For my first Star Wars review, the architecture of Star Wars: Out of the Darkness is expansive and cerebral, but demanding and not for the faint of heart. Longstanding fans will certainly rejoice at this majestic tale – but as an aside, it requires a lot of mental tenacity and mind mapping to ensure newbies (like me) know what is going on without getting confused (especially with the intricacies of characters introduced and their respective plot points).
With this declaration made and a gentle suggestion that a glossary of terms and quickie character notes would be wholly beneficial to draw in new readers/ potential fans – I will say that at the outset, Alex Segura spearheading the writing and Phil Noto creating the art, really help foster a sense of cinematic grandeur for these iconic and storied characters. In fact, I only gave this book a chance because of my tangential love of The Mandalorian.
Ultimately, this is an opportunity for Marvel to allow readers to explore the New Republic and specifically delve into what life is currently like in a post-Return of the Jedi timeline (and spotlighting iconic characters like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo). While there’s an abundance of new characters introduced in this expansive galaxy, going back to basics and grounding the tale with these OG legends is a sound choice.
By design, the tone of this is very much echoing what you’d see on the big screen in terms of storytelling structure. Protagonists have their own POV narrative arcs and side quests at first, but it ultimately all converges (a sort of ‘sum of its parts’ where it adds up to a common goal they’re unified in achieving).
In this trade paperback (which collects issues #1–10 of the Star Wars series and material from Free Comic Book Day 2025) the premise follows Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo as they navigate the dynamics of being in this New Republic and trying to make fresh alliances. However, nothing is ever straightforward. There are hiccups along the way.
Skywalker has uncovered a new threat that affects everyone, the Nagai pirates, who want to upend everything and sabotage the trading supply routes, so he tracks them down to overthrow their nefarious plans. Meanwhile, Leia is trying to assert herself as a leader by navigating political alliances in this fledgling New Republic, but it’s tenuous at best with many trying to question her authority. Lastly, Han Solo also tries to help out Leia vis-a-vis a broader effort with these pirates while aligning with a former Imperial stormtrooper-turned-cyborg bounty hunter (Beilert Valance). Solo is also trying to forge an identity and purpose for himself in the New Republic beyond being a supportive husband to Leia.
Marvel
The many side-quests are certainly a hallmark of the Star Wars franchise, and this is no exception. Segura makes a concerted effort to reiterate the missions each character faces, so as a reader, that’s appreciated. It’s also not easy to track multiple storylines and ensure a vested interest from the reader, but he does this effortlessly with a sort of lived-in authentic sentiment for each character. Additionally, each persona is featured with a strong willfulness (no one feels ‘less than’) and I appreciate the respect given to everyone (AKA no one is discarded for the sake of furthering the plot). Lastly, I enjoyed the atmospheric tone of this, thanks to the characters driving the force (pun intended). Even as someone not well-versed in this franchise, I could feel the passion emanating from the book through Segura’s words and that was more than enough to keep me flipping through all 240+ pages of this.
Artist Phil Noto is also no stranger to the Star Wars legacy (being recognized for his work on Star Wars (2015), Chewbacca, Poe Dameron, and Shattered Empire) so the aesthetic throwbacks to the original films from the 1970s was lovingly noticeable. I adored the retro-lush, painterly aesthetic. There’s a sort of alluring humanistic photorealism to his work and the homages to the actors who played the heroic trio. The soft textures he’s wielded, cinematic tone, and wisps of this pop-art vibe make it all at once nostalgic and instantly a new classic.
Ultimately, the cinematic lighting in each frame that’s coupled with dramatic posing (fight scenes, arguments, heroic stances, etc) – along with the action packed dialogue – easily immerses you in this comic book.
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