I was skeptical of this new Star War series when I heard it was coming out. Star Wars #1 takes place not long after Star Wars: A New Hope so we know what comes next in Empire Strikes Back. How could there be any suspense in a comic where you know the outcome for all the main characters? But, as a Star Wars fan I couldn’t pass on the chance to see more of Luke, Han, Chewie and Leia. When I opened it up I was immediately impressed with the graphics. I probably should not have been because all the Dark Horse Star Wars series look good. It is not just the graphics themselves though, but the panel layout is nicely done with pieces overlaying each other and conversations taking place over a larger backdrop.
I don’t want to spoil any of the story but each character really fits with what we know of them from the movie. Chewie is regularly questioning Hans while Luke is doubting himself. It was fun to see each one of them filling the role they are famous for, but in a story that we’ve not seen before. The story itself has a good amount of setup but looks like it should be fun to see where it goes. There was plenty of action mixed in with the dialog which is always my preference. Hopefully we see that continue. I also like how the story is not just that of the Rebels but also the Empire has a section as well where we see what the have going on.
While I’m still not sure that the story can really be that suspenseful I’m hopeful after this first issue. They are working in a time frame of what is probably is the best part of Star Wars so as long as they find interesting ways to keep the story going it could be really fun. I’m also curious to see if they stick to just the traditional characters or work in some new ones.
