Tag Archives: Marvel Comics

Review: Star Wars #9

Posted on by

Things aren’t looking up for Han, Leia, or Luke this week as they find themselves betrayed and in the Empire’s crosshairs and chasing after a lightsaber respectively. Star Wars is back this week with Issue #9 from Jason Aaron and Stuart Immonen and, well, we’ve still got a lot of questions.

But first, a bit of unsolicited advice for my fellow reviewers. Try reading a comic issue and then getting on an exercise bike and mulling over the issue in your mind because boy doe sit do wonders. How else would I have thought of the idea of just reviewing this issue in hashtags and then determined it was a poor one?

That said, #NotAllHutts would probably be Grakkus the Hutt’s hashtag of choice because, see, he collects Jedi antiques which makes him different from other hutts who only do the whole smuggling drug ring thing. Not all hutts. The Star Wars universe seems to be hell bent on exploring the heck out of how Luke goes from knowing nothing to knowing slightly less than nothing about being a Jedi over the course of three years. It’s not Jason Aaron’s fault in the least as he’s just one of at least four different groups within Star Wars that have decided to tackle this issue but it’s starting to feel a little old for me. Mostly, it just seems like this is the only plot line he’s really been given lately. Leia may be sent on a lot of missions but at least they’ve all resonated for different reasons. And speaking of the other Skywalker twin…

Leia is a delight in this book. It finally hit me (during the aforementioned cycle time) that Aaron has really nailed her attitude during the Death Star rescue mission over the past few issues. He’s seemed to find the perfect mix of take-charge and over-your-crap Leia in this book.

On the art front, Stuart Immonen is perfect. Please let us keep him for forever. (Except for the Kenobi interludes. Give us Simone Bianchi for this.) But Immonen the rest of the time, please and thank you.

Review: Lando #4

Posted on by

Okay, that’s it. From now on, Lando’s real surname will always be Draper in my mind. Lando Calrissian-Draper. Lando #4 by Charles Soule and Alex Maleev is out today and boy oh boy is our favorite charming scoundrel in over his head.

This review contains some spoilers for the issue because it’s impossible to discuss otherwise and if we’re honest, this review is really just a bunch of thoughts about the issue.

Continue reading →

Review: Darth Vader #9

Posted on by

Not content with all the new Star Wars material we got on Force Friday? Good because Marvel has plenty more to share. Out today is Shattered Empire #1 (which we’ll be reviewing once it’s collected in November) and Darth Vader #9. Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca return to the adventures of Darth Vader, Doctor Aphra, and the two lovable murderbots.

Vader is still under the thumb of Admiral Tagge after his failure at Yavin 4 and must work with Thanoth instead of devoting himself to his own side project. Thankfully, he has (for now) an ally and useful tool in the form of the one and only Aphra who is running down some leads for him at a very expensive rate…

And then Kieron Gillen dropped the f*$&ing microphone. Thus ends the review. Dear Marvel: Give me issue #10 right now.  Please.

(No seriously. That’s all this review is going to say. Go buy Darth Vader #9 either at your local comic store or through a digital shop right now. Trust me.)

Review: Lando #3

Posted on by

Lando #3 by Charles Soule and Alex Maleev definitely left me wanting more when I turned the final page… and I’m not entirely sure that’s a good thing. (Which in itself is about to be a confusing statement because I did enjoy the issue.) Heyyyy did you all see the rad cover with Lando Draper? (Dunnna Dunnnna Dunnn.)

This was clearly not Lando’s best-planned heist. They got the ship, sure, but that was the easy part. Now the twins are fighting two Royal Guards and Lobot’s down for the count and uhhh… what exactly is on the Emperor’s private yacht?

Continue reading →

Review: Star Wars #8

Posted on by

Star Wars #8 is out today. The bad news is that we don’t get the answers we’ve so anxiously been awaiting. The good news is that Stuart Immonen took over art duties and rocked the hell out of it.

Luke’s journey to Tatooine wasn’t as fruitful as he’d hoped. His next plan for learning how to be a Jedi is about to take him to a hive of even more scum and villainy. Meanwhile, Han and Leia find themselves caught between an Imperial patrol and a woman named Sana Solo who says she’s Han’s wife and hardly seems to be his biggest fan.

Somehow, Jason Aaron manages to keep a reader’s interest throughout an issue where we don’t get the answer we’ve been so desperately wanting for two months now. Actually, I may be even more confused as to who Sana Solo was than I was before. Is she actually his wife or not? Maybe next issue we’ll get some solid answers?

Character-wise, the two who stood out to me this issue were the Skywalker twins. Aaron really nailed how impetuous Luke can be at times especially right after he leaves Tatooine. On the flip side, we get to see Leia’s very no-nonsense attitude that rears its head so frequently when Han Solo is involved. I’m very impressed by how both writers Marvel has tapped so far have seemed to really get all aspects of Leia’s character.

Unsurprisingly, Stuart Immonen rocks his first issue on Star Wars especially when paired with Justin Ponsor’s colors. Everyone’s body language tells just as much of the story as the dialog bubbles which makes for a more dynamic book. Can we keep him on this book forever? I’d especially like to see him do an arc where he gets to do all of the artistic set up and come up with what the planet looks like and also what Leia’s outfit of the day is. (So sue me, I’m a geek with a weakness for fashion and costume design.)

Overall, Star Wars #8 was an enjoyable issue with some great art that has left me wanting it to be September already so I can have #9 in my hands. No seriously: who the heck is Sana Solo?

Review: Lando #2

Posted on by

If you want a book that has twists a plenty, Star Wars: Lando should do the trick. Lando #2 by Charles Soule and Alex Maleev is out today and boy have Lando and company gotten into a lot more trouble than they figured. After all, who would have suspected that the yacht they stole was Emperor Palpatine’s and that he’d send three Star Destroyers after them? (Lando should’ve guessed. Only his luck would be that bad.)

This review has minor spoilers for the issue.

Continue reading →

Review: Darth Vader #8

Posted on by

I’d ask you to guess what comic is out today but given the title of this review, you already know that Darth Vader #8 by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca is in comic stores everywhere now. We now return to our adventure show about a Sith Lord, an archaeologist, and two murderous droids.

The fun thing about this issue is that it’s definitely Aphra heavy and given that she’s been one of the best parts of this book that is a-okay by me. It takes until about halfway through the issue for Vader to show up. Again, this is not a problem which is a testament to what a strong supporting cast Gillen has built up in only a few issues. We are, however, getting to the point where I ask myself, “What exactly are Aphra’s motivations for continuing to work for Vader besides not wanting to, y’know, die?” She seems to be enjoying herself but this latest mission seems a little more out of her wheelhouse.

One of the neat things that this book has been doing is showing that Vader does still share that mind for strategy that Anakin Skywalker but that he still can’t beat a true master. He tries to be careful but he’s not perfect. This book has done a fantastic job at really integrating those last remnants of Anakin into Vader without sacrificing anything in terms of showing the Vader that we first met in the Original Trilogy.

Nothing much to say about the art this week. Larroca continues to do a fantastic job and is clearly having fun with character design. No wait, I’m sorry. I lied. I do have to point out that I appreciate the efforts towards diversity that the comics are making. It would have been very easy to make this new Inspector another white male and instead, we get an older black man so kudos to Larroca for that decision. I do miss the Adi Granov covers though.

Do we even need to say it? Darth Vader #8 gets out recommendation again this month.

Review: Star Wars #7

Posted on by

If you came into this issue expecting to find out just what the heck is up with Han Solo having a wife, that’s too bad because this issue is all about Obi-Wan Kenobi. Jason Aaron and Simone Bianchi take a break from the action to travel back in time to years before A New Hope when Obi-Wan’s still becoming the crazy old hermit and Luke Skywalker’s just a little boy.

First things first though: what nerd at Marvel lettered the credits page entirely in Aurebesh? Because you, you beautiful nerd, are a wonderful human being.

Using the journal as a framing device was a simple yet great idea to allow Aaron and company to go back in time so they can use a character like Obi-Wan Kenobi and it’s one that I hope they use again in the future from time to time. Like Kenobi before them, Star Wars #7 brings the story down to a far smaller level and makes it about the characters. Is there a plot line? Sure but that’s not as important as the journey that Obi-Wan is going through as he continues to adjust to this life as Ben Kenobi. It’s also about him figuring out how to be at peace with being a Jedi to his core and also remaining in hiding where he can protect Luke.

On the art front, this is our first issue without John Cassaday and Marvel chose wisely. Bianchi was a great choice for this issue as his style is a perfect fit for Tatooine. He also draws an absolutely adorable young Luke Skywalker. I’d love to see more of Bianchi’s artwork in the Star Wars universe in the future especially if they continue to do the occasional Kenobi one-off.

Bottom line? Aaron-Bianchi-Kenobi are a winning combination in my book.

Star Wars #7 gets a 5/5 from me this week for a simple yet enjoyable one-shot story about the one and only Master Kenobi.

Review: Lando #1

Posted on by

You know what any book about Lando Calrissian needs to be? Fun. Good news! Lando #1 by Charles Soule and Alex Maleev is just that. The set up is pretty simple: Lando’s in a little to deep to someone and needs to pull a job in order to settle his debt. There is of course, as there always is, a twist. And it’s a good twist. A fun twist. Have I mentioned that this book is fun yet?

Admittedly, a small part of me held a grudge against this book for taking over for the Princess Leia spot in the line up but I’m happy to report that this first issue definitely proved itself. Soule’s got a great handle on the character especially when it comes to his signature suave nature. Where Soule really gets to stretch his character muscles though is with Lobot who, for the most part, was a glorified extra in Empire Strikes Back albeit a glorified extra with some cool head implants. It’s neat to see him as the more logical voice of reason who’s also clearly a friend to Lando and not just a subordinate.

Lando #1 also continues to pattern of more women holding positions of power in the Empire as we’re introduced to another female Moff/Imperial Governor. It’s nice to see sexist firmly dropped from the list of negative words we’ve so often used to describe the Empire in the days of Legends. (Not saying that Ssaria’s necessarily a great person but hey, who am I to judge?)

I’ve enjoyed Alex Maleev’s art for a few years now (his Scarlet Witch in that issue of New Avengers was swoon worthy) but didn’t realize what a perfect fit his art with Paul Mounts’ colors would be for this book. Actually, it’s worth mentioning that Paul Mounts’ colors really help this book standout. I am digging the palettes he uses for the different scenes and locations.

Bottom line? Just like every other Star Wars book Marvel’s put out this year, this one’s a winner.

Lando #1 gets a 4/5 from me along with a recommendation.