The Rogue One comic adaptation comes to a swift, less enjoyable end than the film.
It was hard to slow down due to the final issue’s breakneck pace, as it hopped through the final hour of non-stop action in the film as best as it could in limited space. Unfortunately, while it seemed to hit some of the best parts of the rest of the film, it couldn’t quite do the finale justice and didn’t leave me with as many (or any) emotions as watching the film does. And while this series so far has essentially been the best and only place to get your deleted scene fix, that which helped make it standout doesn’t appear here, as only a handful of poetic panels try to add a little more emotional resonance to the finale.
However, devoting the final page to the opening crawl of A New Hope was a masterstroke, taking the way Rogue One bridged to ANH one little step further. Kudos to whoever decided on the move!
I’ve been mixed on Emilio Laiso’s art all series and my opinion doesn’t change after this final issue. It’s serviceable, though a little chaotic, but there seems to be a lack of consistency in faces from panel to panel that really throws me off. As I mentioned before, Rachelle Rosenberg’s colors stay as one of the strongest aspects of the art.
Here are a few other things:
- The next comic adaptation is of the novel Thrawn (followed by The Last Jedi, no doubt), also written by Jody Houser, but I will not be reviewing adaptations on an issue to issue basis going forward, trade paperbacks only. In my reviews of issues 2-5 of Rogue One, I struggled to find something new to say, so in the end I’ll wait for adaptions to be over before diving into them.
- My biggest reason for concern over Laiso’s art is that he’ll be taking over artist duties on the series starring my favorite character, Doctor Aphra! Despite my fears, I also had some issues with Luke Ross’ art for The Force Awakens adaptation but once he was doing art that didn’t require recreating scenes from a film, he really came into his own for Darth Maul so maybe Laiso will do the same once he’s drawing Aphra? In fact, I did enjoy his work in Star Wars Annual #2, so maybe I shouldn’t be as worried. Only time will tell.
Overall, Jody Houser wrote a strong adaptation, full of some important new scenes, for the first Star Wars standalone film (a step above TFA‘s adaptation). Engage with this one through its TPB for max enjoyment.
+ Nice little touch at the end with ANH’s opening crawl
– Still so-so on the art
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
SEE ALSO:
Rogue One (adaptation)
#1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5
Comic Review: Cassian and K-2SO Special #1 (by Ryan)
Movie Review: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (by Ryan)
Novel Review: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (by Chris)
Novel Review: Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel (by Ryan)
Young Adult Novel Review: Rebel Rising (by Ryan)
Soundtrack Review: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (by Elliot)
Young Reader Review: Guardians of the Whills (by Ryan)
Young Reader Review: Rogue One: Rebel Dossier (by Chris)
Reference Book Review: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide (by Chris)
Doctor Aphra
Aphra (#1-6) | And the Enormous Profit (#9-13) | Remastered (#14-19) | Annual: #1
Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith
The Chosen One (#1-6) | The Dying Light (#7-10) | The Rule of Five (#11-12)
Star Wars
Skywalker Strikes (#1-6) | Old Ben’s Journals | Showdown on the Smuggler’s Moon (#8-12) | Rebel Jail (#16-19) | The Last Flight of the Harbinger (#21-25) | Yoda’s Secret War (#26-30) | Out Among the Stars (#33-37) | Ashes of Jedha (#38-43) | Annual: #1 | #2 | #3
The Screaming Citadel (crossover of Doctor Aphra and Star Wars on-goings)
Poe Dameron
Black Squadron (#1-3) | Lockdown (#4-6) | The Gathering Storm (#7-13) | Legend Lost (#14-19) | War Stories (#17-19) | Legend Found (#20-25)
Darth Vader
Vader (#1-6) | Shadows and Secrets (#7-12) | The Shu-Torun War (#16-19) | End of Games (#20-25) | Annual: #1
Han Solo (mini-series)
Obi-Wan & Anakin (mini-series)
Kanan
The Last Padawan (#1-6) | First Blood (#7-12)
Vader Down (crossover of Star Wars and Darth Vader on-goings)
Shattered Empire (mini-series)
Lando (mini-series)
Chewbacca (mini-series)
Princess Leia (mini-series)
Darth Maul (mini-series)
Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir (mini-series)