Review by Karl Verhoven

The Cyclops we’re dealing with here isn’t the accomplished leader of the X-Men who’s toured the galaxy several times over, but his sixteen year old counterpart dragged through time to his future in Yesterday’s X-Men. He’s been none too impressed at the future that appears to be mapped out for him, but a bright spot has been discovering, years sooner than otherwise would have been the case, that his father is still alive. When the opportunity came to join Christopher Summers, now Corsair, and his crew of space pirates, the younger Cyclops figured that as too good an opportunity to pass up. Starstruck follows up on the decision made in All Different.

A first thought on seeing the cover credits is that fine writer he may be, but Greg Rucka’s reputation isn’t founded on space opera. His strength is character based mystery, and there’s very little of that here. The occasional nice line (“Hey Scott, I’ll let you into a secret, everyone stinks at being sixteen”) doesn’t really elevate this above professional, but inconsequential. There’s a misunderstanding, a fair bit of the “gosh, wow” about space, and some bonding that never entirely convinces. Neither does the conclusion.

Of the two pencil artists it’s Carmen Carnero that deposits the greater impression, with the more dynamic page compositions and action scenes that convince. Russell Dauterman isn’t as convincing with his action, and doesn’t give his cast room to breathe within his cramped panels. They’re further not the easiest to follow when reading the story.

With so many X-Men related titles competing for your money, you’d have to be a real completist to pick this up. On the other hand, there is a really rather good graphic novel also titled Starstruck. If you are determined to follow Cyclops’ adventures in space, they continue in the marginally better It’s a Pirate’s Life For Me.