Published: January 4, 2023
Rating: Rated T
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Ramon Rosanas
Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Artist: Stephen Segovia & Rain Beredo
The synopsis;
MAROONED!
Some of the Rebel Alliance’s best and brightest have gotten lost in an unknown region of space while hunting for a lost treasure. How will LUKE SKYWALKER, LEIA ORGANA, CHEWBACCA, LANDO CALRISSIAN and AMILYN HOLDO ever survive the horrors…of NO-SPACE?
The review;
Let’s be honest, some of the best Star Wars to come out in recent years has been The High Republic. Taking some of the best writers in a galaxy far, far away and giving them the time to plan and write an intricate story that overlaps books, comics, audio dramas, young adult novels and picture books has created an incredible experience for all who read it. As an Original Trilogy fan first and foremost, to have Charles Soule bring the High Republic into this gem of a series for OT fans again is just perfect. Last issue saw Soule bringing many, many elements from across the Star Wars universe together in a very exciting way, no space, or at least the potential of no space. Where it could lead is anyone’s guess but that’s what makes us want to read more. With the wonderful artwork provided by Andres Genolet, I’m sure we are in for an absolute treat this issue.
We start with a bit of mystery. Well, I say we – more the characters in the story – because if you have read any of The High Republic, a lot of this will make sense. The things that are confusing our heroes you’ll understand, and you’ll be able to enjoy their reactions. It is more of a figuring out what is what in terms of where they are, what’s the area. For existing readers, we know about this place, but this place over a hundred years ago, things have changed, and we don’t know what state it is left in when The High Republic will finally finish. It’s a great guessing game trying to fill in the blanks. If you haven’t yet read any of The High Republic then you are in the dark as much as the characters, their reactions maybe much like your own. Soule uses this to help catch you up with the story but left in the dark like Luke, Leia and company. It’s a great way to start the comic as no matter your reading experience, you are able to enjoy the story in different ways. What I do like about this part is you can see the reliance the galaxy has on hyperspace, that without it working, they are completely at a loss. Even though the events involving the pathways have already happened, anything learnt from them has been forgotten or thought to be completely academic at this point.
Soule takes our characters to a wandering asteroid structure. My first thought is this could be the Great Hall? But before we can think too long about that we are introduced to a young boy, droids and absolute chaos. Lots of action and not a lot of time for thinking. Soule can write very, very deep pieces that leave you thinking for hours after you have read an issue. Here, there is a lot of confusion for our characters and not a lot of time to figure it out. Soule doesn’t go too deep here and keeps the reader in the same position as the characters, fast-paced without time to breath. It shows just how well Soule is able to manipulate the pacing of the story to suit his needs and I really like the change of pace that occurs in this issue.
Lando is the real highlight for me here. He is the one to add the humour into the story but the one who is also the most grounded. The experiences he has gone through allow him to advise on what is best to do, the fact that they might get eaten, or the fact that they should probably watch the reactions of the local inhabitants. What he suggests is the most sensible course of action, even though like the others, he has no idea what is really going on. But there is one thing that he still lacks, that is very different to how we see him during Return of the Jedi, he has no hope. Negativity surrounds him and although his experiences have taught him how to best deal with this situation, having no hope can also be disastrous.
Which is where Soule brings in Leia. Everything is going wrong, no wonder Lando is seeing the negative, I think most of us probably would. Yet Leia shows that there is always hope, that if you remain positive and look for the good in a situation, things might just get better. For her, it’s all about the people she is with or trying to help, as opposed to Lando, who at this stage, is all about the money. It’s an interesting contrast that Soule provides, happiness versus money. We know how Lando will eventually change, how he will find his hope and his priorities change, is this the catalyst to begin that change? Soule illustrates this message beautifully thought the issue. When Leia is talking to Holdo about it, the writing is simply wonderful, as if Carrie Fisher herself were saying it.
Soule captures the words of the characters perfectly, but it is Genolet who captures there appearance so well. The movement and timings of the characters, particularly the boy with his rather humorous escape is done extremely well. But looking at the artwork, the thing that I really noticed was how well Genolet has captured Holdo – or more precisely – Laura Dern. This is the Laura Dern from Jurassic Park, the younger lines and frame drawn perfectly. Not an easy thing when most of the time her face is covered in shadow or with a hat on her head, but you can see Dern coming through every single time she is in a panel, it really is incredible.
I always love reading Star Wars. There is the five-year-old in me screaming with glee at having something that feels so much like the Original Trilogy that fills in the gaps. My older self is screaming with glee (on the inside of course) that Soule has brought The High Republic into this wonderful series, bringing two of the best parts of Star Wars together. Not only that, but if you aren’t a follower of The High Republic, Soule allows you to enjoy the story but completely differently to how someone who has read it will. I think there’s a reason we love his work so much! The pacing of this issue feels just right for this issue, and I can’t wait to have some of the blanks revealed as we delve deeper into this story line. This is a great read and one that is perfect for anyone who wants to dip their toes into The High Republic to see what some of it is about.
Availability;
Star Wars (2020) is an ongoing series available from Marvel Comics. This issue retails at $3.99 and is available via the Marvel App, ComiXology and all good comic book stores.
