Marvel’s slow but steady stream of reprints within the Star Wars Legends continuity marches on with The Empire Vol. 7. Coming in at 488 pages, this collection features four story arcs and five content issues. That’s a lot of stories, and if you’re a Boba Fett fan, you’ll get plenty of him.
It’s worth noting if you’ve already picked up Star Wars: Boba Fett – Blood Ties you’ll be getting that story again here. That story arc opens this collection which features scenes with Jango Fett teaching a young Boba Fett the ropes and introducing a half-brother Boba didn’t know he had until he was older. Tom Taylor writes this series with hyper-realistic art by Chris Scalf. It’s everything you want in a series spinning out of the movies with a good atmosphere and connections to the prequels. This story also plays into Boba truly loving his father and maybe even standing for something.
The second story arc collected here is Star Wars: Blood Ties – Boba Fett is Dead, also written by Taylor and drawn by Scalf. This is a sequel or continuation of the first “Blood Ties” story picking up Boba Fett’s brother and showing the two bond in a unique way. The art in this follow-up starts to fall off in the third and fourth issue, though–Scalf likely ran out of time and had to rush–but the sentiment of Boba Fett getting a family after losing his father is a good one.
A page from Star Wars: Boba Fett – Blood Ties.
Credit: Marvel
Next is “Betrayal” written by Scott Allie and art by Ryan Benjamin. This is an exciting story to read now that Marvel has printed so many Darth Vader stories since it plays heavily into Darth Vader’s memories of the old days. The art has a detailed cartoonist look that suits the aliens and strange worlds, making for an enjoyable four-part story.
Those tales make up over half of the rest of the collection, which uses all sorts of characters, with Boba Fett being the most reoccurring. Given his popularity in the 2010s, when most of the comics in this collection were printed, that’s not surprising. The five-part “Yavin Vassilika” story arc is the lengthiest tale in the collection, featuring some wildly cartoony art by Carlos Meglia. Mike Kennedy writes the story that features Han Solo and Lando teaming up with an art style that’s practically caricature.
Closing out this collection is Star Wars Tales #1 by Ron Marz and Claudio Castellini, which has Darth Vader track down one of the last Jedi. The epic fight with outstanding choreography features a lightsaber duel that attacks Vader with the blade but also at his heart. Throw in a Star Wars Free Comic Book Day comic and variant covers, and you have yourself a lengthy read indeed.
Though Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Empire Vol. 7 has “The Empire” in the title, this is actually more of a Boba Fett reading experience. That’s not bad, but it’s also not the only way you can read the “Blood Ties” stories in collected format. Pick this one up if you’re collected the series of Epic Collections, but consider the “Blood Ties” collection to get a more focused reading experience.
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