Grief is a constant presence throughout Moonstar #2. It’s brought up on the very first page, where Dani Moonstar discusses her own experiences with loss. It hangs in the air as Dani and her companion Kian deal with losing their ally Yanisa. And in the most surprising development, it turns out that the warrior Kyron’s reason for wanting to wipe out all life on the planet is steeped in grief.
That grief becomes especially prominent in the confrontations between Dani and Kian. It’s heavily implied that Kian is resentful toward Dani for surviving when Yanisa didn’t, which leads to a heated exchange between the two. Edoardo Audino excels at letting characters’ facial expressions speak where words don’t, as the glare that Dani throws Kian’s way is sharp enough to slice through steel. It’s very impressive in Kian’s case, as his eyes are covered by a blindfold; Audino has to work twice as hard to let his expressions shine through.
Audino also continues to bring a horror edge to Moonstar #2, especially in a sequence where Dani and Kian have to fight through yet another horde of zombies. But what’s truly terrifying is when Dani comes face to face with the spirit of her grandfather, which was conjured to throw her off of Kyron’s trail. The ghost of Dani’s grandfather is menacing not just because of his jet black pupils, which Arthur Hesli depicts in truly terrifying detail, but in the words he slings Dani’s way. No one can hurt you like the people you love.
Marvel
It’s that impulse that Ashley Allen leans into in her script. Allen ties together the characters via their shared grief, in one case making it quite literal as Dani ends up witnessing the events that set Kyron on his current path. This one sequence is a reminder that grief can often drive people to do terrible things just to ease their pain, and helps make Kyron feel like more than a death metal Viking. Villains with depth tend to be more intriguing, especially in stories like these that dig into deep themes.
While I do love the emotional edge that Allen brings to Moonstar #2, the main plot slows down to a near crawl. Most of the story is centered around Dani racing to get to a mystical artifact that could give her the edge in her fight against Kyron…only to learn that he’s beaten them to the punch. This is a trope in storytelling that I’ve been 50/50 on; it’s good to give a villain the edge because you want conflict, but too much of an edge can feel ridiculous. The ending is also mostly setting up for the next issue, though with the direction Allen is taking, it could really build on the themes introduced in this episode.
The exploration of magic also helps Moonstar stand out in the current lineup of X-Men titles, and it should also serve as a reminder to creators that the X-Men can tackle different genres. The best runs, particularly the Chris Claremont era, didn’t just stick to superheroics or the eternal push between man and mutant. They went to the deepest depths of space or mystical realms, while offering stories rich with meaning. It’s that approach that makes Moonstar #2 stand out, and I hope this series continues to explore the effects of grief while also having Dani take down zombies.
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