Galaxy: The Prettiest Star

Last updated
Galaxy: The Prettiest Star
Galaxy The Prettiest Star cover.jpg
AuthorJadzia Axelrod
IllustratorJess Taylor
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Graphic novel
Publisher DC Comics
Publication date
May 17, 2022
Pages176
ISBN 978-1-7795-0875-1

Galaxy: The Prettiest Star is a graphic novel written by Jadzia Axelrod and illustrated by Jess Taylor. The novel was published by DC Comics on May 17, 2022. It tells the story of Galaxy, a teenage alien princess, who is forced to hide on Earth when her home planet is conquered. To hide herself from her enemies, Galaxy uses alien technology to present herself as a human boy.

Contents

Publication history

Galaxy: The Prettiest Star, created by writer Jadzia Axelrod and artist Jess Taylor, first appeared in a Special Edition #1 released on Free Comic Book Day 2022. [1] Days later, the graphic novel arrived in stores on May 17. As of April 2023, the book's initial run was announced as "nearly sold out" by Axlerod herself, with DC meeting demand with a second print run. [2]

The titular character, Galaxy, would become a supporting character for Axelrod's upcoming run on Hawkgirl. [3]

Background

Jadzia Axelrod first pitched several ideas to DC Comics when she was approached by the company through her agent. According to Axelrod, they were looking for "writers who are familiar with the DC stable of characters, but who have an unusual point of view", and one of the concepts she pitched was about the character that would later become Galaxy. [4]

DC Comics liked Axelrod's idea and had her work on a script with Sara Miller, their editor of young adult content. After the script was finalized, Miller showed it to Jess Taylor who "instantly fell in love" for it. [5]

Axelrod's idea for Galaxy came from her desire to tell a story in which the character was not "metaphorically queer or metaphorically trans", but openly queer and transgender. [5] Since she transitioned later in life, Axelrod had to research stories and narratives of trans teenagers. [4]

Reception

Publishers Weekly gave the novel a starred review, in which they call it a "vulnerable and thought-provoking graphic novel about gender identity". They also commented on Taylor's illustration, noting their use of "sharp lines and flowing, vivid colors" as matching the atmosphere of the story and its characters. The reviewer also praised Axelrod's writing when describing the experience of being transgender. [6] Kirkus Reviews also praised the art, saying it "features expressive figures highlighted against abstract backgrounds" and ended by calling Galaxy a "fantastical allegory that lends itself well to the graphic novel medium". [7]

Writing for The Booklist , Peter Blenski says that, although the novel initially "follows a classic YA format", Galaxy's allegory "serves as a fresh and thoughtful spin on trans stories". Blenski noted the art added "some humor" to the novel, which helped during moments that deal with heavier themes, such as suicidal ideation. [8] In a review published on Comic Book Resources , Ben Bishop talked about how using the power to shapeshift is now a common trope for stories about transgender people, but praised Axelrod's take on it, saying that "Galaxy is a completely different trans allegory and one which is far more accurate to the trans experience than similar stories". [9]

Related Research Articles

A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term graphic novel is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics scholars and industry professionals. It is, at least in the United States, typically distinct from the term comic book, which is generally used for comics periodicals and trade paperbacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colleen Doran</span> American writer-artist and cartoonist

Colleen Doran is an American writer-artist and cartoonist. She illustrated hundreds of comics, graphic novels, books and magazines, including the autobiographical graphic novel of Marvel Comics editor and writer Stan Lee entitled Amazing Fantastic Incredible Stan Lee, which became a New York Times bestseller. She adapted and did the art for the short story "Troll Bridge" by Neil Gaiman, which also became a New York Times bestseller. Her books have received Eisner, Harvey, Bram Stoker, Locus, and International Horror Guild Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Ross</span> American comic book artist

Nelson Alexander Ross is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries Marvels, on which he collaborated with writer Kurt Busiek for Marvel Comics. He has since done a variety of projects for both Marvel and DC Comics, such as the 1996 miniseries Kingdom Come, which Ross co-wrote. Since then he has done covers and character designs for Busiek's series Astro City, and various projects for Dynamite Entertainment. His feature film work includes concept and narrative art for Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004), and DVD packaging art for the M. Night Shyamalan film Unbreakable (2000). He has done covers for TV Guide, promotional artwork for the Academy Awards, posters and packaging design for video games, and his renditions of superheroes have been merchandised as action figures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Chaykin</span> American comic book artist and writer

Howard Victor Chaykin is an American comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett and Al Parker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coagula</span> DC Comics first transgender superhero

Coagula is a character from DC Comics' Doom Patrol series, the first transgender superhero by the publisher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Calero</span> American artist and illustrator

Dennis Calero is an American comic book artist and illustrator, known for his work on titles such as X-Men Noir, Spider-Man Noir, X Factor, Legion of Superheroes, and Kolchak.

<i>The Worlds Greatest Super-Heroes</i> Book by Paul Dini

{{Infobox comic book title

|image = The World's Greatest Super-Heroes .png |format = 
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Taylor (writer)</span> Australian comic book author

Tom Taylor is an Australian comic book writer, playwright and screenwriter. A New York Times bestselling author, his work includes DC Comics series Injustice, DCeased, Nightwing, Superman, Suicide Squad and Marvel series All-New Wolverine, X-Men Red, Superior Iron Man and Star Wars comics.

Sophie Campbell is a comic writer and artist known for her indie comics such as Wet Moon and Shadoweyes, and for her art on the Jem and the Holograms comics, as well as IDW Publishing's ongoing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series. She primarily writes and draws characters who are adolescent or young adult women, including various races, body types, sexual orientations, and abilities. In 2019, she became the lead writer of IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, for which she designed the character Jennika.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earth One (DC graphic novel series)</span> DC Comics graphic novel imprint

Earth One (EO) is an imprint of graphic novels published by DC Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the DC Universe. Those characters include Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the Teen Titans, as well as others whose characteristics and origin stories are revised and altered to suit the 21st century audience. The shared universe, unlike the original DC Universe in comic books, has yet to cross over its common plot elements, settings, and characters. The reality of Earth One is designated as Earth-1 as part of the DC Multiverse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erica Schultz</span> American comic book writer, letterer, and editor

Erica Schultz is an American comic book writer, letterer, and editor. She is best known for writing the 2018 Daredevil Annual for comic book publisher Marvel, her urban fantasy series Forgotten Home with ComiXology Originals, participation in DC Comics' first Writers Workshop, and her creator-owned crime series, M3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicole Maines</span> American actress and transgender rights activist

Nicole Amber Maines is an American actress, writer, and transgender rights activist. Prior to her acting career, she was the anonymous plaintiff in the Maine Supreme Judicial Court case Doe v. Regional School Unit 26, in which she argued her school district could not deny her access to the female bathroom for being transgender. The court ruled in 2014 that barring transgender students from the school bathroom consistent with their gender identity is unlawful, the first such ruling by a state court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nia Nal</span> Fictional superhero from the TV series Supergirl

Nia Nal, also known by her code name Dreamer, is a fictional superheroine from the Arrowverse television series Supergirl, portrayed by Nicole Maines. The character is based on, and depicted as an ancestor of, the DC Comics character Nura Nal / Dream Girl. She debuts in the fourth season of the series. Nia Nal is the first transgender superhero on television. Maines reprised the role in the ninth and final season of The Flash.

DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults, formerly known as DC Ink, is an imprint of American comic book publisher DC Comics consisting of original one-shots, graphic novels and reprints of books previously published under other imprints. The imprint intends to present traditional DC Universe characters for young adult readers. The first title of the DC Ink imprint, Mera: Tidebreaker, was published on February 2, 2019 and Batman: Nightwalker was the last title to be published under DC Ink. Wonder Woman: Warbringer, the first title of DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults, was published on January 10, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Maggs</span> Canadian-American writer

Sam Maggs is a Canadian-American author of books, comics and video games, and is known especially for her work on The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy and Marvel Action: Captain Marvel.

<i>DC Pride</i> (comics)

DC Pride is an annual LGBTQIA+ themed comic book anthology first published by DC Comics in June 2021. The second anthology was published in June 2022. The third anthology is scheduled for release in May 2023.

<i>Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms</i> 2021 graphic novel by Crystal Frasier

Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms, sometimes stylized as Cheer Up!, is a young adult graphic novel written by Crystal Frasier, with art by Val Wise and lettering by Oscar Jupiter. Published on August 10, 2021, by Oni Press, it tells the story of two queer high school girls, Beatrice – who is transgender – and Annie, as they try and become cheerleaders.

Heartstopper is an ongoing LGBTQ+ young adult graphic novel and webcomic series written and illustrated by British author Alice Oseman. It follows the lives of Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring as they meet and fall in love. The series is an expanded adaptation of Oseman's 2015 novella, Nick and Charlie, although the characters originally appeared in their 2014 novel, Solitaire.

Gwen Stacy (<i>Spider-Verse</i>) Fictional character

Gwen Stacy, also known by her alias Spider-Woman, is a fictional character appearing in the Spider-Verse film franchise. She has her origins rooted in the original Gwen Stacy (Earth-616) comic book character, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Later, Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez created an alternate universe version of Gwen Stacy (Earth-65), who undertakes the Spider-Woman superhero moniker and is colloquially known as Spider-Gwen.

References

  1. "FCBD 2022 GALAXY THE PRETTIEST STAR SPEC ED #1". Previews World. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  2. @@planetx (April 5, 2023). "I have been informed that Galaxy: The Prettiest Star has nearly SOLD OUT of its initial print run, and DC is doing a SECOND PRINTING!!!" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  3. @@planetx (March 10, 2023). "Galaxy is absolutely a supporting character in HAWKGIRL" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  4. 1 2 Kaplan, Avery (June 2, 2022). "Interview: Trans Celebration with Jadzia Axelrod & Jess Taylor on Galaxy: The Prettiest Star". The Beat. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Gullickson, Lisa (April 5, 2022). "YA Free Period: Jadzia Axelrod and Jess Taylor talk Galaxy: The Prettiest Star". Comics Bookcase. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  6. "Children's Book Review: Galaxy: The Prettiest Star by Jadzia Axelrod". Publishers Weekly . May 17, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  7. "Galaxy". Kirkus Reviews . Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  8. Blenski, Peter (June 2022). "Galaxy: The Prettiest Star". The Booklist . 118 (19–20): 56.
  9. Bishop, Ben (May 20, 2022). "DC's Galaxy: The Prettiest Star Is a Beautiful, Smart Allegory for Being Trans". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved June 17, 2022.