Throughout their run on Moonstar, Ashley Allen and Edodardo Audino have been exploring what shapes Dani Moonstar. Is she a Valkyrie, charged with shepherding dead souls to their eternal rest? Is she a guardian meant to stand against forces that would utilize magic for their own dark purposes? More importantly, is she still her parents’ daughter? The answers to those questions lie in Moonstar #5, which presents Dani with yet another impossible choice. To fully sever the connection between undead warrior Kyron and his blade Dainsleif, she or her fellow mage Kian will have to take the sword themselves…but lose their soul in the process.
This leads to an intense fight on two fronts; not only is Dani fighting Kryon and the chaos that he’s unleashing on the physical plane, but mentally against the malevolent spirit possessing his blade. It’s the kind of fight that would torment the strongest soul, but anyone who knows Dani knows that she’s made of strong stuff. Allen hammers this home in the opening monologue, which features Dani reflecting on what exactly her surname means. The answer isn’t just satisfying, but also fitting given her history, and should be the north star for where other writers take her going forward.
The character work is backed up by some strong visuals thanks to Audino. He illustrates intense combat between Dani, Kian, and Kyron, with the latter deploying a multitude of spells against his haunted blade. It’s not just magic that Dani has in her arsenal; she also carries her trusty bow, which shoots golden arrows that carve through the darkness, and her illusion-casting, which takes the form of ghostly winds. This imagery is a large part of why Moonstar stands out among the rest of the X-Men books on the stands, and I’m glad it’s continued to the end.
Marvel
I’m also glad that Moonstar #5 has a great colorist in the form of Arthur Hesli. Thanks to Hesli, there’s moments in Moonstar #5 that look downright apocalyptic. The sky has turned a blood red. The earth is starting to shake and split apart, revealing the pale white visages of the dead. Kyron himself is a massive shadow that seems to suck all of the light out of the room, in sharp contrast to the gold accents and glowing golden arrows associated with Dani. That same golden hue is given to Clayton Cowles’ captions, perfectly capturing Dani’s inner voice.
It’s the ending of Moonstar #5 that stands out the most, mainly because it feels less like a beginning and more of an ending. Not only is there a significant shift in Dani and Kian’s relationship, but there’s also a surprise appearance from one of my favorite Marvel characters! Said character also speaks for the rest of the audience when they tell Dani, “I can’t wait to see what you do next.” It’s the same with every character that Allen has written, from Magik to Colossus, and I’m pretty sure her upcoming Tomb of Apocalypse series will do the same for Jubilee.
Moonstar #5 not only averts the apocalypse, but closes the book on yet another one of Ashley Allen’s character studies surrounding the X-Men. It’s a must read for X-Men fans of all shapes and sizes, and proof that you don’t have to be an A-List character to get A-List stories.
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