Stealing a Star Destroyer is such a time honored tradition in the Star Wars Expanded Universe that it was only a matter of time before the comics tackle such a feat. The plan makes for a fun issue that really lets Jason Aaron flex his space battle writing muscles and creates a nice little challenge for Jorge Molina. If there’s one thing that’s always going to look better on the screen, it’s a space battle but Molina certainly puts in a valiant effort. There are X-wings everywhere though, including the pilots of Red Squadron, and we’re definitely a fan of seeing more of that around here. One can only hope that Aaron will eventually tackle the story in which the current Red Five decides to form a rogue squadron of his very own…
What Aaron’s Star Wars definitely seems committed to is doubling down on the arguing between Leia and Han. While I’m always a fan of their bickering, I’m a tiny bit (just a very tiny bit) worried that getting too much of their arguing will make it harder for readers to find their Empire Strikes Back love story that much more believable. But hey! Then again, we’re still in the pretty early days after Yavin. I don’t think we’ve gotten the actual timeline but I suspect we’re not even a year out yet. There’s still plenty of time for the bickering to shift into bickering-flirting. In the mean time, we get to see Luke play the mediator which is always entertaining. I’m also pleased to see that Sana is a continuing presence in the Star Wars comics and isn’t just being used as a one-off for that “Han’s wife” reveal. The galaxy could always use another capable lady especially when she’s a woman of color.
On the art front, I’m not a huge fan of how Jorge Molina does likenesses. It’s not a big deal for the characters we don’t know but Leia, Han, and Luke all just look a liiiiittle bit off but then again, the Big Three haven’t been the easiest for artists to nail in Star Wars comics since, well, the start.
The Harbringer arc is off to a good start and I’m intrigued to see where they go with it! (Stormtroopers. I bet there will be an elite group of stormtroopers.)
Star Wars #22: Jason Aaron/Writer, Jorge Molina/Artist, Matt Milla/Colorist, Joe Caramagna/Letterer, Jordan White/Editor, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor
Wait, I’m confused. What happened to the stormtroopers, are they coming back? Or was their story a one off thing? And to add one more question mark: would that be normal for comics?
I’m not generally a comic reader, but I had picked up the last issue because that specific point of view was something that I’d been interested in. (Sidebar: I’m currently reading Twilight Company and I’m very much enjoying that aspect of it!)
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