Poe Dameron #1 Cover Cropped Reviews 

Pick of the Week: “Poe Dameron” #1

By | April 7th, 2016
Posted in Pick of the Week, Reviews | % Comments

Bae Dameron, I mean POE Dameron, is the first star of what will be many  The Force Awakens comic book tie ins from Marvel. Read on for our review of “Poe Dameron” #1 but be warned, there are spoilers within.

Written by Charles Soule
Illustrated by Phil Noto

AN ALL-NEW ONGOING SERIES SPINNING OUT OF STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS! Poe Dameron, former Republic flyer turned Resistance fighter, is the best pilot in the galaxy. Hand-picked for the resistance by General Leia Organa to lead a squadron on a top secret and vital mission…Poe sets off investigating sites of historical importance to the Force. Revealing backstory leading directly into the holidays’ greatest adventure, follow Poe and his X-Wing squadron on covert missions against the First Order brought to you by writer Charles Soule (Star Wars: Lando, Daredevil) and artist Phil Noto (Star Wars: Chewbacca, Black Widow)!

Last December, The Force Awakens came out and captured the magic of Star Wars that longtime fans longed for since the prequels didn’t quite live up to expectations. In The Force Awakens we were introduced to a new golden trio. Rey, the desert dwelling loner who is destined to be a lot more than she realizes, Finn, a former Stormtrooper who broke free of his “programming” and Poe Dameron, a pilot for the secret Resistance movement. This trio has already launched more fan fic and fan art than you’ll ever be able to get through. With the first movie of the new trilogy out of the way, Marvel has begun rolling out The Force Awakens comic books and the first of these focuses on Poe Dameron.

“Poe Dameron” #1 is a direct lead in to The Force Awakens. General Leia Organa has basically taken Poe Dameron under her wing. She thinks highly of him as a pilot and has recruited him into the Resistance. Thanks to Poe Dameron, the Resistance knows that the First Order is looking for Luke Skywalker. Obviously Leia can’t let that happen and she sends Poe to find Lor San Tekka, an explorer who may have information that can help them. Poe assembles a team of his best and most trusted pilots and sets off on this mission but it won’t be an easy one for him.

The thing about “Poe Dameron” #1 is it kind of feels like the rest of the “Star Wars” line. This doesn’t mean it’s a bad comic book, in fact it’s an entertaining start to an adventure that bridges a small gap to the movie. Watching Poe do his thing unattached to the core of The Force Awakens is a joy and in all honesty, not every single comic book released needs to be something spectacular. Comics need to be entertaining and “Poe Dameron” #1 is exactly that. It’s a fun rollicking adventure that thanks to the timing of the home release, does a nice job bringing you back into this world.

Poe Dameron was easily a standout character for me in The Force Awakens. Oscar Isaac was charming and very dreamy. He wasn’t quite Han Solo but something far more interesting thanks to his familial history and ties to the “old guard”. Charles Soule has a very big task in capturing the charm and swagger of Oscar Isaac and he does an okay job. This doesn’t sound so different from the movie counterpart but it’s not quite there all the way. I want a little more swagger, a little more confidence and a little more charisma. That’s not to say that Soule’s Poe Dameron is completely boring, because he’s not. Some of the dialogue is very good and it’s pretty close to the short time we spent with him in the film. Soule’s script moves very nicely and it never gets boring.

The voices he gives General Organa is basically perfection and the interactions between Poe and her and the interactions between Poe and his squadron are excellently executed. BB-8 is one of the biggest highlights of the issue in both the main story and back up story because he’s adorable and up to causing all kinds of trouble with good intentions.

Like Charles Soule, Phil Noto has the task of bringing Poe (Bae) Dameron to life and this is not an easy one to accomplish. Noto is one of my favorite artists and has the ability to craft beautiful pages. His work on “Black Widow” was breathtakingly beautiful and his cover work has been some of my favorite stuff over the last couple of years. In “Poe Dameron” #1, he’s a little stiff. It’s not by any means ugly but he doesn’t really capture the dreamboat status of Poe Dameron. He’s almost too serious and is missing that little hint of danger in his eyes. He comes off just a little too uptight but Noto really gets how to craft the world of Star Wars. The costumes are excellently done with lots of detailing and the characters feel like they’re living in this world instead of just standing in front of backdrops. Noto does a wonderful job with the flight scenes and does capture just the right amount of movement while still holding on to some of the great ship designs. I honestly adore his version of General Organa because he doesn’t try to de-age her. It’s really important that Leia be allowed to age without losing her vitality or fighting spirit. Noto dresses her very well and in close ups, you really can see the young woman from the original trilogy and the journey that she’s been on since.

The back up story is a cute little romantic romp starring BB-8 as he gets two people who are in love with each other to take the next step. He does this in his own mischievous way and it’s such a cute story. “Poe Dameron” #1 is one of the pricier Marvel books that have popped up as of late and in all fairness, this was a delightful short but not entirely necessary. I would however really be into an all ages series starring BB-8 if it has this tone and art style.

Final Verdict: 7.3 – “Poe Dameron” #1 is far from a bad comic but it doesn’t quite reach levels of greatness. Poe isn’t expanded on much more than what the film provides but in time,  I hope Soule and Noto can take us somewhere new.


//TAGS | Pick of the Week

Jess Camacho

Jess is from New Jersey. She loves comic books, pizza, wrestling and the Mets. She can be seen talking comics here and at Geeked Out Nation. Follow her on Twitter @JessCamNJ for the hottest pro wrestling takes.

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