Where volume 4 was a "horrors of war" story, volume 5, Star Power and the Choir of Dr. Hymn, starts as a suspense/mystery story that shifts into body horror or a sci-fi monster territory in the later stages. Set roughly a year after volume 4, Danica's been exploring the worlds beyond the Millennium Federation's borders, confirming there's a lot of chaos out there.
While Danica's pleased with the data she's gathered on numerous stars, it's all the warlords she's punched that bring her to the attention of Dr. Hieronymus Hymn, regarded as the finest composer in the known galaxy. (The concept sketches in the back include a note from Garth Graham that Terracciano wanted a Vincent Price as Dr. Phibes vibe, but Graham insisted on the mustache even though it really does make Hymn look a lot like Dr. Strange.)
Hymn is characterized by a massive ego that demands perfection, so much so each applicant for his choir has to perform solo first. If he deems them inadequate, he shoots them. So along with the question of what he wants from Star Power, there's the mystery of where he's getting these applicants, as well as why he keeps them masked.
This ends up tying into a case the Chief at Space Sanctuary Six had been investigating for some time, and which also involves the former Void Angel pilot, Burke. He's done his time, and looking to start over. And Danica's friend Grex, a former Void Angel herself, is willing to give him a chance. Danica's less inclined, what with the multiple time he tried to kill her and all, but gives him a chance.
This part I'm less enthused by. It follows a kind of predictable arc where Danica is wary, but is thrown by the revelation he cleans up good. Burke figures out something's going on with Hymn, so Hymn has him framed to look drunk and violent so Danica will assume the worst and then have to apologize later.
Some of that is to parallel and contrast with Danica's supervisor Dr. Brightman, who is a Dr. Hymn superfan, but not so enamored she overlooks the horrible things he's done once she finds out about them. Meanwhile Danica is so suspicious of Burke because of his past actions that she can't see him clearly until after the fact. But it's still an "enemies to lovers" thing and I do not truck with that.
That said, the slower pace and build of this story compared to The Lonely War allows for more humor. Some of it is just star-based puns, or bits revolving around the pronunciation of "Hymn". Those are hit or miss. I got a better laugh out of the gags about Burke's appreciation for Earth "classical" music. Sure, both Star Trek: Beyond and Futurama have done that bit before, but it's still good. Especially since Terracciano uses it for a "play Freebird!" gag at one point.
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