Though most people usually think of the films and the growing slate of Disney+ shows when it comes to Star Wars, the recent run of Marvel Comics has offered a new take on a galaxy far, far away. And now it looks like the comics line is due for a shakeup, thanks to the Star Wars: Revelations #1 one-shot. How that shakeup unfurls is in a rather interesting way, thanks to the structure of the one-shot and the vast collection of characters it surrounds.
Revelations opens with Darth Vader approaching the mysterious Eye of Webbish Bog, which is located deep in the heart of Mustafar. The Eye tells Vader that it has seen some disturbing visions in the Force, which could mean the end of everything. Those visions unfurl over the course of the book, and they involve nearly everyone in the Star Wars universe – or at the very least, everyone who’s currently starring in a Star Wars comic.
The one-shot’s penned by Marc Guggenheim, who’s no stranger to writing Star Wars comics. Guggenheim has a good pulse on the various characters, particularly Vader. The scenes with Vader feature him at his best: he’s annoyed by the ramblings of the Eye, while also utterly ruthless when it comes to dispatching a group of Mustafarian warriors that try to ambush him. Other characters including Luke Skywalker and fan-favorite Doctor Aphra also get a chance to shine.
However, the most interesting thing Guggenheim does is introduce a new character who has ties to the Clone Wars era and offers a new look at a rather underserved element of the Star Wars universe. Namely, the world of droids. Droids have been one of the most interesting concepts in Star Wars: they have sentience, yet serve others. Guggenheim uses the new character to touch upon this, as well as serve as the thoroughline between every element of Revelations. Hopefully this isn’t the last we see of them, as their existence opens up plenty of possibilities. And they have a great design to boot!
Guggenheim is joined by an army of artists, including Salvador Larroca who illustrates the Vader sequences running throughout the book. Larroca draws Vader as a towering mass of shadows, lit by the blood red glow of his lightsaber blade and the reddish-orange glow of the lava surrounding him and the Eye thanks to colorist Guru-eFX. As for the Eye itself, it’s one of the more disturbing Star Wars creatures – a wrinkly mass of skin perched atop a throbbing eyeball.
The rest of the art is an acquired taste. Pere Perez illustrates a massive two-page spread that’s worth the cover price alone, featuring plenty of images that hint at the adventures to come. Justin Mason illustrates a sequence that feels ripped right from the Clone Wars cartoon. And Emma Kubert slowly shows the horror of what is happening to Aphra, as she fights to regain her body from the Spark Eternal. Light leaks out from the cybernetic tattoos on her arm, and she’s clearly in pain – even though she’s done some questionable things, it’s clear that even she doesn’t deserve this level of suffering.
The outlier is Paul Fry – or rather, his facial expressions. He illustrates the sequence focusing on Luke Skywalker, and there are more than a few moments where Luke’s face looks less like Mark Hamill and more like the Kenner action figure. It doesn’t completely throw off the story, but it is jarring compared to the rest of the art. Likewise, the issue ends with what’s essentially a big ad for the upcoming Hidden Empire miniseries; unlike the rest of the comic, this bit feels less organic and more tacked on.
When all is said and done, Star Wars: Revelations is a solid setup for the next wave of Star Wars stories. Whether you’ve been following the Star Wars comics from the beginning or you’re a newcomer to this side of the space opera, this is worth a read.
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