The covers: It’s going to be tough to chose a cover because each of these three is fantastic. Gerald Parel has created the Regular cover and it looks like a Renaissance painting. Holding a staff to cut the image into right and left sides, Leia stands on the right with a look of strong determination. Her cape flays out to the right and the sun is shining upon her. On the left is Queen Trios, Empire spy. She is in dark colors and she holds her hands before her. Her eyes are staring at the reader as if to ward them away. This is a beautiful, powerful cover. And is it me or does Trios look like Natalie Portman? This is awesome. Marvel, please get Parel back to do more covers! The Action Figure Variant cover by John Tyler Christopher is the latest frontpiece to feature faux Kenner figures from Return of the Jedi. This features Nitko and it’s another feather in Christopher’s hat. The figure resembles the one that was actually produced, though the shirt has been lightened a titch. The image accompanying the figure is fantastic, with the character up close and looking to the left. These figures continue to be must-buys for me. The final cover is the Greatest Moments Variant by Kaare Andrews. This is also a stunner, with Darth Vader in the lower center hunched over in a chair. Devouring the rest of the illustration is a gigantic close-up of the dead Padme. She is gorgeous and having Vader below her is a creepy contrast. I love everything about this art and the coloring is fantastic. Overall grades: All A+
The story: “The Scourging of Shu-torun, Part I” by Kieron Gillen focuses on Leia’s building of a team to take down Queen Trios for betraying the Rebellion to the Empire. This is a Leia that’s not been seen before in the comics: she’s looking for revenge and to hurt the Empire. Starting with a briefing aboard the Millennium Falcon, Leia tells Han, Luke, Chewie, Artoo, and Threepio what she wants to do. All are for it, with even Artoo saying he never trusted Trios. Luke wants this to be a mission that won’t hurt the innocent citizens Trios rules over and Leia agrees. All are ready to start for Shu-torun, but Leia says they needs some others, “…like a shape-changer.” Han says, “Oh great…So…What did Tunga say he was going to do next?” The story then moves to Gralack in the Outer Rim. What’s occurring is funny, until some party crashers arrive. There’s a quick sequence that follows and a funny bit on Page 9. The next destination for the heroes is on an inhospitable world that they visited not long ago. The conversation between Leia and the individual she wishes to recruit is tense but very cool. Luke, Han, and Chewie go to an even more hostile world, with some surprising results. The book ends with some characters in a surprising location, with one of their members making a slip of the tongue that promises much. Though there’s no action in this book, this was a solid read. Overall grade: B+
The art: Andrea Broccardo’s artwork is a welcome addition to this series. She’s able to capture all the likenesses from the films, for characters and vehicles, and she’s able to capture the look of those that have appeared in previous issues of this series. Her Leia is a little off at times, but it’s only for a panel or two. I like the layout of the opening pages, especially how the hologram of Shu-torun is always in the same panel as Leia, a constant reminder of what Leia wants. The interiors of the Falcon are outstanding. The posture of the others in the opening scene communicate how comfortable they are with what she’s saying. Han’s disgust in the fifth panel on Page 4 is perfect. Page 5 will either make readers laugh or cringe. I laughed. The opening two panels had me laughing at the visuals and the third panel had me instantly recognizing their sources, and they looked awesome. The individuals in the third panel on 6 are gorgeous. I liked the transition between panels four and five on the same page. I like that Leia’s outfit at this location has a hood which calls back to her in the opening sequence of the original film. The Falcon on 9 is beautiful, as is the ship that’s on the opposite page. Everything on 10 is outstanding: characters, ship, settings — Wow! The gesture on 12 is full of tension and worked wonderfully, especially in the panel with no dialogue; the stare is awesome. The location that the boys go to on 13 and 14 is every bit unwelcoming as it was when it first appeared. The center panel on 16 is a nice collection of all of those who have joined the mission. I love the uniforms and the garb of the individuals on the penultimate page. The arrivals visually clash with the location and I can’t wait to see more of them from Broccardo. Overall grade: A-
The colors: The colors of this issue communicate much to the reader. Created by Guru-eFX the hologram of Shu-torun stands out because it’s in red, rather than the traditional blues of Star Wars. This makes it antagonistic to the reader and placing it next too Leia, who’s clad in off-white, increases its evil. The costumes that end Page 5 employ the colors of their inspiration and that made me smile. Tunga’s alien green skin has him standing out in every panel he appears, which is ironic for a shape-changer. The shine on the intruders’ armor in the dim lights of the second setting is excellent. Chewbacca’s roars pop off the page due to their bright reds. I loved the rust colors on the hostile world visited by Leia. Reds get really intense on the world that the boys visit and these harsh colors return on the final world. There’s a neat contrast of golden yellow to a dulled version and it’s a neat visual way to differentiate the lives of the characters. Overall grade: A
The letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles creates the dialogue, scene settings, Wookiee speech, Artoo’s beeps, Threepio’s dialogue, yells, sounds, and a distinctive look for one character’s unique speech. The scene settings look off center because the colored letters are placed atop a white background. Deleting this white background would improve them. Chewie’s utterances are odd because sometimes they extend beyond the front of the dialogue balloon, sometimes after, and sometimes in the middle. There’s no rhyme or reason as to where the stress falls. The droids’ speech is perfect for them, as is the intense character’s dialogue who has a very unique looking font. The sound for a lightsaber igniting makes it look as though it has a jagged sound; it needs to be smoothed out. Overall grade: B-
The final line: This is the start of Queen Trios paying for her treachery and it’s great. I like the cast that Gillen has assembled, calling back to his previous stories. The visuals are strong, with the settings and ships extraordinary. This has the feels of a classic Hollywood caper film from the 1960’s and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes. Overall grade: A-
To order a digital copy go to https://comicstore.marvel.com/Star-Wars-2015-62/digital-comic/50888?r=1
To see the covers visit my Instagram account: patrickhayesscifipulse
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