When readers last left Star, she was about to face off with Captain Marvel, who had come to contain Star and the Reality Stone. This issue begins with their fight experiencing an unexpected interruption from the Black Order who want the Reality Stone and will do anything to get it. Star #4 is a solid return to the series after the unexpected hiatus written by Kelly Thompson with art by Javier Pina, Jay Leisten, and Filipe Andrade, color art by Jesus Aburtov and Chris O’Halloran, and lettering by VC’s Clayton Cowles. 

Even with the power of the Reality Stone, Star is still too green to go against Captain Marvel; she’s not in full control of her powers and suffers another panic attack in the midst of battle, reliving her traumatic death and resurrection on The Raft. However, due to the Black Order’s attack, she has to force herself to get back up and fight and form an uneasy alliance with Captain Marvel. Star holds herself together long enough to help Carol fight the Black Order, but they have more fighters, and in Ripley’s case, a lot more training. In a desperate attempt to win the fight, Star instructs Captain Marvel to use the mysterious device given to her by Black Swan (Star #3), but this device might just make things worse for both sides. 

Thompson continues to develop Star/Ripley into a very interesting and multidimensional character, and this issue is no different. During Ripley’s panic attack, she has a flashback to her time at The Raft, where she clearly struggles with trauma from dying and coming back after Captain Marvel killed her, as well as her brutal treatment at the hands of the prison guards. Ripley is suffering from trauma while also struggling with her newfound powers, and learning that multiple people want her dead.

The artists (Pina, Leisten, and Andrade) and colorists (Aburtov and O’Halloran) are incredibly talented and make this story visually appealing. During the main story, the fight scenes are dynamic and fluid. The colors are smooth and vibrant, with clean lines and shading that rely more on color variation than linework. However, when Ripley has a flashback to her time at The Raft, these panels have more muted and soft colors and have rougher shading. This sets these scenes apart from the rest of the book while also helping the reader visually see Ripley’s panic. Cowles’ lettering ties it all together, and the way Star’s dialogue changes when she summons her Reality Stone given powers adds another visual element to the story.  

While this issue is clearly setting up the conclusion, it doesn’t feel like it’s just a setup. Enough is going on in this issue that it stands on its own as a story. Star has all the makings of a very successful mini-series, and hopefully, issue 5 will stick the landing. 

GRADE: B-