When the “Star Wars” comics changed hands from Jason Aaron to Kieron Gillen, they changed completely. Anyone who has ever followed my reviews knows that I am the world’s number one fan of Kieron’s work, but something about his voice felt ill suited for the voices of Han, Leia, and Luke. This is the issue where all became clear and I realized the strength to Gillen’s approach to the Rebels and the Empire.
Cover by David Marquez & Marte GraciaWritten by Kieron Gillen
Illustrated by Salvador Larroca
Colored by Guru-eFX
Lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles“HOPE DIES,” PART THREE! The MILLENNIUM FALCON versus the whole IMPERIAL FLEET? No problem. A certain TIE ADVANCEDSTARFIGHTER piloted by a certain SITH LORD? Problem. Big problem. No human can save the day. But maybe a droid can…
The original Star Wars trilogy was kind of off the cuff. George Lucas and company were new at the movie making game, and the cast and crew were making up a lot of it as they went along. That extends to the dialogue, which was famously full of improvisation. Some of it became iconic (“I love you” “I know”) and some of it is just plain weird. “Traveling through hyperspace ain’t like dusting crops, boy!” Han shouts at Luke in Episode IV. As a moisture farmer Luke has never dusted a crop in his life, plus that is a profoundly strange turn of phrase. But Harrison Ford is so much a part of Han Solo that it feels right. The dialogue feels feral.
Kieron Gillen does not do off the cuff. His writing is utterly meticulous, as is evidenced by his love of puns, references to song lyrics, and titles with half a dozen hidden meanings. He writes and edits to maximize the meaning of his dialogue while minimizing the number of words. This is what makes him great. It also makes his Star Wars writing read totally odd. It works fairly well for the grandiose Darth Vader, but the fresh faced Luke and the world weary Han have sounded a little too clever.
Writing isn’t only dialogue though, and where this issue comes together is the plotting. I’ve talked to Kieron about Star Wars, and though he claims his wife is the hardcore fan in the family, he can hardly contain his deeply geeky enthusiasm. “Star Wars” #52 contains two plot points off of a Star Wars fanboy’s bucket list: a dogfight between Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon and Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced, and the formation of Rogue Squadron.
The Falcon fired upon the TIE Advanced at the very end of the battle of Yavin, but a true battle between the iconic ships mostly happened with the toys of thousands of kids around the world. The battle here doesn’t disappoint, and it’s a great take on an unstoppable force versus an immovable object. After all, Vader took out a whole Rebel fleet in the Rebels cartoon. He’s one of the best pilots in the galaxy. But Han Solo made the Kessel Run in less than fourteen parsecs (alright, alright, I know its twelve). The issue has a lot of fun with the showdown, and it’s impossible not to smile when Han and Chewie start to panic.
I’m generally a fan of Salvador Larroca’s art (loved his work on “Iron Man”) but if he has a weakness, it’s in conveying motion. Larroca definitely uses a lot of photo reference, and almost certainly does a lot of tracing, but I am of the opinion that he exemplifies the right way to incorporate tracing into a comic script. While Larroca really captures the looks of iconic Star Wars ships, his aversion to motion lines makes them look like static photos, which takes some of the impact away from the action. When he does use motion lines, they seem rather embarrassed, They’re tiny little dashes, less prominent than the star lines that appear in the Star Wars films.
It’s somewhat unfortunate then that Gillen and Larroca are matched up for this particular issue. Kieron’s writing is deliberate, but when coupled with Larroca’s photo-faithful art, the comic reads a bit stiff. The excitement is there, but the comics feels like its holding something back. This is a story about cool spaceships going pew pew; subtlety should go right out the airlock.
Continued belowDespite that, emotional beats draw from the whole history of Star Wars, and they hit with a wallop. In the original continuity, Rogue Squadron was formed because Luke and Wedge thought it was a cool name for an elite squad. After the movie Rogue One, it becomes something more. As Luke and Wedge take off in their X-Wings, to join Han in one of the most desperate battles of the Rebellion, Luke remembers the story of Jyn Erso and her squad. To honor her team and their desperate suicide mission, he declares the new impromptu fighter team Rogue Squadron. Chills you guys. Literal chills.
If I’m being harsh on this issue, it’s because it had unparalleled potential. The Gillen/Larroca run on “Darth Vader” was iconic, and probably did more to energize the new Expanded Universe than anything else. The ideas in this issue are top tier, and exactly what I want from a “Star Wars” comic. The creative team is composed of some of the top creators in the comics biz. The final product though, ultimately plays to their weaknesses and not their strengths. What could have been a great issue of comics is left as a simple good time.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – It starts with action figures being smushed together. It ends with you crying a single perfect tear.
