Sometimes, a comic book is exactly what it reads on the label and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  Out today is Ewoks- Shadows of Endor; a new Star Wars graphic novel for the younglings about everyone’s favorite fluffy little terrors.  Penned and drawn by Zack Giallongo with colors by Braden Lamb, it’s an enjoyable little tale about how Endor is turned on its head when the Empire arrives to build the shield generator for the new Death Star.

This review contains mild spoilers.

Set in the months before Return of the Jedi, the Ewoks haven’t paid much attention at all to the Empire’s recent arrival.  When their rivals the Duloks are captured and enslaved by the Empire, several of the young members of the tribe find themselves caught up in a mission to not only help free the Duloks and figure out a way to fight back against the skull ones but to also deal with a beast who was thought to be only legend.  Dealing with everything will certainly not be easy!

The book is cute and it ties into the old Ewok movies and the television series but it’s nothing groundbreaking.  It does, of course, star Wicket along with some of the other younger members of the tribe.  They’re all cute and their interactions and relationships with each other are certainly more or less entertaining.  The art style works well with the story being told and Lamb adds a nice splash of color to what would otherwise be a book filled with drab forest colors.  Giallongo ties the story in nicely with the rest of the universe including an element or two from the Expanded Universe.  However, you certainly don’t need to have done anything except watch the Original Trilogy to understand and appreciate what’s going on in the story.  In other words, it’s easily accessible for any sort of fan.

Ewoks- Shadows of Endor is definitely intended for the suggested age of 8.  While I am personally a big believer in age ranges for material being nothing more than guidelines, this is probably one that should be heeded.  It’s definitely a great comic for kids and they will almost definitely enjoy it if they even remotely think the Ewoks are cool.  Adults, on the other hand, will probably find it a fair bit less engaging.

I give Star Wars: Ewoks- Shadows of Endor a 3/5 and recommend it mostly to the younger crowd and those who just really love Ewoks.

Thank you to Dark Horse for providing an advanced copy of the comic for review purposes.