Alerted to an impending Imperial attack and invasion, Jedi General Skyalker organiszed a valiant defence of the planet Aquilae against an immense Space Fortress. But Skywalker’s efforts were undermined by traitors in the Senate who welcomed the Empire.
You Jedi Annikin Skywalker was dispatched to retrieve the headstrong Princess Leia and return her to safety within the hidden fortress beneath the Palace of Lite. Elsewhere, the convoy carryging Aquilae’s King Kanos was destroyed during the Empire’s bombardment of the planet.
Meanwhile, aboard the Space Fortress, two construction droids, Artwo Detwo and See Threepio, terrorized by the ongoing battle, escaped in a life-pod to Aquilae below…
Join scripter J.W. Rinzler, artist Mike Mayhew, colourist Rain Beredo, letterer Michael Heisler and cover artists Nick Rudge, Jan Duursema and Doug Wheatley as we continue the story of The Star Wars.
The Review
The Star Wars #3 rolls out with a touch of nostalgia as Artwo and Threepio plummet down to a planet in the confines of an escape pod. Even their stroll through the desert is walk along memory lane. But with a talking Artwo and a Death Star like space fortress hovering above the planet, it’s definitely not A New Hope. With lots of action, fun dialog and new twists on a classic film franchise, this issue provides Star Wars entertainment that plays tug-of-war between familiarity and strangeness.
Throughout this issue, the story fits somewhat to A New Hope. The droids fall down to Aquilae in an escape pod and land in a desert. Annikin and Leia pick them up in their landspeeder and rendezvous with General Skywalker. From there, the story channels in a little Phantom Menace as we see Queen Breha. Skywalker and company are sent to try and escape the planet in order to hook up with the Chrome Companies on Ophuchi. However, along the way they are stopped by a platoon of stormtroopers armed with lightsabers and chaos ensues.
There’s also a nice little sideline of Vader in this issue. The first page kicks off with the iconic character donning his black helmet and cape. The scene shows him from behind. When we next see him, however, we see him from the front and it’s revealed that his classic helmet has been re-envisioned. Quite simply, the face mask is missing. The helmet fully reveals Vader’s face. One can only imagine how different the movies would have been had they used this design for Vader.
Other fun things worth mentioning in this issue include a Knight of the Sith named Prince Valorum (another touchstone with the Prequels). Unlike Vader, the Sith wears a partial face mask. There are sandtrooper/stormtroopers riding flying vehicles similar to the STAP platforms used by the Separatist battle droids in Phantom Menace. The strangest element is hands down the stormtroopers riding alien ostriches. It definitely makes you appreciate the dewbacks more as the ostriches are pretty funny.
The art in this issue is top notch. The characters have extremely expressive faces that exhibit a somewhat photorealistic approach. The colors are rich, bright and energetic. They compliment the mood of the panels perfectly. There’s tons of details in the panels and the layout is superb. Really, this is great artwork all around.
While the last issue threw me a little with all the technical/sci-fi jargon, this issue steps apart and raises the bar back up. The story has fun dialog, interesting story developments, and drool worthy artwork. With five more issues to go, there’s no telling where the story will head next. It’s a visual splendor and a surprisingly entertaining story.
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