Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Star Wars: Shattered Empire #1
Marvel Comics
Rucka, Checchetto & Mossa
The latest Star Wars launch could have easily been titled, "Return of the Jedi Aftermath." This comic book picks up the action in the final moments of the second Death Star and continues through the celebration at the Ewok village and then launches into the next crisis. This is exactly the kind of comic book that the fans of the original trilogy have been looking for in preparation of the new film. This comic actually answers some questions about the film and brings in a new group of characters to follow once the film's heroes pass the ball. This is definitely a comic book to pick up.
The opening of the comic has some scenes from the film. Vader and Luke fight, the bunker on the Endor moon gets rigged to explode and the huge space above all paint a very familiar vision for the reader. The comic answers small questions, such as why only a few of the "groups" followed the Falcon into the Death Star. It also addresses how Luke managed to fly an enemy craft from the Death Star and land on the moon. These scenes are fantastic and they introduce a new pilot, Shara Bey.
Shara has a husband, Kes Dameron, who is part of the strike team on Endor's moon that blows up the bunker. The tie here is that Kes has the same last name as Poe Dameron, a character in the upcoming movie. Perhaps these are his parents?
The comic then brings all the characters together at the celebration. Here we get some great moments with Han and Lando about the Falcon and the damage to her. Eventually Han leads a team to attack an Imperial stronghold on the far side of the moon that involves both Shara and Kes.
The comic is fantastic. The cliffhanger leaves a little to be desired but beyond that the book is great. There are snippets of the popular characters, realistic fallout from the huge battle and two new great characters. The comic has everything a Star Wars fan could want in a comic that picks up the action right where the film ended.
The artwork is tremendous. The space battle looks like still shots from the movie. The details in the ships, the cockpits, the explosions are all perfect. The comic captures the essence of the popular characters perfectly while bringing the new ones to life. The artwork screams out Star Wars in every way that gets your blood pumping. Chechetto couldn't have done a better job.
"Shattered Empire" is a perfect bridge from the final moments of the second Death Star to the next crisis that the rebels must deal with. The comic has a few scenes with the Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Lando group but for the most part it focuses on two new characters that may have ties to the new film. The comic features fantastic artwork and spot-on character work while introducing a new plot at the very end. Han Solo is a central character throughout the comic book, which is a good thing, but there is enough character work that the new characters can carry the plot forward. This comic is a great start. I highly recommend this.
5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
