Star Wars Adventures #3 Comic Review

By: Kyle Scully

Life Day

Written by, Michael Moreci

Art by, Megan Levens

Colors by, Charlie Kirchoff

Letters by, Jake M. Wood

The Hostage

Written by, Shane McCarthy

Art by, Megan Levens

Colors by, Charlie Kirchoff

Letters by, Jake M. Wood

There are many generally accepted truths about Star Wars. Darth Vader is a great character. Duel of the Fates might just be one of the best lightsaber fights in the whole saga. The Star Wars: Holiday Special is a shapeless, Wookiee-filled entry with no conflict, bad effects and even worse acting. 

Star Wars Adventures #3 brings Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn to the Wookiee celebration of Life Day, a central component of The Holiday Special. Writer Michael Moreci tackles this dark entry in the Star Wars canon and makes into something much palatable. Qui-Gon is able to use the event as an important teaching moment for Obi-Wan just before the event is interrupted by Trandoshan raiders. Qui-Gon is taken along with several Wookiees leaving Obi-Wan to mount a rescue on his own. 

This was a fun, energetic story with two iconic Star Wars characters. The dialogue really captured both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon’s voices. You know it’s a good book when you can hear Liam Neeson speaking in your head. The art is bright, dynamic and easy to follow. Life Day, as presented in this book, seems much more joyful and celebratory than it ever came across in the special. 

The action is sharp and direct. The movements within each panel detail strong gestures and powerful motions. Lightsabers strike fast. Punches are thrown hard. There some especially nice splash pages that highlight some particularly engaging moments. The book ends on a solid cliffhanger but it doesn’t leave you wondering what will happen next. Hopefully the next issues offers a few surprises, otherwise its promising start could end up falling flat. 

The back-up story features Darth Maul being held prisoner by a rival crime organization. The crime boss thinks he has the upper hand but of course he’s very misguided. It doesn’t take long for Maul to take control and remind the man how powerful he really is. The same artists as the first story provide some strong work unfortunately this tale isn’t nearly as engaging. Maul is a great character but the narrative is incredibly predictable. A captured Maul feels very unlikely which robs the story of any authenticity. You never once believe he would get taken against his will. The Savage Opress cameo is a nice treat and I’ll take as much Maul as I can get but he deserves better than this formulaic entry. 

This book is a solid entry and I’ll certainly pick up the next volume but some overly standard tropes keep it from being a great issue. 

Star Wars Adventures: Shadow of Vader's Castle

By: Kyle Scully

Star Wars Adventures: Shadow of Vader’s Castle #1

Written by: Cavan Scott

Art by: Derek Charm, Nicoletta Baldari, Nick Brokenshire, Francesco Francavilla 

Letterer: Valeria Lopez

Cover Artist: Francesco Francavilla

Published by: IDW

THE STORY: The book features three stories centered around Vader’s Castle. Intertwined throughout, two Mustafarians dare to enter the foreboding castle and destroy it once and for all. It’s worth noting, this all takes place after the battle of Endor. 

THE REVIEW: Darth Vader’s Castle has been part of Star Wars lore ever since Ralph McQuarrie drew the fortress in advance of The Empire Strikes Back. It found life in the expanded universe and Rogue One marked its first film appearance. Its legacy lives on in comics. Star Wars Adventures: Tales From Vader’s Castle, Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader’s Castle (both written by Cavan Scott) and now a new entry Star Wars Adventures: Shadow of Vader’s Castle #1 continue the haunting tales of the mysterious castle.   

The book opens right before Obi-Wan lands on Mustafar to confront Anakin during the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. I loved these pages. A young Mustafarian dares a glance of Anakin only to find he’s not the Jedi he expected but an agent of evil. The art is big and energetic. It boasts a lot of red and yellow swaths of color. Giant panels easily convey Anakin’s pain and guilt. His former allies are ghostly images that taunt Anakin towards the dark side.  

Diving into the three short stories, I found the first entry to be the most compelling. It gave some insight into the origin of Vanee, Vader’s servant who appears in Rogue One and some of the previous Vader’s Castle books. It also serves to showcase Vader’s immense power and his innate ability to manipulate and control. It’s clear the castle’s location wasn’t an arbitrary choice. Charm’s art is superbly stylistic and meshes well with the overall aesthetic of the story. Anything darker might make the proceedings too scary for children. At the same time, Charm’s art handily works with the script to form a perfect artistic combination. 

The next yarn felt like the book’s weakest point. A young Twi’lek retrieves a jewel for the Emperor. It reminded me a lot of Aladdin but without much of its charm. The art feels unfinished and messy. Character images don’t quite fit with some of the dialogue and the tale ends as abruptly as it starts. It also didn’t feel terribly connected with the castle or Vader. 

The final narrative about a wayward scientist was a bit off the beaten path but it continued to explore Vader’s psyche. The quick plot manages to squeeze in a few twists and the way Vader handles the situation proves how cunning he really is. The art is a bit lacking. It feels busy with too many lines and the colors are a little too pastel for such a dark story. 

The whole book ends on some dramatic action and a well-crafted turn that puts a firm grip on the book’s horror aspirations. 

FINAL THOUGHTS: This comic is a bit of a mixed bag but I don’t regret picking it up. I enjoyed the art, the horror elements and the it’s skill in highlighting Vader’s strengths and what makes him a true monster. 

Star Wars: Adventures #1 Tales of Villainy Review

By: Kyle Scully

The Obstacle Course, Part 1

Written by: Michael Moreci

Art by: Ilias Kyriazis

Colors by: Charlie Kirchoff

Letters by: Jake M. Wood

Published by: IDW

Invasion of Echo Base

Written by: Nick Brokenshire

Art by: Nick Brokenshire

Colors by: Nick Brokenshire

Letters by: Jake M. Wood

Published by: IDW

THE STORY: This book features two stories. The first centers Rey training through an obstacle course set-up by Finn and Poe until they run into some trouble. The second focuses on the Imperial invasion of Hoth from Darth Vader’s perspective. THE REVIEW: Rey’s story feels like coming home. The central trio doesn’t miss a beat from their film counterparts. Their voices perfectly reflect the tone and cadence featured in the films. 

While the characters are fun and playful the story itself is lacking. Rey’s trip through the obstacle course never strikes as compelling or fraught with any real danger. You know in your core that it’s only a set-up meant to lead to bigger things. The gangsters the group runs into only manage to come across like generic, typical opponents seen throughout the history of the galaxy far, far away. 

The story also struggles to answer when it takes place. It takes a few pages before I finally realized the story takes place prior to The Rise of Skywalker, which left me feeling a little deflated. I had hoped to read a story that actually took place after the last film. Someday maybe but today is not that day. 

The art itself is fun and loose, highlighted by striking character designs that would fit nicely on an animated show. The book has a vibrant energy and joyful colors that really bring the world to life. It does run into problems though. There are times when the following the story panel to panel becomes difficult. I’m not ashamed to admit it, there were moments I got a little lost. 

Overall though this was a cute story with familiar characters that lacked a real punch and didn’t end on very strong cliffhanger. 

While a new, original story wasn’t very compelling it felt odd then that Vader’s invasion of the rebel base ended up being much more captivating. There’s less to say about it but Vader’s presence and point of view moving through the wreckage of the rebel’s defeat had me hooked from its very first image. 

Vader is a Sith Lord on a mission who will stop at nothing to succeed and it shows in every frame of this story. His lingering feelings for Luke shine through some trilogy defining images and his unforgettable black silhouette. 

The artwork is crisp and detailed but never feels overdone. Each panel helps tell the story in such a way you could understand it and read its emotional core without a single line of dialogue. A few panels shine by showing of Vader’s power and underlying strength through both action and occasionally the way the artist positions Vader within the frame. 

Vader is the saga’s most fascinating character and this story only serves to remind you why. 

This solid book features two well-crafted stories. They might not be perfect but it’s a thoroughly engaging Star Wars experience nonetheless.