The plan is fully in motion but we still have a bad feeling about this.
Creative Staff:
Story: Kieron Gillen
Art: Angel Unzueta
Colors: Guru e-FX
Letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles
What They Say:
THE SCOURGING OF SHU-TORUN: OPERATION VENGEANCE! KANCHAR returns, and he’s still got an amazing cybernetic arm. Does QUEEN TRIOS feel regret over all she’s done? Spoilers: She will soon if LEIA has anything to do with it.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
There was a lot of fun in the first part of this final arc from Kieron Gillen as everything was put into place for a team that Leia was bringing together. She’s making it clear that she’s not looking for revenge, though some sweet justice coming from it is a plus, in dealing with Queen Trios and the power she wields. Gillen has worked the character well from her initial introduction and woven her well into the larger stories. This issue shifts gears with the artist as Angel Unzueta comes on board and I like their approach pretty well, though some of the photorealistic elements at times simply doesn’t click as well as it should. But it’s how it goes when trying to capture the actors likenesses as much as they are here instead of just an approximation to smooth it out for comic form.
Trios gets some nice time with Kanchar at the beginning that shows how both of them are operating, knowing the rules of the bigger game at play and handling it like adults. It’s a welcome moment simply because it shows them as knowing how the game is played and doing it because it’s what’s necessary and it’s how they both survive, her as a part under control of the Empire and Kanchar as a servant of the Empire. Though you can see there may be a chance for something to go askew between the two if things go really badly, they both understand their place and position and her using him as a blunt tool on Jedha doesn’t mean he’s going to seek revenge on her. If anything, he’s probably impressed in his own way about it and simply more cautious about dealing with her in the future. Trios has had to navigate this kind of thing for so long even before becoming Queen that it really is simply how she survives in general.
The bulk of the book is getting all the players into the right place with Leia guiding the way once on Sho-Torun. The whole idea of this world is intriguing with the Spike through it and how it uses energy shields to operate, so the concept of basically destroying the spike while keeping casualties minimal makes sense, as it turns a high-end production place into a standard one, weakening what the Empire can do. The main thrust early on is involved in getting one of the Ore Dukes swapped out with the shapeshifter, Tunga, and using him with Threepio to get the goods on Trios they need to move into the next phase. It’s a good bit of intrigue overall that plays out here with some fun as Tunga definitely frustrates Leia a bit with the way he operates. Even Han tweaks her just the right way while trying to handle the pressure of what they’re doing.
In Summary:
The second part of the storyline gets us into events a lot quicker than I expected with the multi-part operation getting into place. It’s a good bit of fun to watch unfold since you get some good stuff out of Threepio and Tunga and I’m amused by the accessory they place on Threepio to get the job done. Leia’s running the mission in a pretty solid way and is well backed up by those that agree with her intent, like the Partisans, and that gives everything a stronger edge to it. Gillen has more going on than I expected here but it keeps a good flow about it while Unzueta’s artwork delivers some great looking pages and lots of detail for a wide range of characters that exist here in this particular setting.
Grade: B
Age Rating: All Ages
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: March 20th, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
