The following contains spoilers for Galaxy: The Prettiest Star, available now from DC Comics.
DC’s Free Comic Book Day offering gave a view of a great many things, but the most unique property among them all was Galaxy:The Prettiest Star (by Jadiza Axelrod and Jess Taylor). Set within the mainstream continuity of the DC universe, the comic features a shapeshifting superpowered alien as an allegory for being trans. The bright and brilliant art makes the comic beautiful and the quirky cast of characters is a welcome addition to the DC’s initiative to add wider representation to their overall universe.
Although Galaxy serves as a great trans allegory, the concept of using a shapeshifter in this capacity has become an overused trope. There have been multiple instances of trans/gay/nonbinary aliens, which is the case for the titular character, Galaxy. What is unique, however, is how she begins the story and how she eventually finds her own identity by the end. By using a simple reversal of roles, Galaxy is a completely different trans allegory and one which is far more accurate to the trans experience than similar stories.
To begin, Galaxy starts out like many trans stories, with a person who feels out of place. In this case, the protagonist goes by “Taylor” and is in disguise as a young man. Over the course of the story, readers learn that she is actually the Galaxy-Crowned, a princess of her planet who is in hiding. Again, this is a rather well-known trope for comics and belies some of the more clever twists and turns of the story.
The most important among these turns is that Galaxy’s true identity isn’t the human form of Taylor. Her actual biological form is something far more unique and different. In fact, the story uses the role of Taylor as something that Galaxy is hiding behind. During her transformation into her true form, Galaxy isn’t leaving behind the “self” that she was born with. Rather, her true self is the person who was lying dormant all along.
This reversal of the trope is at first sight not terribly significant. However, Galaxy states that this person, the one whom she was born to be, makes her feel free and true. She is no longer plain, but now is a brilliant blend of the colors of a nebula. Even the world she resides in becomes more stylized, bright, and brilliant. At the end, when Galaxy is locked out of her prom, her new world maintains its artistic flair. Being rejected doesn’t hurt her world, but actually causes it to shine even brighter.
While trans allegories have become more abundant than ever, every single one is still unique. By taking the trans experience and demonstrating it not as the discovery of a new identity but as the expression of one that is already present, Galaxy: The Prettiest Star is an excellent, beautiful treatment of the discovery of one’s true self.
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