Description

Starcraft: Soldiers                          Comics Lot 
Writers: Jody Houser & Andrew R. Robinson
Artist: Miguel Sepulveda
Colorist: Maria Santaolalla
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Editors: Philip Simon & Megan Walker
Covers #1,2,3,4 by: Miguel Sepulveda & Michael Atiyeh

StarCraft is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series, set in the beginning of the 26th century, centers on a galactic struggle for dominance among four species the adaptable and mobile Terrans, the ever-evolving insectoid Zerg, the powerful and enigmatic Protoss, and the godlike Xel’Naga creator race in a distant part of the Milky Way galaxy known as the Koprulu Sector. The series debuted with the video game StarCraft in 1998. It has grown to include a number of other games as well as eight novelizations, two Amazing Stories articles, a board game, and other licensed merchandise such as collectible statues and toys. 

And now, Dark Horse Comics presents, “StarCraft: Soldiers”. Newly graduated Lieutenant Shivani Singh wants to defend the Dominion on the front lines, but it will take more than good grades and confidence to survive on the edge of Zerg space. The events take place 2-3 years after the defeat of Amon; long enough for a “a new generation of recruits to be raised in the ideals of Valerian Mengsk and fully believe them.” Based on an original story by Blizzard Entertainment’s StarCraft game team and Andrew R. Robinson.

Story (Spoilers!)
In issue #1, In Augustgrad, Korhal, Second Lieutenant Shivani Singh graduated from Styrling Memorial Officers Academy, at the top of her class. Singh completes the ceremony, and is congratulated by her professor, Colonel Perkins. As the celebrations go on, Sigh was greeted by her old friend Ravi Dhawan, who wished her well and passed on his contact information to help her on his career, though she did not trust his motives. She later met with Perkins, who attempted to get her a career in an office posting on Korhal, but Singh insisted that she be sent to the frontlines where she could do some good. Perkins stated that he had one, very difficult job she could do: a posting on the planet Cavir in the demilitarized zone.

Singh is deployed to Camp Pitcairn, where she met Colonel Basch, who ran the camp. He was skeptical of her taking the posting, and stated that her grades in the academy didn’t matter, rather her actions did. She was brought up on her immunizations, and sent on patrol with her new squad: Sergent René Tiller, Corporal Park, Private Ikande, and Private Nantes. After introducing her to her squad, they track two feral hydralisks, before Nantes notices an illegal miner on the planet. The squad was hesitant to follow Singh’s orders, as before they had let the miners be, but Singh confronted him.

The miner, named John Rosenberg, was scouting for new plots, when Singh had him arrested for illegal operations on a planet in the demilitarized zone. However, as they brought him in the ground shook beneath them, and a lurker shot out, devouring Private Nantes. Sergent Tiller ordered the squad to engage, and were forced to face down a number of hydralisks.

Next in issue #2, On Cavir, Lieutenant Shivani Singh survived an ambush by a lurker and two hydralisk. The lurker bit off Private Sofia Nantes’s leg. The group managed to push back the Zerg, though the lurker shot a spine into Nantes. The squad seemingly blamed Singh for Nantes’s death, and Singh ordered the illegal miner John Rosenberg arrested and sent back to Camp Pitcairn.

Back at camp, Singh discussed the battle with Doctor Kazan, where she talked about the dangers the miners present. Kazan led her to a group of sick colonists who lived on the planet, where he delivered medication to Janine Ishii. She and her mother had been on Cavir for four years, and Singh scolded them for being here illegally, to which the mother scolded her for her lack of empathy. Singh was taken to Colonel Basch, who scolded her for a disastrous operation. She insisted the Zerg used tactics, but Basch dismissed it, and told her the operations on Cavir were necessary their camp keep it running. Later that night, Singh reported the operations on Cavir to Colonel Perkins, who orders her to take the miners out of Cavir.

Basch became enraged that Singh went around him, and ordered her to be in charge of the evacuation operation. Singh and her squad moved on a mining camp, and tried to explain to their leader, Randolph Kelso, that they needed to shut down and leave. However, the miners reacted with hostility, and began throwing objects at the marines. Before Singh could escalate the situation her marines Sergeant René Tiller convinced her to leave.

Back at camp, Singh became unpopular among the marines, but continued to scout the Zerg operations in the region, and moving what miners she can off planet. She talked to Colonel Perkins, and tried to requisition resources, but was unable to due to the political situation in the Dominion. She left for her patrol, but the armored personnel carrier she was preparing to enter exploded, knocking her back.

Next in issue #3, After the bombing of the APC of Lieutenant Shivani Singh, her and René Tiller were sent to Doctor Zed Kazan to recover. Colonel Basch recommended that she investigate, but keep the event quiet to garner respect from the camp. However, ten days later this was not the case, and her and Tiller slowly recovered back to combat duty. She later was contacted by Colonel Perkins, who at first wanted to reprimand Basch, but Singh assured her she had it under control. When she met with Basch, Singh accused him of the bombing, which the colonel denied, and cleared her back to duty.

Singh and her squad went out on patrol, and she apologized for them death of Sofia Nantes, insisting that she should have listened to them. While her squad was still angry, she insisted that she would earn their trust. Over the next few days, the squad managed to gain better cohesion, dealing with miners and preventing them from surveying Zerg territory. However, Basch’s investigation proves to not reveal anything, and Singh suspects he is blocking it. In order to do her job, she contacts Ravi Dhawan, and asks for mercenaries to aid her. He agrees in return for her owing him a favor.

Singh’s squad investigated Zerg sightings in the planet’s badlands, but when they found a cavern full of Zerglings, the swarm ignored them and instead ran past. Singh then noticed that Zerg sightings and attacks only spiked when the miners appeared, and was more major in the past few months, and that there was a hive in the badlands. Ikande reported her findings to Basch, and then he asked Park to see him. He confronted the private with the fact he had planted the bomb, which he said was revenge for the death of Nantes. Basch put him in the brig.

Singh meanwhile sighted Zerg headed for a group of miners. When she tried to warn them, they refused to move the Zerglings overran them. Singh tried to warn the camp of Randolph Kelso, but he thought it was a trick. Singh contacted Camp Pitcairn, and Basch successfully evacuated the miners to the camp’s defenses. However, the Zerg swarms ran against the Dominion defenses. As Basch coordinated the defense, he was killed by a flurry of Zerg spikes. The base was able to halt the Zerg, and just then Ravi and his mercenaries arrived to support them. Kelso and Singh exchanged words, Kelso insisting he and his miners would not leave, then the two realized that an even larger Zerg force was bearing down on them.

Finally in issue #4, A Zerg wave began to overrun the walls of Camp Pitcairn, and Lieutenant Shivani Singh moved to suit up in CMC Powered Combat Suit to lead the battle. Ravi Dhawan told her that in order to get the aid of his mercenaries, the Tiger’s Claw, she would need to be a “friend” to their illicit operations. She begrudgingly agreed, and prepared to evacuate the miners. However, their leader, Randolph Kelso, refused to evacuate, and wanted to stay to defend their home.

The marines utilized turrets and siege tanks to take down oncoming ultralisks while some miners were evacuated into a Tiger’s Claw ship. However, many refused to leave. The base took fire from brood lords which downed their banshees. As the fighting went on, Dhawan said he was going to leave with whatever miners he had, and Singh put a gun to his head, saying if he stayed and fought he’d have unlimited access to the planet, their base, and her troops sometimes. Meanwhile, an ultralisk tore a hole in their walls, and a pack of Zerglings killed Ikande.

Several of the civilian evacuation ships began to engage the brood lords, but they were shot down and destroyed. Meanwhile, Doctor Zed Kazan took care of the wounded. Singh noticed that the Zerg were changing tactics, and René Tiller noted that meant there had to be a queen leading the swarms. Singh spotted it, and ordered her men to fire on it.

Meanwhile in the back line, Kazan and John Rosenberg were helping the wounded, and when a lurker burst front he ground and impaled Kazan. Another flew from the ground and devoured Rosenberg. The perimeter was falling as Zerg devoured the base, and Zerglings overwhelmed and killed Tiller. Tiger’s Claw ships soon spotted the queen and bombarded it with missiles. Without its control, the Zerg fell back. However, the camp was utterly destroyed, filled with Zerg and terran corpses.

Days later, Singh, now a captain in command of the base, talked to Kelso regarding rebuilding the base as they reconstructed their mining settlement. She then talked to Park, and discussed his attempt to kill her. Rather than punish him, she had him be a contact between her base and Dhawan while he illegally operated out of their base. She then contacted Colonel Perkins and promised him that though there was conflict, Emperor Valerian Mensgk’s treaty with the Zerg Swarm was not violated. She told him he’d rather not know the details on the miners, and he told her to stay in touch.

Eight years later, Singh, now colonel of Camp Pitcairn, welcomed a new recruit to the camp, Lieutenant Toussaint. Much like Singh when she first arrived, Toussaint was bright eyed and hoping to do some good, and Singh lectured her on the brutality of Cavir the same way Colonel Basch did to her those many years ago.

Comics lot contains: StarCraft: Soldiers (2019) Issues #1,2,3,4.  Dark Horse Comics

Comics are bagged & boarded and will be carefully / securely packaged then shipped via USPS Priority Mail to ensure that it arrives to you perfectly and quickly. 

All First Printings 
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics 
Publication Date: 2019 
Format per comic: FC, 32 pages, Comic, 10.25″ x 6.65″ 
UPC: 761568004090

Collectible Entertainment note: Comics #1,2,3,4, are in Very Fine to Very Fine + condition.  Beautiful Set!  Please See Scans!!  A must have for any serious StarCraft enthusiast and/or collector.  A fun & entertaining read.  Highly Recommended. 

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