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Dreadstar #1
Dreadstar, Vol. 1: The Metamorphosis Odyssey
Slave Labor reprints for the first time the original classic episodes of Metamorphosis Odyssey comic book series from Epic Illustrated. These gorgeous, painted pages, reproduced in black & white, originally appeared in Epic from 1979 to 1982, and introduced audiences to Vance Dreadstar and the other characters whose saga continued in the Dreadstar graphic novel and Epic series in the early eighties. This trade paperback edition will contain additional sketches and other tidbits for fans, plus a new introduction by Jim Starlin.
120 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2000
1 person is currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Jim Starlin
1,338 books444 followersJames P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters Thanos and Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. Death and suicide are recurring themes in Starlin's work: Personifications of Death appeared in his Captain Marvel series and in a fill-in story for Ghost Rider; Warlock commits suicide by killing his future self; and suicide is a theme in a story he plotted and drew for The Rampaging Hulk magazine.
In the mid-1970s, Starlin contributed a cache of stories to the independently published science-fiction anthology Star Reach. Here he developed his ideas of God, death, and infinity, free of the restrictions of mainstream comics publishers' self-censorship arm, the Comics Code Authority. Starlin also drew "The Secret of Skull River", inked by frequent collaborator Al Milgrom, for Savage Tales #5 (July 1974).
When Marvel Comics wished to use the name of Captain Marvel for a new, different character,[citation needed] Starlin was given the rare opportunity to produce a one-shot story in which to kill off a main character. The Death of Captain Marvel became the first graphic novel published by the company itself. (
In the late 1980s, Starlin began working more for DC Comics, writing a number of Batman stories, including the four-issue miniseries Batman: The Cult (Aug.-Nov. 1988), and the storyline "Batman: A Death in the Family", in Batman #426-429 (Dec. 1988 – Jan. 1989), in which Jason Todd, the second of Batman's Robin sidekicks, was killed. The death was decided by fans, as DC Comics set up a hotline for readers to vote on as to whether or not Jason Todd should survive a potentially fatal situation. For DC he created Hardcore Station.
In the mid-1970s, Starlin contributed a cache of stories to the independently published science-fiction anthology Star Reach. Here he developed his ideas of God, death, and infinity, free of the restrictions of mainstream comics publishers' self-censorship arm, the Comics Code Authority. Starlin also drew "The Secret of Skull River", inked by frequent collaborator Al Milgrom, for Savage Tales #5 (July 1974).
When Marvel Comics wished to use the name of Captain Marvel for a new, different character,[citation needed] Starlin was given the rare opportunity to produce a one-shot story in which to kill off a main character. The Death of Captain Marvel became the first graphic novel published by the company itself. (
In the late 1980s, Starlin began working more for DC Comics, writing a number of Batman stories, including the four-issue miniseries Batman: The Cult (Aug.-Nov. 1988), and the storyline "Batman: A Death in the Family", in Batman #426-429 (Dec. 1988 – Jan. 1989), in which Jason Todd, the second of Batman's Robin sidekicks, was killed. The death was decided by fans, as DC Comics set up a hotline for readers to vote on as to whether or not Jason Todd should survive a potentially fatal situation. For DC he created Hardcore Station.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 21, 2023
The Metamorphosis Odyssey ran through the early issues of Marvel’s answer to Heavy Metal. Epic Illustrated was a wonderful series. Lots of diverse talent, diverse stories, more mature in content than regular Marvel titles were. It was the perfect place to launch the epic of Vanth Dreadstar. The series that saw his birth wasn’t necessarily about him though, The Metamorphosis Odyssey was really about endings. And then about the start of Vanth. But primarily about endings. Here we witness Jim Starlin letting loose on all the cosmic shenanigans that he’d kept bottled up inside while working on characters like Captain Marvel and Warlock. Gorgeous and amazing stuff.
January 26, 2016
Probably the greatest story and character from this awesome comic writer and artist. Incredible story and characters. Exceptional plot. Highly recommended
June 29, 2018
If you have any kind of soft spot for the cosmic sci-fi of the late 1970s or early 1980s, then this is definitely for you. I was a comics reader in the mid-80s and knew of the title "Dreadstar" on Marvel's EPIC line (a sort-of forerunner to DC's Vertigo line, when comics were finally starting to break free of the whole all-superheroes all-the-time thing), but I never read it because it was too far into the story for me to pick up. DREADSTAR actually started as a serialized story in Marvel's magazine (not a comic, but a magazine with comics in it), EPIC ILLUSTRATED.
OK. I knew that DREADSTAR was the story of a warrior named Vanth Dreadstar who was the sole survivor of the entire Milky Way Galaxy, having adventures in another galaxy. This story, of whose existence I was unaware until I saw this collection at Buffalo Comic Con, is just what Vanth Dreadstar survived: the mission of an Orsiron named Aknaton who had to destroy the Milky Way before it could be completely overrun by the evil Zygoteans, who were relentless and invincible. The story is convoluted, not very scientific, and full of Big Space Opera moments with epic sacrifices and enormous battles and entire planets being laid waste and all that sort of thing. It's the sort of tale where the greatest warrior wields a sword in the face of super starship-flying, laser-wielding aliens. It's precisely the kind of big grand space epic that has always drawn me to this genre.
If that kind of thing appeals to you, track this thing down. It appeals to me, and I'm glad I did.
OK. I knew that DREADSTAR was the story of a warrior named Vanth Dreadstar who was the sole survivor of the entire Milky Way Galaxy, having adventures in another galaxy. This story, of whose existence I was unaware until I saw this collection at Buffalo Comic Con, is just what Vanth Dreadstar survived: the mission of an Orsiron named Aknaton who had to destroy the Milky Way before it could be completely overrun by the evil Zygoteans, who were relentless and invincible. The story is convoluted, not very scientific, and full of Big Space Opera moments with epic sacrifices and enormous battles and entire planets being laid waste and all that sort of thing. It's the sort of tale where the greatest warrior wields a sword in the face of super starship-flying, laser-wielding aliens. It's precisely the kind of big grand space epic that has always drawn me to this genre.
If that kind of thing appeals to you, track this thing down. It appeals to me, and I'm glad I did.
March 8, 2015
Recently reread this & 3 follow up collections & reassessing my ratings. Much more solid storytelling than visible at first blush & serious space opera / supers work here. Holds up very well for its 30+ years on the shelves.
January 30, 2022
Just beautiful
October 9, 2015
It's a book illustrated and written by Jim Starlin; if that name means anything to you, you probably already know what to expect, and whether the book is for you. Starlin made his reputation doing cosmic space opera stories for Marvel, and is particularly well known for his take on "the mad Titan" Thanos. While not set in the Marvel Universe, this is most definitely a story in the cosmic space opera vein. There's a galaxy-spanning threat in the form of the Zygoteans, alien baddies bent on destroying all who oppose them and enslaving the rest for... well, no particular reason, really. Against them stands Aknaton, last of the Orsirosans, who has forged the Infinity Horn to counter their menace. Most of the volume is spent retrieving the Horn and gathering his team: Za, the only empathic being from a race of savage cannibals; 15 year old Earth girl Julie; topless butterfly woman Wh'sper; and their protector, badass spaceman Vanth. Out of the set, I'd say only the males get the lion's share of the development, and Za really only in his introduction. Aknaton and Vanth, burdened with the power and choices of leadership, are the real spotlights here, and even they are largely vessels to pursue a bigger question: do you have the moral right to contemplate the end of everything, if there's a chance of making something new?
It's a story with the themes right pretty broadly, in other words. Whether that appeals depends on one's tastes. I'm in favor of it, in small doses at least. The art is absolutely beautiful throughout; I'm not sure if it was painted, but it looks like it. I really can't overstate how attractive this book is. The downside is that the overall feel is less kinetic than it could be. The action scenes are fine, but the rest have a definite feel that the characters are posing rather than communicating. The pacing is a little odd, in that the opening drags a bit but the ending seems really fast, though a repeat reading helps with appreciating the beginning. All in all, it's a good read, and a classic for Starlin fans.
It's a story with the themes right pretty broadly, in other words. Whether that appeals depends on one's tastes. I'm in favor of it, in small doses at least. The art is absolutely beautiful throughout; I'm not sure if it was painted, but it looks like it. I really can't overstate how attractive this book is. The downside is that the overall feel is less kinetic than it could be. The action scenes are fine, but the rest have a definite feel that the characters are posing rather than communicating. The pacing is a little odd, in that the opening drags a bit but the ending seems really fast, though a repeat reading helps with appreciating the beginning. All in all, it's a good read, and a classic for Starlin fans.
January 21, 2013
This is the first chapter of the Dreadstar - Metamophosis Odyssey, it was originnaly serialized within the pages of Marvel's EPIC Magazine.
The Earth is destroyed, the Milky Way Galaxy soon follows, one man survives Vanth Dreadstar.
I re-read this as a ways to re-acclimate myself with the story as I have recently ordered the hardcover re-printing of Dreadstar: The Beginning.
The Earth is destroyed, the Milky Way Galaxy soon follows, one man survives Vanth Dreadstar.
I re-read this as a ways to re-acclimate myself with the story as I have recently ordered the hardcover re-printing of Dreadstar: The Beginning.
March 3, 2016
Dreadstar was one of the first characters I remember coming across when I first started reading "adult" comics back in the early '80's, so when I came across a full run of his titles I was excited - and where else to start than his first tale, which is a first time read for me.
I definitely liked it.
I definitely liked it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews