Couchman Vs. Giant Stack of Comics!

Greetings citizens! Today is something special. For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you may have seen a few tweets from me with the #CouchmanVSGiantStackOfComics label. Well, I haven’t been able to get up to the comic shop since the beginning of May, so my pull box was quite full. In addition, I found several issues on the shelves that I wanted to pick up for one reason or another. All in all, I ended up with a stack of around twenty-five comics or so. I decided that a fun thing for me to do, in order to try and get back into the rhythm of reviewing comics, would be to go through the whole thing as quickly as I could and give some brief thoughts on each one. Well, almost each one. I cut the stack down to about seventeen comics for the review, but hey, that’s still a big pile. So, let’s dive in and conquer this stack!

First up in the stack is Ms. Marvel #16. This is the beginning of the Secret Wars tie-ins, both for the issue, and for me personally, which makes me groan. I’m not a fan of Secret Wars. The concept has potential, excising stuff from various worlds that just doesn’t work, and trying to bring everything into the main continuity. But I detest that they’re “ending” everything. Sure, I can buy that the Ultimate Universe is dead. Hell, it was mostly dead already, so it’s not like they’re losing much, especially since Ultimate Spidey is now the main Spidey. But the 616 universe? Sure, they –might- kill that, but only if they keep the vast majority of stuff from it, which means it will only be technically dead. I also hate all the freaking drama about it. This goes back to what I wrote about the Death of Wolverine story; there is no tension to it, so stop trying to make us feel tension! We’ve already gotten some announcements of things that are going to be around in the NewMU, so trying to tell us that “everything ends” is just dumb. Also, NewMU is a terrible name. If it’s intentionally trying to rip-off the New52, I only have to ask why? While there was good stuff in the New52, it was pretty widely panned, so why are you trying to make people think about it? If it’s unintentional, then how far up your asses are your heads, Marvel?

Ugh, okay, rant over. Ms. Marvel #16 is pretty solid. People fleeing from Manhattan have traveled to Jersey City, and all hell has broken loose in the city. Kamala tries to make sure her loved ones are taken care of, but is still reeling from having her heart broken. The writing is, as always, good with G. Willow Wilson making Kamala very relatable in both word and deed.

Red Sonja #16 is next, and like with Ms. Marvel, it’s solid as usual. Sonja is dying, and as people are wont to do in fiction, she sees the Goddess of Death. Death offers Sonja the opportunity to be one of her personal guards, but Sonja decides to just try and kill death. Which works out for her, as she ends up living. Admittedly, that all could’ve just been a dream, since Sonja was saved by a miracle elixir concocted by a dead alchemist, but I like to think Sonja’s just that badass. Walter Giovanni’s artwork is beautiful as always, and Gail Simone’s writing hits all the right notes. It saddens me that I recall hearing she was no longer going to be writing the series.

Next up on the block is Thors #1, written by Jason Aaron. I was interested in this series, because I am a big fan of Aaron’s writing on Thor and Star Wars, and it was an intriguing idea. Thors serve as a police force on Battleworld, crossing between the domains and reporting to Doom. I’m not fond of the idea of them serving Doom (before Secret Wars #2, I thought that they kept order for the sake of keeping order), but it is what it is. The writing is good, which is to be expected, and the artwork is also solid. All the Thors have a different outfit, making them all stand out from one another, but with enough commonality to them to identify them as part of the same group. However, what irks me is that Aaron killed off Beta Ray Bill. Considering Bill isn’t exactly a big name character, his death may be a permanent one to come from this whole mess. So, yeah, not pleased with the issue, and not sure I want to pick up the following ones.

On to something less aggravating; Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman #10. I’ve been reading the series for awhile now, and it is always a delight. Wonder Woman is a great super hero, and before picking up these, I hadn’t gotten any exposure to her in the comics. I did pick up a couple of issues of the main Wonder Woman title, but… it just didn’t pull me in and didn’t show off how awesome Diana is. The stories in Sensation Comics though are all about showing off how awesome she is, instead of things like pathos or character development. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy those things quite a bit, but sometimes you just want something fun and light. Issue 10’s stories focus on a singer/actress who’s branching into a less “feminine” kind of image, and Diana is brought on as extra security from a creep who’s threatening her. The second one is about a dragon who attacks a city to get revenge on Diana’s mother for killing all of his people. My love for dragons could easily fill up an entire review on it’s own, but suffice to say that seeing Diana take down a dragon is simultaneously awesome, but also a little sad.

Captain Marvel #15 is a solemn issue. Carol finally returns home from her grand space adventure to find out that her friend Tracy passed away not too long ago. Carol had known it was coming, but it was still a shock. The issue is spent hearing bits of her life, and mourning her. It’s a very well written issue, and spoke to me on an emotional level like little else has in a long while. I teared up a little, not gonna lie.

Alright, back to the Secret Wars, this time with Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps. We get introduced to Banshee Squadron, AKA the Carol Corps. The Corps serves as a fighter squadron for Hala Fields, one of the many domains of Battleworld, under the leadership of Captain Marvel. The Corps begin to question whether all of the “facts” of the world as told by Doom are truth or not. They get sent on a mission, ostensibly to take out some invading Ultron robots, but the ship they’re sent to destroy instead has people on it, though the revelation comes too late to save most of the people. Carol attempts to save them though, but she fails and is presumed dead. She later turns up at the squad’s barracks with the lone survivor. She declares that she’s going to find out the truth, and asks for her squad’s aid. It feels like a shorter issue than it is, but it’s well written and sets up the series well. I think I like this more than any of the other Secret Wars things I’ve read because it actually shows one of the heroes actually in opposition to Doom, questioning if he really is God or not. The writing by Kelly Sue DeConnick is good as always, and it makes me sad she’s not going to be writing Captain Marvel anymore. The artwork is also solid, evoking the same kind of feel as reels from World War Two and American propaganda posters. All in all, a good read, and so far the only Secret Wars title I want to follow.

Star Wars #5 and #6 continue to make me smile. Jason Aaron is great at capturing the voices of the characters, to the point where I hear them speaking in my head like the actors. The pacing feels a little on the slower side, but I tend to prefer that as it gives more time for everything to sink in and for the characters to interact. My only disappointment is that there’s no Chewie. I always liked Chewie, and am hoping to get more about him from these comics. Luke goes back to Tattoine to search Obi-Wan’s place for something – anything – to help guide him. Boba Fett is also on Tattoine looking for Luke, and the two find each other. Meanwhile, Han and Leia are scouting out possible new locations for the Rebel base, but end up having to lay low on a planet that Han’s used for such things before. Unfortunately, they get visited by a very unexpected guest; Han’s wife.

In the same galaxy far away, we’ve got Darth Vader issues 5 and 6 as well. These issues are more fast-paced, with some really nice action. It’s hard for me to describe what’s going on in these issues beyond that. It’s mostly about Vader trying to prove to the Emperor that he’s still a competent lieutenant, and him gaining a greater understanding of their relationship. I really like this series because it shows more of Vader than we’ve seen before. We see him as being more cunning, more devious, and all around more interesting than he was in the original trilogy. Don’t get me wrong, I freaking love Vader, but in the movies he doesn’t have much of a repertoire. This takes what we’ve seen before and expands it, accentuates it. The artwork is really nice as well. There are a few panels of flashback to the events of Revenge of the Sith, and damn do they look good. They practically look like screenshots, they’re that good.

I’ve been trying to get into more independent comics lately, and whilst perusing that section at my comic shop, I found one that caught my eye; Lady Mechanika #3. They sadly didn’t have any prior issues, but I figured what the hell and grabbed it, flipping through it briefly. The artwork caught my eye immediately, with a high level of detail  in the pencils, along with well modeled everything. The colors, likewise, are excellent, capturing the mood of the scenes perfectly allowing everything to stand out as being distinct. Another neat touch is that some (but understandably not all) of the panel borders have neat flourishes, mainly being made of clockwork looking pieces. It’s a neat little touch to the pages to give them a little distinctiveness. The writing is also solid, with a feel not far off of Indiana Jones, but steampunk. The beginning is a bit slow, but it picks up quickly enough. A pair of archaeologists are searching for something in Sumerian ruins called the Tablet of Destiny. One of them is being coerced into searching because the villains (the German Empire) have his daughter. But the titular Lady Mechanika, along with a fringe acquaintance of the girl’s father, rescues his daughter, Winifred. Afterwards, they head off to Africa to find him, but they’re followed by the Germans, and the issue ends with Winifred and Lady Mechanika stranded in the Sahara. I really want to try and track down prior issues in order to find out what the deal is with Lady Mechanika. She says that she has metal limbs and ghoulish eyes, so I want to get the full story.

Next is Wonder Woman #41. Like I said, I tried reading the main Wonder Woman title before, but just couldn’t get into it. However, I am a firm believer in second chances, and since the cover was showing off her awesome new costume, I figured I’d give it another shot. Not a whole lot happens in the issue, but that’s fine. The previous issues I had seen featured a bunch of stuff going on with no explanation, which made me confused and disinclined to pick up future issues. That’s one thing that really bugs me about DC’s comics in comparison to Marvel’s. Marvel gives a recap page at the beginning of each issue, allowing new readers to get caught up on general plot details that are important to the issue, and to refresh the minds of those who need it. DC lacks such a thing, so if you pick up an issue, it’s very easy to get lost. For example, last time I had picked up Wonder Woman, she mentions being the God of War, and her mother has been turned into a statue. How and when did that happen? Not to mention I had no idea who some of the other people were in said issue, including the person who created Donna Troy. Is a recap page really such a hassle to include? Or is DC saying “If you want the full story, you’ll have to buy it to find out!”? Because if that’s the case, I’m more inclined to just try and find the issues online to spite them. But, whatever, let’s talk about this issue. Diana briefly visits with the incarcerated Donna, then goes to see… some woman with a baby who I guess is Zeus? Seriously DC, recap page! Then she goes to see Hephaestus who has her sweet new outfit, and then heads off to stop a tragedy. A kid has threatened to blow himself up if he doesn’t get to meet Wonder Woman, but it turns out he was just luring her there… to meet her I guess and get a few hits in. He escapes back to his layer, where’s he’s given a Pegasus, a bow and some arrows by a magical green pool in his floor. Overall, I’m still iffy on the series. It has elements I like, but on the whole it just feels a bit lacking. Not bad, but not good either. It just sort of exists, which is a shame considering how awesome Wonder Woman is. Wonder if there’s any chance of getting Gail Simone to write the series again. Or maybe Kelly Sue DeConnick.

Starfire #1. The vast majority of my exposure to Starfire has been from the Teen Titans animated series that used to run on Cartoon Network. The only other thing I’ve seen with her, was Linkara’s review of Red Hood and the Outlaws #1, which was… much less flattering. However, this seems to be more in line with the animated series, so I’m pleased. Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, writers who I’m somewhat familiar with because of the writing on Harley Quinn, are writing the series, and I couldn’t be happier. Starfire is in Key West, with no money or place to live. The local sheriff helps her out with those two things, and the issue ends with a big storm hitting the area, and Starfire exclaiming “X’hal!” All in all, it’s a cute and fun issue, and I’ll be adding it to my pull list next time I get to the comic shop.

Continuing the parade of new stuff, we’ve got Black Canary #1. Black Canary is one of those characters I haven’t seen much of, but I’ve liked what I’ve seen. My primary exposure to her has been in the Justice League Unlimited and Young Justice cartoons, as well as a supporting cast member of Batgirl. Her solo book has her as part of a band also called Black Canary. For some reason, she’s going by D.D, and I’m wondering what that stands for (I know her name is Dinah, which is one of them, but what’s the other?). Anyway, the band is on tour, and has been plagued by problems, mostly involving Dinah busting some heads. Their show in Detroit is different though, because it’s attacked by aliens who are after the youngest member of the band, a girl called Ditto. The band all agree to stand by Ditto, in spite of not knowing why the aliens are after her. It’s an interesting opening to the series, with some solid writing. The artwork has a nice style to it, very gestural with lots of energy. It’s got kind of a punk feel to it, though I’m hard-pressed to explain why it feels that way. I’ll be picking up the next issue, and deciding if the title is worth adding to the ol’ pull list.

Last up is Doctor Fate #1. I have a soft spot for characters like Doctors Fate and Strange. The idea of a supreme sorcerer really speaks to the nerd in me, so when I saw this, I had to pick it up. There’s apparently a lead up to the issue on DC’s website, but I’m just going with this based on its own merits. It does surprisingly well. It’s established that Anubis is causing a great flood in the Brooklyn area. Khalid Nelson has been chosen to be the wielder of the Helm of Thoth to oppose Anubis. After some denying that this is happening, Khalid accepts his fate and dons the helm. There’s a bit more to it than that, but those are the basics. The writing is decent, though being a lover of mythology, I was picking apart some of the Egyptian deity stuff, like why Anubis is the villain. If Doctor Fate is supposed to be the supreme force of order, shouldn’t he be opposing Apep? Why does Bastet give him the Helm of Thoth? Shouldn’t Thoth do that? Also, I thought it was called the Helm of Nabu, but I may be wrong about that. The artwork is good, with no major hiccups, except for one instance where the panel layout is randomly different, which threw off my reading of it. Overall, a good beginning to the series, and another one I’ll be picking up the second issue of.

Well, that’s it for Couchman VS Giant Stack of Comics. Will I do this again? Maybe, depends on if I get behind on picking up my comics again, and how well this is received. Let me know what you guys think.

Star Wars (2015), issues 1-3

Greetings, citizens! We continue the month-long Couchman birthday celebration with a look at Star Wars!

One of my earliest memories was of going to see my aunt and uncle in Chicago when I was three or four. I have various memories of the trip but one such memory was of playing with my aunt’s vintage Star Wars toys. I loved Star Wars even then, and knew the movie well enough to pick out some of the minor characters. I only mention this because I have no memory of ever actually having watched Star Wars before up to this point (they hadn’t done the theatrical re-release yet, and my family didn’t have any VHS copies yet). I somehow absorbed knowledge of Star Wars through the Force itself. Or from my mom, who was also a huge Star Wars fan, one of the two.

For as much of a fan of the series though, I have consumed very little Expanded Universe material. I’ve played a few of the games (most notably Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel), read some sections of books, and have browsed a decent amount on Wookiepedia. One of the things I had never done was read any Star Wars comics. Every time I’d gone to the comic shop and perused the Star Wars titles, I felt so clueless. I’d heard mixed things about all of the ones that Dark Horse had put out, and I didn’t have a good reference point of which ones would be good and which ones would suck, and until recently I was much less willing to pickup a comic without having an idea of what I was getting into.

After Disney purchased Star Wars, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before Marvel (also owned by Disney) took over the publishing of Star Wars comics. That time came in January. When I’d heard it was coming, I was curious, but not really excited at the prospect. But then I saw a solicit for it and my mind was changed, primarily because of the writer of the book, Jason Aaron. Aaron is the writer behind Thor: God of Thunder, as well as the current Thor ongoing series with the female Thor, both of which I absolutely love. So, with a writer whose work I enjoyed attached to the book, I added it to my pull list.

The cover is pretty bland, unfortunately. Group shot of Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, R2 and 3PO, a few TIE fighters and X-wings over head, all in front of a silhouette of Vader’s head with the hyperspace effect surrounded by a white void. It doesn’t show anything of what is actually in the issue, save for the characters, and even that we could’ve gleaned just from the title. Even working on the ludicrous assumption that someone looking at this had no idea what Star Wars was, it’s not terribly interesting. It’s drawing entirely on the iconography and name to actually sell the issue, which is unfortunate considering how much more interesting one could make the first cover of a Star Wars comic.

Appropriately though, the comic features the “a long time ago…” line, followed by a two-page spread of the Star Wars title, and even a one page “crawl.” On the one hand, it is kinda wasteful using up four pages of the comic for all of this instead of giving us more story. On the other hand though, these elements all help to set the tone. They’re things that every movie and at least some of the expanded universe material has used. They help to acclimate us to what is to come, to take us back to the first time we saw the films. Much as I would have liked to see the pages be used to tell more of the story, I think they were well used to help set things up.

The faux-crawl is pretty straight-forward, lacking some of the more flowery prose and extra details that most of the movie ones had. It sets up the timeframe of the story, shortly after the first Death Star has been destroyed, and tells us that the Rebels are on the offensive against the Empire. Short, sweet and to the point. We get another often-used element from the movies on the following page, where we see a ship pass-by from a low vantage point. It’s not as large and imposing as a Star Destroyer though. It’s just a simple shuttle, and it’s landing at a weapon factory on Cymoon 1. There’s a pretty heavy Imperial presence here, as we see two Star Destroyers in the sky above, along with several TIE fighters.

Let’s take a moment to talk about the artwork. Put simply, it’s great. Everything’s got a nice realistic look to it, which makes the familiar elements identifiable to us, and helps the new stuff feel like it certainly belongs. There’s a nice level of detail, lending to the realism, but it’s balanced out to not seem too busy. The linework, and colors are clear and consistent, so nothing blends together in ways that it shouldn’t, and the compositions of the panels all work well. Props to John Cassaday and Laura Martin, the artist and colorist respectively, for their excellent work.

Back to the story, we see that aboard the shuttle was Han Solo, along with R2-D2 and a pair of people dressed in the uniform of bodyguards of Jabba the Hutt. Han introduces himself to the overseer of the plant as an emissary of Jabba here for negotiations. The group is required to hand over their weapons, which they do without hesitation. We see that Chewbacca is looking over everything from above with a sniper rifle. Leia (disguised as one of the bodyguards) tells 3PO over a comlink that the plan is going well, and they’re brought inside the factory. In a nice subversion of the trope, 3PO says that he has a good feeling about all of this.

Inside the factory, we learn that the Empire is trying to get new suppliers, since the destruction of the Death Star consumed a few billion tons of resources that the Empire could’ve otherwise used to make TIE fighters, blasters, etc. Y’know, things that are useful to have in a time of war. The overseer of the factory is pretty blunt about the negotiations just being a formality, saying that the Empire will get what it wants at the price it dictates is acceptable. If Han and the others were actually here to negotiate, that might be a problem. However, the group just kicks the asses of the Stormtroopers that are with them, take their blasters, and then threaten the overseer with R2’s shock probe to get the location of the power core. While our heroes start making their way to the core, we learn that 3PO is aboard the Falcon, waiting for the right time to engage the autopilot to go pick up the group.

While Han, Leia, and R2 get to work causing a meltdown, Luke decides to try and practice using the Force some more, and manages to get a feeling. He’s guided to a cell, containing an impressive array of many of the more well known non-human species of Star Wars. A guy who could not be confused for anything other than a slave driver appears and tells Luke to not reach for his blaster, which Luke agrees to. However, Luke decides to bust out a move that Obi-wan never officially taught him;

So with the meltdown enabled and the slaves freed, our heroes call to get the Falcon over there to pick them up. However, Chewie informs them that a shuttle is landing. And aboard the shuttle is none other than Darth Vader, who was supposed to be negotiating on behalf of the Emperor. Leia orders Chewie to try and shoot Vader, but… well, it’s Vader. He deflects the first shot with his lightsaber, and then uses a pair of stormtroopers as human shields from subsequent shots. Chewie does manage to kill several of the stormtroopers with Vader, which is pretty impressive, but Vader uses the Force to take down the sniper nest Chewie was using, but not before Chewie flees. The factory goes on high alert as Han calls for the Falcon again, but it turns out a bunch of salvagers have decided to start taking the nicer parts from the ship. Han and Leia find their way into a hangar housing several AT-ATs, and figure that’s probably their best way out. Luke however has wandered off and starts following Ben’s voice, leading him directly to Vader and the end of the comic.

The cover for issue two is much better than issue one. Vader in the center, and behind him AT-ATs, AT-STs, and a whole bunch of stormtroopers. In the foreground, Han and Chewie are hiding behind a pile of junk, with Han making a shushing gesture to Chewie. My only complaint is with the second printing version (which is the one I have, unfortunately). The first printing has the background looking like the atmosphere of Cymoon 1. The second printing instead has a field of stars, making me think that this is taking place on top of a Star Destroyer.

The issue picks up right where the last one left off with Luke and Vader. They have a brief confrontation, with more verbal jabs than physical ones, but it’s pretty one sided. Vader even takes Luke’s lightsaber away from him, and is about to cut him down when he recognizes the lightsaber as his own. And then the roof caves in.

Hah, take that Kool-Aid man!

This is, of course, the AT-AT that Han and Leia are stealing. Sadly it seems the thing didn’t have room for all the slaves, because a bunch of them are running along behind/beneath the thing, fighting the stormtroopers who are trying in vain to take the walker down. Vader isn’t one to take this shit lying down though, so he starts cutting through the slaves, and rallying the stormtroopers to him. Han and Leia would be contributing more, but apparently the weapons systems hadn’t finished being brought online yet, so while R2 and a couple jawas work on that, Han’s just trying to step on stuff. Leia gives 3PO another call, telling him to try and get rid of the salvagers. He takes a blaster that had been left in the cockpit and goes out to talk to them. If this had been just about anyone other than 3PO, it may have been a good idea. But of course, 3PO drops the blaster, one of the salvagers picks it up, and then blasts him. Show of hands, who’s surprised?

Back with the action, Luke has a “what the hell am I doing” moment, realizing that he’s completely outclassed by Vader. This is what happens when a low level fringer tries taking on a high level Jedi guardian/Sith lord. Fortunately, look finds a bunch of swoop bikes and decides that he’s got a need for speed. He plows through a group of stormtroopers and leaves Vader eating his dust. Immediately afterwards, Han tries to stomp Vader using the walker, but again, this is Vader. He not only keeps the foot from crushing him, but also starts crushing the thing himself. They manage to get the guns working just in time though, and fire a salvo at Vader, saving their hides. With the tides turned, our heroes start heading back towards the Falcon to try and finally get out of here, Luke managing to recover his lightsaber. After Luke speeds off, Vader emerges from the wreckage that the walker created, and the issue ends with him and a group of stormtroopers on speeder bikes heading after our heroes.

I love the cover for issue three. This is Luke at his most badass, riding on a speeder bike, plowing through stormtroopers, firing wildly and wielding his lightsaber. It’s like some kind of fusion between Star Wars, and the Bat out of Hell album cover. It is glorious. Side note; holy crap, I’m reviewing something that came out this week!

We begin amidst the chaos of battle, with stormtroopers firing in vain at the stolen walker, slaves being shot up by the stormtroopers on speeder bikes, Luke mowing down stormtroopers like on the cover, and Vader just… walking through all the destruction. Like ya do, I guess.

We cut over to 3PO, who’s fallen to pieces in the grand fashion of the series. Fortunately, Chewie shows up and starts showing people what a badass a wookie can be, taking out the scavengers.

Back at the battle, we see that the Empire has finally gotten their shit together and has a group of tanks, AT-STs, and speeders all firing at the stolen walker, but damned if that thing isn’t a bullet sponge. Er, laser sponge, I guess. Anyway, Luke finally catches up, even though he’s in a much faster vehicle and logically should have caught up almost immediately, and continues to defy my expectations by being a badass. Amazingly, it seems like Vader is not far behind because on the next page we see him stalking up to the walker with his lightsaber. We also learn that the technicians back at the factory managed to avert the meltdown. Vader then proceeds to hack off one of the walker’s feet, causing it to come crashing down.

Luke swings back around (what is he doing, making victory laps?) and takes out the first wave of stormtroopers that try and assault the survivors. Luke and Leia both realize that the meltdown must have been stopped, so Luke goes off towards the factory to try and blow the damn thing up. Wait, shouldn’t he have to pass right through Vader and the squad of stormtroopers? The walker came directly from there, and Vader was following right behind it. Did he decide to move? Because that seems like a dumb idea, since if he stayed right behind it, the rebels would be flanked with him on one side, and all the tanks and stuff on the other.

Anyway, Vader decides to hop into a speeder and give chase to Luke. However, Luke manages to make it to the core and blast the whole thing a bunch, once again initiating a meltdown. Vader manages to shoot the speeder bike on the way out, and Luke thinks he’s not going to make it. Of course, he does get out, because otherwise we never would’ve gotten Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi. Vader didn’t make it out, but yet again, it’s Vader. He just emerges from the burning wreckage and watches as the Falcon flies off. I was going to complain about how quickly it seems that the Falcon got back into the air and had everyone loaded onto it, but it’s not exactly clear that this is immediately after the factory blew up. Vader could’ve been unconscious for a while before we see this happen.

So, the Falcon manages to jump to light speed, running through the blockade of Star Destroyers. Vader chokes the captain of one of the Star Destroyers to death, and says that he’ll be the one to train Luke since there’s nobody else to do so. Luke mopes for a bit about how he’ll never be a true Jedi since there’s nobody to teach him how to Use the Force, and the issue ends back on Tatooine in Obi-wan’s old shack, focusing on a box that reads “For Luke.”

All in all, these issues were pretty good. Jason Aaron is a good writer, managing to craft dialogue that fits all of the characters, and move the story along at a good pace. It’s nice seeing Luke at this stage, where he’s trying to use his limited Jedi abilities, but mostly relying on his other skills. It helps us see him grow more gradually as a warrior, instead of going from someone barely trained in A New Hope to a legitimately skilled soldier in The Empire Strikes Back. I would’ve liked to have seen more with Han and Chewie, but I’m betting we’ll get more of them soon enough. The artwork is, again, excellent. I would say more, but honestly, I’ve more or less said everything there is to say about that earlier. There wasn’t a single panel I could pick out where there was some sort of weirdness I had to point out, but several that were pure awesome.

That’s all for this week. Join me next week, as I take a look at something in a medium that I’ve never looked at before. Until then, citizens!