EYES ON STARLIGHT CATS VOL.1
Starlight Cats chronicles the exploits of a little girl named Rebecca and the street cat Barnaby. The vicious rat-like aliens known as the Verkins are bent on conquering Earth, and only Rebecca and an elite team of cosmic-powered cats known as the Starlight Cats stand between them and universal infestation.
Starlight Cats is a project that Shane Davis and Yanzi Lin have been planning to work on since 2017. Shane brings to this project almost 20 years of experience as a professional comic book penciller and writer on projects such as DC Comics’ Superman: Earth One, Batman, New Gods, and more. He also co-created almost every member of DC Comics’ Red Lanterns, including the world-famous fan-favorite cat Dex-Starr the Red Lantern. Along with Starlight Cats, he also created Inglorious Rex and is currently working on Axcend Level Up.
THE CREATIVE TEAM
The story and interior art were done by Shane Davis and Yanzi Lin. The colors were done by Candice Han and Jason Wright and the book was lettered by Eric Weathers. The cover art was done by Kelsey Shannon.
THE BOOK
Starlight Cats Vol.1 is a 48-page fantasy action-adventure perfect-bound graphic novel for all ages. The second printing of the book was offered on the Inglorious Rex crowdfunding campaign with a brand-new glossy soft cover. In addition to the main story, the book has an additional 16 pages of bonus materials from the first printing.
The bonus material includes the Starlight Cats Volume 1 Main Cover in color with art by Shane Davis and Yanzi Lin colored by Candice Han, the black & white version of the Main Cover, the limited edition Merlion Cover in color with art by Shane Davis and Yanzi Lin colored by Candice Han, the black & white version of the limited edition Merlion Cover, the Jon Malin Variant Cover colored by Kyle Ritter, the Kenneth Rocafort Variant Cover with art and colors by Kenneth Rocafort, 5 pages of black and white art from the main story, a peculiar “thank you” page to the guest starts, 2-page fanart of the Verkin Spaceship and a general “thank you” page.
The second printing of Starlight Cats was published in 2022 by 9 Lives Comics Inc., a company owned by Shane Davis and Yanzi Lin. The company also published Inglorious Rex in 2022.
THE CHARACTERS
Meet the main characters in Starlight Cats: Rebecca Chow, Barnaby, Princess L’Amour, Salty, and Jellybean.
Rebecca Chow is a Little Singaporean girl who embarks on the adventure of her lifetime when her grandmother’s heirloom necklace turns out to hold the final Starlight Jewel, and it gets impossibly stuck to her. Now, she finds herself as the newest member of the Starlight Cats, which is led by Barnaby.
Barnaby is the leader of the Starlight Cats. Tasked with locating the final Starlight Jewel, he finds himself on the streets of Singapore and inexplicably drawn to Rebecca. He would soon find himself responsible for Rebecca’s well-being as he brought her before Princess L’Amour.
Princess L’Amour is a member of the Catz royalty, an alien cat-like species. She finds herself torn between her obligations to her people and the need to save her friends.
Salty is an American celebrity cat for the world-famous cat treats, Salty Balls™. No one knows how a prima donna like him ended up a member of an intergalactic defense force, except for Jellybean.
Jellybean the kitten is small, but don’t let his size fool you. He keeps Salty on his toes (beans), and he may hold the answer to ending the Verkin threat once and for all.
THE STORY
The story takes place somewhere in Singapore in the present day. A little girl called Rebecca gets bullied by other girls on her way home from school. After that incident, she meets a cat with a name tag “Barnaby”. She secretly takes him home and they become great friends.
One night, a rat comes into her bedroom and steals her grandmother’s necklace. She goes after it but it suddenly transforms into a giant green rat and Barnaby seems to have transformed as well and has powers. He fights against the rat but during that time Rebecca touches the necklace and gets its powers which is something that’s apparently impossible because the powers are supposed to be given only to felines, not humans.
Rebecca meets Barnaby’s team, Princess L’Amour, Salty, and Jellybean. Together they take Rebecca to Catz City to figure out what to do next. In the meantime, commander Catimus Prime and his soldiers, rat-like creatures called Verkins, are planning something big against Catz City. Will Barnaby and his team figure out a way to help Rebecca? Will they be able to defend their world against Catimus Prime?
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
It is a very nice story for kids about overcoming their fears by dealing with them in the real world instead of avoiding them.
It is a very important lesson not only for kids but for those living behind their computers, afraid of facing the real world with all its ups and downs. Like pampered children, they want easy validation and acceptance and are unwilling to give their 100% because that would mean being able to make mistakes and accept criticism which is something they are unable to do without a mental breakdown on TikTok. It’s not just the new generation but people in their 30s and 40s who have become addicted to social media and conditioned to not have any significant interactions and relationships in the real world.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Starlight Cats Vol.1 is a fantasy adventure tale for kids, particularly little girls. While it may seem silly at first glance, the actual story and the way it is illustrated gives an important message for little girls that helps build character. It’s a much-needed tale in times when kids are not given stories that are appropriate for their age but it is also a good story to read for adults.
As of date, the second printing of Starlight Cats Vol.1 is available along with some versions from the first printing including the Main Cover, the Kenneth Rocafort Cover, and the Jon Malin Cover, and a third printing Tampa Bay 2023 Comic Con exclusive version for immediate purchase on the 9 Lives Comics web store. Seems a lot but it’s the same story told with multiple cover art to choose from.
Looking for more stories for kids? Check out Wart The Wizard, a graphic novel that presents an interactive adventure for children. The adventure begins in Brightmoore where we meet the main character, Wart, as he gathers what items he has at home and places them into his inventory to pursue an average day as a LEVEL ONE WIZARD. Wait, what? Find out more in EYES ON WART THE WIZARD.
Interested in more titles? Explore more COMIC BOOKS and GRAPHIC NOVELS under the “EYES ON” series wherein I documented my experience with crowdfunding entertainment and shared my notes on the products I received.
My notes are all set. Let me know what you think.
See you on the next page!
