Prisoner of the Floating World Part Two
It is a time of fragile peace in the galaxy. A fledgling power-sharing government has risen from the defeat of the One Sith and forged an uneasy triumvirate of the Jedi Council, the Imperial Court, and the remnant Galactic Alliance.
In the isolated Carreras System, a junk dealer named Ania Solo and her Mon Calamari friend Sauk find an Imperial Knight’s lightsaber and a damaged communications droid. Attempting to sell their prize, Ania and Sauk run afoul of local security.
What they don’t know is that the real owner of the lightsaber has been captured by a Sith who has taken over his identity in order to manipulate the political situation in this corner of the galaxy. But elsewhere, the Knight’s disappearance has been noted…
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 secondn issue of the new Legacy title.
The Review
Legacy Volume 2 #2 moves the story into some tension filled escapades as Ania Solo and her Mon Cal companion get into even more trouble. Readers also get a glimpse of the audacity of the Imperial Knight imposter as he manipulates Triumverate resources under his command. Yet the real fun in this issue is an entirely new character who is reminiscent of a very famous droid bounty hunter. Ania certainly has some interesting friends.
One thing that really sets this series apart is the artwork. The art has a very startling atmosphere to it that’s strikingly different from other Star Wars comics. As Ania and Sauk provide some humor in their getaway on Carreras Major, the panels are dominated by a lot of heavy, inked shading. The result is very dark, gritty looking panels. It’s a night and day difference from the glossy, polished artwork by Carlos D’anda and Gabe Eltaeb in Brian Wood’s Star Wars series. Still, it gets the job done. The character’s expressions and emotions come across easily. Plus the gritty style adds a bit of its own atmosphere to the story. Overall it’s different, but not bad.
The story in Legacy Volume 2 #2 has a tendency to spill out in chunks, which may or may not be a little bothersome for some readers. Panels jump around to different places, sometimes quite abruptly. For storytelling purposes, it can be useful for creating suspense or covering a lot of ground and varied viewpoints. In the issue it accomplishes the later. Viewpoints bounce around from Imperial Knight Jao Assam and his concerns for Master Val, Ania and Sauk and their various run-ins with trouble, the undercover Sith and his manipulation of Carreras’ leaders, as well as Empress Marasiah Fel and her own concerns for the Triumverate. Personally, I thought the flow of the story held up pretty well even with all the jumping around.
I think it’s safe to say that the highlight of this issue is without a doubt AG-37. AG-37 looks like the famous droid bounty hunter IG-88 from the Empire Strikes Back, but with more flair and personality. Unlike the cold, impersonal IG-88, AG-37 wears a green duster and talks like a sentient being. It also seems to show compassion toward Ania, and rummaging through her junkyard, AG-37 is pretty atypical for a bounty hunter. The comic implies the droid makes a living hauling ice, but its arsenal of weaponry and its competence in combat hint that there’s more to AG-37 than such a mundane trade. Either way, I quickly fell in love with the droid and hope to see more of its character in the series.
With interesting artwork, fun, compelling characters and a neat story, issue #2 continues to hold promise for this chapter of the Legacy series. It’s still going to take me a while to adjust to Gabriel Hardman’s art style, but I like the variety it presents to the Star Wars universe. The story Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman are putting together has a nice mix of humor, drama, and fun adventure. I give it a four out of five.
Next Issue: Terror on Carreras Major!
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