Age of Rebellion is the middle “Age” of the Age of Star Wars maxiseries, but having to follow in the footsteps of Houser and team’s Republic seemed like a difficult job. Greg Pak, a few other writers, and the various artists along for the ride delved into the latest “Age” with aplomb, and while most of it was simply good, it’s highs were quite the zenith.
One of Age of Republic’s biggest strengths was the rhyming scheme between a month’s Hero and Villain issue, showing the strengths and weakness of characters like General Grievous and Padmé Amidala as they tackled similar problems their own unique ways, while the first and last issue came full circle. I had hoped Age of Rebellion would follow suit, and at first it seemed to do so, as I was finding connections between Hero and Villain issues, but as they got harder to find, an interview with writer Greg Pak revealed none of them were intentional and he wasn’t following a similar path. By not doing so, it allowed Pak to find some pretty fantastic highs with several characters/stories, but the others weren’t as strong, whereas Republic’s entire run was consistent across the board. Some of the best of Pak’s “Age” include: Princess Leia’s issue (the very first one), which had her being anything but a princess in a delightful, spectacular manner; a western/Man with No Name take on Boba, with some absolutely killer art, that made me get the hype behind the character again; while Lando’s issue felt like an epilogue to the excellent 2015 Lando mini in all the right ways. But for all the highs, there was everything else in-between, from a decently fine Vader issue, a mediocre Jabba the Hutt story, to a Han Solo tale feeling rote. Regardless of the overall issue’s story, there’s no mistaking Pak’s ability to deftly inhabit the characters, as there wasn’t a single characterization which broke character: Lando puts on a good swagger but his heart is always beating close beneath; Tarkin is as ruthless as ever, especially in his mind’s eye (and especially with his shirt off); Luke knows caution when it comes to using his extraordinary powers. This strength is almost enough to make up for the roller coaster-like ride of quality of stories, though I imagine many readers might forgive some issues for how well Pak writes their favorite characters.
Though the “Ages” are supposed to have a team each for Villain and Hero issues, Age of Rebellion didn’t really have consistent teams, even within each issue, which again resulted in some spectacular highs and some middling results, though in the end there wasn’t any art I didn’t like. What defines this “Age’s” art is the Boba Fett issue, with art from Marc Laming and colors by Neeraj Menon, as the spellbinding pages this team put together is what makes the mostly silent issue work. In every corner of every panel, no detail is too small, as it speaks volumes to what’s going on in Fett’s head/the feelings of other characters, to the point where they could’ve produced this issue without dialogue and it would’ve been easy to follow; Honestly, for me it’s one of biggest highlights for art since Marvel took over in 2015. The Lando issue, by Matteo Buffagni (art) and Tamra Bonvillain (colors), is also a spiritual sequel to the 2015 mini as the art team’s ability to hue closely to it’s gritty, forgettable style helps keep a similar mood; Even an issue with several different artists, like Princess Leia’s, manged to impress. Pages 1-12, 20, had Chris Sprouse and Karl Story, while pages 13-19 had Will Sliney, Marc Deering, and Karl Story, and Bonvillain on colors again. Despite so many pens in the inkwell, it’s not easy to discern when one team begins and the other ends, as everyone’s depiction of Leia captures both the weight on her shoulders, the resolve in her mission, and the few moments of delight she allows herself, channeling Carrie Fisher’s wonderful performance as the character. In the end, I might still like Luke Ross’ Villain issues in Republic overall, but some of the teams here managed to outshine him a bit, while Rebellion did outshine on Hero issues more, but a little more consistency would’ve helped all around.
Unlike in Republic‘s Special issue, Rebellion‘s Special doesn’t feature a story from the miniseries’ writer, instead injecting three new voices/art teams into the mix, resulting in what I felt was one of the best Rebellion stories, but also it’s most…experimental one. For starters, there was “The Long Game,” an IG-88-focused tale from writer Simon Spurrier (Doctor Aphra), with art by Caspar Wijngaard and colors by Lee Loughridge, which managed to bring me back to my childhood playing Shadows of the Empire on N64 and scared out of my mind by the deadly assassin droid’s boss battle, an effort made possible thanks to the ingenious writing and fantastic art; The true delight of Age of Rebellion comes next with Yoda in “The Trial of Dagobah,” with Marc Guggenheim (writer), Andrea Broccardo (artist), and Dono Sánchez-Almara (colorist). Seeing Yoda continue to struggle in the fight against the dark, and find a way back to the light, is always a moving, important moment, but this tale took it so many steps further, connecting to the Jedi Master’s appearances in The Clone Wars and The Last Jedi, and almost managing to make me tear up about it. This one IS NOT to be missed!; And then there’s the oddity that is “Stolen Valor,” a tale by writer/artist Jon Adams, with Chris O’Halloran on colors. I appreciate how this Biggs and Porkins adventure was an attempt at something different, but there was too much of a juxtaposition between the absurdity of the piece and its moral debates, making this experiment a bit of a bust. Though it gave us Biggs and Porkins riding a snake across the water, so there’s always that gem.
Here are a few other things:
- The final “Age” has already begun! Keep up with Age of Resistance here! We’ll have a big maxiseries review once it’s over!
- Greg Pak starts his run on the Star Wars mainline comic July 10, with new arc “Rebels and Rogues,” and after how well he captured the OT feel and characters in this “Age,” I have no doubt his time on the series should be a blast.
Age of Rebellion had different strengths than Age of Republic, sometimes out performing the latter, but its inconsistency led it to second place, though readers will have an enjoyable experience regardless….like seeing Tarkin shirtless! (you’re welcome)
+ Characterizations really shine
+ Art on the Boba Fett issue
+ Yoda’s Special story
– Retelling tales with some characters
– Inconsistencies overall
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
AGE OF STAR WARS Maxiseries Review
AGE OF REBELLION
Princess Leia | Grand Moff Tarkin | Special | Han Solo | Boba Fett | Lando Calrissian | Jabba the Hutt | Luke Skywalker | Darth Vader
AGE OF RESISTANCE
Finn | Phasma | Special | General Hux | Poe Dameron | Supreme Leader Snoke | Rose Tico | Rey | Kylo Ren | Miniseries Review
AGE OF REPUBLIC
Qui-Gon Jinn | Darth Maul | Obi-Wan Kenobi | Jango Fett | Special | Anakin Skywalker | Count Dooku | Padmé Amidala | General Grievous | Miniseries Review