Published: January 17, 2018
Cover Artist: Derek Charm
Rose Knows
Writer: Delilah S Dawson
Artist: Derek Charm
Tales from Wild Space: Podracer’s Rescue
Writer: Shaun Manning
Artist: Chad Thomas
The synopsis;
The biggest new character from The Last Jedi, Rose Tico, makes her Star Wars Adventures debut in this special one-shot story! Rose prefers to solve problems from behind the scenes, but the threat of the First Order has put her front and center…
The review;
When this issue was first released, it was at the time The Last Jedi first came out. The hype, the dividing, would all have occurred after this issue had been written and drawn. With the divide amongst fans a little less strained, now seems the perfect time to read this comic. Returning from her Adventures debut last issue is the wonderful Delilah S. Dawson with artwork by Charm, who is no stranger to Adventures (And can be seen doing an incredible job at the moment in Clone Wars: Battle Tales). Joining them are newcomers Shaun Manning and Chad Thomas…
Art imitates life and life imitates art. It’s difficult not to look at this story in hindsight on the back of the complaining that the character of Rose got from The Last Jedi. Dawson, unknowingly, writes a story that really compliments this view. Rose is the forgotten one, the one that everyone thinks is a spare part. The head mechanic Lazslo thinks that she isn’t really doing right by her job and that he knows best. Dawson shows us that this couldn’t be further from the truth. Rose is hard working. She takes her job so seriously, that even in her spare time, she tries to make sure that she knows everything she needs to in order to do her job correctly. It seems as if everyone (bar Paige, Poe and Leia) completely misunderstand her and brush her off. Yet as the story progresses, we see that everything falls to her. It shouldn’t make a difference, knowing the criticism that Rose and Kelly Marie Tran have gone through, but it makes the message of the story even more poignant. Everyone, no matter what they do or who they are, has a part to play. You may not always see them, or know their story, but they are there, working just as hard as anyone else. It’s an important message to remember, especially in the current climate.
We also get to see a bit more of Paige, Rose’s sister. This is a character that, as an audience, we could have done connecting more with, having so little screen time in The Last Jedi. Dawson only has the opportunity to give us a glimpse of the sister’s relationship but makes it quite clear how much love is shared between these two. Rose adores and admires her sister, thinking she is the one who is doing the very best work. Whereas her sister understands that her sister is part of the machine that helps the Resistance function.
But for me, it is Poe who steals the show, who is our guide (or should be). We all have heroes to look up to Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Poe Dameron (to name a few). It was our heroes who show us what is right from wrong and inspire us to better ourselves. In this story, Poe shows us exactly how we should be, that we should respect everyone, no matter their station. He gets that for him to be able to do his job, there are a vast number of people behind the scenes making sure his ship is prepared and ready to fly. Not only does he know it, but he appreciates the effort each and every one of them is putting in. For younger readers, this is such an important message. Added to this, is that no matter what challenges are thrown at Poe, he still does it with a smile on his face and a sense of humour, trusting to those who can save him. Dawson shows us in this story that Poe is very similar to Leia, who both have full faith in Rose’s abilities, even though most of the crew think she isn’t doing things right. One could argue that this is Poe having followed Leia’s example and learnt from it.
I said previously that Dawson is only able to give us a fleeting moment with Paige and Rose. This story moves quickly but Dawson makes sure to have those slower, character moments for Rose that are devoid of speech. Enter Derek Charm with his wonderful artwork. These quite moments are left to Charm to do his magic, to say everything he needs to without words and just an image. The expression on Rose’s face in these moments says it all and Charm is left to do this during several moments in the story.
The second story, ‘Podracer’s Rescue’, has two newcomers to Adventures. Right from the start my eyes were drawn to the incredible artwork by Chad Thomas. Every page is full of panel upon panel that makes your jaw drop. The level of detail in each panel is incredible. And then Thomas mixes it up by pulling up on the background to focus purely on the characters. It’s very noticeable in a way that tells you to take note. It really left an impression with me, and I’m eager to see more of his work (which as he’s done work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, shouldn’t be too long till I catch up with those issues!). It really helps to drive this story as well as giving a feast for your eyes.
The actual story by Shaun Manning is very short, my only complaint! Manning is able to add humour from the very first ‘clang’ and the interactions aboard the Star Herald are superb. Crater is utilised at his absolute best, being the sarcastic droid, we all know and love. The message in this story is very profound and fits beautifully in with the first tale by Dawson. We get to see Anakin being selfless, to help others above of helping himself. It’s a side of Anakin we never get to see much of, the sweet, innocent boy who knows right from wrong so easily. Manning adds lots of little nods, such as Tatooine never been named and I feel as if he could have done even more with this story if he’d had the pages. But this is always a complaint of mine, that these authors need more room (IDW a larger page count? Please?).
They may not be my favourite eras in Star Wars, but that would not stop me from enjoying Star Wars Adventures. With the current state of our world, I can’t help but think this could be one of the most relevant comics to read at the moment. Respect, understanding, appreciation and doing the right thing are all ideas that we need to follow and instil in the next generation. Both these stories bring these messages to life in a visually stunning manner. In terms of the Rose story, I don’t think it would be amiss for certain fans to think carefully on the message Dawson presents. As always, I want more, more of the wonderful writing, even more to the stories…you can’t ever have too much of a good thing, and a good thing is what Star Wars Adventures always is…
Availability;
Star Wars Adventures is an ongoing series that began in 2017 and is available from 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 $3.99.
