Star Wars: Chewbacca (graphic novel) - Paul's REVIEW

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Title: Star Wars: Chewbacca
Author: Gerry Duggan
Illustrator: Phil Noto
Recent Release Date: March 8, 2016

Synopsis: Known as the skilled co-pilot of the infamous Millennium Falcon, the legendary Wookiee warrior CHEWBACCA stars in his very own adventure! After the battle of Yavin, Chewbacca is on his own when he crash lands his ship on an Imperial occupied planet. Now stranded, Chewie finds himself caught in the middle of trying to return to the rebellion and helping a young and feisty girl in need. Writer Gerry Duggan (DEADPOOL, 1872, HULK) and artist Phil Noto (BLACK WIDOW, X-23, UNCANNY X-FORCE) bring us a never-before-seen tale of the heroic Wookiee we all know and love.

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Review: It's a challenge to have a comic about a character who doesn't speak a translatable language. This comic dealt with that problem wonderfully. The dialogue worked out well. Even in the many panels without word bubbles, the artwork did an excellent job of conveying emotion to the reader. I like Phil Noto's Star Wars illustrations and look forward to seeing his work in more Star Wars comics to come.

The story is pretty basic. Chewbacca crash lands and finds himself in the middle of a local rebellion. My favorite parts of this comic were the small things. I enjoyed seeing prequel era alien species in an original trilogy setting. There are flashbacks of Chewbacca's life that I wish were fledged out more. That's the Chewbacca comic I want. We see a glimpse of his family. Is that Lumpy becoming canon? There are flashbacks to enslavement on Kashyyyk. I hope Chuck Wendig's second Aftermath novel, Life Debt picks up some of that story. 

The spirit of Chewie is definitely captured int his comic. I loved seeing him gambling. Without Han by his side, he seems unwhole. The reference to the medal ceremony was great. 

This comic was a cool story, but I wish it had been more consequential to either Chewbacca's life or the greater galaxy. I enjoyed the peaks into Chewie's past and his family. I'd love to see more miniseries from Marvel that feel like they matter more than this one. I give this graphic novel a 4/5.


--PAUL