You can have the films on BD. For me seeing the Marvel adaptations is the greatest return a classic version of the Star Wars saga I’ve seen in years.
What They Say:
The comics adaptations of the complete Star Wars film saga – in one volume! From Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s fateful encounter with Darth Maul to Luke Skywalker’s victory over the Sith and Darth Vader’s redemption, it’s all here! Produced over the decades as the movies – including the Special Edition of Episode IV: A New Hope – were released, the creative credits read like a Who’s Who of comics greatness. This is a true collector’s package!
The Review:
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….
Welcome to the Star Wars complete saga where George Lucas’ epic will be told by some of the greatest comic scribes of the era as they interpret the script and are allowed to come up with some fresh new angles to some familiar scenes. The materials here are presented in their story order with The Phantom Menace leading off the tale of the Skywalker family and The Return of the Jedi completing this tale that has united 30+ years of movie goers as few other properties could even dream of. Anyone reading this review almost certainly has some familiarity with the property so I’ll skip recapping the six tales and talk more about the release itself.
In some ways the beginning parts of the trilogy comic are more spectacular than the later three chapters in their technical presentation which reflects the changes in both the tools available as well as the changing taste of the American audience. The Phantom Menace uses a rather bold style that looks to recapture many of the dramatic scenes in comic form while looks to mesh the power of visuals from the camera angles used for the film with the practicalities demanded of the different medium. The use of a black boarder really helps convey a feeling of capturing some of the magic that a theatrical experience can give.
Attack of the Clones feels free to use more full-image frames and lay panels over them than the first comic did and it eschews the black boarder either for the full images or a white boarder which adds a crisp look to this chapter and helps differentiate it from the previous. The art work changes slightly and it seems the artist went more for interpreting the scenes than trying to replicate precisely the character images as they would appear on celluloid.
For Revenge of the Sith the artwork looks far closer to digital paint which allows for more realistic character designs, particularly when it comes to capturing character expressions. This technology also allows for a bit more detail to be applied to a panel though given the time frame I grew up reading comics in it is one that feels like it lacks the soul of the old comic works. Sith continues in the uses of some partial full panels and the white boarder as seen in Clones.
The real treat for me is the inclusion of the original (with some minor alterations) Marvel interpretations of IV-VI. While it may be hard for some of those of a younger generation to believe comics were once really big business and often did movie tie-ins. While on occasion certain things would be held back to surprise the audience in the theaters most of the material was present in these adaptations-and sometimes more as they sometimes worked of different script edits that have minor differences from the finished film. In the case of episodes IV and V in particular when reading through one can get a bit of the thrill of the unknown as from time to time different dialogue is present, different perspective on scene perspective is used or character models (especially Yoda in Empire as he resembles Ralph McQuarrie design sketches) are different from the final versions that have become engrained in the public consciousness. With these comics one gets the feel much like the old NPR radio plays that allow for expansion in areas that just didn’t have the ability to make it into the film for whatever reason.
I could gripe a little that about how A New Hope has some of the Special Edition material changes inserted into it but outside one change (Han shot first!) the changes don’t affect the story lines and great care was taken to try to replicate the older art style and make the additions fit as smooth as possible. Also of note is that the colors look to have been nicely redone and fleshed out. While the difference in comic styles are obvious from Episode III and IV (which due to production order were the farthest apart in time) and some of the techniques changed (Episode IV uses the objective narration tool far more than III) the basics of conveying the story remain. For me one of my fondest memories was of getting the Return of the Jedi comic back when it first came out from a drugstore and seeing it here again and as I remember it makes this title a full winner for me.
To be sure there are issues with the story telling as the change in medium forces changes in how a scene is delivered to try to convey the impact of motion and the loss of John William’s brilliant score also cost the story some points but the main story tent poles are all here. The presence of some unfilmed elements might also bristle with some fans who want things as close to the feature films as possible but they also explaining some elements that otherwise seemed a little off, particularly when referenced in some of the extended media stories. For example, ever play the N64 Shadows of the Empire and wonder why Wampas were present in the Echo Base stage? The answer is found here.
In Summary:
This collection is more than just a Star Wars film adaptation collection as it also serves as a sort of historical comparison of the differences between comic telling and presentation in 1977 and what it had evolved into by 2005. While these differences may make it difficult for some fans to fully enjoy the full scope of material, those who enjoy seeing new parts of the Star Wars universe that had made it onto the screen will find new aspects that make the events they know by heart feel almost as fresh as the day they first saw them. If you know a Star Wars comic reader this collection is certain to delight and entertain.
Grade: B+
