Small but intriguing advances.
Creative Staff:
Story: Greg Pak
Art: Phil Noto
Letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles
What They Say:
TRICKS AND TRAPS! The REBELS AND ROGUES epic continues as our heroes deploy their plans to trick their Imperial pursuers… and everything falls apart! CHEWIE and THREEPIO face moral quandaries — and mortal danger — when they learn the uninhabited planet they’re supposed to destroy isn’t quite so uninhabited. Will the FORCE be with LUKE in a bar fight? And who is DAR CHAMPION… and what does he have to do with Leia’s past?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With Greg Pak having established himself as a solid Star Wars writer for me through the various one-shots that have been coming out, going into this arc wasn’t something I was concerned about with the story. I’m liking the little tweaks and nods we’re getting here and am excited for what’s to come. My biggest concern was Phil Noto’s artwork after both the Chewbacca and Poe Dameron series as they went very different, but he allayed every fear with the opening issue that I’m thankfully now in a spot where I don’t have to think about it any further. This issue continues on what we started and I’m enjoying the designs and the color work that’s coming together well. But especially some of the costumes and changes we’ve gotten for some of our regulars. That goes a long way toward really making me happy when they don’t have to stick to the same look as in the films.
The main storyline at the moment still feels like the Lanz Carpo one with Han and Leia looking to send out false signals from there to cause some chaos in the core systems. That they got involved in some criminal shenanigans to quickly isn’t a surprise considering how this world works but the arrival of former boyfriend Dar Champion eases things, much to Han’s chagrin. Yeah, it’s the usual stuff where he’s jealous and problematic with it but it’s a deep and long stripe in his personality. Leia manages it well and we even get a nod toward how Dar’s family was the cause of the problem, specifically his father, and he wasn’t surprised that Leia disappeared. That was more due to family, and her growing bond with the Rebellion at the time, but it’s nice to see how that unfolds and gives Han and Leia something to lean into if trouble hits again. I also loved Han’s little jab at his last name being Champion only to have Leia call him out on Solo likely not being his real last name.
Chewie and Threepio’s story still isn’t doing too much for me simply because it feels a little too cartoonish as they’re having second thoughts about setting the bombs after discovering sentient rock people on the otherwise uninhabited world. That has them racing to fix what they’ve done but these two together just comes across in that slapstick kind of way. I definitely preferred the other story running here with Luke on Sergia where he’s set to help the Rebels there escape. These Rebels are making some easy mistakes which frustrates Luke, but I like seeing him cutting down probe droids and using the Force to get a better feel for what’s out there. Tie that in with some time onboard the Star Destroyer itself and how they’re trying to figure out real data from pointless findings of probes for Lord Vader and you’ve got a couple of fun layers to work with here.
In Summary:
With something that feels a bit simpler for a larger storyline that’s spread across three sub-arcs, Star Wars is moving into Greg Pak’s opening concept well. It feels Star Wars but like Kieron Gillen’s run it feels like it’s trying to mature up just a little bit to be something more. It still has some of the childish aspects that are part and parcel with it, looking at you, Han, but these are familiar and expected pieces. I like Luke’s arc a lot with what potential it has there and it’s a delight seeing Han and Leia in new outfits. Phil Noto has some great layouts with very smooth transitions and a lot to like with color design and detail. I’m looking forward to what’s next.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: All Ages
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: July 24th, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
