Published: December 23, 2020
Rating: T
Writer: Greg Rucka
Adapted: Alec Worley
Penciler: Ingo Römling
Translation: Edward Gauvin
Letterer & Design: Amauri Osorio
Cover Artist: Ingo Römling
The synopsis;
After the Battle of Yavin, Han Solo and Chewbacca intend to use their reward to settle their debts. But Princess Leia asks them to accept a secret mission for the Resistance. Mortal dangers, traitorous enemies, and thorny situations mark the path of these two heroes of the Star Wars saga. An adaptation by Alec Worley, based on the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens Smuggler’s Run: A Han Solo Adventure by bestselling author Greg Rucka (The Old Guard, Stumptown)!
The review;
Well, Römling’s cover is certainly striking, with Han and Chewbacca looking like windswept scoundrels as a supernova explodes behind them. The limited colour palette is gorgeous and really makes everything so cohesive. Setting up the Falcon racing away from some TIE Fighters also creates a sense of drama, which suits the story inside this comic.
Back in 2015, in the run up to the release of The Force Awakens, there were many mid-grade novels released as part of The Journey to The Force Awakens publishing programme. These were meant to introduce younger fans to some of the characters they’d meet in the film, perhaps especially those who hadn’t seen the Original Trilogy, but by being based on iconic characters then they were enjoyable reads for fans of all ages.
Smuggler’s Run by Greg Rucka was a fantastic action-adventure starring Han and Chewie as they helped the Rebellion just after the destruction of the Death Star. Han takes on a mission reluctantly, with a lot of coercing from Chewbacca, but together they must rescue Lieutenant Ematt (who will go on to become Major Ematt) who holds vital information for the Rebellion. In typical Han style he pretends he’s doing it for the money, but even when the Empire arrives, he doesn’t run – although Han does complain about it.
Smuggler’s Run #1 lives up to the original book and Worley has done a tremendous job with this adaptation. The pacing is done to perfection. It’s not easy turning a book into a comic without feeling that scenes are missing, but this comic flows very well, with some almost cinematic cut-scenes to the artwork that help to move the story along. Almost all of the original dialogue has been kept, (which isn’t surprising as Rucka captured Han’s voice in the book) and it’s used in a way that makes readers think this story was a comic all along.
All of this is then taken to the next level by Römling’s artwork. Each of the characters is so expressive, especially their hand gestures, with everyone being recognisable but with a slight anime-like twist. Chewbacca might throw some readers though – there’s something about his facial features that is quite different and takes some getting used to. Commander Beck is an absolute stand-out! She looks extremely menacing with her glowing-red eye implant, ragged scar, and crisp white uniform. In the book she was accidentally illustrated with a typical black Imperial uniform, so it’s good to see that she’s correctly in ISB white in Smuggler’s Run #1. The descriptive language that painted imaginary pictures in the book has been used to such great effect and it’s clear that Römling studied the book in detail because the surrounding scenes and landscapes are also fantastic. Cyrkon was a polluted dump of a planet in the book, and that’s come to life in the comic with a drab palette of dirty greens, greys and browns.
Of course, it’s not possible for everything that was in the book to be in the comic. Beck’s eye-implant can switch between several different spectrums, which isn’t shown. She even uses it to detect the increasing body-heat and heart rate of a lying prisoner, but that’s not explained. However, in some ways it makes her even more menacing because it seems as if Beck is just all-knowing. It will be interesting to see if Worley includes the flashback in Smuggler’s Run #2 to explain Beck’s past and backstory.
Smuggler’s Run #1 is an amazing start to this adaptation, and it’s rather sad that it’s only going to be two comics. Alone in a city full of crooks, Han and Chewie will need all their scoundrel tricks to evade bounty hunters, the Empire and locate Ematt at the same time. Plus, Commander Beck is hot on their heels. Smuggler’s Run #2 is sure to be a wild race against everyone!
Availability;
Star Wars: Smuggler’s Run #1 was published on December 23, 2020 by IDW Publishing. This issue is available from all good comic bookstores in the USA and from Forbidden Planet in the UK. This issue retails at $5.99.
