The
Wedding of Luke and Mara
Union #1 and 2 (of 4)
by Chad Clark
Published 1/22/00
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Written by Michael A. Stackpole Illustrated by Robert Teranishi Digital Inks & Color Rendering by Christopher Chuckry Lettering by Vickie Williams (Issue 1) Lettering by Amador Cisneros & Digital Broome (Issue 2) Cover Art by Duncan Fegredo Editor Peet Janes Click on covers to see larger version |
Hail Hail the King is back! I'm talking about Mike Stackpole,
fabulous writer of "I, Jedi" and the X-wing novels and probably the most
competent writer of all the Star Wars comics. Mike of course wrote the entire X-wing
series and the first half of the Mara Jade mini. But he's got a lot on his plate this time
as he prepares to tackle the wedding of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and the Emperor's Hand
- Mara Jade.
These two issues are filled to bursting. There is lots of humor, male bonding, female
bonding, beautiful landscapes and towering cityscapes. Readers are brought up to date on
their favorite characters very fast, sometimes too fast. And some new villains are
introduced. Oh and it's funny. I'm not kidding, nearly every other page is pumped full of
humor, sometimes visual humor but mostly it's offhand remarks, inside jokes and just good
old human nature coming out in the funniest ways. Mara and Luke lead the way with her
cracking wise against that good-old angst-ridden, responsible farm-boy nature of Luke's.
It's a perfect combination. And quick on their heels are the atypical male sensibilities
of Luke's friends, especially his old piloting buddies. Wedge Antilles and several other
past and present Rogues figure in heavily as supporting characters. Most of them are
married and talking like every older married man you've ever met at a wedding… except
these all seem to still be in love with their wives. Of course perpetually single studs
Hobbie and Janson are there to promote the single life too. Things culminate in a barroom
brawl during Luke's bachelor party.
More surprising is the camaraderie and humor evinced by Mara's group of friends. While you
may argue that it's awfully convenient that Mara's entourage is made up of the wives of
Luke's best friends it doesn't affect the group dynamics one bit as they talk about
wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses, and how to live with pilots and Jedi--or both, in
the case of Mirax. And with as many galaxy-saving escapades all of these characters have
been through it's easy to see how they might have been brought together and formed
friendships through adversity. We've seen it happen with countless male heroes in the
books and comics but until now the women have only been male counterparts. Here we see
them on their own and its great. Stackpole handles his women as deftly as he writes any
other character.
Robert Teranishi does a fabulous job with the look of this book. Each and every page is
beautiful and well laid out. It's easy to follow the story from panel-to-panel or
page-to-page. His talent shines from a sunset on Garqi, to the towering spires of
Coruscant, to a snow-covered decaying Dolis 3, home to the villains of this mini-series.
No alien admirals or massive fleet-wielding warlords here. Instead we have a small group
of bitter imperials suffering through hard times. They see the marriage of Luke and Mara
as the final insult in a war they have been losing for the better part of fifteen years.
[This tale takes place 20+ years after Star Wars: A New Hope.] While I like this idea it
doesn't do much for the suspense of the book. You never get any feeling these guys pose a
significant threat to Luke or Mara. But that's okay because the marriage deserves this
lighter, happier tone. And its something we haven't seen before. And that's something I'll
applaud. But even with as happy as I am with this book, there are some problems.
Faces. If you've read some of my past reviews you'll maybe have noticed how I like to
point out when an artist makes everybody unique and instantly recognizable from one
another. Well that trend came to an abrupt halt with this miniseries. I'm not kidding.
I've been seeing a lot of discussions in numerous message boards as fans debate and
compare who they think people are. And I'm not just talking about one character form
another, people are confused who these guys are from panel to panel. It's almost funny
looking at the Imperials. Besides the classic heroes from the film trilogy, the Imperials
are probably the most recognizable. They are a small group who keep to themselves for the
most part and have distinguishable features between themselves. But, whoa doggie when it
comes to the good guys! Too many shaven heads, shaggy heads, erratic clothing choices and
worst of all, dialogue which fails to set them apart from one another unless you have a
comprehensive and detailed account of everything these characters have said or done in the
past. It's tough… but at the same time it's fun. Even the most clueless of readers
will notice some of the characters bear a resemblance to famous movie stars, making me
wonder what Teranishi was watching when he began drawing these books. I don't think most
readers will discover the fun right off; they'll be too confused. But looking back a
second or third time as the series finishes up they'll find the fun in piecing together
the clues as to who is who. Hopefully they won't be scared off early though.
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I'm a little torn on Duncan Fegredo's covers. Issue number one was great: Luke and Mara
embracing with a variety of starfighters blazing past in salute behind them. Classic
outfits for both of them too, making both easily recognizable. But issue number two
featured a glimpse at the bachelor party and the fight that erupted. The layout is nice
with Han and Chewie in the foreground plowing through their foes. But Han's forehead is
creased with wrinkles that at first glance look more a red bandana. Then sitting in the
background are Luke and Lando. Why these two would be sitting is beyond me, but what's
worse in the ugly red outfit with gold trimming Luke is wearing. I don't know where
Fegredo came up with this look but let's hope it doesn't return any time soon. Also
disappointing is the editing. At least that is whom I'm blaming for the dialogue mishaps.
During a lightsaber practice session between Jedis Kam Solusar and Corran Horn the
dialogue balloons are reversed. Which of course only adds to the confusion of identities
started by the total lack of individuality in most of the characters.
So what is my recommendation you ask? I whole-heartedly tell all of you to pick up this
miniseries. As I said, the mistakes are nearly as much fun as they are annoying, and so
tend to cancel each other out. And while you may not always be sure who is saying what,
you'll find yourselves laughing and enjoying every page of it. If anything, this book will
hopefully inspire you to pick up other novels and comics you might have missed and
discover where some of Stackpole's most obscure dialogue originated. I will reveal here
the new and very rare Jedi power Mike "created" to explain the confusion of word
balloons between Kam and Corran: Jedi Ventriloquism. Take that with tongue-in cheek and a
grain of salt people. A BIG grain of salt. Now stop making excuses and start reading this
comic. If you ever wondered why people like the Expanded Universe merchandise, this will
help you understand. And if you're a die-hard fan of the EU, this tale was tailor-made for
you.
Grade: A.
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