Star Wars Shattered Empire: Issue 1

This new series is dubbed “Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” My friend Nikki at the comic store told me it ties in to the upcoming film and recommended I read it. How could I refuse?

The story picks up at the conclusion of the Battle of Endor (that would be the “Return of the Jedi” film, for those who are wondering). The Galactic Empire is defeated, but it is discovered that there is a hidden base on Endor’s moon. The rebels attack, intending to finish off the Empire for good. But they discover something…

My feeling is that this is great if you are really into Star Wars; if not, you can probably skip it. The writing is mediocre. Lots of snippets of conversation where you do not actually know who is speaking. I give the writers credit for trying to do something creative, but it just didn’t quite work for me.

The story is definitely driven more by the illustrations than the text. Lots of interstellar fighting, which while I can appreciate the artwork (which is very good, by the way), there is only so much spaceship/lasers/explosions I can handle before my interest begins to wane.

I will say that this did make me more excited about the upcoming film. I’ll continue reading this arc (I believe it is only slated for four issues), mainly because I am curious how this will tie into the movie. I’ll let you know my thoughts on the second issue when it comes out in about a month or so.

Cheers!