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rebelsofshield · 5 years

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Panels Far, Far Away: A Week in Star Wars Comics 4/24/19

Travel through the edges of the galaxy, the twisted hearts of two of the universe’s most morally questionable beings, and into the romantic fantasies of an Imperial nurse in an eclectic week of Star Wars comics.

Star Wars Doctor Aphra #31 written by Simon Spurrier and art by Emilio Laiso and Andrea Broccardo

Trapped in the alleyways of Milvayne with just an hour left before they explode, Aphra and Triple Zero must come to an understanding about each other and their place in the world.

At this point, I’ve learned not to doubt Simon Spurrier. Even more so than former writer Kieron Gillen, Spurrier has demonstrated a superb ability to tell complex stories that never stray far from Doctor Aphra’s trademark sense of character development and twisted humor. While it may not have reached the heights of “The Catastrophe Con,” “Worst Among Equals” ends on a unique and positive note that keeps up its reputation as one of the most creatively daring books in the Star Wars line at Marvel.

For a book that follows such morally bankrupt protagonists, Spurrier pulls a surprising twist on the formula and ends “Worst Among Equals” on an unexpectedly inspiring note. Sure, it leaves Aphra in rather dire straights, but the resolution to the majority the arcs plot points and character arcs ends up reaffirming the goodness in humanity, or..er…droidity(?), rather than wallowing in its familiar hopelessness. Spurrier uses his various spinning plates to reaffirm the bond of his central characters and in the process shows the spiraling affect of that goodness to the world at large. It’s another testament to Spurrier’s plot crafting that the world of Milvayne’s acts of revolution end up feeling as fulfilling as they do.

That being said, Aphra’s big character defining decision feels a bit off kilter. It’s not that her actions feel out of character, but that the circumstances suggesting them feel like they could’ve been better established. However, it’s entirely impossible that this randomness is ultimately the point. For a character and series that is often about murky, hard to parse emotions, it may be fitting.

Emilio Laiso, who will be leaving Doctor Aphra to join Valiant’s latest X-O Manowar ongoing, turns in some of his best work here. It’s disappointing then that issue’s art ends up proving so disjointed due to an ill advised pairing with Andrea Broccardo. Broccardo is a fine penciler and has done some great work over on the main Star Wars ongoing, but his work doesn’t gel well with Laiso here. Even having the same colorist in Rachelle Rosenberg doesn’t help smooth over the jarring transitions from artist to artist. It’s an unfortunate bump in what is otherwise a rather strong finale.

Score: B+

Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge #1 written by Ethan Sacks and art by Will Sliney

The Rise of Skywalker isn’t the only Star Wars property to get a big publishing push by Lucasfilm this year. Disney Parks’ upcoming Star Wars land, Galaxy’s Edge, will be opening its doors to a screaming public in just a few short weeks and a smorgasbord of comics and books will launch alongside it to help bring the world of Batuu alive.

Borrowing its playbook from IDW series such as Tales from Vader’s Castle or Flight of the Falcon, Marvel has released an anthology series in Galaxy’s Edge. Centered around the eclectic treasure shop or Ithorian collector, Dok-Ondar, Ethan Sacks crafts an Outer Rim crime saga punctuated with stories from all eras of Star Wars history.

While the exact direction of its narrative is more than a little nebulous at the moment, the frame story of an apparent heist of Dok-Ondar’s stash is intriguing and bursting with well-designed colorful characters. The reptilian Remex and apparent criminal ringleader Kendoh are early standouts and seeing where exactly this story takes them is interesting even if the plot itself is fairly threadbare at the moment.

This issue’s anthology story fairs much better. Watching Han Solo and Chewbacca attempt to secure a shipment of hatchling Sarlacc’s proves to be an entertaining caper and both Sacks and artist Will Sliney infuse it all with a healthy dose of Indiana Jones style action. It’s impressive how fully formed this story proves to be. It may be light on character, but it is rife with fun set pieces, intriguing concepts, and playful twists and turns.

Sliney’s art is successful at helping to craft the diverse and wild landscapes of Batuu and Dok-Ondar’s stories. The environments feel like an alien frontier town with a dash of jungle wilderness and it does do what it is presumably its mission in making the reader want to actually step foot inside this strange little alien world. Sliney’s usual art quirks still remain though. His distracting decision to often render character’s eyes as black slits is more than a little jarring and frequently removes the reader from the script at hand.

Score: B-

Star Wars Vader: Dark Visions #3 written by Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum and art by David Lope and Javi Pina

I’m really glad this book exists. It may be inconsequential to the larger Star Wars brand in the grand scheme of things, but it is rare to see a media tie-in book that is this openly experimental in terms of narrative and visuals. Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum continues to challenge our perceptions of Darth Vader while telling stories that are new in terms of both genre and presentation. Even if they aren’t always perfect in execution, it is refreshing just to get a Star Wars book that is allowed to play in this manner.

Hallum takes the wonderfully unexpected route here of exploring one woman’s obsessive romantic interest in the Dark Lord himself. It seems like a ludicrous concept on the nose, but Hallum walks the welcome line between dark humor and playing the whole situation refreshingly straight faced. Hallum makes the nameless protagonist’s infatuation with Vader feel understandable. I mean, he quite literally is tall, dark and mysterious and the lead’s doctor/patient dynamic almost writes itself. Like the series’ stellar first issue, Hallum beautifully accomplishes the central goal of forcing us to see Vader in a different light without jeopardizing his actual in universe characterization. However, the resolution to this twisted romance feels disappointingly familiar given how refreshingly offbeat this narrative as a whole proves to be. There’s also a reading that is less charitable that sees the story as being particularly exploitative. One can’t help but feel that there was an avenue that could have accomplished the same general tone but in a more inspired manner that avoided some of the story’s more problematic shifts..

Visually, David Lopez and Javi Pina prove to be an successful pair. Lopez’s pencils are more playful than we might be used to from Marvel’s Star Wars titles, but they accomplish the goal of highlighting the strange story at the issue’s center against stark Imperial hallways and medical rooms. The true highlight prove to be Pina’s brief by striking interludes. Bringing to life the narrator’s personal fantasies, Pina’s vibrant and dramatic panels are frequently hilarious and may end up being some of the most iconic images of this whole project. One image of Vader pulling what is essentially a Sith Lord Fabio look is a stunner for the ages.

EDIT: Since the original publication for this review a lot of criticism has come out for this comic. While I don’t want to disregard my initial read of this book and what merits I still think it has as a product, I do want to acknowledge that a lot of the concern regarding this comic’s portrayal of its protagonist has merit and should be considered. If a comic makes this many women uncomfortable, even if I am not one of them, it does, at the very least, raise concerns about needing to have having more female identifying creatives over in Marvel’s Star Wars line.

Score: B-

#Star Wars #Star Wars Comics #Doctor Aphra #Darth Vader #Galaxy's Edge #Marvel #review #reviews #Ethan Sacks #Will Sliney #Dennis Hopeless #Dennis Hopeless Hallam #David Lope #Javi Pina #Simon Spurrier #Emilio Laiso #Andrea Broccardo

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