The Stars Bring Them Together

Yeah man, what are you doing? "Dark Star Power" was right there.

The Search for Black Hole Bill is the second collection of Michael Terracciano and Garth Graham's Star Power comic. Picking up where the first story ended, it's one of those stories where a bunch of different characters and threads all end up converging in a place none of them would expect.

Danica is back on the space station where she works as an astronomer. The Star Power seems to have burned itself out, so Danica is trying to contact the tutorial/informational system "Mitch", and then to recharge.

Black Hole Bill, who botched his attempt to kill her in the first story, escapes, beating the crap out of Danica's new friend Grex in the process. Bill runs to a group of Mad Max-looking guys called the Supernova Dragon Lords looking to re-arm, right as there's a change in leadership.

In the way those things happen, the Dragon Lords head for a quiet star system where they have a weapons cache hidden, Bill unwillingly in tow. Danica's sitting on a satellite orbiting the star to recharge, and Grex is part of the security team tagging along to watch out for her. On top of all that, the weapons cache was supposed to be hidden in a bar where the three guys who hired Bill in the first place are drinking and trying to decide on their next move.

All the parts colliding is pretty fun, especially as most of the characters are struggling with one bad impulse or the other. Grex is overly protective of Danica, but also really badly wants to kill Bill. Get in line, sister. Bill's getting caught up in the Dragon Lords' plan to wage war against the Galactic Defense, as well as thinking he's a lot smarter and more competent than he really is. Just excellently written as a completely insufferable smug asshole.

Danica is trying to weigh the need to to help people right now against the danger involved in trying to do so. Mitch is struggling against the fear of non-existence and the loss of all the knowledge that would represent. He's significantly less annoying about it than the Xandarian Worldmind was, though, so that's something. One of the three Void Angels that hired Bill is obsessed with trying to finish Star Power. He figures if they'd succeeded in their mission to kill her, the rest of their group would still be alive.

Lotta characters struggling to remember where their loyalties lie, or where they should lie. Bill's, of course, are to himself and no one else. Which ends up being a bad call on his part. But does lead to an extremely satisfying conclusion to the story. And Terracciano and Graham actually made me care about the 3 Void Angels, enough to where I'm curious whether they'll stick together or not. Who are they loyal to now? A group they believe is dead, or to each other?