Comic Review: Zodiac Starforce.

By: abby on 8:00 AM

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Zodiac Starforce is a bubble-gum-fueled, magical girl romp that reignited one of my most notable latent teenage obsessions. Most magical girl stories feature regular high school girls with superpowers and lengthy transformation sequences involving creative costume changes and some kind of magical item (wand, scepter, or, in this case, necklaces). Although the genre never fully took hold in Western media, as a teen, I loved Sailor Moon and Tokyo Mew Mew. Despite obviously playing with the magical girl trope, I also think Zodiac Starforce harkens somewhat to Jem and the Holograms -- bright colors, fabulous costume design, high school crushes, the silly (and sometimes melodramatic) dialogue -- gimme!

Zodiac Starforce drops us into Emma’s (Gemini) story en medias res. In the introductory panels, she’s studying at school, when suddenly -- BAM! Shadow monster! Although it appears her skills are bit rusty, she quickly vanquishes the fiend and Kim (Taurus) shows up unexpectedly to help.

From here, we discover it has been two years since the Zodiac Starforce, four girls given zodiac-themed powers by a mystical being / goddess known as Astra, banished the dark goddess Cimmeria to another dimension and subsequently disbanded. A distinct origin story is lacking, but the reader can draw educated conclusions to fill in the blanks. Although Kim and Savannah (Pisces) are eager to get the team back together, Emma (also the de facto leader) and Molly (Aries) are more reluctant. Emma’s mother was apparently killed during the battle, which explains her recalcitrant reaction. However, when the school’s resident queen bee / mean girl reveals her posse’s dark powers to them, the girls know they have to get back to business. Oh, and did I mention that Emma is also infected with a dark disease that’s slowly killing her?

I appreciated that, although on it’s face a seemingly frivolous comic, the author (Kevin Panetta) didn’t skimp on characterization. The protagonists are incredibly diverse -- all different races, shapes, and sexualities. Emma is the leader, but she’s dealing with her own grief and self-doubt. Kim, the tomboy, may seem tough, but she’s also keen on romance and mushy about her boyfriend. Savannah, the smallest of the characters, shows that she’s one of the most powerful and also illustrates the diversity of love with her bisexual romances (her girlfriend, Lily, gets a character arc as well -- no spoilers). Molly, though tough and edgy, clearly cares deeply for her friends.

The art in this book is absolutely beautiful -- warm color tones and a clearly feminine hand -- Paulina Ganucheau does not disappoint. Like, have you seen the panels? Look at them! The costume design is also on point. The magical girl genre relies heavily on the transition to “battle wear,” but Zodiac Starforce has a unique take that eschewed the frilly manga version, without succumbing to the overtly sexualized Western superhero costumes. The collection includes some costume concept sketches and I wanted to look at them forever.

Overall, Zodiac Starforce is a modern take on the magical girl genre. It deals with what happens when the battle is over -- how do heroes go back to their normal lives? -- and what happens when the vanquished evil rears its ugly head again. But, at the core of this story, is the dauntless power of friendship and a healthy dose of girl power. Zodiac Starforce lights the way!

Rating: 4/5 magical wands 
Recommended for: fans of Sailor Moon, diverse characters, beautiful artwork