Star Wars #4 Review

By Harrison Rawdin on Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

Can this tale continue to yield a worthy adventure set in the classic Star Wars universe? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dark Horse:

As Princess Leia’s stealth squadron lays a trap for the spy within their ranks, she soon realizes that the Rebels are ill prepared for the Empire’s zealous pursuit. Meanwhile, Han Solo flees from the Empire through the lower levels of Coruscant, and Luke Skywalker enjoys being grounded with a female friend…

Originally when I began reading this comic book series I was expecting a radical departure from accepted cannon, but instead what we have here is a competent extension that successfully builds upon itself with each outing. And to the creative team’s credit not only do they continue to logically expand this already established era but they do it in a way that doesn’t feel like an unnecessary repeat.

Brian Wood pens the script and the seasoned author continues to display intelligence, in what should only be described as his literary prowess. Each bit of dialogue exudes the importance of the written word as these storied characters face down unwanted situations in dire, but not dark, times for the rebellion. There’s certainly a lot going on here, but the narrative still allows plenty of room for references to the movies as well as character development that may be a bit unexpected. There’s heroism, desperation and heart mixed into scenes that just feel as if they were cut from the original film.

The art by Carlos D’Anda is impressive from the first panel to the final page. I was absolutely impressed by these renditions of the storied franchise, as the heroes and villains both took on interpretations that certainly look a bit outside their common visualizations. That being said there are times when these liberties seem to be a bit too distracting but these instances were few and far between as elegantly designed backgrounds and ships allow you to quickly forget them.