Published: September 7, 2022
Rating: Rated T
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Andrés Genolet
Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Artist: E.M. Gist
The synopsis;
The Good People!
• The Empire’s greatest secret is in the hands of two Crimson Dawn double agents, who are racing to deliver it to the Rebel Alliance to buy themselves safe haven.
• But the Empire knows what they have stolen, and the entire Imperial Navy is in hot pursuit!
The review;
Perfection, the word I used for the last issue. Charles Soule displayed why he is considered one of the best Star Wars writers in the galaxy. Thought provoking, reimagining how we view things in the films and then putting a huge twist on it all. A moral dilemma that we all think we know how we would answer but then does that change if you have children with you? If you can’t tell, I was impressed! My anticipation through this issue has known no limits and I’m sure that Soule will not disappoint.
This was never going to go smoothly. The one thing we know is that information on the second Death Star came from the Bothan’s, at least from a certain point of view. Our main characters are on the run and seem to make mistake after mistake. Although this could have appeared comical, with the children present, it really adds weight to what is happening. We have seen Crimson Dawn be well organised, efficient, and intelligent. Although Imperials, Melton and Bevelyn make mistakes that could cost them dearly. I like this though. For a start, the couple are clearly going to be panicking, leading to mistakes. But it also shows that Crimson Dawn has recruited from every part of the galaxy, it’s not just the higher ups, it’s run of the mill grunts who aren’t as elegant as the likes of Qi’ra. The timing of Crimson Dawn is also not helping, this is a quick decision made by Qi’ra and the couple are having to try and keep up, removing themselves even when it is dangerous for them and their family.
What ensues is very reminiscent of the exit from the Death Star in A New Hope. The same sort of protocols followed with TIE’s following in pursuit of the shuttle. Evelyn is clearly the Luke character, celebrating an early success, I was prepared for Melton to tell his wife, “Don’t get cocky!” It was a wonderful way to harken back to the first film but show it differently, this time the TIEs appear as far more as a threat, as they should as they are actually trying to bring the shuttle down (rather than ‘letting them go’).
Soule raises a couple of questions through all of this. The first is the security systems that are utilised by the Rebels (and presumably the Empire). There is a natural tendency for suspicion. It’s understandable. The Empire will have tried to draw the Rebels out numerous times and so they have to be on alert. But when someone genuinely needs help (well sort of – I mean they are working for Crimson Dawn), the same system hinders that far too much. Even Lando feels that it’s a con, even though the information the agents have is real. Is it not an echo of our real world, where sometimes there are too many checks that prevent the people, they are trying to serve? The Rebellion are hampering their own efforts.
The other one, which presumably we will see in the finale of the Crimson Dawn trilogy, is that of Qi’ra. The family trust that maybe Qi’ra is to be believed and she cares about the people in her care but will she. This is the question Soule poses to us, is Qi’ra true to her word, wanting to bring the Empire back for the good of the galaxy or is she just another Emperor trying to usurp the current one. Her political maneuverings are very similar to how Palpatine operated, making promises to those who would listen and then turning his back on them. How far do we as a reader believe her? Han believed her in Solo and look how far that went. It’s a gentle reminder from Soule that we still don’t know who Qi’ra really is.
The end of the issue really reiterates what we know about this time period. The people of Coruscant look like that they might help the family but as soon as they see the Imperials, they change their mind, hiding rather than standing up. The Empire rule by fear and even though we have seen a lot of heroism, the regular bystander does not want to cause trouble. The very last panel, well, again, not to give it away, but it brought a smile to my face!
Andrés Genolet has had some big shoes to fill, yet this issue really just flowed effortlessly. The battles, the movement between communications, it just moved seamlessly. It’s really enjoyable to look at how he frames the scene and captures that Star Wars feel. I am becoming very relaxed with his work! The scene that made me sit up was the pod escaping the shuttle, great to see and Genolet captures the moment wonderfully.
This is an everyman issue. The grunts, the normal citizens, the ones who have to follow the orders and get things done. If Princess Leia calls, people will come running but not so for these people, they have to fight to be heard. This allows Soule to create a lot of suspense as we don’t know if these characters will even make it out. It’s a great continuation of the story and makes me want more, a lot more!
Availability;
Star Wars (2020) is an ongoing series available from Marvel Comics. This issue retails at $3.99 and is available via the Marvel App, ComiXology and all good comic book stores.
