Published: August 18, 2021
Cover Artist: Francesco Francavilla
The Princess and the Bog, A Twin Tale, Part 2
Writer: Sam Maggs
Artist: Liana Kangas
Colourist: Brittany Peer
Letterer: Johanna Nattalie
Trade Relations
Writer: Danny Lore
Artist: Arianna Florean
Colourist: Ronda Pattison
Letterer: Johanna Nattalie
The synopsis;
The Empire has been defeated, but that doesn’t mean that the danger is over for Luke and Leia, who find themselves in a tricky situation that they have to work together to get out of! Plus, Count Dooku has sinister plans for a Clone troop!
The review;
More Star Wars Adventures so soon can’t be a bad thing, particularly with the stories contained within. This issue we see the return of Sam Maggs and Liana Kangas to finish the tale The Princess and the Bog. The start of this story was so beautifully told, both in writing and art, that I have been eagerly awaiting the concluding part. The second story, ‘Trade Relations’, is written by Star Wars newcomer Danny Lore, who I’m interested to see what they produce, particularly having written a James Bond comic. They are joined by Arianna Florean who is no stranger to Star Wars Adventures, a name who instantly grabs my attention, particularly after her work on ‘Flight of the Falcon’. This is shaping up to be a great issue…
The second part of ‘The Princess and the Bog’ starts with Luke and Leia trying to figure out how they are going to save the cute inhabitants. This story is a lot more action because Maggs set the story up so well last issue. However, that’s not to say that there isn’t some wonderful Luke and Leia moments. In the first part, we saw that Luke was really starting to trust to the force and that Leia just couldn’t really understand it. There was this conflict with how the two worked. Maggs recaps this. We see Luke still trusting to the force. It might not be leading him in the direction he wanted but he is able to listen and understand what is needed rather than what is wanted. Even so, Maggs brings out the young, optimistic farm boy, who knowing what should be done, wants to just rush in. As Leia points out, this is far too like Han. Leia, who doesn’t understand the force yet, understands that Luke’s optimism needs to be held back a little as the reality needs a clearer head. In this way, where the two were butting against each other in the previous issue, Maggs shows how their differences actually help to balance one another. Luke needs to be a bit more grounded, and Leia needs to learn to trust others. It’s a lesson that is an important one for both the characters and for us, that we need each other to help support us.
It’s not the only lesson that the two learn. Like siblings, they learn to compromise through the understanding of one another. It’s this that really feels right, particularly given when the story is set. Luke and Leia have a huge respect for one another by The Empire Strikes Back, rather than just the awe Luke holds for Leia in A New Hope. This is a progression of a relationship, of one that even the characters don’t fully understand yet and Maggs fills in some of the blanks beautifully. By the end of the story both characters have grown, grown as people but also in their relationship.
Kangas’ artwork really suits this story. The wide panel spread of Luke and Leia taking on the Empire is stunning, with a lot of movement in a single panel. Yet the wow moment for me is Leia’s thought process, where she is trying to think of how to best approach the problem. Here, Kangas has an inspirational idea of having a dejarik board in the background with the pieces moving. It works so well, and it really helped to show how Leia’s mind works. Such a wonderfully executed idea. Coupled with the fantastic writing, Kangas and Maggs really create a special story of siblings growing closer together.
The second tale, Trade Relations, takes part during The Clone Wars. Although the second story is usually the smaller of the two, Lore is able to cram so much story into such a small space. As the title suggests, the tale revolves around trading, obviously not the most interesting of topics! Yet this is not lost on Lore, who is able to include action, unique clones and speeder bike chases. They even show us, tongue in cheek, clones also bored of these negotiations. It’s all these things combined that really make for an intriguing story.
The clones work really well here. We have seen in Star Wars a lot of different clones, yet Lore is still able to deliver something different. Jumpy is not your typical clone, he can be, well, a little jumpy. This would usually be seen as a flaw, but Lore is able to show how his jumpiness and instincts can be a positive trait to have. It’s an important lesson for younger readers to learn, that our differences can provide real benefits. The other clones in the story feel very formed, which in such a short time, I think is very impressive. You feel you know this group of clones well by the end of the story and I can’t help but think that Lore really needs to return to carry on their tale.
The artwork by Florean is exactly what I expect from her, wonderful! It feels like something taken from an animation series. The expression of the characters, the movement of the action scenes, it flows so flawlessly you forget you’re reading a comic. In particular, the speeder scenes are gorgeous, when they skid, everything in the panel works so harmoniously together. Florean was the perfect choice for this tale.
Although a short story, Lore makes you feel like this a drop in the water of a much bigger tale that they want to tell. Bar one exception, this story is devoid of main characters from the franchise and yet you feel like you know them so well. There is a likability to these characters that is very impressive, and I do hope that IDW bring Lore back to help expand these characters.
Star Wars Adventures feels like it’s really found its footing again. These are two very different stories but two very focused on character and the bonds between them. It doesn’t matter if you like the originals or the prequels, there is something here for everybody. Maggs really shows us a side to Luke and Leia we don’t typically see, and Lore creates an intriguing tale that seems to have so much more left to say. Coupled with the incredible art from both Kangas and Florean, IDW have an amazing issue that really shows the best that this series has to offer. I really hope we see a return of these teams as both have told such incredible tales, and particularly with Lore, they seem to have so much more left to tell.
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.
