Published: July 28, 2021
Cover Artist: Francesco Francavilla
The Princess and the Bog, A Twin Tale, Part 1
Writer: Sam Maggs
Artist: Liana Kangas
Colourist: Brittany Peer
Letterer: Johanna Nattalie
The Crimson Corair and the Crime Lords of the Barren Rim
Writer: Landry Walker
Artist: Nick Brokenshire
Letterer: Johanna Nattalie
The synopsis;
The Empire has been defeated, but that doesn’t mean that the adventures are over for Luke and Leia, who find themselves in a tricky situation that they have to work together to get out of! Plus, the Crimson Corsair and his band of pirates make their Star Wars Adventures debut!
The review;
IDW certainly are pushing these issues out quickly after a three-month hiatus. Not that I mind, these issues are always fun to read, showcasing some of the best names in the industry. This week (and yes, the synopsis on IDW’s website is now correct!) we start with Sam Maggs’ tale of Luke and Leia. Maggs is well known for her work for female superheroes, but for Star Wars, she wrote one of the tales in Adventures 2, a Kylo Ran story that was simply incredible. The depth and sheer amount of content for such a short story was amazing to read. With her is Star Wars newcomer Liana Kangas, who I am very excited to see what her unique style brings to the story. For the second story we have more of the Crimson Corsair, originally seen in The Force Awakens! This week it’s brought to us by Landry Walker, who wrote The Crimson Corsair and the Lost Treasure of Count Dooku in his anthology book Tales from a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Aliens Volume 1. He is joined by artist Nick Brokenshire who is no stranger to Star Wars Adventures. So, let’s see what these tales bring us…
The Princess and the Bog; let’s set the scene first. Although the synopsis says the Empire has been defeated (which I assumed meant post Return of the Jedi) this is set after the destruction of the first Death Star. You might wonder why I’m being picky on this point but for me, it is this fact that is essential to enjoying the story and understanding where Maggs is coming from. As the title suggests this is a twin adventure, an adventure with Luke and Leia side by side. Yet neither of them at this point know that they are siblings. This small detail allows Maggs to tell a tale (or at least the first half of it) that looks at Luke and Leia’s relationship to each other. When A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back were released, the audience didn’t know they were siblings. Maggs knows the reader knows this fact now and is able to play on it. Further to this, Maggs is able to show us a side to these two that we rarely see, brother and sister acting, well, like siblings.
The story starts with Leia, and we see a far softer side to her character, her internal monologue to what is going on. Recently Leia has been portrayed as the strong leader who knows what needs to be done, but here, Maggs shows just how ‘normal’ the character is. This also includes perks to the job of leader, which is where the sibling mentality starts to show itself. For it is the relationship between Luke and Leia that is the driving force and made me want to keep on reading. The two bicker a lot, as any siblings do, with one winding the other up. It is this playful nature that is so refreshing to see from the pair, yet Maggs goes deeper than that. She begins to explore what is at the core of each of these characters. For Leia, it is the Rebellion and nothing else takes higher priority. Yet for Luke, it is the calling of the force that is beginning to speak to him. These core values mean that each character is in the same situation but acting completely different. Maggs uses this to show us that although they’re twins and fundamentally think very alike, their focuses are on completely different paths. Luke allows the force to guide him to where he needs to go, whereas Leia knows from facts what she needs to accomplish. Throughout this first part, we see not only the two characters at odds with one another but also the force against the Rebellion. At this time, it is very clear that Leia does not trust to the force or Luke’s feelings. She can’t allow herself to lose control as it might cost the Rebellion everything they’ve fought for. Whereas Luke, who is new to all of this, understands that the force is far grander than the Rebellion (or for that matter, the Empire). This constant comparison with both the characters and the philosophies is done so well, you never feel Maggs is being blatant with it, she eases it throughout the story.
The artwork by Kangas really suits this story. There are no excessive lines or overuse of detail, this is artwork that focuses on the characters (and it should!). The panel movement is excellent, I particularly like the way Leia gears up before heading out. Equally, with humour (and there was one bit I laughed out loud), Kangas’s timing is flawless with the artwork. With such a focus on the characters you can’t help but be drawn into the artwork, it feels very comfortable and I’m really looking forward to what Kangas brings in the second part of the story.
The second tale, The Crimson Corsair and the Crime Lords of the Barren Rim, is the shorter of the two but it certainly doesn’t feel like it. There is a huge amount of detail crammed into every page, which is how Walker is able to concoct such an elaborate story. Although this tale is about the Crimson Corsair, we actually see very little of him. And that is what I like about this story, it’s all about the legend of the character, what they might or might not be able to achieve. It shows that just a name can have a huge impact on others. We have seen this in Star Wars before, where the name of Boba Fett instantly puts characters on edge, same here with the Crimson Corsair.
The story is gorgeously illustrated by Brokenshire who forces you to pause for every single page as there is so much detail in every single panel. It reminds me very much of 2000AD issues, not a single space wasted. This older style really speaks to me, as I’m sure it will to many fans. Brokenshire seems to effortlessly fit all of Walker’s work into the short space provided (and there is a lot). Not only that but any story that can include “so wizard” is doing alright in my book!
This feels like an extremely strong issue. Maggs is able to take a unique look at Luke and Leia, with artwork that feels like you are strolling with the characters through the story. On the other hand, Walker provides a story that is so fast paced it never stops, with Brokenshire having to fill every space with story. It’s almost like these stories are their own twins, both there to provide a tale but coming at it from very different angles. And that is what I love about Adventures, every story, every piece of artwork is different and unique. Here we have stories for both original and prequel fans, presented in two very different but engaging ways. I can’t wait to read the second part of Maggs’ story and I do hope Walker will continue to showcase characters from his previous Star Wars book… or… maybe a story from the book of Hondo?
Availability;
Star Wars Adventures (2020) is an ongoing series available from IDW Publishing. This issue is available from all good comic bookstores in the USA and from Forbidden Planet in the UK. This issue retails at $3.99.
