Is It Good? Star Wars #7 Review

The only character left we’ve been dying to see since Marvel took over the Star Wars line of comics is here. Obi-Wan Kenobi gets his very own issue, but is it good?

Star Wars #7 (Marvel Comics)

One might think this is a complete diversion from the first story arc of this series, but it actually fits quite snugly. This is due to the flashback showing us Obi-Wan here is actually Luke reading his journal. The same journal he found when Luke went toe to toe with Boba Fett. This journal recounts Obi-Wan’s life on Tatooine and fills in some never before seen moments between him and Luke as a child.

Jason Aaron writes a good issue, although the pace and action is tepid due to Obi-Wan having to hide out and remain undetected. The story is also a first person narrative so there’s little to no dialogue outside of Obi-Wan’s narration. The story feels a bit typical and run of the mill though. This is in part because we know Obi-Wan can’t reveal himself as a Jedi lest he get found out by the Empire, but also because it’s really not all that interesting to watch a guy lay low for 20 pages.

A summary in two languages!.

This of course isn’t all that happens, but when an altercation between Luke and Jabba the Hutt’s men takes place the action is a bit boring. This partially due to Simone Bianchi’s layouts which stick to a scant few panels. Action really can’t flow quickly or interestingly with only four panels to show for it. His art does work outside of this boring action sequence though as he draws Obi-Wan and the Tatooine aliens quite well. His young Luke is fantastic as well with just the right amount of spunk to make you see the hero inside him.

Really the best element of this issue is learning about Jabba’s goons and how they shake down water farmers. It adds an element to the gangster we all know and love. The fact that his goons are pushing people around makes him a bit more petty, but also a lot more powerful than I imagined. We also learn why we never heard about this in the movies too, although now that I think of it why Luke wouldn’t know about this as he grew up is beyond me. Unless that’s a story to be told later in this Obi-Wan driven story? A nice addition to the mythos either way.

Been there… seen that.

Is It Good?

A decent introduction of Obi-Wan to the Marvel Comics Star Wars line of books, but it’s so boring and conventional it’s an easy pass for most.