BLACK STAR #1 / Script by KRISTIN KREUK, PETER MOONEY & ERIC PUTZER / Art by JOE BOCARDO / Color by VALENTINA BIANCONI / Letters by DAVE LENTZ / Covers by MARTIN SIMMONDS, JOE BOCARDO, ROBERT HACK & ALISON SAMPSON / Published by TITAN COMICS

The frontier of 19th century Canada was as violent as the American Wild West. The wars for territory and furs were as furious as the more famous California Gold Rush. It is in the midst of this age of conflict that doctor Dashiel Carlyle discovers a world beyond imagining.

A man of science, Dr. Carlyle has never believed in myths or legends. He certainly didn’t believe in magic. And yet, he has no other explanation for how he somehow healed a wounded man in a firefight with a touch.

Despite his protests to the contrary, Dr. Carlyle is a magician. And he is not alone.

In short order, Dr. Carlyle is adopted into a secret order of mages. One that seeks to use their powers to build a better world. However, that utopia may come at a horrific cost…

Black Star is not the first comic written by a team including a prominent actor. It is, however, one of the few I’ve read that is honestly worth reading. Usually this sort of thing will feature a character that is clearly meant to be a proxy for the actor in question. The writing will also be amateurish and likely be the result of a rejected screenplay hastily adapted into a graphic novel. Yet there is no raven-haired beauty resembling Kristin Kreuk in this first issue. And the story, while drawing on the usual tropes of a magical hero’s awakening, is made notable by its unique setting drawing upon Canadian history.

The artwork is equally engaging, though I do find myself wondering if Dr. Carlyle’s resemblance to John Constantine was intentional. Certainly the moody, shadow-haunted artwork of Joe Bacardo invites comparison to some of the better runs of Hellblazer in terms of atmosphere and vivid detail. That detailing is well-highlighted by the colors of Valentina Bianconi. And the letters by Dave Lentz are notably fantastic, with the square boxes and regular text of the narration contrasting with the traditional rounded word balloons with capital letters.

With evocative artwork and a unique setting, Black Star has much to recommend it to a variety of readers. Fans of horror in general and the Weird West genre are the most obvious audience. Yet it will also appeal to fantasy fans looking for something unique.

Black Star #1 arrives in comic shops everywhere on July 29, 2026.