The further Cross delves into things, the more dangerous events become.
What They Say:
Undercover as a diplomatic attache, Imperial agent Jahan Cross continues his investigation into the stolen droid technology and the mysterious project known as “Iron Eclipse.” At an elegant embassy soiree in the Corporate Sector, Cross locks his sights on the Stark family. Before the evening is over, more than one player will be out of the game–and Cross will be wanted for murder!
The Review:
The first issue of the series was one that really won me over when you got down to it as it explored an interesting part of the timeline of the franchise in the years just before the fourth movie. With a cute came by Han Solo in the first issue as Cross made his way to the Corporate Sector to investigate things, tying Cross to Solo in a fun little way that highlights Solo’s past within the Imperial Academy before he went out on his own. That angle doesn’t factor into here as series writer John Ostrander opts instead to play up the intrigue level a lot more. The result is that we get an issue that definitely helps to pave the way forward a lot with some fun characters and a whole lot of intrigue as more of the foundation is laid out.
While Cross is definitely a dangerous man, he’s definitely playing up the Imperial Intelligence angle strongly here with the debonair act in order to learn more about his targets at the moment, the Starks. Getting into the big party of the moment with his droid, he’s able to pick out all the targets easily and start her on the path to figuring out connections and the like. The exposition may be a little much in some ways but it conveys a lot of information about several people quickly and how they interact with some other power players. With the Stark patriarch having died, Cross is able to get a good feel for his two children and the former wife that now lives on with a stipend and for the son of Stark, Iaclyn’s, pleasure. Not that he does anything with her, but his control is absolute.
Cross’ investigation is a lot of fun to watch here since he’ll do what it takes, and who it takes, to gather more information. It’s a bit cliched and classic in its own way with how he pumps the former wife for information and learns a lot about what he was up to with an anti-grav resort called Eclipse. She’s a talkative sort and that gives him a lot to work with, pulling back the layers in a straightforward and pointing him in a new direction. The cast of characters that’s grown here with the Stark family definitely works well, especially with the cold and scared daughter Ellie who fears her brother will just continue to pimp her out for a business alliance wife, and getting a better look at the mildly convoluted way the Corporate Sector works and factors into his investigation. It’s not exactly a full on info dump, but it’s filled with useful information and exposition to clarify how things work.
In Summary:
Cross continues to be the primary focus here but he’s a bit more of an observer and catalyst at times here, trying to discern who is who and what their connections all mean. While we had some of the basic spy style action and drama in the first issue, this one plays more to the intrigue and information gathering side and that’s a big plus. It keeps plenty of science fiction/space opera elements in here and provides for a chase scene and a bit of more personal action but it also slides in a little sex as well which is fun. Agent of the Empire continues to deliver on what it promises and this issue was simply fun to read. It feels like it’s more weighty this time around since there’s more dialogue and a better exploration of characters which draws you in much more than it did before. Cross’ position changes a few times here and seeing where it will go from here is definitely something I want to know.
Grade: B+
Readers Rating: [ratings]
