Review Of Star Wars

 
First thing’s first: anybody concerned that this new series is going to disrupt any established Expanded Universe or movie continuity need not worry. Star Wars #1 makes it abundantly clear that Dark Horse has every intention of respecting the movie canon and merely circumventing the EU – while there are references to EU events, Star Wars #1 is simply not beholden to it. And it’s this avoidance of EU continuity and its utter embrace of the post-A New Hope mystery and anticipation that makes Star Wars #1 such a resounding joy to experience.
Set two months after the Battle of Yavin, Star Wars #1 finds Leia, Luke, and Wedge (finally, Wedge will get his due!) searching the Outer Rim for a new Rebel base. Writer Brian Wood takes a very political approach to the troubles of the Rebellion; they are struggling not only with resources – economical, physical, and emotional – but also in finding planets that are willing to join their cause. Though the destruction of the Death Star was a great victory for the Rebels, it had already done its job in displaying the true power and reach of the Empire to non-compliant star systems. Star Wars #1 sucks away a bit of the optimism that A New Hope ends with, but in that way, it’s already bridging the gap nicely between Episodes IV and V.
Wood seems to have latched onto Leia as the focal point of the tale, positioning her as the symbol of the Rebel Alliance and as the character we spend the most time with. Surely this will develop as the series goes on, but issue #1 is very much Leia’s show. Wood turns the headstrong Leia up to 11, positioning her as an astute X-Wing pilot and even someone Mon Mothma turns to for advice. Leia’s integrity was never really challenged in the movies (save for the Slave Leia incident, but even then she chokes out Jabba something fierce), but even from issue #1, it’s clear that Wood is intent on positioning Leia as the power player.
And though his pages are few, Darth Vader also gets a surprising amount of introspection as he has to suffer the wrath of the Emperor for failing at Yavin and deal with the embarrassment of essentially being demoted. Star Wars #1 does suffer a bit from too much techno-babble, particularly during the dogfight sequences. While this is something that is carried over from the movie, on the page it really only works to cover up some of the great visuals by Carlos D’Anda.
D’Anda packs Star Wars #1 with some incredible work, particularly during the action sequences. The opening dogfight and subsequent ground battle pack a real punch, and D’Anda’s attention to detail – particularly where vehicles and the design elements of the Star Wars Universe are concerned – is responsible for the success of these scenes. Take for instance the Vader sequence – D’Anda’s ever-so-subtle visual tweaks in Vader’s armor, as well as the way he frames him in-panel, helps to sell Vader’s emotions despite his outward appearance being more or less static. His basic character work is strong, too (but don’t expect actor likenesses), though a little less refined than what we saw in his work in 2011’s Batman: Arkham City comic book prequel.
Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He will love Star Wars until he becomes one with the Force, and then he will continue loving it as a blue ghost.