Comic Review: Star Wars (2020-) #1

Star Wars #1

Marvel Comics

Writer: Charles Soule

Artist: Jesus Saiz

Star Wars #1 marks the beginning of a new run by Charles Soule and Jesus Saiz. On top of a new creative team, we’re also given a new time period to play in. I fell off the last Star Wars book once Jason Aaron left, but that run alone has my expectations high. With artistic marvels such as John Cassaday and Stuart Immonen, plus the fact that it’s some of the only Expanded Universe content that genuinely captures the feeling of the OT, that run set my expectations high. This book doesn’t start quite as strong as that one, but it’s not a bad followup, and it has plenty of potential to get there.

Let it be known that I’m a big fan of Jesus Saiz dating all the way back to Checkmate. However, the art in this book is a significant issue. There’s certainly great things about it, like the double-page spread that kicks off the issue that absolutely blew me away. However, as soon as we jump to the Falcon, there’s a noticeable drop in quality. It’s an issue that’s no stranger to these new Star Wars books, but the faces of the movie characters look just awful. The faces are drawn so similarly to the actual actors’ that it almost feels as if their faces were pasted on after the fact. It leaves the dialogue scenes between these characters feeling stiff, emotionless, and uncanny.

On the flip-side of this, there are many pages in this book where you either don’t see the character’s faces, or the focus is on characters that don’t appear in the films. Also, any page with Vader is a standout, as Saiz draws him as well as the best of them. Pages like these are where the issue shines. I mentioned the first spread earlier, and I single it out for a reason; it’s downright amazing. The way the panels flow across the page in something of a whirlwind mirror Luke’s head-space perfectly. It puts his storytelling talent on full display without being marred by the aggressive photo referencing. He’s a great artist, and I don’t know if it’s an editorial mandate or the artists’ choice, but I wish the Star Wars books would move on from this style.

As I said, I like this book, and one thing that it benefits from is the time change. Star Wars up to this point has been in the post A New Hope time period, and this issue marks the switch to the post-Empire Strikes Back era. This shift in time period immediately leaves the book feeling fresh, as well as opening up more potential for stories than I feel the New Hope era provides. The new canon hardly ever touches this time period so it’s exciting to get our first real glimpse of it. Some of the best old canon stories came from this time, after all, like Shadows of the Empire.  

This issue focuses largely on the immediate aftermath of Empire. Given that, it rightly places a heavy focus on character. Luckily, Soule nails the characters and their voices. Luke’s despair following the revelation that (omega spoilers) Vader is his father gets a lot of play here. It’s not at the forefront, but it’s constantly simmering in the background until it reaches a peak. Soule does a great job exploring Luke’s character after his very foundation is shaken.

Leia, as I was pleasantly surprised to find, is the main focus of the issue. Leia’s contempt for Lando and her desperation to save the rebellion are what drives this plot forward. Without her, this story goes nowhere. Soule does a great job of demonstrating how Leia comes to be the glue that holds the entire saga together, and why she was such a refreshing character at the time of her creation.

Star Wars #1 kicks off what seems to be a compelling ride that bridges the gap between Empire and Jedi. Soule’s strong characterization of our heroes, as well as a few new characters, is the book’s best quality by far. The art is amazing in some places, and unfortunately distracting in others. Overall, it’s not the best Star Wars book to come from Marvel, but with a bit more time and consistent art, it certainly could be.

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