Canon Comic Review: Poe Dameron #31

– Spoiler Review –

The end isn’t near, it’s freaking here! After two years of piloting action-adventure hi-jinks, the Poe Dameron series closes with issue #31, wrapping up “The Awakening” arc in a grand, sweeping fashion befitting of the series.

As the month passed between the gut-wrenching cliffhanger of issue #30 and this finale, I started going a little crazy with ideas about how Black Squadron would get out of the giant jam they found themselves in on Ikkrukk, or even if they could. I was hoping for scenarios like Lando Calrissian coming to their aide, setting up his recently announced return for Ep. IX, and tying back to writer Charles Soule’s very first Star Wars comic being a mini focused on the smooth smuggler; I imagined it could be the pilots of the upcoming Star Wars Resistance, tying into the show and giving us something to look forward to see happen later on in the series as it built to the crossover; heck, I even hoped it could be Terex, my favorite character from this series, once a main antagonist, now free to cause chaos in the galaxy as he sees fit. But my ideas largely looked outward for a connection, so when the finale instead looked inward to bring its story to a close, I was both a little ashamed I didn’t think of it myself, but so damn happy it went the way it did: having Poe come in and help Black Squad complete the mission. Part of the reason I enjoyed the inward connection is how Poe’s mystery ship came from Grakkus the Hutt, gangster and exhaustive Jedi artifact collector, who remembers and appreciates Black Squad’s help in freeing him from Meglox Beta prison (as seen in “Lockdown,” to get his information on Lor San Tekka’s whereabouts), and comes through in a pinch. Keeping it within the series was a nice touch I should’ve considered and I’m glad Soule did. But the main reason I really enjoyed it being Poe who helps Black Squad is how it means the entirety of Black Squad saved itself, together, like they have all series long.

While Poe’s timing with his arrival was critical to Black Squad’s success on Ikkrukk, this issue highlights how it is every single member’s contributions which win the day, as it always has. Karé and Snap’s expert flying, being a distraction for the cruiser in the sky and the TIEs it brought with it, is pivotal in keeping the First Order’s attack spread out, buying time for Jess Pava and Suralinda Javos (thankfully not dead! What a misdirect) on the ground, and even for Poe’s arrival (unknowingly for that last bit). Jess’ stirring, funny speech to call Suralinda back into action resulted in Sura coming up with a crazy, slightly disgusting plan (which called back to her introduction in issue #7 and some of her species’ hidden ‘talents’), which in turn got Jess to the defense controls so she could bring them back online in the nick of time, blowing the FO cruiser out of the sky and saving the day. And the strength of Poe’s leadership shows, as it’s gain such trust in the hearts of his fellow squad mates that they follow through on his risky plan of using them as bait to basically create bombs out of TIEs to buy enough time for Jess and Sura on the ground. Black Squadron is and always has been exactly that: a squadron which operates at their best when they all work together as a well-oiled, but caring and purposeful machine. From its name alone, the Poe Dameron series has meant Poe has been in the focus, but Black Squad has been with him through and through, so to see them all back together and saving the day one more time was a cathartic, joyous ending. For a while I honestly didn’t think we’d get to see this end happily, but thankfully it did, all while capturing what made this largely ensemble series shine in the first place.

I absolutely loved the final moments of this issue, as Black Squad gets to enjoy their little victory while Poe imparts some important wisdom that captures the essence of the sequel trilogy and even has real world implications as well. Poe talks about how their fight isn’t just about the individual heroes saving the day or needing to save the galaxy, but rather that those who choose the right thing to fight for need to lead by example. There are many whom fighting for a cause might not be enough because people don’t even know how to fight, to stand up for what is right, even if they care and want to help. By being the example, by Black Squad showing the Resistance won’t leave anyone behind despite being in dire straits themselves, it can turn the tide in the war…be the spark that ignites the fire that will burn the First Order down, if you will. The sequel trilogy has been less about important heroes from days past saving the galaxy, but instead about relative nobodies who take up the cause of what is just in the galaxy because it’s simply the right thing to do, showing that anyone and everyone is important in the fights ahead, that bloodlines and legacies aren’t necessary to do the right thing. Poe essentially says the same thing here, saying that those who do fight must show those who aren’t fighting how to so they can, a sentiment that can be applied to the real world, like with everything happening in the our country here in the States (like helping people register to vote), something Star Wars has always commented on. It’s a gorgeous, important point to end on, showing how far Poe has come since this series started and The Last Jedi matured him, and that his final words echo Luke’s final ones on Crait is a graceful way to show Luke taking up the mantle of his legacy has inspired hope in the galaxy just like Black Squad’s actions have as well.

The on-going series which have ended so far, only the first Darth Vader series and Kanan, have had really great finales and Poe Dameron #31 is no different, managing to keep the overall tone, impart an inspiring message, wrap-up what has come before, and leave the further adventures of its characters excitingly wide-open. This has all been thanks to writer Charles Soule, who has become my favorite writer in the comic-sphere for Star Wars, as his deftness with characters, weaving in stuff across different eras and his other works, and his ability to add inspiring messages, have made for some of the best experiences in the SW comics. While this series started with Phil Noto (who at least stayed on to provide fantastic covers till the very end), the art team of Angel Unzueta and Arif Prianto have been the true shepherds of the series, and Unzueta’s ability to mimic the actor/actress’ faces without coming off like cheap traces has been phenomenal, capturing great emotional ranges, and Prianto’s colors are what make it all whole. From the battle in the skies, Poe’s new ship, Suralinda’s acid attack, and that stirring final panel, this was a tour de force effort for the final issue. Lettering was wonderfully provided by Joe Caramagna, with Assistant Editor Tom Groneman here to see the series out, having started with Heather Antos and Jordan D. White.

Here are a few other things:

Chris will have an arc review first, but you can expect a joint review of the entire Poe Dameron series within the next month or so, where Chris and I will go over the good, bad, and in-between of the series, as well as pick some of our favorite moments.
The issue included a letters section where Soule took to answer some questions, like how he planned on Terex wearing white but it was nixed due to Orson Krennic in Rogue One, some of his favorite moments (remembering Carrie Fisher in issue #14 being one, which made my 2017 year-in-review overall favorite moments), and more. Hopefully Soule will be back to updating the weekly releases section of his site soon so we can get some more notes about the series!
If you don’t want this to be the end of Poe in comics, remember has Soule teased this could one day return, but for now look no further than the fan-created comics over at A Star Wars Comic! They just released a new issue starring Poe, and like all their work so far, it’s rather exceptional, taking a less adventurous tone than this series has, but still capturing the character of Poe Dameron and some hopefulness at the very end.
You can find Angel Unzueta doing art for an upcoming arc in the Star Wars series, “The Escape,” starting with issue #57, which I could not be more happy about!
Greg Grunberg, the actor who plays Temmin “Snap” Wexley in The Force Awakens, has been reading the Poe Dameron series and enjoying it! In fact, when responding to Charles Soule thanking him for chiming in about the series, Grunberg said they’ve actually been talking about it on the set of Ep. IX! How crazy is that?! In the end, it’s always neat to see an actor dive into supplementary material to see what else happens to their character. I wonder if Oscar Isaac has had a chance to do so…but he should and it seems like Grunberg has probably brought it up to him.

As sad as it might be for the Poe Dameron series to end with issue #31, I can’t imagine a better ending so at least this series went out doing what it did best, having Black Squad complete one, final adventure…for now.

+ Poe’s Closing Wisdom
+ Black Squad together again, saving the day
+ Preserving series’ tone
+ Art team takes us out with their usual, beautiful work

Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.

Canon Comic Review: Poe Dameron #31

+ Poe’s Closing Wisdom

+ Black Squad together again, saving the day

+ Preserving series’ tone

+ Art team takes us out with their usual, beautiful work

Check out the rest of our Canon Comic Reviews here!

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