Published: June 20, 2018
Rating: Rated T
Writer: Charles Soule
Penciler: Angel Unzueta
Cover Artist: Phil Noto
The Synopsis;
CONTINUING THE UNSEEN EVENTS OF THE FORCE AWAKENS! As Starkiller Base targets the Resistance for elimination, it’s up to Poe Dameron and Black Squadron to mount a frontal assault and take the weapon offline…as long as their friends on the ground can get the shields down!
The Story;
Part three of The Awakening, picks up straight after the events of issue two, where the Resistance is attacking Starkiller base in the final part of The Force Awakens. The scenes are all narrated by two characters, although we (as the reader) do not know who. When the last of the tale is told with the destruction of the base, we find ourselves on board the Millennium Falcon with R2-D2 and BB-8 after the events of The Last Jedi. C-3PO complains at the two droids for talking about such depressing things before he goes to find Rey. Rey is studying the Jedi texts that she took and is getting Threepio to translate them.
In another part of the Falcon, Finn and Poe are checking on Rose, who is still unconscious. Finn is being very negative about the future for them and Poe keeps being his optimistic self. Finn then asks Poe if he could fill in what happened after he became unconscious after duelling with Kylo Ren…
…The story moves to D’Qar, to just after the events of The Force Awakens. Without much pause, The Resistance quickly realise that The First Order have regrouped and are coming for them. The evacuation is given for everyone to leave the base. Poe then volunteers to undertake a plan he’s thought of that could buy them more time. The plan is what we see at the start of The Last Jedi. Although some people oppose it, Leia is quick to approve the idea.
Jess fits Poe’s x-wing with a booster, warning him that it is experimental and has never been tested. The rest of Black Squadron quickly approach, telling Poe that he won’t be going up alone. Leia intervenes and tells Black Squadron that they can’t go with Poe as she has an essential mission for them to do; they must gather help from their allies across the galaxy.
With this, the story returns to the Falcon, where Finn then asks what happened to Black Squadron. After Poe tells Finn he doesn’t actually know, Threepio interrupts with a transmission from Black Squadron. The golden droid warns Poe that it isn’t exactly good news…
The Review;
Poe Dameron has long been one of my favourite series. The quality of the writing and art is always exceptional. Yet, this week it was announced that the series would be ending in September. I must admit, I have wondered how much further they can go with this series, particularly while the details of Episode Nine are unknown. However, in this issue, Soule is able to write a story that tells us no more about the main characters than what we already know at the end of The Last Jedi, and yet tells us a tale that is still fascinating to read. Soule is able to give us glimpses of what is to come without actually committing the story to the direction. It is a difficult task but one that Soule seems to do with ease and skill. Most notably, this can be seen with C-3PO translating the Jedi texts. It is mentioned but nothing is really said.
The start of the comic was a stroke of genius. There was nothing new to tell in terms of the story, yet having it told from the point of view of the droids brought a fresh perspective. It also begins with readers trying to guess who was narrating. The humour between R2 and BB-8 was also exactly what I have come to expect from this series. It never feels forced and always feels like Star Wars. I also like that BB-8 alludes to the fact that the bombers were on another mission, helping to explain why they were not seen in The Force Awakens.
The artwork in this series is the best that you will find in any Star Wars comic. For most of this comic, the likeness of characters and the flow of the space battles is a joy to follow. My only complaint, and it is a very small one, is Han. Something just didn’t seem right with the two panels that feature Han, his face was off. But this is a very minor complaint.
The gap between The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi is a small one, yet to hear what actually happened between the two is very welcome. It helps to explain where Black Squadron were during the course of The Last Jedi and shows where the remainder of the series is heading.
I was very disappointed to hear that this series is coming to an end, yet I also feel that it should go out on a high. This issue does not really focus on Black Squadron but has helped lay down the foundations for their last story and I for one cannot be more excited. Soule has done an amazing job of developing characters that we care about and with their fate still undecided, I am very eager to see where this story will lead…
Availability;
Poe Dameron is an ongoing series available from Marvel. This issue is available via the Marvel App and all good comic book stores. This issue retails at $3.99.
