Star Wars, Vol.13: Rogues and Rebels (comic) - Paul's REVIEW

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads


Title: Star Wars, Vol. 13: Rogues and Rebels
Writer: Greg Pek
Artist: Phil Noto
Release Date: March 17, 2020


Synopsis: It's the end of the era of hope! Rebels and rogues take center stage as this volume of Marvel's STAR WARS comes to a close! Who exactly is Dar Champion, and how far can Leia trust him when Han's life is on the line? What shocking lesson will Luke learn when Warba finally reveals her true self? When faced with his lost past, can C-3PO seize control of his destiny — and be the hero of his own story? And Chewbacca takes on Darth Vader in vicious hand-to-hand combat! Meanwhile, the Rebellion's search for a new home — a base safe from the reach of the Empire — leads them to the planet Hoth! Doctor Aphra and Beilert Valance lend a hand as the Rebellion's fate is set - and the Empire ascends!

COLLECTING: STAR WARS (2015) #73-75, STAR WARS: EMPIRE ASCENDANT (2019) #1

------------------------------------------------------------

Review: After 75 issues, the story of our main Rebel heroes set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back comes to a close. And it's about time. In my opinion, it's been dragging with not much interesting happening for awhile. Some of the interactions recently even seem to take away from big moments in the original trilogy. Darth Vader has a LOT of interactions with the main cast in this volume. The C-3PO and Vader scenes really confuse me. Does he not recognize the droid he created? At least they are finally at Hoth.

This volume is more of the second half of the last volume's story. A boring story. I did really enjoy the inorganic aliens though.

The rest of this volume is filled with Empire Ascendant, which serves as both a conclusion and beginning. Poe's parents on Hoth. A Darth Vader intro that seems to introduce some new and interesting Death Troopers. Bounty Hunters shows Valance working along with the Rebels. And the final Aphra story was included in the Aphra volume as well. 

I give this volume a 3/5. I wish this ongoing series learned more from the animated Clone Wars series and jumped around the focus instead of focusing on the main heroes so much. It seems like a lot of these missions are redundant and don't actually show growth of the characters. I am hesitant about whether I want to continue reading these new incarnations of the ongoing series or not.


--PAUL

Star Wars, Vol. 12: Rebels and Rogues (comic) - Paul's REVIEW

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads


Title: Star Wars, Vol. 12: Rebels and Rogues
Writer: Greg Pek
Artist: Phil Noto
Release Date: November 19, 2019


Synopsis: Darth Vader is on the hunt for Luke Skywalker! Thousands of remote probes are sent into the far reaches of space looking for the Rebel Alliance. But the rebels send out desperate, heroic missions to lead them astray. Chewie and C-3PO lure a drone to a planet with an unstable core but learn of a secret droid civilization. With Star Destroyers and Darth Vader approaching, they must now protect these newfound droids. Luke Skywalker undertakes a mission to lead a drone away from a rebel refueling station but runs into the Force-sensitive human Bendoh. With Luke training to be a Jedi, will Bendoh be a valuable teacher or a simple grifter? Then, Han Solo and Princess Leia plan to use a drone to take down a local crime boss, but things get complicated when they run into Leia's ex! What could possibly go wrong?!

COLLECTING: STAR WARS 68-72

------------------------------------------------------------

Review: This is the twelfth volume in this ongoing series and quite honestly, it's getting stale. I am absolutely ready for the jump past The Empire Strikes Back. I'm curious to see if they'll do any Shadows of the Empire plots. But in the mean time, this volume had our main heroes split up into duos. Han and Leia meet with an ex of Leia. Luke and Artoo search a desert planet and meet a force user. Chewbacca and Threepio discover some not-so-organic lifeforms.

There are some interesting ideas in this volume, but it just feels kind of boring. There's no big picture things going down It just feels like more missions that will be resolved and are just taking up the time until we get to Hoth. The stakes don't feel high. One thing I did enjoy seeing was Han and Leia's relationship starting to look like what it does in The Empire Strikes Back. 

I give this volume a 3/5. The heroes are divided and not much happens. There isn't even much resolution in this volume. 


--PAUL

Star Wars: Poe Dameron, Vol.1: Black Squadron (comic) - Paul's REVIEW

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Star Wars: Poe Dameron, Vol.1: Black Squadron
Author: Charles Soule
Illustrator: Phil Noto
Recent Release Date: December 13, 2016

Synopsis: Poe Dameron, former Republic flyer turned Resistance fighter, is the best pilot in the galaxy. Hand-picked for the resistance by General Leia Organa to lead a squadron on a top secret and vital mission...Poe sets off investigating sites of historical importance to the Force. Revealing backstory leading directly into the holidays' greatest adventure, follow Poe and his X-Wing squadron on covert missions against the First Order brought to you by writer Charles Soule (Star Wars: Lando, Daredevil) and artist Phil Noto (Star Wars: Chewbacca, Black Widow)!

COLLECTING: POE DAMERON 1-6

------------------------------------------------------------

Review: I was really looking forward to this comic. It's the first look into the prequel-era in comic book form. Poe Dameron and the Black Squadron are all about action! I loved seeing the other Black Squadron members from the film like Snap Wexley and Jess Pava. 

The actual story and missions in this volume aren't that interesting, but the characters are great. Poe and BB-8 are quite the team. Agent Terex is also a cool antagonist. I am definitely looking forward to the second volume. I keep my eyes peeled for any hints that POe may have an interest for a certain former stormtrooper in the future. No clues yet.

I give this first volume of Poe Dameron a 4/5. It's a fun comic for fans of the Resistance pilot.   

--PAUL

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

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

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.

------------------------------------------------------------

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