StarCraft, out of all the Blizzard franchises, has the longest and most involved backstory. The cross-cutting battles between Earth, the Protoss, and the Zerg feature a cast of billions, but most focus on the story of Jim Raynor and his attempts to save the Kerrigan/Queen of Blades from her dark fate, while trying to atone for his part in bringing Arcturus Mengsk to power. One problem I've always had with the series' fiction is that while much of it is well-written (Jeff Grubb's work is a particular favorite), there's not really anyone to root for. The Zerg are monsters. The Protoss are snobs. The human society was overtly militaristic and fascist even before Mengsk took power, and Raynor's a failure for backing him, does it matter if they survive? Is a humanity willing to trade one crazy monster for the other really a humanity worth saving? At least, that's always been my feeling about it.

The short-lived StarCraft comic book series took its gaze away from the main players for the most part (though Mengsk and Raynor play minor roles) to focus on the War Pigs, a rag tag group of mercenaries, and in the process, gives the reader someone to root for. The War Pigs aren't saints, but you want them to succeed, or at least survive.

StarCraft Vol. 1 collects seven issues of what was originally planned to be an ongoing series. In 2009, Blizzard Entertainment made the decision to cancel it and the two World of WarCraft comic series in favor of standalone graphic novels, none of which have as of yet materialized (there was a recent World of WarCraft miniseries, by a different creative team than the ongoings). Unlike the previous manga anthology StarCraft: Frontline, this series focuses on a single cast of characters, the aforementioned pigs. As Blizzard SVP of Creative Development Chris Metzen puts it, to avoid conflicting with the main narrative of the games, the decision was made to "broaden the scope of the IP" using a concept created by Blizzard Associate Licensing Manager Jason Bischoff and developed by Metzen, Micky Neilson, and others. 

 

The writer for the series was Simon Furman, no stranger to the StarCraft universe, having written stories for Frontline, but the scribe is best known for writing Transformers comics in some capacity for over 25 years (coincidentally, Metzen himself will be making his web comics debut by co-writing Transformers: Autocracy for IDW). The property features two aspects Furman does very well- a varied cast, and an epic space opera backdrop. It should be notied that OMAC and Legion of Super-Heroes artist Keith Giffen was originally credited as co-plotter in the initial series announcements and the first published issue, but is only given a "Special thanks" credit in the collection.

 

The War Pigs are a mercenary unit made up of various criminals drafted from prison by the politcian Tamsin Cauley. During the battle of Atticus Minor, the Pigs are sent to assassinate Arcturus Mengsk, an attempt which fails, in no small part thanks to Causley's decision to back Mengsk and the Dominion. Years later, Mengsk and Cauley reunite the War Pigs- Cole Hickson, Nurra Joss, Romy Pyrius, Turfa Dei, and Iggins- and promise them a chance to clear their records once and for all by eliminating the one prominent thorn in the Dominion's side- Jim Raynor. However, Cauley has his own plan, to use the War Pigs (and other things) as a dagger aimed a the heart of Arcturus Mengsky.

 

Furman structures the story somewhat like an episode of Lost, as each chapter opens with a small flashback detailing the history of each member of the team. It's a nice surprise when the point of view character in chapter 1- the team's original leader- is seemingly killed off, shifting the narrative to former soldier Cole as the team leader. Furman and Blizzard pull no punches with their depictions of their "heroes"- all of the War Pigs are deeply flawed human beings in some way, and some are outright monsters. Their only redeeming qualities are their loyalties to each other and their own compromised senses of justice. The most interesting of the characters turns out to be the most innocent- Joss was a security officer framed for the murder of the senator she was assigned to protect and wound up falling in love with. Dei is also a fun character, reminiscent slightly of Jayne Cobb from Firefly (fans of that property will likely get a good charge out of the War Pigs). Like the stronger parts of StarCraft tie-in fiction, the story focuses on the emotional and psychological toll the war takes on the regular people caught in its crossfire. The pigs may not be "regular", but Terran society has ground them down just the same.

 

The overarching plot contains some nice twists and is decently paced, though there are some very predictable elements, including a surprise third act connection between Raynor and one of the Pigs that feels somewhat forced and awfully convenient. The Zerg stay off panel for most of the story, and the Protoss are used sparingly until the climax. Overall, it's a effective adventure tale, that ends with a few loose ends that, as of this writing, have yet to be tied, though included art hints that future issues may have featured Nova, had the series continued.

 

Speaking of artwork, StarCraft Vol. 1 winds up having four credited artists over the seven issues/chapters. Federico Dallocchio (Siege: Captain America, Suicide Squad, Green Arrow) contributes the bulk of the artwork, and while Dallocchio is a fiercely talented artist, he's also a bit of an undisciplined one. Dallocchi relies heavily on photorealistic artwork and possibly uses models, and has trouble integrating his realistic faces and realistic poses in the middle of a space opera comic. There are some extremely dynamic sequences, but sometimes the characters blur together and some scenes don't flow correctly. Brian Denham (Nova, Thunderbolts, American Woman) contributes a few chapters, but his artwork is somewhat rushed and like Dallocchio, suffers from too much photo referencing.

 

The latter half of the book has Carlos D'Anda (Wildcats, Resident Evil, Batman: Arkham City) and Mike S. Miller (Immoral Two, DC Universe Online, Triumph), and while they may not be the flashiest of artists, they're more reliable with pacing than Dallocchio or Denham. D'Anda in particular I think gets the "Look" of the StarCraft world out of all the artists.

However, despite the talents of so many cooks, the broth can't help but feel a bit spoiled. As well written as it is, the inconsistency of the artwork may turn a lot of readers off. It's not so much that it's bad or good, it's that it looks pretty different from page to page. Sometimes the colors don't help either- colorist Milen Parvanov tends to drape the action in a red and pink haze that looks interesting but doesn't do much for clarity.

 

If the reader can put up with the artwork, however, StarCraft Vol. 1 features a story that can stand with the better levels of tie-in fiction to this long running, mega-popular property. Fans of Furman's work on Transformers will find quite a bit to like here too. Aside from a comic offered with the special edition of Wings of Liberty, The War Pigs have not been heard from since 2009. Here's hoping interest in this book may facilitate a return.

 

Story: Simon Furman

Story Consultants: Chris Metzen, Micky Neilson, Andy Chambers and James Waugh

Art: Federico Dallocchio, Brian Denham, Carlos D'Anda, and Mike S. Miller

Colors: Milen Parvanov, Carrie Strachan, and WildStorm FX

Letters: Saida Temofonte

Cover and Original Series Covers: Dallocchio with Parvanov and Jonny Rench

Variant Covers and Pinups: Dallocchio, D'Anda, Shawn Moll, Doug Mahnke and Sandra Hope

Publisher: WildStorm/DC Comics