Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Allegiance (comic) - Paul's REVIEW

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Title: Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Allegiance
Writer: Ethan Sacks
Artists: Luke Ross & Lee Loughridge
Release Date: November 19, 2019


Synopsis: BEFORE THE EXCITING EVENTS OF STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER! Hounded by the FIRST ORDER across the galaxy, the RESISTANCE is in dire need of ships, weapons and recruits to make a final stand against KYLO REN'S forces. Desperation drives a delegation led by GENERAL LEIA ORGANA and REY to entreat the Rebel veteran's one-time allies, THE MON CALAMARI, to join the fight - but decades after Imperial occupation enslaved their planet, there are those willing to stop at nothing to prevent another war from bloodying the waters of Mon Cala. A system away, POE DAMERON and FINN have their own mission: to hunt down a weapons cache on the remote moon of Avedot, unaware that they are being hunted by the most notorious criminal gang in the galaxy!

Collecting: JOURNEY TO STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - ALLEGIANCE #1-#4

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Review: This graphic novel takes place between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. Like most Star Wars comics, our heroes split up and go on different missions that loosely connect to eachother. Finn and Poe go together, while Leia, Rey, Rose, and Chewbacca head to Mon Cala.

We haven't gotten to know our new heroes quite yet so it's nice to see them interacting. I really enjoyed seeing Poe and Finn together. Their onscreen chemistry translates well. I liked the amount of physical contact that is shown between them. I'm still hoping for a romantic relationship confirmation in The Rise of Skywalker, but I'm not banking on it. Rey's voice felt off to me this whole volume. Her actions and her dialogue just seemed off to me. Rey's actions in the second half of the volume more reflect her character, in my opinion. Rose on the other hand is portrayed very accurately and I loved seeing more of her. 

We get to see Mon Cala again, which has been popular in the comics. Admiral Ackbar's son makes an appearance. There's also a Clawdite shapeshifter, which has also been popular within the comics as well. 

I like seeing the new heroes in comics, but this story just wasn't exciting. I think I would have preferred if the focus had been on just one mission. Or if the stakes seemed higher. Again, I don't know what happens next in The Rise of Skywalker so maybe there's allusions to the future that I can't pick up on yet. I give this graphic novel a 3/5.


--PAUL