Princess Leia #1&2

This creative team pretty much guarantees quality. Mark Waid writing a strong lead character in an established universe? Easy sale. Terry Dodson drawing a powerful, attractive female lead with lots of action? Say no more. So yeah, this book pretty much sells itself.

With Jason Aaron handling the “team” book in the core Star Wars title, I was unsure how Mark Waid would handle Leia in her own book. What types of missions would she be on when she’s by herself? We saw her scouting new Rebel bases in Brian Wood’s Star Wars series from Dark Horse a few months ago. I sort of figured Waid would follow a similar path. He doesn’t.

Instead, Princess Leia is a bit more sheltered, much to her chagrin. After the destruction of Alderaan in the first film, Leia is dangerously close to becoming a figurehead and mascot for the Rebellion. The bosses want to keep her hidden and safe, minimizing her impact on the ongoing struggle. With the main Rebellion plans out of reach, Leia comes up with a great mission statement: save the survivors of Alderaan.

Joined by R2D2 and Alderaanian pilot Evaan, this book will follow Leia’s efforts to save the survivors of her home planet’s destruction. It seems the Empire wants to stamp out the last survivors of Alderaan, so Leia has to make sure to find them first. The race seems a tad artificial, but that’s OK with me. Mostly because this sure seems like a good excuse to get some bounty hunters involved. Surely, we can get some Boba Fett or IG-88 action hunting down survivors.

Evaan is a fun contrast to Leia with her strict obedience of Alderaanian norms and social hierarchies. Leia wants to buck the system, but Evaan values the system over everything else. This puts Evaan in a tough spot, since she by her own rules, she has to assist Leia in her unconventional endeavors. I think the two women (and one droid) cast does need a few more voices, but that should take care of itself pretty quickly.

Dodson’s art is wonderful. R2 looks shiny and clean. Leia looks like she just walked out of the films while retaining a comic-book look. I really like Evaan, since we don’t get to see too many female pilots wearing the orange Rebel pilot uniforms. I also like that Evaan is a big lady with a different body shape than Leia. Dodson also nails the Star Wars universe look for settings and aliens. Naboobians look like Naboobians, and the ships are dead on as well.

I’ll be sticking with this GOOD book, as Leia is an unexpectedly fun POV character to follow through the Star Wars universe. 

Star Wars #1

I’m getting to this one a few weeks late, but as far as name brands go, it doesn’t get any bigger than Star Wars. So better late than never!

Jason Aaron does a great job making the tone of this comic feel like something right out of the film. He gets a big hand with the opening pages, though. I read this comic digitally, and the big “STAR WARS” title page is so reminiscent of the films that I practically heard John Williams’ score as the introductory scrawl started up on the next page.

The book is firmly planted in the post Episode IV era of Star Wars. So Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie are forming into a nice little crew, but they haven’t quite nailed down all the interactions yet. And Han is still trying to impress the Rebels while maintaining his tough guy attitude. I think Aaron’s Han has the clearest voice. Luke and Leia don’t suffer, but they aren’t quite as easy to recognize. (C3PO is close second as far as characterization. He’s perfect!)

That said, I love the leadership of Princess Leia here. She gives orders, changes them based on updated intel and priorities, and is generally presented as a pretty great rebel leader. Luke is still the rookie, but his Jedi-influenced heart (along with his upbringing on Tatooine) make him a likable, instantly heroic figure.

My biggest complaint isn’t even something that Jason Aaron can fix. Sound effects. While Chewie’s roar is perfect and R2-D2’s hoots and whistles are acceptable, I guess I hadn’t realized how integral the sound effects are to my experience in Star Wars. That snap-hiss of a lightsaber flicking on is so distinctive that having it missing on the printed page is a bit disconcerting.

The art? It looks like the characters walked straight out of the films. John Cassady keeps everyone distinctly on-model, but to be honest, that is the easy part. More impressive is his use of the costumes from the film. From Luke’s yellow jacket from the awards ceremony to the muted gray of the Imperial officers, everything looks perfect. The aliens are straight out of the cantina. And while it isn’t even an Easter egg, seeing Luke and Leia dressed up in the same disguise Lando uses in Return of the Jedi is just a fun little nod.

So this is a very GOOD comic. I’m not sure if I’ll be buying it monthly or reading it on Marvel Unlimited. I love Star Wars, but I’m not sure I love it enough to get this every month. We’ll see how tempted I am by the cover of issue 2!

Star Wars v2: From the Ruins of Alderaan TPB

Ah, the continuing adventures of a continuity that never existed in the main franchise and now won’t even count in comic books. It’s too bad; Brian Wood has done a pretty good job adding missing pieces and chapters to the Star Wars mythos. How much did any of us really know about Mon Mothma? She’s an actual character in this story.

This story picks up with the secret squadron of X-wing pilots we met in the last collection.  They are still searching for a new Rebel base, but it seems there are a lot more things going on too. Leia is visiting the remains of Alderaan, Han Solo and Chewie are trying to smuggle themselves of Coruscant (and away from Boba Fett and Bossk). Luke and Wedge are now spies, sneaking around on Imperial ships. There is a lot going on. I respect the work that Wood put in to give this story ties to other “Expanded Universe” storylines. Too bad it is all for naught. Wedge suggests making his stealth squad permanent, under the “Rogues” call sign. A great origin for the stars of a series of books. But those books have now been declared non-canon, so oh well!

It’s a great choice to feature Leia so heavily in this series. She’s always been short-changed in Expanded Universe material, so having her anchor the series the way she does really lends her a sense of deserved importance. I also like the way Wood maintains the romantic tension with Han and just the hints of more tension with Luke. (Hey, when this story takes place, we didn’t know they were brother and sister yet. Maybe George Lucas didn’t even know!)

Carlos D’Anda’s return halfway through this book couldn’t come soon enough. It isn’t that Ryan Kelly did a bad job, but D’Anda’s stuff is like Jim Lee-lite, so having anyone else try to step in and fill the shoes just doesn’t cut it. D’Anda just has the Star Wars universe down. His Boba Fett, Vader, and Bossk in particular look fantastic. Fortunately, both artists can handle drawing spaceships and most of the aliens pretty well, so the space battles are strong throughout.

This is a light, breezy read that makes for a GOOD trip down memory lane. I’m confident that Marvel will be very capable of expanding on the Star Wars universe themselves, but that is no reason to short change the solid stories Dark Horse has been putting out for years.

Star Wars: In the Shadow of Yavin TPB

For someone who no longer considers himself a huge Star Wars fan, I sure read a lot of Star Wars comics. I’ve heard such good things about the current series, I had to check out the first trade from the library and see what all the fuss was about.

I’m glad I did, this is a pretty strong opening statement. Too bad Dark Horse is losing the rights and none of this will end up counting in continuity. (C’mon, you don’t really think Marvel is going to let DH’s version of things stand, do you? You KNOW Marvel is going to re-mine each and every one of these eras.)

Leia is the surprising protagonist of the first few issues. There is panel time for Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewie, along with Wedge Antilles, but Leia is the driver of the story. It’s a good choice, and I applaud Brian Wood for adding a bunch of new competencies to the character. Leia is a covert team leader and skilled X-wing pilot, all while maintaining her more diplomatic role from the movies. Wood also plays up the fact that Luke and Leia don’t exactly know they are related (Spoiler!). Leia gets jealous when the hot-headed Luke Skywalker starts hanging out with his attractive new squad mates.

Wood populates the world with some good additions. He’s got some new imperials that seem like credible threats, and the covert “black X-wing” squad of pilots all have potential too. Plenty of the myriad Star Wars races are represented, so it feels natural seeing all these folks teaming up.

If there is one character that Wood clearly “gets,” it is Han Solo. Luke, Leia, and the others are well-written, but with an updated feel. Han feels like he stepped off the screen. The character shines, especially when bickering and plotting with Chewie, who hollers and howls through the whole trade.

Plus, BOBA FETT! That's a letter grade raise right there!

I used to write off Carlos D’Anda as a Jim Lee clone, but he’s expanding away from that. He still has a habit of drawing people’s necks too long, but his facial work is great. The acting is top notch, and the aliens look like they fit perfectly in amongst the more human centric cast. It isn’t easy to convey the sense of motion and battle in a space dogfight, but D’Anda hits the mark consistently. He also has a fun sense of timing with his splash pages. Not only are they dramatic, but I bet D’Anda is going to make a lot of money selling these original pages.

This is a Good comic that will most likely end up forgotten. But I’ll enjoy it while it lasts. 

Star Wars: Clone Wars v2 TPB

Star Wars comics make me laugh. They are filled with so many nonsense words that I can barely make myself care about what happens. "Oh no! Jedi Master Beborp is looking for his missing pabowan on planet Gleep Glop!" Heh. It doesn't help that the Jedi suffer from some of the worst ninja-weakness I've ever seen. Let me explain, have you noticed (in movies, books, comics) how if there is one robot or ninja or zombie, it is really tough, but the moment there is a bunch of them, they all get weaker and easier to kill? The Jedi in these Clone War stories really suffer from that. One of the stories has four respected masters team up with Obi Wan on some lava planet, and all four get taken out like punks. I can appreciate that these new bad guys Durge and Ventress are supposed to be tough, but man, the Jedi are wimps!

Two trades in and I'm still not seeing much of my main interest in the Clone Wars. I'm fascinated at the idea of an army of clones all trying to establish their own identities. How would they differentiate themselves from each other? Haircuts? Tattoos? Speaking styles? Weapons? There is one clone that gets sort of featured in this trade, but he isn't really interested in being a person. He actually gets tagged with the name "Alpha" by Anakin during a fight. At least it is a start.

I will say I appreciate all the doubt the Jedi show towards the Empire and the Rebellion. Count Dooku may actually have some legitimate points!

So far, while I'm not regretting reading the Clone Wars, it doesn't hold a candle to the Star Wars Legacy series.

Average

Star Wars: Clone Wars v1: Defense of Kamino TPB

I thought about expanding into the greater Star Wars universe after I've enjoyed the Legacy series so much, but I found the first chapter of the Clone Wars trade to be average. I'm fascinated by the idea that hordes of clones would seek out ways to differentiate themselves, to make themselves unique as they performed their duties as the Army of the Republic. There is almost nothing like that present in the trade, except for a short bit where a few Clone Commandos show they are tougher than their brothers. It's weird. I figured I'd be cold to the Anakin and Obi-Wan stuff, the movies have ruined those characters for me, but my lack of interest in the clones surprised me.

The second part of the trade is a bit more interesting. It follows Mace Windu as he tries to rope in some Jedi who are straying away from the council. It's a neat idea; those of us who have seen the movies know that the Council is on the wrong path, and that the Republic is going to betray them. I love that some of the Jedi are uncomfortable with the direction of the Empire this early. Unfortunately, the story makes things a little too easy. Out of the 5 or so rebel Jedi, two go to the Dark Side. It's kind of hard to believe in their point of view when they're riddled with evil. I would have loved to see an actual rift of the Jedi as some diverged from the Council.

The art is fine, but not quite as solid as Jan Duursema's work on Star Wars Legacy.

Average

Star Wars Legacy v8: Tatooine TPB

I still love John Ostrander and Jan Duursema's take on the future of the Star Wars universe, but this book ends a lot worse than it starts.

When it's good, this trade is fantastic. Cade Skywalker is still a surly, grumpy dude out for himself and trying to resist his own heroic tendencies. He treats his girl like crap; and you almost have to cheer for the Empire at times, that's how scuzzy he is. But fortunately, the Sith are so evil, that even scuzzballs like Cade can look like a hero. This trade doesn't deal with much of the overall conflict, but it does bring Cade into conflict with his mother and his half-sister. That type of complicated family is a requirement in Star Wars, and it is great seeing how well it plays in this storyline.

There are also a couple of neat new bounty hunter heavies brought in by the Black Sun criminal organization. They are almost too much like vampires for me, but fortunately they are sci-fi'ed up enough that it never becomes a problem.

The closing chapter of the trade involves a Mandalorian member of the Rogue Squadron. I have to confess I know nothing of the Mandalores other than they made Boba Fett's armor. Are they good guys? Do they work for the Empire? Do they always use so many nonsense words? I never connected with anyone in this backup, hopefully this Mandalore couple isn't central to the Legacy story from here on.

Fair overall, but the Cade story is Good

Star Wars Vector TPB 1

Whose idea was this? As I'm working through the Star Wars Legacy series, I realized I was missing a VERY important chapter where Cade Skywalker takes on the Sith Lord. As I researched, it looked like that chapter was part of Star Wars Vector, a separate storyline and trade, so I queued those up and checked them out from the library.

And I have no clue what is happening. I guess there is some series that takes place way in the past, before the Star Wars movies. Knights of the Old Republic? There are a ton of Boba Fett guys running around doing something, and there are Jedi in it, but that's about all I can figure out. The whole first half of this book makes absolutely no sense to me. Perhaps people can follow this, but I sure can't. I don't understand why the leads are important or what they're doing. To be honest, I quit reading it about halfway through. The art is too cartoony for a Star Wars story too.

Poor

The second story holds up much better. This one is pulled from Star Wars Dark Times, and it features a smuggling crew dealing with Darth Vader. See, that's a high concept I can instantly understand! It's a nice, quick little story with these guys caught up with Vader and some clones. I think I'll read more of this series. Not too bad at all. The art is fantastic too, Darth looks awesome!

Good

So overall, the last bit of story saves the rating on this.

Average

Star Wars Legacy TPB 6: The Hidden Temple

And with volume six, John Ostrander brings us back to Cade Skywalker and the rest of the core cast. Cade is back on his ship, back with his crew, and he unwisely decides to lay low for a bit with his uncle, who happens to be another Jedi in hiding. I liked seeing the odd relationships Cade has had to maintain, he's a tough guy, but he certainly softens up for his cousins and family.

The theme of this trade is probably folks easing up a big. Jariah Syn, Cade's partner, finally explains why he hates Jedi, and when given the chance, he really doesn't make much of a threat against the Jedi he hates the most. Delilah Blue is happy that Cade's back and is probably the most contented character in the book. And the Imperial Knights are trying to make peace with the remnants of the Jedi in the hidden temple. I do find it amusing that of the three Jedi Masters on the council, 2 of them are so long lived that they fought in the Clone Wars with Darth Krayt. I like that there is a personal connection there, but it is silly the way everything important seemed to have happened in the movies.

Jan Duursema's style is awesome for this title. Everyone in it looks like they are biker gang members, or worse. Cade and his crew are shady, his uncle is in hiding, they all look the part. The Empire and Alliance look more upstanding, but the diverse looks of all the characters is quite fun.

Fair

Star Wars TPB 4: Alliance

Once again, John Ostrander takes us away from Cade and the core cast to focus on the greater Star Wars universe. This time I really appreciated it. I love the idea of a new (Rebel) Alliance and we get a ton of it here. Admiral Gar Stazi is a neat character, he's such a strategic thinker that I loved watching his confrontations with the Sith Empire. I sort of had confidence he'd come out on top, but in this weird storyline there are no guarantees.

It was fun seeing the action based around Mon Cal, the home planet of Admiral "It's a Trap!" Ackbar. However, naming a city Ackbarea is laughable. The issue is packed with Sith atrocities to really build them up as big bads. Darth Krayt is an evil, evil dude. I'm really invested in seeing the Imperial remnants and the Rebels teaming up to take him on.

There are a ton more character introduced, but since we don't have time to get attached to most of them, I can appreciate Ostrander's shorthand. While they are different characters, the reader can get a feel for many of the supporting cast from how their races appear in the movies. There is an overconfident dug (like Sebulba from Ep 1) and it's easy to feel like he's an old character.

Darth Wyyrlock gets an issue too, and he's an interesting character. It's neat seeing his level of loyalty in a Sith, it's fascinating that his behavior goes so against the grain for the Dark Side. There is a great confrontation with an old Sith lord that really highlights the differences. I have to imagine that Darth Krayt is much more effective having a right hand guy like Wyyrlock around.

The art by Omar Francia and Alan Robinson is clear enough, if a bit on the sketchy side. I'm not sure they'd fit as well in a super hero book, but it works well in a sci-fi title like this.

Good

Star Wars Legacy TPB 3: Claws of the Dragon

Now that's more like it! As John Ostrander ties his Legacy universe more and more into the Star Wars stories I know, I find myself more and more interested. This trade gives us the background of Darth Krayt, the new leader of both the Sith and the Empire. Ostrander ties him back to the Clone Wars, Obi Wan Kenobi, AND makes him a Tuskan raider! That's enough nerd cred to make him a lot cooler in my opinion. Krayt reveals all this while trying to sway Cade Skywalker to the dark side. Once again, Ostrander stages all of this to make it familiar and new at the same time. He balances the feel perfectly, making this really feel like a continuation of the Star Wars story I'm familiar with.

The Legacy universe is getting more and more populated too. I love the new squadron of Imperial pilots who almost seem like the inheritors of the Rogue Squadron standard. (Heck, maybe they are, I sure wouldn't know!) Morrigan Corde has some big secrets too, you'd think that being Cade Skywalker's secret Mom would be enough, but she's got some doozies.

I really enjoyed the pages spent fleshing out the smugglers (including Cade's partners Jariah and Delilah), but it comes at the cost of absolutely no rogue Imperials, which bums me out, I like those guys. The Vong are easier to take in this trade too, as invaders from another universe, maybe that's why they look like they don't fit in quite right.

In all, this feels like it could be an "Empire" chapter for Legacy. Cade is wooed by the Dark Side, but I don't think he ever really comes close to going for it, he's got too much pent up anger at the Sith to ever join them. Plus, he comes out and states that part of the reason he acts the way he does is so that he's not doing what people tell him to. It's the response of a petulant teenager, but I don't think he's exactly learned that with great power comes great responsibility yet. He's getting there, though.

Jan Duursema does a nice job with the Sith. I love how they look like a team of super-villains but they're still made up of races we know from the movies. Very nice character designs. It's always fun to see a wookie show up too.

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually interested enough in the comic Star Wars universe to hunt down some other trades. Where should I start? Rogue Squadron? Clone Wars?

Good

Star Wars Legacy TPB 2: Shards

It's not exactly playing fair to put Luke Skywalker on the cover to this trade, is it? I mean, this takes place like 130 years after Return of the Jedi, and Luke is dead. Sure, he shows up as a ghost, but I'd think some of the main cast from the actual series might have made a better cover.

This trade steps away from the main narrative a bit. Rather than follow Cade, Shado, and the other folks we've grown to like, most of the collection picks up a ton of assorted characters to give us a better glimpse of the galaxy. We check in on the Grand Moff council and we see the usurping of Roan Fel from another perspective. John Ostrander fleshes out the Empire a bit more with a short story about a new recruit joining a squad of Stormtroopers (and it is fun seeing them take their helmets off and turn into "normal" folks). Most importantly, we meet Cade Skywalker's mother, Morrigan Cade. She's an Imperial agent and a tough customer. She's interesting, but clearly has the Empire's interests at heart so I can't like her too much. The main storyline picks up a big when we rejoin Cade as he links up with his outcast Jedi buddies. I like the weird mix of character forming up in the new "alliance." A deposed Emperor, Imperial Knights, Jedi, and some bounty hunters and smugglers. I'll give Ostrander this; he is really utilzing the best elements of the Star Wars universe and he's created a cast of characters that fit nicely into the Star Wars archetypes.

A whole bunch of folks work on the art in this trade, but Jan Duursema owns the Legacy universe now. The other artists do ok, but her art really makes the stories feel like they count. I will say I don't really care for the design of the Yuuzhan Vong. They look like old RPG monsters and they aren't too original looking. They don' carry quite the same nerd credit as a twi'lek or a hutt.

Fair

Star Wars Legacy v1: Broken TPB

This wasn't too bad. After a brief dalliance with Star Wars comics back in the 90s with stuff like Dark Empire and Boba Fett, I've generally stayed away from the whole Star Wars universe in comic format. I decided to give this a try from the library because I do usually like John Ostrander and Jan Duursema's work together. I'm glad I did.

Taking place over a hundred years after Return of the Jedi, this was basically a new sci-fi story with some trappings that I remember fondly. The Empire is around, but they're practically good guys at this point. Coruscant is still running the galaxy, but now the Sith itself is running things. There are a ton of new Sith guys fighting Jedi Knights, but there are also Imperial Knights factoring in. I really like the mix of new ideas like that with the classic "Jedi on the run" type stuff. The ships are vaguely familiar, so the main things carrying over from the movies are the cussing (Et Chuta!) and lightsabers.

Cade Skywalker is the lead character, but he's kind of a scumbag. He's a bounty hunter who still has moments of compassion. When he bumps into his old Jedi buddies he ends up helping them out, but not before he tags and turns in a Jedi that he didn't know personally. That makes it hard to like him too much. The coolest new Jedi is a tentacle headed (Twi-lek? I dunno) dude named Shado. He's pretty cool because he's so confident, at numerous points in this trade he's outnumbered and outgunned and he never seems concerned. The new Sith lord is interesting, because I guess he's sort of a free-thinking Sith, but he's got some disease or parasite that I know nothing about. There are a few scattered elements that totally confuse me, I guess I missed something in the books or previous comics.

Jan Duursema sets up the action really nicely. The character and ship designs are strong too. I will say she skimps out on the violence occasionally, making this comic feel like it is rated PG. That's not a bad thing, just an observation. There are a ton of characters in this trade and many of them dress in a similar fashion, it's a testament to Duursema's skill that she makes it easy to tell who's who.

Fair