Comic Review: Rogue One Adaptation #3

Jyn Erso continues her quest with Cassian Andor to help the Rebellion fight the Galactic Empire. The team has located Jyn’s father, Galen Erso – a Death Star scientist! But the evil Director Krennic gets their first… and he’s out for blood! The Star Wars story continues!

The Plot:

The Death Star

Imperial dignitaries marvel at the ‘beauty’ of the explosion blossoming on Jedha’s planet surface.

Jedha, Saw Garrera’s Base.

Confusion and panic reigns as Saw’s rebels start to flee their base deserting their posts. Cassian is able to break himself and his companions out of the cell where they are held. Cassian needs to find Jyn and asks Chirrut and Baze to release the pilot.  Bodhi notices Baze lining up his blaster cannon in his direction and cowers thinking he is his target.  Baze let’s fly a volley of energy into the cell lock system and the cell door opens and he’s free.

Cassian runs against the stream of bodies leaving the base in search of Jyn.  He stumbles into Saw’s chamber to find Jyn and Saw.  Cassian tells Jyn he knows where her father is and she asks Saw to go with them.  Saw seems weary and tired of the fight, he insists Jyn leaves him and tells her to ‘Save the rebellion… save the dream’.

The base is crumbling around them, and as they reach the exit their U-Wing lands in front of them.  The team climb on board, K-2SO is at the controls and hits maximum thrust to try and avoid the carnage that is approaching them.

Saw looks out of the viewing portal of his chamber and remembers his sister; Steela.

The U-Wing is being caught by the fall out from the destruction of Jedha City, K-2SO states that their hyperspace jump has not been calculated, but Cassian decides they don’t have that time and jumps the ship into hyperspace.

Later…

On board the U-Wing Cassian is using the transmitter as Baze and Chirrut discuss the destruction of Jedha City.  Cassian tells K-2SO that their destination is Eadu, Jyn asks if that is her fathers location.  Bodhi hears this and realises Galen is her father and claims his late action has let the Empire win.  Jyn disagrees and tells them all of the message from Galen that Bodhi delivered to Saw and about the Death Star’s flaw that he has built within it.  The message was lost in the base when it collapsed, so Jyn has no proof to back up her statement, Cassian is not convinced.  Jyn explains that the plans can be found on Scarif and they must alert the rebel alliance and retrieve her father.

The Death Star.

Grand Moff Tarkin congratulates Director Krennic on the successful first test.  Krennic wants his success to be brought to the attention of the Emperor, but Tarkin claims command of the Death Star with immediate effect.  Krennic is incensed at this decision and tries to argue with Tarkin.  Tarkin tells of the leak of information from the defecting pilot and that this came from Galen Erso’s facility on Eadu, Krennic knows he needs to resolve this now.

Eadu, Imperial Kyber Refinery.

A U-Wing heads for the planet surface through a storm.  Torrential rain and high winds are hampering their approach to the shuttle depot.  Chirrut is again repeating his force mantra and takes Jyn by the hand.  The U-Wing clips a rocky outcropping and an engine bursts into flames.  The ship then crashes to the planet surface.

Yavin IV, Rebel Base.

The rebels have lost contact with Cassian and the U-Wing.  General Draven looks up and scrambles a squadron informing them that their target is Eadu.

Cassian and Bodhi are preparing to head out to steal an Imperial ship.  Jyn insists that she wants to join them, but Cassian believes she needs to stay to protect her fathers message.  She pleads that she is not the only on who knows of the message and K-2SO promptly repeats her words precisely from when she told the team the message.  Cassian picks up his weapon and exits the ship with Bodhi.

Chirrut sits and asks if Cassian has the face of a killer, but Baze says he looks like a friend.  Jyn overhears them and asks Chirrut to explain what he has said.  Chirrut says the force moves darkly around Cassian and this is how it moves when someone is about to kill.  K-2SO states that Cassian’s weapon was configured for sniper mode.  Jyn runs out of the ship after Cassian.

Galen Erso approaches his team of scientists, they look worried and claim Director Krennic is about to arrive for an unscheduled visit.  Galen shares their worry, but reassure them it is nothing to be concerned about.

From their vantage point Cassian and Bodhi overlook a landing platform.  Through macro-binoculars Cassian can make out Galen.  An Imperial shuttle roars in overhead and they both duck for cover.  Cassian uses his rifle scope to view the platform and tells Bodhi he is to find them a ship, reluctantly Bodhi goes off in search of one.

Cassian takes aim at Galen in the crowd of scientists as he talks to Krennic, but something isn’t right. Suddenly Krennic’s Deathtrooper’s open fire on Galen’s colleagues and kill them all leaving Galen standing alone.  Krennic strikes Galen across the face and stands over him where he has fallen.  He suspects Galen has a plan, but informs him of the weapon test that has just wiped Jedha City off the face of the planet.

Unbeknown to everyone, Baze and Chirrut are also watching over the platform from another vantage point.  Baze takes aim at Krennic to deal revenge for the destruction of Jedha City, but Chirrut persuades that him that wiser path is to follow Jyn as she shines in the Force.

Jyn climbs a ladder from the base of the platform.  When she reaches the top she pulls at the legs of the stormtrooper standing guard and he falls past her into the abyss below.  She takes up a hiding place behind some crates close to Galen and Krennic, this catches the eye of Cassian who is still watching through his rifle scope.

K-2SO has managed to restore communications to Yavin only to be told of the imminent rebel strike ordered on the refinery. He informs Cassian who immediately requests they abort as Jyn is now on the platform, but it’s too late, they have already engaged.

On the platform Krennic and Galen are startled by the site of oncoming X-Wings and Y-Wings preparing to attack the refinery. Jyn calls out to her father, Cassian watches on from a distance trying to warn her, but then the attacking rebel squadron unleash theirs weapons and explosions rip through the platform.

Bodies lie strewn throughout the debris and fire.

To be continued…

The Review:

The standard cover by Phil Noto again is of the usual high standard we have come to expect from him.  Unlike other issues there is only one other variant available, but for me the variant cover by Fegredo is absolutely stunning.  Jyn is shown in close combat with two stormtroopers as the main illustration, but a flashback scene hangs overhead depicting Krennic and his Deathtroopers hunting Jyn on Lah’mu as a child.

The story picks up pace with this issue and is less disjointed as there seems to be less jumping across locations.  The story is told exceptionally well and again where dialogue is removed, the pictures frame by frame graphically portray the scenes accurately.

The scene where Saw accepts his fate is well done.  The frame showing a younger version of Saw with his sister Steela adds depth to the character and acts as a tie in to the Clone Wars animated series.

The one criticism I do have is with how much work Lucasfilm and Disney put into recreating Tarkin, the artwork depicting him does not really look like him.  While other characters are on point or somewhere near, Tarkin’s likeness is not up to scratch.

All in all, this is probably the best of the issues so far in my own opinion.

I just hope issue 4 does not choke on it’s aspirations to be the best issue yet!

Issue Cover Variants:

Availability:

This issue was released on 7^th June 2017 and is available via the Marvel App and all good comic book stores. This issue retails at $3.99.