– Spoiler Review –
As December 2019 comes to an end, it doesn’t just signal the end of the decade or the end of the Skywalker Saga, it also brings the first phase of Marvel’s various Star Wars comics to an end, which is where Empire Ascendant #1 comes in, a coda for what came before and a slight tease of what’s to come in 2020.
Empire Ascendant consists of four stories, reminding me a bit of the Special issues in the Age of Star Wars maxiseries, where none of the tales are really connected, but they bridge us between the old and new era of Star Wars comics. I liked the editorial notes before each story, explaining how we got to this point and where each series was going to next. I’ve written up a bit on each story, as the appear in the issue, below!
Star Wars: “An Echo of Victory” – Charles Soule (writer), Luke Ross (artist), Guru-eFX (colorist), Clayton Cowles (letterer)
Shara Bey and Kes Dameron, the parents of Poe Dameron, back in the spotlight in the first real way since their 2015 debut in Shattered Empire is a pleasant and excellent way to start the festivities in Empire Ascendant. The two are in the midst of excavating the rebel base on Hoth, and while discussing how they both are under qualified for the work and they really need to do it regardless, they have a mishap and cause a cave-in. Their situation doesn’t look promising, especially since they believe their lives aren’t important in the grander scheme of the Rebellion, they decide to record a message for little Poe to hear in case the rebels ever find their bodies. Luke Skywalker is there to rescue them though, and while it sets back the base and one of their command centers to do so, rescuing them helps highlight how important everyone is to the growing Rebellion. The overall story is a tender one between the married couple and I love the way Soule writes them both, as their little discussion about everything from drilling holes to the importance of their cause to give Poe a better life is full of rich, minor character moments for the two; I’m glad Soule’s bringing back Shara, and probably Kes too, into the bigger picture as he begins the second volume of the Star Wars series in January 2020! Ross continues to be an excellent artist for all things heroic or villainous, and he captures the tenderness between the two as well as the writing does.
Darth Vader: “In Service to the Empire” – Greg Pak (writer), Roland Boschi (artist), Rachelle Rosenberg (colorist), Clayton Cowles (letterer)
At the tail end of Empire Ascendant, they have covers for the first issue of each of the upcoming series, including the third volume of Darth Vader, where you can see the Dark Lord flanked by Death troopers first introduced in Rogue One. This story reveals how they came into his service: instead of him asking for some, they need to be as messed up inside as he is, so he selects Death troopers about to put out of pasture instead of being rebuilt due to injuries from a mission. Their injuries come from a very unorthodox training method by an Imperial officer, as he trains them to not even care if his life needs sacrificing to get the mission done. The story gets a shrug from me, feeling rather unnecessary and doesn’t add much to Vader or to the upcoming series, though after Pak’s excellent finale to the Star Wars series, I’m sure overall the newest Vader volume will turn out much better than this story. Boschi’s art, with Rosenberg’s colors, really highlights the twisted nature of the officer, and I loved the look the planet the Death trooper’s mission happens on.
Bounty Hunters: “Two Sides to Every Sortie” – Ethan Sacks (writer), Paolo Villanelli (artist), Arif Prianto (colorist), Travis Lanham (letterer)
I’ve not understood the appeal of Beilert Valance, as you can see in my review of Target Vader, especially since I never read the original Marvel comics so I have no nostalgic attachment for him, but he’s getting his own series anyways next year in Bounty Hunters. This tale here is another in a line of stories meant to show off his wicked smarts and effortless demeanor in getting the job done and getting it done right, so while it’s neat he’s indirectly responsible for the shield generator for the base on Hoth, I give it a slightly bigger shrug than the “In Service to the Empire” story. It’s not bad by any means, but if this is a hint of how the Bounty Hunters series goes, it goes to show not every bit of Star Wars is made for every single fan, as I’m sure some people will enjoy this story much more than I did and that’s totally fine and understandable; I guess this isn’t for me. Villanelli and Prianto’s art, last seen together with Jedi: Fallen Order – Dark Temple, might use the same face or yelling scream mouth a little too often, but the art focusing on Valance did show off some of the neater aspects to his cyborg appearance.
Doctor Aphra: “Epilogue” – Simon Spurrier (writer), Caspar Wijngaard (artist), Lee Loughridge (colorist), Clayton Cowles (letterer)
While Aphra’s message in her volume one finale, Doctor Aphra #40, was an excellent way to showcase how the character has managed to change some since we first met her, it was a shame we didn’t get to see how the message’s recipients reacted. Thankfully “Epilogue” deals with Tolvan, Vulaada, and Aphra’s father Korin reacting to the message, and in a traditional Aphra series way, it’s both touching and funny. My favorite bit is when Luke Skywalker (dressed down by Tolvan immediately, as expected) saunters up to the little group united by Aphra’s misdeeds, and tells them how her actions are the reason they have the time to fortify and secure the Hoth base, saying he knew there was good inside of her despite their various run-ins, like in the weird and unique The Screaming Citadel crossover. Their reaction: they debate whether they should ruin his dreams by telling him Aphra helped save the Emperor’s life once; I laughed pretty damn hard at that, as their pessimism over Aphra is completely understandable. The story ends on a similar note to the main series, where Tolvan thinks Aphra will go out and explore the galaxy, staying in-between good and bad, as she always does, just as Aphra had looked out into the stars and was excited to remain out of the spotlight as she explored the galaxy. It’s the swan-song for this creative team and it’s a fitting epilogue to an already fitting ending, as I’ll miss Spurrier’s humorous, complex writing and Wijngaard/Loughridge’s moody, detailed art, though I’m getting more excited by the minute for the series return in April!
+ Showing how we got to where we are now…
+ …and what will come next…
+ Bringing Shara and Kes back into the spotlight
+ More than fitting “Epilogue” for Doctor Aphra
– …and how it might not all be for everyone
– Some stories earned shrugs from me
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.