Artist: Antonio Fuso
Colorist: Stefano Simeone
Letterer: Justin Birch
What happens when you combine a bad LSD trip, aliens, and shared trauma. Well, you get a whirlwind book like Stargazer. Alongside Dry Foot (another book from Mad Cave Studios that you should have your eye on) Stargazer is another new series from the publisher set to debut in September with Anthony Cleveland and Antonio Fuso at its helm. When a group of adolescent teens come into contact with old LSD, twisted drug-induced visions of alien abductions would later become a haunting reality for this small group twenty years later.
Stargazer opens with just a hint at some of the larger aspects of what’s to come before quickly transitioning to our main character Shae, her brother Kenny and two of their childhood friends. It’s a heartening moment of youth as our characters squabble over an old video game manual and the concept of cheating. Combined with subtle 90’s nostalgia (which is something I greatly appreciate and want to see more of from comics) there’s a lucid sense of camaraderie between our young protagonists before tragedy ensues. After exposure to a hallucinogenic drug, that would result in a traumatizing incident for our characters the book shifts, taking on a much more dark and serious tone.
From there the debut issue jumps us twenty years later as the book continues to follow Shae, haunted by the events from her childhood. Stargazer moves away from being trapped under what feels like another teenage adventure. Instead, it’s focused more on the mental well being of our characters as Shae struggles to cope with her own failures she’s also burdened with having to care for her unwell brother Kenny, who continuously insists that he made contact with a life beyond ours all those years ago. It’s moments like these that are effective at feeling wholly personal.
The pacing of this story along with its effectiveness as it shifts between past and present is due in part to its colorist Stefano Simeone. Stefano’s use of a monochromatic palette consisting of hues of vibrant pinks and magentas helps us distinguish our two time periods as when the present story begins to take over we start to see our panels begin to have injections of purples and blues. I don’t even know if this move was intentional but it’s definitely impactive, helping to guide the narrative focus of the first issue.
I’ll admit it was artist Antonio Fusio who had me immediately drawn to this book. Fuso had previously worked on the book Clan Killers published by Aftershock Comics and his unique art style brings an additional level to the comic medium that almost feels experimental in its own way, making it perfect for a story like Stargazer. While on the surface Stargazer lends itself to an inventive science fiction tale, it masks the emotional story just underneath, blending concepts like Image Comics Die and Netflix’s Stranger Things, to craft a unique narrative that will leave you constantly wanting more. Mad Cave Studios is a publisher on the rise and Stargazer is just one of those rare books that will leave its mark on the comic industry years after its debut. Make sure to pick up the first issue of Stargazer when it releases September 2nd.
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