When junk dealer Ania Solo and her friends agreed to help apprentice Imperial Knight Jao Assam locate his missing master, they knew they’d face dangers–not the least of which was the Sith warrior who had assumed the identity of the missing Knight in order to take over a communications array at the edge of the Surd Nebula.
With the help of Shifalan Governor Biala, Ania and company escaped the imprisonment ordered by the Sith and exposed him for the imposter he was. During the ensuing fight, Assam wounded the Sith but was unable to prevent his escape.
Unfortunately, Assam was also wounded, as were the Mon Cal Sauk and the assassin droid Ag-37–Ania’s only friends in the galaxy…
That’s how scripters Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman, artist Gabriel Hardman, colourist Rachelle Rosenberg, letterer Michael Heisler and cover artist Dave Wilkins set up the fifth issue of the latest Legacy title.
The Review
When things look their bleakest, a Solo can change everyone’s luck. Legacy #5 forces Ania Solo to pick herself up and pursue the most deadliest opponent she’s ever faced: a Sith. With her friends wounded, it’s up to Ania to do this alone. Armed only with a blaster and a lightsaber she doesn’t know how to use, she must find a way to save the day.
The last issue really had the story at an all time low. Not in regards to quality, but with the unhappy ending. The Sith escaped, everyone was wounded, dead or defeated, it was pretty bleak. Issue #5 kicks off with Ania literally picking herself up from the rubble and being urged on by her faithful friends Sauk and AG-37. I found the assassin droid to be quite the persuasive speaker. He manages to convince Ania that she’s a Solo and that her legacy means she has to step up.
AG-37: “Solo wasn’t special. He was a criminal. But he stepped up when everything depended on him. He did it because it was the right thing to do…and because his friends needed him.”
Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman really nailed that part of the script, and it’s not the only good line in this issue. Little nuggets like that placed here and there go a long way toward making this issue a pretty good one.
Of course Ania is forced to fight the Sith, but I like the way that battle plays out. It’s not what I expected to happen, but it’s perfect for her character. I also like what the Sith ended up doing with the big communications array, though I jokingly predicted this one to a friend. I said, “Watch, the Sith will use the communications array to hurl insults at the Jedi and broadcast it to the whole galaxy.” I wasn’t exactly right, but I was close.
As far as content goes, this issue does a good job of packing in the action and tying up a lot of loose ends. We find out what the Sith wanted with the communications array, how Ania would get out of the terrible predicament she found herself in at the end of the last issue, and what Jedi Master Val’s droid was up to in that mysterious panel in Legacy #4. Val and the Sith have a pretty big lightsaber brawl that fills up this issue. Plus there’s a couple nice hooks at the end to keep readers’ interest up for the next one.
The art in Legacy #5 was certainly on par with the rest of the series. There’s a good use of perspective shifts from panel to panel. They help create the sense of motion and provide some good closeups to accentuate the emotions of the scenes. The way the issue starts out with a lot of smaller panels crammed on a page makes the action seem more immediate and fast paced. Yet by page 4, the panels become larger. There’s no word bubbles, just a big, dominating picture of a shadow covered planet. The next page follows up with some panels with only sparse word bubbles. It slows the pace down and goes well for the darker, ominous tone of those panels. The atmosphere is further emphasized by the dark colors and eerie lighting. Throughout the issue, there’s a nice combination of colors, panel structure and the amount of dialog. It makes for some excellent visual storytelling that’s very subtle but effective.
The issue isn’t without flaws, though, but they’re pretty minor when compared to everything else. The Sith decides to reveal himself to the galaxy with a name that would inspire fear…Darth Wredd. Personally, that name kind of falls flat. On one hand, it’s very similar to Dredd, and on the other, well…it’s Darth Red. One would hope he doesn’t name his apprentice Darth Blu or Darth Oranj. Bad names aside, it felt a little odd when Ania went to all of this trouble to help Master Val, and then immediately abandons him as soon as he gets a lightsaber. It’s not completely silly, as she does realize she needs to save her friends, but it still felt a little abrupt. Lastly, the Sith makes a rather odd escape that’s very hard to see. In one panel it looks like he blows up, but in the next, it seems he’s flying away. Again, a little abrupt.
In the end, Legacy #5 utilizes a lot of action, well crafted visuals, and good dialog to churn out a nice issue. With the amount of closure in this one, it feels like a good waypoint in the larger story. There’s a decent sense of accomplishment. The characters grew a little, the plot moved forward, and smaller storythreads were wrapped up. Yet the issue also opens up new story ideas and generates a lot of interest in what’s to come. I have to say I felt pretty satisfied at the end of this issue and with the series so far. I give Legacy #5 a fitting five out of five.
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