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: Vader Down – Part 3 of 6

I don’t have a lot to say about this issue except that it is really, really good. The writing and artwork are both outstanding and the story is totally engaging. Since I have a warm spot for villains, I have to say that I have really grown attached to Dr. Aphra’s droids, who are like the evil twins of R2D2 and C3PO. They have just the right amount of sardonic humor which one would expect from a pair of sadistic droids. I found myself chuckling quietly as I read.

I decided to read this comic this morning because the day has finally arrived for the release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” I purchased my tickets in advance and will be seeing it tonight, and fear not… there is no way I would put any spoilers in any of my posts. Honestly, I cannot remember the last time I felt this excited about a film. And I’m very grateful to the folks at Marvel for putting so much effort into these new Star Wars comics. They are great and have totally awakened the Force within me.

It’s a great time to be a nerd!

Important PS – There are some people out there who think it is funny to post film spoilers. I will let you know that all comments here are moderated and I will not be reviewing / approving ANY comments until after I see the movie tonight. I will then block anyone who attempts to sneak in a spoiler to ruin the film for others.

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!