Outlaw Star Collection 2
In this second two-disc set of adventures, Gene Starwind and Jim Hawking shift operations to the planet Heifong, accompanied by the lovely assassin Suzuka and the cyborg Malfina. The Ctarl-Ctarl alien Aisha Clanclan joins them as a rather fractious partner. During a high-stakes space race, Gene discovers that MacDougall, the enemy he met in episode 9, is really two brothers: Harry, a psychotic cyborg, and Ron, a gelid sadist. Nasty as they are, the MacDougall brothers are small potatoes compared to the real threat Gene and his friends face. In "The Seven Emerge," Lord Hazano, the head of the 108 Stars pirate gang, sends a band of dreaded murderers after them. Hazano wants Gene's ship, theOutlaw Star, which rebel pirate "Hot Ice" Hilda gave him before she was murdered by the MacDougalls. A secret coalition of pirates and Space Force agents developed the ship: with Malefina acting as its guidance system, it's the only vessel capable of reaching the fabulous treasure hidden at the Galactic Leyline. Although he's unable to discover the nature of the treasure or the location of the Galactic Leyline, Gene resolves to take his crew there at the end of episode 18. But there's still time for plenty of comic adventure, including Gene's entry in the distaff events of the Galactic Strongman Contest as "Jenny." Rhinestone-in-the-rough Gene Starwind may remind viewers of a cross between Kain Blueriver inLost Universeand Vash the Stampede inTrigun. Like Kain, he comes out on top in misadventures that never quite cover his expenses, and he's as formidable a marksman as Vash. But he lacks the metaphysical bent that enables Kain to wield a psi blade, and the viewer looks in vain for Vash's reverence for life and self-deprecating charm.Outlaw Stardelivers an engaging, rather dark brand of comedy-adventure, although the clean-up artists on the series do very sloppy work: Gene's features change noticeably from scene to scene. Episodes included: 10. "Gathering for the Space Race," 11. "Adrift in Subspace," 12. "Life and Death Struggle with the El Dorado," 13. "Advance Guard from an Alien World," 14. "Final Countdown," 15. "The Seven Emerge," 16. "Demon of the Water Planet," 17. "Between Life and Machine," 18. "The Strongest Woman in the Universe." Rated 13 and up for nudity, sexual situations, profanity, and violence.--Charles Solomon