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Star
Wars Tales #3 Review by Toryn
Farr |
If you've read our previous reviews (Tales #1, Tales #2), you know 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 dramatic. 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.
Dorman's cover for #3 is the best one yet, even if you loathe Jar Jar! Very detailed, with vivid colors that pop out from the crowd at the newsstand. I like the critter in Jar Jar's hand. They both look alarmed, which makes me think the "arms" around Jar Jar are tentacles rather than structural supports, despite their fanciful decorations and Jar Jar's inexplicable shadow.
This issue has the first Letters column of the series. It's always interesting to see what people have to say. I hadn't realized Peet Janes was stepping down as Dark Horse editor. I only hope the quality remains high. He has left some big shoes to fill.
The Death of Captain Tarpals |
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| Writer:
Illustrator: Letterer: Colorist: Editor: |
Ryder Windham Tom Fowler Vickie Williams Dave Nestelle Dave Land, Peet Janes |
Silly and sad, this is the story of how Captain Tarpals, apparently a friend to Jar Jar Binks, must take the errant Gungan to exile outside the city. I can't stand to hear Gungan pidgin-basic, much less read it. Wading through this to get at the meaning was painful. The colors and art were cartoonish but good, vibrant, and wholly appropriate to the story. I liked how even the "sound effect" had that Gungan feel: "KEE-RASH!" There was some good humor here. I laughed when Tarpals tells Jar Jar that his nickname among the other Gungans is "The Death of Captain Tarpals." Jar Jar replies, "Rilly? How odd, dat no even rhyme wit 'ja ja binks.'" Despite the silliness, we get the feeling Tarpals really does care for Jar Jar, and regrets having to put him out in the swamp. I'll give this one a B-.
Deal With a Demon |
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| Writer: Penciller: Digital Inker: Letterer: Colorist: Editor: |
John Ostrander Jan Duursema Rick Magyar Vickie Williams Dan Jackson Peet Janes |
When I see the word "deal" in the title of a story, I automatically think it must be another Lando tale. I was relieved to find this wasn't so. This is the story of Villie (Vilmarh Grahrk), a Devaronian bounty hunter, who has been hired to smuggle a young "fish face" princess to safety off her home planet of Ootoolah. A Mistryl guards the youngster, and she doesn't trust Villie. This is a story of a double- and triple-crossed deal; a fun yarn. Duursema's delicate, detailed, utterly beautiful art is a welcome treat. I liked the odd hairdos -- the Mistryl sports something that looks similar to an Obi-Wan conceptual drawing for Episode I. But the text is written in another difficult dialect -- haven't these writers been told that a little goes a long, long way? Still, Villie has his funny moments. "Such terrible dilemma!" he says at one point, sounding very Russian to my mental ear. "Stay and die? Go and live? Such a tough decision!" (Oddly enough, Villie shows up in the last comic of the "Emissaries to Malastare" series.) I liked this enough to give it an A-.
Lady Luck |
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| Writers:
Illustrator: Letterer: Colorists: Editor: |
Rich Handley, Darko Macan Chris Brunner Steve Dutro Michelle Madsen, Dave Stewart Dave Land, Peet Janes |
I groaned when I saw this. Yet another Lando story? I never much liked the guy anyway, and we've had a story about him in two issues of Tales so far. Imagine my surprise, then, when I ended up liking this story. A lot. This is the tale of how Lando ends up as Baron Administrator of Bespin. Of course, he wins it playing sabacc. But the journey to victory is a convoluted one, with cheating and double dealing galore. Brunner's art suggests, at times, rather more than it describes, but it is still good despite a lack of detail. I loved how Lando caught a fleeing Toydarian by flinging his cape over him. And Lobot's infusion of 5 million credits, a gift from oppressed workers, to enable Lando that last bet ... that was priceless. I'll give this one an A.
Three Against the Galaxy |
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| Writer:
Penciller: Inker: Letterer: Colorist: Editor: |
Rich Hedden Rick Leonardi Mark Lipka Steve Dutro Dave McCaig Dave Land, Peet Janes |
Last, we have a complicated story involving a down-on-his-luck (and apparently Force sensitive!) Gamorrean, a spoiled rich girl, and an exiled Jawa who team up to give the girl's evil uncle the comeuppance he deserves. I frankly couldn't have cared less about any of these characters, so the story failed to engage my interest. The art didn't help. Not that it was bad, but there's only so much you can do with the Tatooine landscape. I did like the unique designs for clothes and hair on the humans. The story ends with the words, "The beginning." My first reaction was, "Huh?" My second reaction was, "Oh, no, that means we might see more of these characters." Sad to say, I must give this one a C.
I can't speak for everyone, but I personally would like a lot more stories about Jedi and a lot less of the droids, miscellaneous aliens, bounty hunters, etc. Most of my favorites have featured the Jedi, and there are so many tales yet to tell! Oh, and no more desert settings for a long while, please! It looks like Tatooine is up on the menu for Episode II, and I'm getting tired of all that sand. Overall, I liked three of the four stories again this time around. 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.)