The current Star Wars monthly series serves a very distinct purpose. It features the main cast from the original trilogy, offering a nostalgia-focused journey, giving readers new adventures even casual Star Wars fans can chart. It’s been an enjoyable run, while relentlessly safe, but has often benefited from strong writers and artists that give even the tame adventure an enjoyable competence.
Collecting issues #26-30 from 2022, this arc features a few different plot lines revolving around the antics of the Empire and Alliance. Leia Organa and Mon Mothma works to strengthen the galaxy’s resolve to remnants of the Empire, while Lady Qi’ra of Crimson Dawn activates sleeper agents to further their aims. Luke is pushed to his limits, and we learn more about how he became a Jedi Knight. Charles Soule has been writing this series for some time, allowing this book to feel like it has a clear narrative vision, even if each individual issue can be enjoyed and understood without having a firm grasp of the series as a whole.
Seeing that this title focuses on the virtually deified original Star Wars cast, I appreciate how this series puts unassuming civilians at the center of the storyline. As much as I enjoy this series, it acts more as nostalgia bait for those with love for the original trilogy that may have been turned off by recent developments in the Star Wars universe. That often means that the main cast show very little in the way of character change over the course of an arc. In issue #27, they throw in two children into the conflict between the Empire and Alliance, giving a human perspective to the chase, with the relentless chase producing the understandable fear in these individuals. When Luke arrives in issue #28 (in an Imperial Officer’s outfit), you can feel the relief in these ordinary figures who have been thrust into this conflict. I think more of these Star Wars stories should structure their narrative focus in this way.
The art is consistently strong throughout the trade, with Andres Genolet taking on most of these issues. His style is action-oriented, while still giving the Star Wars Universe a distinct feel, separating it from superhero comics. Rachelle Rosenberg’s colors add to the visuals, giving the panels color without taking away from the darker tones Star Wars fans have come to expect. Ramon Rosanas does the linework for issue #29, which is my favorite issue in this arc, with the cast going undercover in an intergalactic party. It looks great, with understated visual ques giving the cast delicate characterization.
The main Star Wars comic is a safe bet for both committed fans of the series and casual readers looking for new stories featuring the beloved original cast of characters. You shouldn’t expect anything galaxy-shifting in these tales, but Charles Soule has shown an adept ability in giving some stakes to characters that can inherently remain unchanged. It’s fun, well drawn, and worth exploring, even if you are a Star Wars fan looking for some change to the Marvel status quo.
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