Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Star Wars: Princess Leia #3 of 5
Marvel Comics
Waid, Dodson, Dodson & Bellaire
Princess Leia attempts to round up some more survivors or emigrated Alderaanians in the third issue of the mini-series. The comic has a lot of action and does a little of churning of the mistrust that seems to be growing with anyone that Leia interacts with. The comic teases the Empire's involvement in the effort to catch Leia and more of her displaced people. The comic is an average read but doesn't add much to the character nor to the greater Star Wars universe. Fans of the genre or the character will probably enjoy this the most.
Leia and her companion, Evaan, travel to Sullust where they find an Alderaan Enclave. This is led by someone called the Preserver. What's interesting about this is how easily the people from Alderaan have adopted the use of weapons. While Leia (and Evaan) calls out the Preserver about claiming to preserve Alderaan's culture, art and education, no one seems willing to bring up the fact that all of them come from a peaceful world that now begins every conversation with a blaster in hand. I would have liked this to at least been mentioned.
The key to the comic is how no one trusts Leia. Leia seems on the verge of throwing in the towel with regard to having hope for the galaxy. This isn't helped by any fellow Alderaan she meets because none of them seem to be willing to accept her as she is. This is a problem because Leia tries to play all sides of the coin. She plays the Rebel leader, the Alderaan leader, the adventurer and the strategist. Waid is stretching this character out and it isn't entirely clear that he can pull this off. Thus far, he's not doing it convincingly.
The bulk of the book screams out Star Wars. There is plenty of action. Stormtroopers drop in, plenty of firefights, R2 saves the day, monsters come roaring into the picture and there is a bit of swashbuckling. The comic reminds me a lot of the prequels: slow moments that don't add up to much and have clunky dialogue backed up with action that brings Star Wars to whole new level.
The artwork is okay but not great. There are too many panels that simply look off. The Imperial Officer standing on the bridge appears to have his leg turned backwards. A host of Stormtroopers is left for dead but none appear on the subsequent panels. Were they eaten? Where did the monster go and why wouldn't it eat R2? R2 seems to be missing for a few panels as well. The artwork captures the close-ups of Leia to perfection and that is definitely among the highlights artistically.
Princess Leia is an okay read with plenty of action and some bland characterizations with bold intentions. The plotting is fine but nothing that will be long-lasting in the Star Wars lore. The artwork could have used some overseeing with regards to character placements but nails the Leia "look", which counts for a lot. This is a read that the serious Star Wars fan, particularly the Leia fan, will enjoy but there isn't much in here for the casual reader. This is worth a glance.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
