Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Star Wars: Shattered Empire #4 of 4
Marvel Comics
Rucka, Checchetto & Mossa
The final issue of the "Shattered Empire" mini-series is another self-contained story that matches up the newer characters with the classic characters to give a short story of events that occur after "Return of the Jedi." This particular issue is a good showcase for Luke Skywalker but has some plot holes and doesn't really give much for the new character, Shara, to do. She could have easily been any other no-name character. This is an average read but doesn't provide anything immediately memorable or unique.
Shara, after a meeting debriefing, is wondering with her commander if the war will ever end. Her commander reveals that he's submitted papers for her to walk way from the war. Her husband has already filed his papers. This is an interesting development because it shows the bureaucracy of the rebellion, which completely goes against what occurs next.
Luke sends R2 to find a pilot to help him infiltrate an Imperial lab. I found it interesting that a pilot could simply decide to team-up with another rebel without any sort of clearance or formality and yet they have to file papers to walk away from the rebellion. This seemed really bizarre that Luke could just pluck a pilot and head out on a dangerous mission.
The mission involves Shara disguising herself as an Imperial officer. The goal is to walk in and take something that the Emperor had stolen from the Jedi temple years earlier. Another plot hole has Shara acting as the officer in charge of a surprise inspection. How were they planning to leave with something after an inspection? If they knew it would lead to a fire-fight then why bother with the cloak and dagger? Why not jump off the ship blasting?
The comic's strength is how it portrays Luke. He looks great, acts like a seasoned Jedi and has all the right lines that Skywalker might say post-Endor. He has charm, wit and a calming leadership. This was one of the better presentations of the character in comics in decades. This was a true highlight for this issue and mini-series.
The artwork looks great. The pencils, the colors and the action all look and feel like Star Wars. However, the flow is not good. Luke and Shara walk down a hall, passing some red robots, walk through a door to the lab. During the fire-fight in the lab, Luke uses the force to pull the red robots onto the Stormtroopers that are inside the lab, not in the hallway. However, the door appears to be closed because the Imperial Officer took off through the door to escape once Luke pulled out his lightsaber. The idea that the robots could be used in this fashion was really awkward to understand based on their placement. The action skips ahead panel to panel as Luke and Shara appear to get from the lab to the hangar immediately without any kind of resistance only to have the Empire standing there waiting for them. The ending to this sequence is also fairly ridiculous. It's a very clunky comic book in this regard.
"Shattered Empire" wraps up the four-issue, mini-series of one-shots with a great look at Luke Skywalker. The comic has Luke and Shara retrieve something that the Emperor had stolen from the Jedi temple. The assumption is that this item will play a role in the upcoming film, but we are left to guess as to it’s meaning based on this comic. The comic leaves Shara largely under-used, but nails the characterization of Skywalker. The book has plot holes and poorly constructed action sequences. On the other hand, the comic looks and feels like Star Wars as the art depicts the universe extremely well. At the end of the day, this issue is an average Star Wars comic book that doesn't provide much more than some Luke Skywalker action and a tease of what might come in the new movie. This was a fine read.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
