‘Zodiac Starforce: By the Power of Astra’
“How is a star formed? It begins with a collapse.”
I have waited for over half a year for this comic to come out in my country. Seems fitting then that the book’s themes orbit around the zodiac star signs - Gemini wins out!
There are many reasons why this was perhaps my most highly anticipated graphic novel to date, whose hype miraculously exceeded my expectations. Mainly it’s because, and this should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me, I love the Magical Girl genre. I love or at least guilty pleasure-watch a lot of anime about magical girls - not limited to ‘Sailor Moon’; for there’s also ‘Madoka Magica’, ‘Princess Tutu’, 'Revolutionary Girl Utena', ‘Cardcaptor Sakura’, ‘Tokyo Mew Mew’, ‘Wedding Peach’, really I could go on. In the West we have shows like ‘Winx Club’, ‘W.I.T.C.H.’, and ‘Steven Universe’. Even ‘The Powerpuff Girls’ was a response to the Magical Girl-type anime of the nineties as well as a parody of superheroes.
I was a huge fan of girl power shows and books long before I knew what feminism was. I’ve just always loved seeing girls kick butt and save the world, usually through compassion and empathy - non-violent solutions. They would solve major conflicts and other problems through talking and expressing emotions openly without fear. Having emotions is a source of strength for these characters, not a weakness. Yeah it’s sexist, and the girls have to fit traditional, skinny beauty standards, and get boyfriends in the form of “true love”. But similar to the early days of ‘Wonder Woman’, the magical girls strike a pose and make a stand for femininity as a positive thing, a force for good to all man-and-woman-kind.
The typical Magical Girl themes of friendship and love may seem really cheesy, sappy and juvenile, but they are in fact important principles to live by in reality. Outside of all the magic stuff - which I also love - these girls can help to teach valuable lessons about life and hope; nobody should have to struggle alone, and people can be kind and generous enough to be by your side no matter what. This resonated with me personally growing up, and watching these young women conquer evil while being a female-centered team made me feel no longer so alone.
What can I say, I am a softy at heart who adores these sorts of characters. It’s why I also love superheroes and heroines who come from a planetary-wide diversity prism, reflecting real people - heroic in their own way -in our mundane, scary, harsh, but varied and rewarding world.
This review became an essay on the Magical Girl genre without my intending it to. So to get back on track I’ll actually talk about ‘Zodiac Starforce’. It’s a modern tribute to the whole genre, and to female heroes in general. A love letter that clearly knows what it is and knows who would want to read it - someone like me, who grew up in the nineties surrounded by girl power imagery.
The creators love magical girls, and it shows on every colourful and beautiful page. ‘Zodiac Starforce’ is everything I love about a much underappreciated genre and more: A sympathetic lead (with mad and great hair); female friendships (this is a HUGE theme here); a female villain with a compelling backstory and understandable motivations; morals about the importance of love, family, and free will; and that having faith alone won’t solve anything, but as long as you stay strong on the inside, persevere and never give up on hope, you’ll eventually succeed.
‘Zodiac Starforce’ doesn’t outright parody or deconstruct the ‘Sailor Moon’ formula into extremely dark places (like ‘Madoka Magica’). More like it analyses the tropes with an affectionate eye, and through a self-awareness that’s neither cynical, lazy nor jaded, it conducts its own original twists and ideas. It has depth, it has intense and exciting moments where the stakes get higher and higher - and the reader cares because they care about the characters.
Ahh the characters. I remember each and every one of them:
The “leader” of the Zodiac Starforce team is Emma, aka Gemini, a sensitive soul who has been dealing with a lot of tragedy and grief. But she is not as soft as she seems, and through all her tears she is no doubt the heart of the group and the whole comic. Yes her signature colour is pink, and her hair turns pink when she transforms into her magical girl self, but she isn’t white, and that’s a bloody big plus. Quite a stylish girl too, is Emma. Her design looks akin to that of Jem from a certain band of holograms.
Kim, aka Taurus, is a boisterous “tomboy” who acts as the big sister of the group. She cares deeply for her friends and wants nothing more than to get the team back together after two years out of action (this book isn’t an origin story, so it gets right into the action, with information sprinkled here and there to avoid confusing the readers). Kim possesses super strength as a magical girl, and both defends and rushes into battles like a bull (she even calls her magical armour, “Heavenly Bull Armor”). If Emma is the heart, then Kim is all the muscles pumping the life force and spirit into the heart. She also has a nice boyfriend who doesn’t get in the way of the story at all.
Savanna “Savi”, aka Pisces, is a freckled, quick, nimble, pixie-like bisexual who like Kim is funny in her own manner. Her sexual identity is explored and developed wonderfully throughout; nothing seems forced, and it is remarkable to behold.
Molly, aka Ares, at first appears to be a typical aloof, sullen and sarcastic girl. She is the most reluctant to join the Starforce again, and gets into arguments at a hair-trigger (she resembles both the manga and anime personalities of Sailor Mars). But like the others, Molly is always concerned for her friends, and is incredibly tough and competitive. She is also Asian, adding to the diversity well.
Last but not least is the new addition to the Zodiac Starforce, Lily - Libra - a shy Black girl who becomes more confident and trusting towards her new friends through her relationship with Savi. This even becomes a plot point and helps to reinforce the book’s major themes near the end.
The main villain is the ominous dark goddess Cimmeria, coming back from another dimension after her major defeat by the Starforce two years previously. She’s the dark counterpart to Astra, the goddess who assembles the Zodiac Starforce soldiers to save the world from monsters. Astra isn't much better herself, however, but that's another story. Cimmeria’s minion is Diana. In a fine subversion of the high school mean girl clique cliché, Diana is not evil, cruel or manipulative for the sake of it. I won’t say any more due to spoilers, but her character will be difficult to hate by the end.
I am just delighted by the diversity - race, LBGTQ etc. - of these young women’s designs and complex personalities. As well as the magic and portals to other dimensions going on, the characterization of ‘Zodiac Starforce’ is a fantastic, revolutionary crème de la crème.
Flaws include a very fast-pace throughout the book which makes it look rushed sometimes, and with only four issues/chapters in the trade collection it is like a pilot to a much bigger story. The mini web issues, character sketches and cover art at the end are nice, though.
I think I’ve said my piece. ‘Zodiac Starforce’ - A star-studded nostalgia trip, a maximum sate for modern fans of the Magical Girl genre... A celestial celebration of the entire concept of girl power and all it stands for. It’s bright, charming, action-packed, fun, and gorgeous, with a lurking darkness beginning as a shadow, then turning into a total eclipse. Ending in a sparkly, galaxy-sized bang in the form of a message that loudly sings of compassion, companionship, love and hope in the midst of tragedy and loneliness.
I strongly recommend ‘Zodiac Starforce: By the Power of Astra’ to all Magical Girl fans, and girl power fans, and fans of three-dimensional, well-rounded female characters.
This star was formed, and transformed into a gem, made for me.
Final Score: 5/5
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