Review: Sharkey The Bounty Hunter Takes Up The Chase In ‘Star-Crossed’ #2

With the richest family in the universe robbed by two “lady bandits” aka Thena Khole and Cody Blue, the Space Bandits of last issue, Sharkey the Bounty Hunter is now on their tail. But not before visiting with his dad and stepmother on a planet just about to lose its main power source, the sun. And not before Sharkey is robbed in his own old man’s house, sending him on a chase across snow-covered rooftops. And that’s just the first few pages of Star-Crossed #2. If an attempted robbery on Sharkey was bad enough, it gets worse. For the B’Ok Brothers and for Thena and Cody.

Mark Millar provides an emotionally charged and witty script, with three main scenes playing out across this issue and all piling on the stakes for the two Space Bandits it would seem everyone is out to find. Artist Corrado Mastantuono once again illustrates this comic with flair and attention to detail, depicting poverty and extreme wealth with equal passion; sci-fi vistas both familiar and wondrous. Colourist Nico Mastantuono also helps establish setting and tone with carefully considered colour choices. The cold, dark shadowy streets of Qlarion or the opulence, warm sandy landscape of Sandhur are tonally different; they are all well realised thanks to the artist and colourist. 

For anyone unfamiliar with Sharkey, Millar deftly establishes his kindness and alludes to his backstory in a way that will immediately appeal to fans. Raising the question of how such a good guy will deal with the two female thieves he is hunting down. Particularly when he overhears a rather emotional conversation between the two of them, leaving quite the cliffhanger. One more of moral dilemmas than dramatic cliff-hanging. 

Star-Crossed #2 does a great job of raising the stakes for Thena and Cody, establishing Sharkey’s role and motivations as well as raising a further threat for the Space Bandits to deal with too. This is also a series about families and friendships and how far you will go to support the ones you love. So it will be interesting to see how the rest of this story of a space heist going wrong plays out. And what decisions are made when you’re a bounty hunter with a conscience.

Star-Crossed #2 is out now from Dark Horse Comics