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Star
Wars Tales #2 Review by Toryn
Farr [click on image to enlarge] |
Issue #1 of this series set a high standard. I think this
issue didn't quite live up to it, but it is worth a read nonetheless. (See Chad's review
of Star Wars Tales #1
here.)
The Star Wars Tales series gives artists and writers a chance to tell stories in the Star Wars galaxy without worrying too much about continuity. They are free to tell tales from any time period. Some are serious, and some are comic. Some focus on popular characters, and others highlight new or obscure people and places. It's a safe bet that at least one or two of the four stories in each 64-page issue will appeal to you -- you might even like them all.
Although the colors are muted, I found Castellini's cover compelling. Who can resist a frisson of repulsion at seeing the Emperor's evil grimace? And if you read issue #1 you recognize that pretty, pale woman dueling with Darth Vader -- it's the Dark Woman from "Extinction" whose story is concluded here. (She's also featured in a few of the Star Wars Outlander comics, and she's a fascinating character. I'm crossing my fingers we get to see her in Episode II or III.) Inside, the four stories are a mixed bag.
Routine |
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| Writer:
Penciller: Inker: Letterer: Colorist: Editor: |
Tony Isabella John Nadeau Jordi Ensign Vickie Williams Dave Nestelle Peet Janes |
In "Routine," Imperial Captain Deyd Llnewe (where do they come up with these names, a fist on the keyboard?) is patrolling border space and twiddling his thumbs, thinking about his youthful dreams of glory that have all come to naught, when a certain Corellian corvette piloted by everyone's favorite scoundrel enters the system. A young Han Solo claims to be delivering grain and trade goods to the Nadiem farming colony, and despite a thorough search by very suspicious Imperials, he appears to be telling the truth. It's not until after the third delivery that the Captain figures out what Han's really smuggling. I liked the layout on this one ... very easy to follow, and the colors were almost luminous at times. A clever bit of fluff. One neat bonus from this story is that we find out the name of Han's mother; his ship, the Jaina's Light, is named after her.
Extinction (part 2 of 2) |
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| Writer:
Penciller: Digital Inker: Letterer: Colorist: Editor: |
Ron Marz Claudio Castellini Jason Hvam Michael Taylor Guy Major Peet Janes |
Next we have the second and last installment of "Extinction." In the first part, Mara Jade found one of the few remaining Jedi, an aging adept called the Dark Woman, and the Emperor dispatched Darth Vader to kill her. In this part, the first frame puts us right into the middle of a desperate lightsaber fight, red blade battering lavender. The fight turns into a Jedi version of a wizard's duel, with rocks flying and plants reaching forth to bind. There's a lot of movement and action in this fight which should have been cool, but I had a very hard time following all of it, especially on first reading. Nevertheless the artwork is exquisite. The backgrounds and colors here are gorgeous and very definitely inspired by oriental art. Of course, we all know how the duel must end (see the title), but even after she's gone the Dark Woman still has something to teach. And I loved the symbolism of the crushed flower in the last frame. Beautiful.
Stop That Jawa! |
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| Story
& Art: Editor: |
Dave Cooper Phil Amara |
This is a very silly little tale about Max Rebo and his jizz-wailing band in pursuit of their stolen musical equipment. The art is extremely cartoonish, and the characters are just plain ludicrous -- not always a bad thing. My favorite new technology: a "magnetic resonance constripulator." I can't say this made me laugh out loud. I found the humorous story in issue #1, "Skippy the Jedi Droid," much more amusing. But then that's the problem with humor -- it's hard to find something that will tickle the funnybone for everybody. This wasn't a total waste of space, but it was by far my least favorite story.
Incident at Horn Station |
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| Writer: Artist: Letterer: Colorist: Editor: |
Dan Jolley Sean Phillips Sean Konot Matthew Hollingsworth Peet Janes |
Lastly, we get a tale of ironic comeuppance, "Incident at Horn Station." This was my favorite story of the lot. A meek, mild-mannered rock miner has to make an emergency landing on Horn Station for repairs. At the local cantina he ends up having to defend himself, and when he succeeds, minions of the local tin tyrant "invite" him to participate in a blastfighting contest ... apparently to the death. I can't tell you more without spoiling it, but the tale was extremely satisfying. I found myself making other people read it just to get their reactions. The art in this one was inconsistent -- some of the images were very detailed, others more like sketches -- but the story was easy to follow. I found myself at the end wondering two things: what was the miner's name, and did the station have anything to do with Corran Horn's family? I guess I'll never know.
Overall, I liked three of the four stories. I'll give this issue a B.
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(Toryn Farr knew everything about Star Wars
back in 1977 thanks to Starlog Magazine. She's been trying to keep her know-it-all
reputation ever since. During the 90 minutes per day her preschooler is napping, Toryn
attempts to run an internet design business and write fantasy fiction.)