Star Jockey is somewhat disappointing: The storyline is tangential and hard to follow at times. The Smoke-maker’s prophecy does not align logically with the jump into the future during the dogfight – both involve smoke or clouds and that’s it.
Consequently, there is no theme that is developed here, just a fantastical story that leaves you stranded.
Still, to be fair, the magic that resides in the fog does prompt the reader to ponder if Cloud actually traveled ahead in time, or if he just saw it that way. But again, why is this happening? Why now?
To be fair, it could be a sign that Cloud will go on to fight in the Korean War. However, on a more mundane level we know that time travel is a trope that Kanigher uses to juice the plot lines.
Overall, the action is solid, and I particularly like the overshoot when Cloud nails the second MiG-15 for his exuberance – a deadly mistake that was common in dogfights. This is one of more realistic combat moves that Cloud makes when an E/A is on his tail.
Again, I presume that the MiG-15 was actually a Me-109. Or was it? Well, I suppose these questions make the story memorable if only for a day or two.
And here’s a misfire. The title, Star Jockey, suggests that Cloud is flying an F-104 Star Fighter, but he’s not. He flies a swept-wing Sabre.
More important, with respect to development of Johnny Cloud's character, we get to see a snippet of his early childhood that reveals his fascination with flying – an essential piece of his origin story. So yeah, this is an essential detail! So too, we see that Cloud is different from the other boys in his tribe, as he has a mission – he has a war to fight.
This origin storyline is one of Kanigher's crowning achievements. Brilliant! Well Done!
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