Published: January 31, 2018
Writer: Delilah Dawson
Artist: Nicoletta Baldari
Colourist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Tom B. Long
Cover Artist: Nicoletta Baldari
The synopsis;
The Star Wars Forces of Destiny initiative celebrates the inspiring stories of iconic heroes from a galaxy far, far away….
Star Wars Adventures has joined the festivities with an exciting weekly series of comic books that explores all corners of the Star Wars universe, showing how choices both big and small ultimately shape the destinies of beloved characters, such as Princess Leia, Rey, Padmé, Ahsoka, and Hera along with your soon-to-be favorites from The Last Jedi, Rose and Paige!
Fans will be excited to discover these stories told by talent from across Star Wars novels, comics and animation, including Delilah S. Dawson, Elsa Charretier, Beth Revis, Jody Houser, and Devin Grayson!
The review;
At the Resistance Base on D’Qar, General Leia Organa is leading a briefing about a scouting mission of the surrounding jungle, with the plans being to see if there are any resources the Resistance can utilise. It will take some ingenuity to get through the thick forests, especially with fuel in limited supply. So, a rather nervous Rose Tico tentatively suggests an unusual plan – one that will not only earn her the respect of high command, but also some new feathered-friends.
Rose Tico only ever featured in “Shuttle Shock” from Forces of Destiny Season 2, in a quick tale that occurred during the timeline of The Last Jedi. However, this comic is an original story that focusses on both Tico sisters when they’re still finding their place within the Resistance, and Dawson has masterfully written possibly the best comic from this mini-series.
One thing Dawson immediately captures, right from the first page, is Rose’s very modest, yet strong, personality. Her sisterly bond with Paige is wonderfully portrayed and matches perfectly with Cobalt Squadron by Elizabeth Wein; they tease, encourage and most importantly, support each other. The story even makes a brief reference to Rose’s nickname of “Pai-Pai” for her older sister. Leia’s interactions with Rose are also amazing to read, especially as they sadly didn’t get much screen-time together, and although the General raises an eyebrow at Rose’s rather unconventional methods, she never dismisses her ideas.
So, what is Rose’s unusual idea? Reinventing the wheel – literally. After seeing hovering, flying, floating and skimming vehicles in the Star Wars universe, wheels could have been a bit too real-world, yet somehow the story works. In fact, the trucks that Rose pieces together from junkyard scrap actually wouldn’t look out of place in the Red Bull Soapbox Race, proving how ingeniously designed they are by Baldari. Plus, considering that wheels are now in the Star Wars canon, it then makes the First Order tread-speeders from The Rise of Skywalker seem less unusual.
With this very original story comes a very different style of artwork – at least for a Star Wars comic – by Baldari. Her work has a gorgeous children’s picture-book quality, with its strong geometric shapes similar to that of collages and all the line-work has a beautiful pencil-like texture. It’s just pure fun to admire each panel! A particular highlight are the squonks, which are basically the Star Wars equivalent of ostriches with goatees and the floppy ears of llamas. If that doesn’t sound quirky enough, then Baldari has drawn them with such personality shining through their big, soulful eyes. Rose befriends these bizarre creatures in a similar way to the fathiers in The Last Jedi – she treats everyone, whether animal, alien, or something else entirely, so fairly and equally.
Fans of all ages could interpret the messages from Forces of Destiny #5 in different ways. One of the biggest moral lessons though is about failure. Rose learns that without daring to try, and be willing to possibly fail, then she won’t get anywhere, which beautifully links with Yoda’s famous “The greatest teacher, failure is,” saying. Everything comes with risk, but you can’t let the fear of failure stop you.
For fans wanting more of the wonderful dynamic between the Tico sisters, then Forces of Destiny #5 is the perfect comic. If fans liked Cobalt Squadron, or Age of Resistance: Rose Tico #1 then they are bound to adore Dawson’s story, which is the definition of weird yet wonderful, and portrays Rose’s humble genius, alongside her love of animals, to perfection. IDW’s Forces of Destiny was a fantastic, and wonderfully varied, mini-series which comes highly recommended to all Star Wars fans!
Availability;
The original IDW Star Wars: Forces of Destiny mini-series ran in 2018, encompassing 5 issues. Star Wars: Forces of Destiny #5 is currently available in digital format from the IDW Publishing, and comiXology. A physical copy can be found in one of the trade paperback releases from IDW Publishing. Please check with Amazon UK and US, Forbidden Planet in the UK or your local comic bookstore for availability