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

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

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

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

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

Star Wars: Age of Resistance - Heroes (comic) - Paul's REVIEW

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Star Wars: Age of Resistance - Heroes
Writers: Tom Taylor, G. Willow Wilson, & Chris Eliopoulos
Artists: Ramon Rosana, GURU-eFX, Matteo Buffagni, Elsa Charretier, & Javier Pina
Recent Release Date: November 26, 2019

Age of Republic - Villains
Age of Republic - Heroes

Age of Rebellion - Villains
Age of Rebellion - Heroes

Synopsis: This is the Age of Star Wars - an epic series of adventures that unite your favorite characters from all three trilogies! Explore untold tales of the greatest heroes of the Resistance. Finn starts to question the First Order as he is put on infestation control on Starkiller Base. Poe Dameron fancies himself the best pilot there is, but after a New Republic protocol droid is stolen he may just meet his better! Trapped in an asteroid fi eld, Poe will have to learn a thing or two from this mysterious pilot if he wants to survive. Rey, Chewie and R2-D2 start their journey to fi nd Luke Skywalker, but mechanical issues force them to land on the junkyard planet the Necropolis. Plus: Rose Tico, Admiral Holdo, Maz Kanata and BB-8!

COLLECTING: STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE - FINN 1, STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE - ROSE TICO 1, STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE - POE DAMERON 1, STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE - REY 1, STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE SPECIAL 1

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

Review: I was definitely excited to read this collection since we haven't gotten much content featuring the heroes from the prequel trilogy quite yet. I really enjoyed this volume. 

The first story features Finn as a janitor on Starkiller Base prior to the events of The Force Awakens. It really shows how different Finn was from the other First Order stormtroopers. He had compassion even when he was still technically with the bad guys. I give this story a 3/5. It was pretty boring and my least favorite of the stories in this volume.

The next story has Poe Dameron flying with Rapier Squadron in the New republic. A mysterious ship steals a droid's head and Poe chases them into danger. They bond by barely surviving. There's a really fun reveal. This one gets a 5/5.

Rose and Paige are the focus of the next story. This is a true origin story for the sisters, from childhood to joining the Resistance. I always want more stories about these two! 5/5

Rey's story is small, but exciting. It follows her in the moments leading up to and the travel to Ahch-To to find Luke. 5/5

The next story shows Maz Kanata being pretty badass. It also features a younger Han and Chewbacca. 4/5

I really enjoyed the young Holdo story. It's all about impressions. I feel like this story is so relevant to how so many people viewed her in The Last Jedi. 5/5. 

The last story in this volume is all about BB-8 being a kick-ass droid with a heart. BB-8 comes to the aid of other droids. 4/5

This was a really fun collection. Most of the stories are semi-origin stories or feature younger versions of the heroes we're still getting used to on the screen. I look forward to many comics featuring these characters in the future. I give this volume a 5/5. 


--PAUL