STAR WARS #1 Review

The galaxy far, far away finally returns to Marvel. But will this be a successful return? Or will fans quickly be begging Disney to give the comic licence back to Dark Horse? Read on to find out.

The official description from Marvel:

THE GREATEST SPACE ADVENTURE OF ALL TIME RETURNS TO MARVEL!

Luke Skywalker and the ragtag band of rebels fighting against the Galactic Empire are fresh off their biggest victory yet—the destruction of the massive battle station known as the Death Star. But the Empire’s not toppled yet! Join Luke along with Princess Leia, smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca, droids C-3PO and R2-D2 and the rest of the Rebel Alliance as they strike out for freedom against the evil forces of Darth Vader and his master, the Emperor. Written by Jason Aaron (Original Sin, Thor: God of Thunder) and with art by John Cassaday (Astonishing X-Men, Uncanny Avengers), this is the Star Wars saga as only Marvel Comics could make it!

After many years trailing the halls of the Dark Horse corridor, the Star Wars saga finally returns to Marvel. And following Disney‘s lucrative $4bn purchase of Lucasfilm at the end of 2012, we all knew this was only a matter of time. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what to think going into this series, as despite being a massive Star Wars fan, having high hopes for the series, the universe has so often disappointed in the world of comics. That is definitely not this case with this issue, with everything about it being totally awesome, feeling like a smooth transition from A New Hope.

He may be the man behind one of the best Thor runs in recent years, having created some of the grittiest creator owned material, but for this fanboy there’s never been as much pressure on Jason Aaron than right now. Creating one of the most exciting Star Wars openings that I’ve ever read from a comic, Aaron exceeds all expectations, capturing both tone and character perfectly. The way that he adds tension, and suspense also allows for added atmosphere, with the entrance of Darth Vader being as chilling as expected. Despite this there were some cheesy parts, that felt a little too forced, and though the references within were awesome, they just didn’t feel natural given the scenario.

John Cassaday has worked on so many great comics, with his run alongside Joss Whedon during the start of Astonishing X-Men still captivating me to this day. Naturally I had high expectations going into this issue, and I have to say, they’ve been blown away. Delivering some of his most dynamic panels yet, Cassaday produces a fabulous atmosphere to the story, with the mixture of drama and suspense being apparent. He also captures the character likeness to perfection, as though his unique style still shines through, there’s no mistaking who these characters are. Rounding things off we get vivid colours from Laura Martin, with highlights, and toning matching the look of Star Wars brilliantly.

Marvel aren’t messing around, getting their first Star Wars series off to an amazing start. Capturing the energy of the films, whilst also delivering dialogue that’s befitting the characters, you’ll feel like this was meant to be apart of the Star Wars mythos, and if the other series are like this, I say: “bring them on!” Highly recommended.