Star Wars – Poe Dameron: Issue #001

Last week, when I went to the store to pick up my comics, the owner had added this new comic to my folder knowing that I am a Star Wars fan. I was told that it was very good and that it fills in some of the back story to the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” film. I decided I would give it a read.

I have to say that I wanted to hate this, because I really did not feel like adding another arc to my reading list. But the truth is, I liked it. The artwork is very good, the writing is solid, and yes, it fills in some of the back story to the movie, which I enjoyed. Basically, Leia has given Poe the assignment to locate Lor San Terra, the man believed to have critical information pertaining to the location of Luke Skywalker (this would be the person who gives the map section to Poe at the beginning of “The Force Awakens”). Poe selects a group to assist him and begins his quest.

If you decide to pick this up, I’ll let you know up front that the beginning of this issue is a little slow, and basically is a lot of panels depicting Poe flying his ship. But don’t be discouraged; it gets better after the first several pages. I have resigned myself to the fact that I will be reading this arc too, at least for a while to see where it goes.

Cheers!

Star Wars Annual #1

The Disney – Marvel – Star Wars machine is in full swing. And that’s fine with me. I am enjoying this resurrection of the Force. The only challenge is trying to keep up with all the Star Wars spin-offs and releases, which is why it took me a little while to get around to reading this annual.

The issue is solid and the episode is complete, so it stands on its own quite well. It is about a rebel spy, Eneb Rey, who is undercover as a tax collector named Tharius Demo. He is sent to free some senators slated for execution, but then discovers that the Emperor is scheduled to be there. It is decided to attempt an assassination on the Emperor with the hope of finally defeating the Empire.

I found this an interesting exploration of what constitutes a hero. Is a hero someone who does something spectacular, or the quiet, unseen individual who works silently behind the scenes and whose accomplishments often never come to light? Because I see the hero as an archetype, I think it can embody both, that there are the swaggering hero types, and the shrouded and unsung heroes. And I personally relate to both on varying levels. I think that is why the hero is such a universally attractive archetype.

This tale has some interesting twists, as well as some brief passages examining how media and propaganda are employed in our modern society. As such, it is worth checking out. I found it a quick, interesting, and enjoyable read.

Cheers!

Star Wars: Issue 1

I purchased this issue the day it went on sale but was too busy to get around to reading it until now. It is a little more expensive than most comics and felt thicker, so I assumed it was an expanded issue to kick off the series. Well, I was kind of duped there. I’d say that probably a third of this issue is advertisements and teasers for upcoming off-shoot comics, such as the “Darth Vader” comic and the “Princess Leia” comic. It’s like the Disney marketing machine is primed and ready to go.

In spite of the blatant marketing blitz, I have to say that I did enjoy the issue. It is well-written and the artwork is clean and vibrant. Obviously, a lot of effort went into this, and it shows. The dialog captures the nuances of those personalities that have become such an ingrained part of our popular culture. Han is as cavalier as ever; Leia is strong-willed and dedicated to the cause; and Luke is idealistic and somewhat naive. And then, there is Vader, who is a villain in the classic sense. They are all such powerful and interesting characters, and the writers and artists truly do them all justice.

To sum up the story without any spoilers, the triumvirate arrive at Cymoon 1 in the Corellian Industrial Cluster, which is the Empire’s largest weapons manufacturing facility. Han poses as an envoy from Jabba the Hutt, while Luke and Leia are disguised as his bodyguards. Their plan is to destroy the facility, but then they discover that the negotiator they are supposed to meet with is none other than Darth Vader.

And so the plot is set. I will definitely give this series a go, but I am going to try to resist the lure of getting sucked into all the spin-offs, even though, a Darth Vader comic certainly piqued my interest. Heck, truth be told, I’ll probably read at least the first issue of that, but that’s how they hook you in, right?

Thanks for stopping by, and may the Force be with you.