECSTAR #3 review to find out how the crew of the Restal-8 got themselves into their current predicament.

We catch up with Becstar and crew working their way through an asteroid field to get to Anyssa’s hideout. They’re being chased by Mordecai’s ships with Ozgar at the lead.

Soon the speed of the attacking ships and the compounding damage from their weapons causes Becstar’s ships to slow down enough to be boarded. Ozgar does the honors and comes aboard to deliver vengeful damage in person.

In a move that doesn’t make sense, Mordecai decides he suddenly knows where Becstar is headed and no longer needs to track her to find Anyssa’s location. How he figured it out is unclear. If Anyssa is hiding someplace only she and Becstar could find, how did Mordecai figure it out? If Anyssa is hiding someplace that other former teammates knew about, why was her location treated like a super special secret?

Regardless, Mordecai orders all ships to fire on Becsatar while Ozgar is aboard to quickly eliminate any interference. His ships follow their orders. Becstar’s ship is irreversibly damaged, and Ozgar is sucked out into space during the final attack. The ship crashes on a planetoid where Anyssa’s hideout is located, but Mordecai has already beaten them to the hideout.

We conclude the penultimate issue with a showdown.

Final Thoughts

BECSTAR #4 has some fun action and tense space battles that will satisfy fans of the series. While some of the sizable plot holes aren’t addressed (and perhaps never will be), the setup at the end promises a big showdown to cap the series.

Score: 7/10