Some levity before it all goes to hell.
Creative Staff:
Story: Jason Aaron
Art: Jorge Molina
Colors: Matt Milla
Letters: VC’s Joe Caramagna
What They Say:
The Rebels have pulled off the impossible…they’ve stolen a Star Destroyer. But why? To what end? Can they hold her together? And who’s in charge of this madness, anyway – Han or Leia?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As this arc rolls on we get a little connection to what kicked it off at the end here and that works well to help tie it together. Jason Aaron has looked at the long and short game before so it’s something that works well here with nice callbacks all while keeping things fresh and moving, this time with a bit more levity than we’ve had in a bit. Jorge Molina’s on board once again with the artwork but with its focus on Han and Leia so much something just feels weirdly off about it that I can’t place, almost like it’s a bit too rushed and not quite as on model as it should be with the designs. I really liked what he did before but something about it just doesn’t click well for me this time around and combined with some of the story elements just has the whole thing feeling weaker.
The hijacking of the star destroyer was definitely a lot of fun and watching as they struggle to get things under control afterward to keep it running has its moments as well. With plenty of damage to work through there’s certainly a good presentation of what they’re facing and it has the right kind of looseness about it. What I do like is that we go back in time a bit to see how this mission came together and the kind of incredulous expressions of those in charge as they realize that if anyone else had come up with it they’d laugh in their faces. Luke and Leia are certainly fun to watch with all of this, especially with Leia saying it’ll be worth it just for how frustrated and annoyed Han will be over it. It’s these small moments that show how Aaron has the characters down and makes it easier to handle some of the others.
Where the book loses me a bit is what we get in trying to get the ship back underway as they need to stop for some serious repairs as the hyperdrive isn’t cutting it. This puts us in a place where Han and Leia have different views of what to do and they naturally clash in a big way. That’s fine in itself but we get them opting to decide who will captain the ship based on who can make it to the bridge first. It’s a traditional race across the ship thing but it’s just something that comes across as too childish in the end. When you end up feeling like Sana is the one in the right here with how she views them you know you’re coursing down the wrong path. Thankfully, everything wraps up with the arrival of Kreel and his team and that gives hope for a really engaging ship battle, but I’m a bit wary of the execution.
In Summary:
With a decent chunk of this book focused on what Han and Leia are doing it ends up just spending too much time in a place that’s not all that engaging or well done. I like what we get with Luke and Leia in setting this up, the fun of Threepio and Sana, and even some of how Sana and Luke work together. But with the race taking up the space it does combined with not feeling like Molina’s artwork is as strong as it was in the previous couple of issues it just leaves me feeling pretty bland about this installment. It ends with a lot to make me hopeful, though, and anticipation for the next installment is definitely there as I know that Aaron can pull it off.
Grade: B-
Age Rating: All Ages
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: September 28th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
