Reviews

SC:L Reviews Heaven's Devils

StarCraft: Legacy - Editorials - Reviews

Written by Roland Friday, 02 July 2010 11:53

WARNING: The following review contains several spoilers for the novel in question.

Heaven's Devils is the newest book written for the StarCraft Universe. It serves as an unusual prequel to StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. The plot events are not what create the unique connection, but rather the characters, who will appear in WoL, are fleshed out for us throughout the book. It focuses on Jim Raynor's early days in the Confederate military during the Guild Wars. This was when he first met Tychus Findlay, another major character in Wings of Liberty. Anyone interested in the origins of their relationship will appreciate the writing style of William C. Dietz. He is best known for his work in other major sci-fi franchises, such as Star Wars and Halo.

The obvious focus of this book is to provide background on the relationship between Jim Raynor and Tychus Findlay, but just as important, the writing provides an impression of the Guild Wars atmosphere its effects on the StarCraft story through these characters. Several different perspectives are given, which try to flesh-out the whole picture. All of the main characters are developed by the circumstances the war puts them in, but fundamentally none of them really change over the course of the story, so it can be disappointing if your expectation is to see how Raynor became the heroic backwater leader, or how Findlay ended up so calloused. Instead, the book focuses primarily on the nature of the Guild Wars and the relationship between the two most prominent individuals, Findlay and Raynor.


Synopsis

The book is set almost entirely on Turaxis II, an important planet in the late stages of the Guild Wars, half was owned by the Confederacy, and half by the Kel'Morians. Inexplicably, the Confederate military feels a highly contested planet is an ideal location for a training camp for new recruits, so several of our protagonists are shipped there immediately. They later become instrumental in claiming Turaxis II for the Confederacy. The first half of the book focuses on the members of the Heaven's Devils, and their formation. The Heaven's Devils is a nick-name given to the 321st Colonial Rangers Battalion's Special Tactics and Mission Platoon. The squad itself consisted of about seven soldiers, and when they used experimental power armor to rescue hundreds of POWs, they became a legendary band of war heroes in their own right.

The focus in terms of characters is largely restricted to four members of the Heaven's Devils; the remaining three essentially serve only as plot devices. Jim Raynor is clearly the most significant individual involved, and the one we care the most for. He was just a poor farm-boy with an inherent sense of what was right and wrong, who joined the military, in large-part to help pay his parents' bills, but he was naive and idealistic and as such was distressed by the cold reality he was faced with in the military, a reality he was not well-equipped to handle. The disillusionment that causes the loss of his natural heroism is the only true character evolution that is made a point of throughout the book. Ryk Kydd was a member of a Confederate old family. However, he was dissatisfied with his wealthy, sheltered life, and was drugged, kidnapped, and sold to a Confederate recruiter, when out looking for some adventure, some freedom, in Tarsonis. Naturally, no one believed he was a member of one of the aristocratic old families, and as such he had no apparent way to escape the military. Kydd met up with Raynor, and another member of the future Heaven's Devils in boot camp, and it was there, in training he found the adventure and satisfaction he had yearned for as well as incredible skill as a sniper. His talent was in part due to his basic psychic abilities, like being able to slow his perception of time to help set up a shot. Kydd felt he had found his place in the world, and so chose to stay once he was eventually given the option to leave the military. He even went so far as to retain the false identity he had been given in order to avoid his powerful father's search. Findlay has the least back-story; he is portrayed as being cold, calculating, and decently intelligent, yet it is made clear immediately that he is primarily self-serving. One of the first things he does when introduced to the reader is to arrange the death of his prison task-master simply out of vengeance, payback for giving Findlay extra work. Whether or not he is exclusively interested in profit or he has a more hidden heroic side is intentionally kept unclear. Soon after being released from prison, Findlay is promoted to sergeant of the squad which will eventually become the Heaven's Devils.

The commanding officer of their platoon, Vanderspool, is very similar to Findlay in a way. He is devoted first and foremost to his own profit and as such was planning to work with the Kel'Morians to steal two truckloads of valuable goods from the Confederate military and sell them via an elaborate scheme. During the midst of this heist, Findlay manipulates his squad to steal the goods for themselves. Vanderspool suspects Findlay, but cannot prove it, or do much about it without incriminating himself. In an effort to get revenge, and prove his suspicions, Vanderspool puts a Medic in their squad to spy on them in exchange for a steady supply of "crab," an addictive drug. The Medic, Cassidy, becomes an interesting character. She can't stop working for Vanderspool given her addiction to crab, but she becomes emotionally attached to the squad, especially Findlay, her romantic interest. The squad becomes famous for their unique capacity to dive right out of Dropships using experimental power-suits, and they are given the nickname "Heaven's Devils" for this talent. The rest of the book essentially consists of the Heaven's Devils trying to stay one step ahead of Vanderspool, who is still trying to get revenge, and make as much money a possible while he's at it. All the while, unbeknown to them, the Medic, Cassidy, is still reporting to Vanderspool.

The inevitable showdown occurs when Kydd and another member of the Heaven's Devils stumble upon information regarding a plan between Vanderspool, Kydd's father, and a Kel'Morian overseer to steal an incredibly valuable shipment of crystals, kill the Heaven's Devils to help cover it up, and split the profit. Findlay makes a plan to reverse the situation on them and steal the crystals for themselves, but the plan is reported to Vanderspool, by Cassidy. The book ends in a bloody series of double-crosses, and several squad-mates die because of Vanderspool's actions. Raynor guns a defenseless Vanderspool down, and the surviving members of the Heaven's Devils go AWOL out of disgust for the Confederate military.

Review

Those looking for a complete backstory for Raynor or Tychus will be disappointed. The book ends with several characters becoming wanted criminals, but provides no real explanation for how Raynor went from wanted criminal to the Marshall of Mar Sara we see in StarCraft. Given the emphasis on the relationship between Raynor and Findlay that is understandable, but disappointing. The biggest issue with this book is that it fails to make you really care about the supporting members of the Heaven's Devils at all.  They serve as plot devices and canon fodder exclusively, and have little or no background information or character development. The focus is on Raynor, Kydd, Findlay, and Cassidy. Everyone else seems more or less useless, except for some comic relief.  

Heaven's Devils does fill an important void in the StarCraft universe. If Blizzard were to give us Wings of Liberty without it, many die-hard lore fans would be hard-pressed to figure out Raynor and Tychus's relationship, albeit it may have changed in the time between the Guild Wars and StarCraft II. Tychus plays the hardened sergeant, interested only in his own profit, whereas Raynor is the naïve, but talented soldier, who wants to be a hero, and in many cases is, but is concerned about his own corruption. This is an issue throughout the book, Raynor is desperately trying to hold on to his inherent morality, but is faced with corruption and evil everwhere he looks, even in people who should be the good guys. Furthermore, he is perfectly aware that the overwhelming amount of corruption in the galaxy is wearing on him and making him far more calloused than he was when he joined the marines, but he feels utterly incapable of stopping or controlling his own moral decline. This is a nice touch, as it is apparently mirrored in Wings of Liberty, where he is again put in a situation where his natural morality and heroism is being severly tested. His ability (or inability) to resist almost universal temptation is sure to be a key point in StarCraft II, as it is in Heaven's Devils. This internal struggle would have been more impressive if instead of having Raynor begin as a hero, and simply become more hardened; it chronicled something of his evolution to the man we see in StarCraft. Instead he essentially starts out like that, and is just polished, and molded slightly over the course of the story. His "choice" is just to maintain his natural heroism and morality in spite of all the corruption and amorality he is surrounded by.  

The primary theme throughout the book is that "You are who you choose to be," in the words of Trace Raynor, Jim's father. At some point in the book, virtually every main character makes a choice about who they want to be. Kydd, for example, decides he would rather stay in the military, in hiding from his family, than return to his aristocratic beginnings.  The choices made by the characters set up their personalities for Wings of Liberty, where they may be faced by the same sort of challenges again. This theme may very well be paralleled in Wings of Liberty, with Raynor's heroism being stretched by circumstances. He will be forced to choose between his natural heroism, or to succumbing to the circumstances by becoming more like Tychus, interested only in his own well being. However, none of the characters feel as if they go through any real evolution or development, rather they are who they were originally written to be. There isn't enough depth to feel a connection to any of the characters. For someone who hasn't played StarCraft, who doesn't have a previous attachment to the characters, the book, as well as the characters are flat.

For lore buffs, the relationship between Raynor and Findlay is very interesting. Findlay's real nature is still unclear, he initially seems little better than other Terran villians, like Mengsk or Vanderspool. However, we learn that he does have a softer side and he is entirely capable of heroism, but perhaps not the predisposition. He is more of an anti-hero than anything else, the Han Solo of StarCraft, so to speak, but teetering on the edge of becoming just a plain villain. Raynor on the other hand, is an absolute hero, who would sacrifice everything for anything worthy. They are an interesting duo as such, and even though Findlay is said to be the bad influence on Raynor in StarCraft II, he is also a reliable companion to him in a pinch, fully capable of the side-kick role.

Heaven's Devils goes fairly deep into Terran lore, giving a brief cameo to the origins of the Neural Resocialization, a project used to make troublesome soldiers more amiable through brain-washing. One of the members of the Heaven's Devils also has some level of psychic powers, but is not recruited as a Ghost, and no one else seems to understand his abilities, implying psychic humans were far from common knowledge in those days, and the Ghost program was less rigorous, to say the least. It should not be mistaken for something as lore-centric as Twilight though. The lore is just an interesting addition; the focus is on the early relationship between Tychus and Raynor and may give some insight as to how it will play out in Wings of Liberty, when they are reunited.

Heaven's Devils provides a great deal of important backstory on the relationship between Jim Raynor and Tychus Findlay. It also provides a great look into the Guild Wars themselves, and much of the Terran lore associated with it. We recommend it for anyone interested in understanding the relationship between Findlay and Raynor for Wings of Liberty, or anyone just interested in Terran lore. It requires no previous knowledge of StarCraft to read however, and as such can be a great introduction to lore, as well as simply a good military-sci-fi read. In general, this book was written for the students of StarCraft's lore.


Accuracy and Canon

Blizzard tagged a full, retconned timeline onto the end of the book. It doesn't really fit into the storyline of Heaven's Devils, but it serves as a nice tool for hardcore lore fans. The first date in the timeline is 1500 A.D. This was when the Dark Templar first left Aiur. The last date is in 2504, the same year StarCraft II begins. The new timeline is to be considered fact; it's a retcon, that serves to redefine the timeline that had developed previously. The biggest change is that most of the events in the Great War and The Brood War were moved back to all fit within  year 2500. This frees up 2501-2503 for the events of the Dark Templar trilogy, and the StarCraft comics. Previously, a great deal of content was shoved into 2504, and now much of that has been moved back to 2503. This clears up a great deal of time for Wings of Liberty.

Heaven's Devils itself is set back in the Guild Wars, which was hardly affected by the timeline retcon. Most of the events in the book are of minimal consequence to the overall plot of the StarCraft universe. The roots of several units can be seen in the squad-members of the Heaven's Devils. The Firebat and Marauder for example, seem to have their roots in some of the experimental power-armor used by the Heaven's Devils. Even Ghosts seem to have been virtually non-existent before the Heaven's Devils, making Kydd one of the first, as an early psychic sniper. The roots of the now-common Neural Resocialization  program are also visible. The Heaven's Devils didn't really make a big impact on the overall story of the StarCraft universe, but their story occurs at a time of change in the Confederacy, offering a great look at Terran lore and canon.

SC:L Reviews StarCraft: Frontline Volume 4

StarCraft: Legacy - Editorials - Reviews

Written by Gradius Saturday, 12 December 2009 14:33

WARNING: The following review contains major spoilers for the manga in question.

Homecoming

Synopsis:

On the planet of Mar Sara, in the Diamondback wastelands, Raynor is seen making his way through a ravine on his Vulture. He dismounts and starts to move inside the ruins of his house. He then dusts off and unlocks a safe on the ground, with pictures and mementos from his past. Upon opening the safe, old memories flow through items inside the box, from his time in the Heavens Devils, as well as those of his wife, Lidya Elizabeth Raynor, whom he called Liddy.

Jim Raynor reminisces about when he and his wife were looking at their new property. They both wished for a nice and quiet life, and he remembered Liddy revealing to him that she was pregnant. Looking at his old Marshall badge, Raynor remembers observing his son with his wife, his army record cleared by the local magistrate for taking up the job as Marshall. Raynor tried to forget his old life and his old burdens as an outlaw and only wanted the best for his son. His wife made Raynor promise he will never doubt himself, and that he will always stand up for what he believes in.

Raynor then read a note from the office of Tarsonis Institute of Health and Research, which said that his son has proven through tests that he is above normal on the standardized psi-evaluations, and that he has been chosen to take part in a government program to develop his powers further. Raynor and Liddy got in a fight over the decision to send him to the program, with Raynor claiming that nothing good can come from working for the Confederacy, and Liddy wanting a better future for her son than can be had on Mar Sara. Another letter stated that their son, John, was killed in an unfortunate shuttle accident when he was transferred from the confederate test facility to his dormitory. Liddy was filled with guilt; she blamed herself for not listening to Jim and left the garden, telling him to stay away from her.

Raynor then reminds himself that it is time to put the past to rest yet again, and ignites the box with what appears to be its entire original content still inside. He then leaves and rides back to a bar. The bartender knows Raynor and proclaims him a legend; it has been five years since they last met and news about his doings has spread like fire. On the TV screen in the bar, Kate Lockwell proclaims the Dominion has started a large PR campaign to increase the local Dominion support on Mar Sara. She also talks about the planet’s fall four years ago, and how, despite this fact, many colonists returned. The bartender sympathizes with Jim in his struggle against the Dominion. Jim tells him that a promise he made a long time ago keeps him hammering away at the Dominion. The bartender asked Jim when it all will be over, to which he replies “When my ghosts lie silent.”

Review:

“Homecoming” is the direct prequel to StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. It ends in a bar on Mar Sara where StarCraft II shall begin. Raynor’s character has been expanded on by a lot in this short story. Things that were never previously touched upon were Raynor’s former past and family life, as well as his motivations behind attacking the Domnion. The thing that seems most strange about Mar Sara in this story was that it was never truly incinerated by the Protoss – with many buildings, birds and trees still living. Raynor’s house looked like it suffered a blast from a nearby bomb, but parts of the wall and ceiling were very much intact. In a previous Frontline story, an installation largely survived the purification as well. It seems that the Protoss incineration was light at best, with one energy beam creating a giant fireball explosion instead of incinerating everything, as described in StarCraft: Revelations. Perhaps Zerg also returned to the planet because they were never all destroyed and survived underground.

We also learned how Raynor got out of being hunted by the Confederacy and landed a job as Marshall; the Magistrate offered to clear his record for accepting a job as a local marshall. A marshall seems to be akin to a small-town police chief, as Raynor wasn’t required to shave his hair as is the custom for military protocol. It was also good to see the attention to the detail in Mar Sara’s StarCraft2.com planet page being put to use, with the two moons Pyramus and Thisby making appearances.

Story: 8/10
Art: 8/10

Fear the Reaper

Synopsis:

Four Terran Reapers attack a Dominion installation in order to steal Mark VII hub drives and sell them to Kimeran pirates. The Reapers, led by Colonel Nero, are named Kern, Rock, and Pfaff. Nero, a dangerous lunatic, prefers to kill people, whereas the other Reapers prefer to handle these operations cleanly, especially Kern. After killing several Marines, Kern once again questions Nero’s orders, after which Nero shoots Kern in the leg, which later has to be amputated. Nero then tells the others to blame the incident on pirates. Pfaff and Rock visit Kern in the hospital bed, claiming that the Dominion will find out about the raid. They decide to put the blame on Nero, who is then arrested. Flash forward to several years later: Kern has settled down with a wife and a small daughter on the planet Roxarra, while Nero is scheduled to be executed in Gannemuck Prison. Nero however, instead of being executed, managed to kill his guards with his handcuffs and confuse the prison staff by uttering false instructions into their transceivers. Nero then escaped the prison, blowing a chunk of it up and heading to get revenge on the three people who saw him imprisoned.

Rock is the first person to be found by Nero, who jumps up on a lamppost in his familiar Reaper suit. Nero, lamenting that he thought he could trust Rock, kills him. Next, Nero finds Pfaff, who is attempting to steal some money in an SCV with his friend Pard. Pard is destroyed by Nero, with Pfaff looking up to see Nero standing there. Pfaff attempts to save his life by pleading that it wasn’t his fault and that he would give Nero Kern’s location. Pfaff then tries to kill Nero with his SCV drill, but misses, and in a last-ditch resort to save his life tells Nero where Kern is. Nero kills him anyway and begins heading to his last target.

Meanwhile, Lassathar, a Dark Templar warrior and scholar lands on Roxarra, searching for Xel’Naga artifacts. He wanders near Kern’s homestead, and Kern’s daughter runs out to him. Lassathar is surprised that the child is capable of hope and wonder, unlike all other Terrans that he has met, who are simply “vile carriers of death and destruction”. With the child’s assistance, Lassathar finds the artifact he is looking for and walks the child back to her home. Coincidentally, Nero arrives on Roxarra at exactly the same time, and threatens to kill Kern and the rest of his family. Lassathar however, uncloaks and engages the Reaper. A fierce fight ensues, with Lassathar emerging victorious. Lassathar then notices that Kern has transformed himself from a hardened soldier to a loving family man, and leaves Roxarra with the knowledge that change is indeed possible.

Review:

“Fear the Reaper” has arguably the best story in the Frontline series. The story’s fight scenes are suspenseful, and the reader will leave with a newfound respect for the new Terran Reaper unit, a unit that is almost infringing on the Ghost’s territory. It was interesting that a Reaper could keep up with a Dark Templar who could dodge bullets. We have to assume that the Reaper was using Stims during that time.

Lassathar claims to be searching for a Xel’Naga artifact, but what’s interesting is that the artifact bears markings from the discord, the time in Protoss history when the Dark Templar were persecuted and rounded up for banishment. One of the markings shows a Dark Templar having his nerve tendrils cut off via a psionic blade, which, as we learned in the Frontline short story “Do No Harm,” is actually quite painful. Another marking shows Protoss chasing down another Protoss that appears to be casting a Psionic Storm, though the Protoss being chased does not look like a Dark Templar due to his nerve tendrils. Another curiosity is that the markings found on the crystal appear to be a type of writing, the same kind of writing as seen on a true Xel’Naga artifact in the “Voice in the Darkness” short story. What’s strange about Lassathar’s artifact as a whole is that he refers to it as a Xel’Naga artifact, and the artifact has what appears to be Xel’Naga writing, not Protoss. Yet the carvings on the artifact show a piece of Protoss history for which the Xel’Naga were not there to witness. Perhaps it would have been more apt to have called it a Protoss artifact rather than a Xel’Naga artifact? Or maybe the Protoss’ written language is similar to the Xel’Naga’s?

Story: 9/10
Art: 8/10

Voice in the Darkness

Synopsis:

Dr. Morrigan and other research scientists discover a Xel’Naga artifact at Moebius Foundation research site KL-2. Morrigan, being a closeted psychic, claims that the artifact spoke to her and told her a great many things; the artifact is the lock, and she is the key. Her meager spark reached out across worlds, and unleashed the contents of the artifact. Whatever is released, the "voice in the darkness" possesses them. There were about 50 people at the site, but only 25 bodies were found.

A team of Dark Templar led by Azimar travels there, sensing from half a sector away that the void itself was defiled. Azimar is accompanied by two other named characters, Jarzul and Ty'lak. Jarzul scouts, only to be spotted, despite cloaking, by the scientist Hassan, who kills him. Azimar and Ty'lak attack Hassan. They cut off his hand but Hassan injures Ty'lak's eye and "pukes" on him. When they defeat Hassan, the Voice says through Hassan that it "wears many guises".

Azimar warns the Dark Templar that only their mental training lets them resist the Voice, and that they should try not to lose themselves to the Voice by holding on to their identity. The Dark Templar attack the central facility. After killing everyone but Morrigan, the Voice communicates with Ty'lak, telling him he would give him power and "make him whole" if he would give his soul. It tells him the Xel'Naga are false gods, and wouldn't kill anything, not even the Voice, instead locking it up. The Voice-possessed Ty'lak starts kicking ass while the possessed Morrigan boasts. However, Ty'lak frees himself from possession, kills Morrigan and sacrifices himself, using an Argus crystal to "re-seal" the Voice. The explosion kills him and presumably the Voice.

As Azimar leaves, though, the Voice talks to him. In short, the Voice is Cthulhu. It is a part of the Void. It cannot maintain itself in a Terran for a long period of time, so it considers the Protoss to be superior "food". Also, by possessing living beings, it increases its own power, enabling it to break free from its prison. It considers itself the one true god.

Review:

“Voice in the Darkness” is a fun but macabre story. The Voice, a Lovecraft-inspired creation, is a malign cosmic entity that makes his possessed puppets bleed darkness out of their eyes, and has a penchant for evil. It is fun to see a brave group of Templar contend with this monstrous and horrific creature. At first glance, “Voice in the Darkness” seems to be a self-contained fringe story, until we discover that the seeming god of the void wasn’t destroyed after all. What part will this Void god play in StarCraft II and upcoming StarCraft media, especially considering that this is the last of the Frontline volumes?

We learned from this story that the Xel’Naga do not destroy anything, but imprison it instead, suggesting that they are wholly benevolent. The Voice seems to have a hatred of the Xel’Naga. Duran himself said that he knows hatred very well. It’s tempting to think that Duran was possessed by this voice, but that’s highly unlikely, since these stories take place after the Brood War, and the voice was only recently unlocked. It is possible however that Duran is a human that was possessed by a similar cosmic entity, or perhaps whoever Duran serves attained from the Voice the knowledge of how to hide in the void and control others.

Story: 7/10
Art: 8/10

Orientation

Synopsis:

Continuing from where the previous story left off, Corbin Phash is sent to Umojan Orbital platform UE3255 to seek protection within the Umojan Protectorate due to his political value. When he arrives is assured that he will be safe there, and his wing has been sealed off from visitors. Corbin also notices that the Umojan Protectorate has recently been forced to ship food to their colonists in pressurized crates due to Mengsk’s high tariff increases.

A Dominion Ghost is snuck onboard the orbital platform that Phash is staying in, and kills the two guards protecting Phash’s wing. While discussing efficient ways to get holo-vids broadcast in the Dominion, Phash’s room goes black. A tech appears on Phash’s screen as well and tells him that a Ghost is onboard and that he needs to run. Phash remembers the mental tricks he used on Colin to hide his thoughts from him in his childhood, and attempts to use them with the Ghost, who normally knows what someone will do before they do it.

First Corbin turns on the fire-protocols, drenching his entire wing in water. Then as the Ghost came closer he ran an electric current through the water-drenched floor, which injured the Ghost. Finally making it to the cargo bay, Phash hid himself in a pressurized crate, but tricked the Ghost into shooting the SCV, which then drilled a hole in the wall and jettisoned the contents of the cargo bay into space. The Ghost died but Corbin’s body was detected and found in a pressurized crate. Later on, Corbin is angered at the fact the Protectorate cannot strike back at the Dominion after this attack, and that his son, now in the Ghost Academy, could be sent on similar assassination missions.

Meanwhile, Colin is being introduced into the Ghost academy by Superintendent Angelini and Director Bick personally, where they attempt to indoctrinate him with ideas of Ghosts being superheroes that save Dominion lives and keep the peace. Colin is a special student even for the Ghost Academy, and is put through a series of tests. The first test for telepathy had five Marines point their guns at Colin, at which point he had to pick out the one with the loaded gun if he wanted to not get shot. He succeeded. The next test involved putting him into a chamber filled with Zerg, where he demonstrated the use of his “quiet voice,” which forces the Zerg to lose interest in him as he shifts his mental energy. In the next test, where his quiet voice ability was negated, he demonstrated the astral projection ability, which is the ability to relocate his mind. Colin’s memory was then wiped. His story will continue in StarCraft: Ghost Academy.

Review:

In “Orientation,” Benjamin and Shramek have improved upon the quality of the writing as compared to the prequels: “Weapon of War” and “War-Torn”. It’s good to see more of the Umojan Protectorate’s story fleshed out, especially that concerning their politics with the Dominion. However, it would have been nice to see the characters in this story drawn a little more distinctly. For example, superintendent Angelini and the man Corbin was initially talking to look virtually the same.

“Orientation” gives us a detailed look into the Ghost Academy. The Ghost Academy is on Ursa, which was first said in StarCraft: Ghost to be a planet, but is now a moon orbiting Korhal. The Academy has always been a building that was in public view, both on Tarsonis and on Ursa, yet that didn’t seem to impede the Zerg research and cruel and unusual training from going on in that building. All newborns must be submitted for a psionic aptitude test; the Academy is also presented as a benevolent institution that helps psychics control their power from birth. Yet Ghosts are feared throughout the sector for their abilities; Dr. Eddie Rainsinger for example didn’t even believe in telepathy. Hopefully the upcoming StarCraft manga “StarCraft: Ghost Academy” will delve further into these topics.

Story: 8/10
Art: 6/10

Conclusion

This volume marks the last of the Frontline series. The Frontline volumes have improved with every iteration, and Metzen's own contribution to this volume is well met. The manga had a great run, and delivered some quality stories for StarCraft fans. However, the fun doesn't stop here: be on the lookout for the next StarCraft manga, Ghost Academy, by Keith R. A. DeCandido.

StarCraft: Legacy Frontline Reviews:
Volume 1 - Volume 2 - Volume 3

StarCraft: Legacy Reviews StarCraft: Frontline Volume 3

StarCraft: Legacy - Editorials - Reviews

Written by Gradius Saturday, 18 July 2009 18:09

WARNING: The following review contains major spoilers for the manga in question.

War-Torn

Synopsis:

On a UNN news broadcast, Kate Lockwell reports on the Zerg attack on Maltair IV, discussing the story of Senator Corbin Phash and his son Colin, who’s psionic potential was hidden from the Dominion. The Dominion attempted to turn public opinion against the Senator, but public support for the Senator continues to grow. Kate Lockwell is joined by Greggor Altman, a representative of the Dominion, who reminds UNN’s viewers that the boy’s psionic abilities are a danger to himself and others if left unhindered, and that everyone should report his whereabouts to the Terran Dominion. Meanwhile, Senator Corbin Phash speaks to Minister Jorgensen, leader of Umoja, in order to seek out asylum within the Umojan Procetorate. Colin is hiding on a backwater moon called Gohbus with Mr. Ballenger, his protector. A terraforming tragedy on Gohbus forced the colonists to take refuge on their moon’s military outpost, living in squalor and filth. Gohbus’s crust is barely holding together, and the Gohbus moon will be hurled out of orbit once the planet explodes.

Randall , a Dominion Wrangler, tracks Colin and Ballenger to the moon and is forced to use lobotomized Zerglings to sniff out Colin. The Zerglings have a collar on them that will explode at the touch of a button, and the Zerg that are loosed on the Moon’s civilians is made to look like a random Zerg incursion so that the Dominion can’t be implicated. The Wrangler tracks Colin and Ballenger to the neighborhood they are hiding in. Colin forces his thoughts deep down in order to avoid detection by the Zerg, but the Wrangler attacks him with a Psi Screen, an expensive piece of equipment used to pacify psychics. Ballenger takes Randall down and attempts to escape with Colin before they are ambushed by Zerg. Ballenger gets killed protecting Colin, but a Reaper squad flies in and saves him. Meanwhile, Randall wakes up and sees that a Zergling is coming for him. He attempts to blow up the Zergling’s collar, but it doesn’t work. Colin is captured and taken to the Ghost Academy, with the UNN acting as if disaster has been averted and the boy was saved. And deep within the recesses of the Umojan Protectorate, Senator Corbin Phash vows that he will expose the Ghost Academy for what it really is – something that Minister Jorgensen claims he can help him with.

Review:

“War-Torn” continues where “Weapon of War” left off in Frontline Volume 1, and the writing/art has much improved in the process. At first, it was strange seeing Kate Lockwell, a character from another Frontline story “Newsworthy”, depicted differently by the artist. Lockwell appears different in the Wings of Liberty single player demo as well, so now we shall have three different renditions of Kate. The artist of this story should find better ways to distinguish his characters: Kate Lockwell looks too similar to Macy from “Ghost Story,” and a random Marine named Smith looks too similar to Chuck Tyrosine from “Ghost Story” as well. The story also has a possible plothole. The studio holo-cast is dated June, 2500, which is during the events of the original StarCraft, but we see a Reaper squad in this story, and the new art style of Hydralisks in the previous story. Regardless, the story is engaging, and is an improvement over “Weapon of War”.

Story - 8/10
Art - 8/10

Do No Harm

Synopsis:

Templar Muadun, from Frontline Vol 1’s “Why We Fight,” has retired his rank as a Templar and has dedicated himself to nurturing the Alavash, a plant that grew on Aiur alongside the Protoss which enhances one’s connection to the Khala. Muadun’s friend, Azimar, attempts to dissuade him from this path, but in the end leaves Muadun to himself, who is later captured by a Protoss-human hybrid dubbed Gestalt Zero. Gestalt Zero is a Terran Ghost that is augmented by Khalai nerve appendages and whose mouth is stitched up. Muadun wakes up in the clutches of Dr. Burgess, a stereotypical madman scientist. Muadun is restrained, with his skull cracked open to expose his brain and a neural inhibitor implanted into his cerebrum.

Dr. Burgess cuts off Muadun’s nerve cords and implants them into Gestalt Zero, who, augmented with Templar-grade nerve cords, as opposed to Khalai caste nerve cords, performs at 187% combat effectiveness of a Ghost and above a level 7 Psi Index. Dr. Burgess claims that humanity’s victory in the psionic arms race is ensured, and he sends Gestalt Zero on missions in which he always returns victorious.

In the meantime, Dr. Burgess decides to test the Khala by sitting Muadun alongside another Protoss who has had its eye sliced out. Burgess tortures the Protoss such that Muadun can feel its pain as his own, and, unable to withstand such an atrocity, Muadun conjures up a Psionic Storm which destroys all the hardware in the room. Muadun breaks free of the metal restraints, but is pacified by Gestalt Zero. Later, back in his cell, Muadun realizes that the neural inhibitor cannot restrain his powers, and he calls up a Psionic Storm yet again, disabling the entire block. Gestalt Zero is sent to pacify the Protoss again. Muadun is killed, but not before he uses the Khala to implant his mind within Gestalt Zero. The Protoss, heeding Muadun’s psionic summons, warp in right above the base over where Burgess is conducting his experiments and, overrunning the human defenses, burn the entire base down. Gestalt Zero finds Dr. Burgess and kills him. Gestalt Zero’s mouth is unstitched, and he returns to the Protoss base as he grabs a leaf of the Alavash plant. Thus, Muadun’s place in Protoss legend has been assured.

Review:

Josh Elder, writer of “Why We Fight,” has no doubt produced the best stories in Frontline. This one however, was also the most shocking. The experiments done on the hapless Protoss was difficult to watch, but redemption was found when the Protoss returned for their comrades and burned the Terran base to the ground as the cruel Dr. Burgess was impaled on the end of a Psi Blade. A little quirk in the art is that though Protoss are supposed to be over 9 feet tall according to the original 1998 StarCraft box, at the end, Gestalt Zero is nearly one half the size of a Protoss when usually he is depicted as being slightly shorter than a Protoss in the rest of the manga. These are the kinds of things that a manga should clarify, not make more confusing. Nonetheless, this little quirk takes virtually nothing away from the story, and there are many scenes which look extremely stunning, such as Muadun’s last Psionic Storm, with his eyes glowing and nerve appendages flying back.

Story - 9/10
Art - 8/10

Last Call

Synopsis:

Starry Lace is a lounge singer at Sour Moon bar on the backwater mining post of Meteor Station. Ulrik, a Kel-Morian diplomat, stopped by the bar and got himself into a fist-fight with a mercenary. Starry saved Ulrik from getting pummeled further by getting on stage and singing. Afterwards, the two met up in Starry’s apartment where Ulrik mentioned Zerg sightings in nearby orbit, which elicited old memories from the singer. Starry was a singer in Tarsonis City when the Zerg attacked. As she was running away from the swarm, a Zerg Queen injected a parasite into her temple that does not show up on any full body scans.

After Ulrik left, Richard, a Dominion Colonel whom Starry has a relationship with, returned to Starry’s apartment and explained his troubles. Kel-Morians dug up a Xel’Naga artifact and he is supposed to retrieve it, which is becoming increasingly more difficult because he doesn’t know who he should talk to about it. Starry spends another night with Ulrik and asks him whether he is here for the Xel’Naga artifact, which he is. Starry then concocts a plan to have Richard and Ulrik meet so that they can resolve this issue. As Starry leads Richard to the meeting ground, the two start to question their relationship, but not before Ulrik arrives and they exchange the artifact. Unfortunately, the Zerg were interested in the artifact as well, killing both Richard and Ulrik. Starry wakes up later in a hospital, still under the thrall of the parasite which infested her on Tarsonis.

Review:

“Last Call” offers a good look into the Terran civilian’s life in the StarCraft universe, but apart from that the remainder of the story isn’t very appealing, lacking the typical action found in StarCraft: Frontline novels. The Zerg parasite that does not appear on scanners is quite interesting; any human could potentially be a spy for the Zerg swarm. Yet, it seemed unusual for anyone to be infected by the parasite during the Zerg invasion of Tarsonis. There doesn’t seem to be a good reason why the Zerg Overmind would have required human spies at that time. The purpose of the Zerg incursions into Terran worlds at that time was solely to gather genetic material. It was also somewhat odd seeing the new style of Zerg Queen appear in the flashback to the StarCraft timeline. Strangely enough, the new Hydralisks in this story were more reminiscent of the Hydralisks from the original game than the new style seen in StarCraft II. It didn’t seem that there was any kind of focus on accuracy and continuity. Yet, “Last Call” still offered a good look at current diplomatic intrigue between the Dominion and Kel-Morian Combine.

Story - 6/10
Art - 7/10

Twilight Archon

Synopsis:

The story begins with Rihod and another Protoss on a Mothership observing a species on a planet as per the dictates of the Dae’Uhl. Rihod claims that the Protoss are the species’ students, just like he is the student of Lekila, a Protoss female with whom he trained in the Templar school in Velari. Lekila is still training and enjoys teaching her students, as well as learning from them.

Meanwhile, on Aiur, the Templar school in Velari comes under attack by Zerg. Lekila leads her students away as Rihod races back to Aiur to aid in its defense. Rihod decides not to risk the Mothership once he learns that Aiur is being evacuated and goes in a shuttle. Lekila and her students have to fight their way through many Zerg to reach safety. Lekila has her nerve tendrils cut and can no longer connect to the Khala or sense any of her people, thinking that they have all been slain. Rihod barely stops Lekila from killing herself with a psionic storm from grief, and they return to Shakuras. Lekila is attended to a Dark Templar healer named Tyrak, where she grieves over her loss of the Khala. She tells the healer not to touch the devices on the remainder of her appendages, as they are there to stop the energy bleed. Lekila and Rihod are later sent on a mission to recover the Kassia crystal from the lower temple at the Velari school, which only Lekila knows now how to navigate. The Kassia crystal was believed to be used by the Xel’Naga to benefit population growth on Aiur, and it can also be used for the opposite effect. The Protoss eventually find the Kassia crystal, but Void energies are needed to actually retrieve it, which Lekila is forced to use. In order to save the Protoss ship waiting for them to get the Kassia crystal back to their people, Rihod and Lekila merge into a Twilight Archon. The merging created a mushroom cloud explosion, and the energy was seen from high orbit, as if it was a massive hurricane.

Review:

An interesting thing of note in this story is that it reveals that the artwork showing the Protoss standing on floating dais on is actually the interior of a Protoss Mothership. We also see what are perhaps new, crescent-shaped, Protoss ships. In addition, the Xel’Naga temple on Shakuras was shown to have a strange four-legged device sitting atop its shield, vaguely resembling a Xel’Naga artifact. However, the story does have a possible plothole: as soon as the Velari school discovered that the Zerg were attacking Aiur, they were ordered to evacuate within an hour. An entire StarCraft campaign spanned from when Aiur was first attacked to when the Protoss were ordered to evacuate. The high contrast art style in this story looks great. The downside is that it makes things hard to distinguish on many panels. Each StarCraft: Frontline artist has a different style for drawing Protoss. The Protoss females in this novel had faces that seemed a bit too round, and the males had strange facial patterns with ornaments on their chin seemed out of place. However, the Protoss bodies were arguably the best so far! The Protoss looked amazing in their power-suits, especially when they turned on their shields.

Story - 7/10
Art - 8/10

Conclusion:

The Frontline series of StarCraft comics are improving – of that there is no doubt. However, there still needs to be more attention on continuity. Among other things, drawing the new style of Zerg units (i.e. Queen) in the time of the original StarCraft is unnecessary – it is basically a retcon that serves no purpose especially when we could assume that the Zerg evolved over the years. Nevertheless, Blizzard and Tokyopop have produced awesome comics for StarCraft fans. We eagerly await the next volume. Here is a preview of what’s in store:

Chris Metzen, Blizzard Entertainment’s Senior Vice President, Creative Development, brings you a never-before-seen story of Jim Raynor’s past that leads directly into the highly anticipated videogame StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty…

Colin Phash is inducted into the Ghost Academy while his father Corbin runs for his life from which Colin is to become…

A sneak peak at StarCraft II’s repaer unit in a tale of revenge that explodes across the StarCraft universe and invites the wrath of a protoss dark templar…

A brave team of protoss dark templar face down an ancient evil threatening to envelop the Koprulu sector in madness…

StarCraft: Legacy Reviews The Dark Templar Saga: Twilight

StarCraft: Legacy - Editorials - Reviews

Written by Drake Clawfang Monday, 06 July 2009 14:48

WARNING: The following review contains several spoilers for the novel in question.

StarCraft: Twilight is the final book in The Dark Templar Saga, and it is easily the most engrossing of the trilogy. As with the entire trilogy thus far, this book focuses on a mercenary named Rosemary Dahl as well as the archeologist Jacob Jefferson Ramsey and the Protoss preserver, Zamara, inside his brain. Twilight diverges from its predecessors in answering a significant number of questions that many StarCraft fans have pondered. What is not directly answered is at least implied. These answers include the fate of Adun, the truth about Samir Duran, and the ominous meaning of the “cycle” so often alluded to in the lore.

As Jake and Rosemary attempt to flee through the Warp Gate, the Protoss on Shakuras are forced to alter the gate’s destination to prevent another Zerg invasion (which occurred in the Brood War campaign). Rosemary ends up on Shakuras in the care of the Protoss, while Jacob is sent elsewhere. Ethan, Valerian, and Ulrezaj are all weakened, but the three commanders retreat to regroup their respective forces and begin the search for Jake. Valerian is forced to turn to Mengsk for help and accompanies the fleet himself, while Kerrigan and Ethan follow Ulrezaj's search.

On Shakuras, Rosemary must deal with Protoss politics and prejudice. Kerrigan was the only other Terran female the Protoss have known personally, and thus Terran women are held in low regard. Rosemary must stand her ground negotiating with Selendis and Artanis, as well as an assembled Protoss council of tribal representatives, in order to convince them to help Jake. Vartanil, a young Furinax Protoss who is a survivor from Aiur, bonds with Rosemary during this time. He pledges himself to her and Jake’s service to avenge his servitude to Ulrezaj.

Although now on Shakuras, Zamara quickly comes up with a new plan; the pair take a shuttlecraft to a small world that Zamara tells Jacob is the private sanctuary of Prelate Zeratul. Compared to previous novels, the memories Zamara shares with Jake take up a small part of the novel, but they do reveal quite a bit. The memories are those of Zamara herself as a crewmember aboard the Gantrithor beginning from the destruction of Chau Sara and including Tassadar’s journey to Char. They find Zeratul, plagued by pity and doubt, who is a shadow of his former glory. He is especially distressed by the murder of Raszagal. Though it takes many failed conversations and a physical altercation, Jake and Zamara help Zeratul overcome these barriers; a large amount of information is imparted in the process.

Zeratul begins by revealing that many believe Adun did not die, but rather ascended to a higher plane of existence. He will reveal himself again when the Protoss are imperiled. Zeratul believed this ‘second coming’ was heralded by Tassadar destroying the Overmind, and says that the upcoming threat may cause Adun to save the Protoss again. He refers to Adun as the “anakh su’n”, the Twilight Deliverer.

In addition, Zamara reveals much about the Xel’Naga experiments. The Xel’Naga, though powerful, were still mortal beings; they needed a way to extend their lives using a method that Jake crudely compares to needing “host bodies”.  The Xel’Naga sought out to engineer two species: one with purity of essence; one with purity of form. Throughout the natural course of their growth, the two species would come together and merge. The Xel’Naga would be reborn in this perfect combination. They did this successfully for eons, and this time the Protoss and Zerg were chosen. However, the Zerg became aware of the Xel'Naga and destroyed their fleet; this distorted the cycle of rebirth, and Samir Duran capitalized on this disruption. The Protoss/Zerg Hybrid Duran has engineered is not the intended result the Xel’Naga would have been reborn as, rather a twisted perversion of this, which would unleash horror upon the galaxy while preventing the Xel’Naga from returning.

With these revelations, the trio go to “Ehlna”, a place where the Dark Templar use augmented Khaydarin Crystals as mystical data banks to store memories. It is here that Jake and Rosemary are reunited, and Zamara is extracted from Jake’s mind into a Khaydarin Crystal. However, during the separation, Ulrezaj, Ethan, and Valerian arrive and attack; though Ethan temporarily sides with the Protoss to keep Jake safe while the ritual completes. Eventually, Zamara uses the energies around them to draw Ulrezaj into the Crystal with her, Ethan is killed, and the Dominion triumphs. Using Devon Starke, a Ghost, as a decoy, Valerian manages to conceal Jake from Mengsk. He finally realizes his vision of sharing a glass of alcohol with Jake while listening to his stories.