– Spoiler Review –
While there are minor variations from the film in Rogue One #2, this one skews a little closer to the source material but still manages to add some delightful extra moments, continuing the successful and enjoyable adaptation of the film.
This issue stayed much closer to the script and events of the film than the previous, not really adding extra scenes so much as giving us flashback glimpses into some tantalizing moments for characters like Jyn Erso and Saw Gerrera. The deviations made in Rogue One #2 actually feel natural and work very well to help the story flow better for the comic medium, such as reconfiguring Saw’s Partisan attack against Imperials on Jedha that Jyn and Cassian get in the middle, and it puts the focus back on the characters and story (not that the action scene wasn’t necessary in the film, it’s just less so here). And like I mentioned, there aren’t really any additions like issue #1 had, but #2 shows off some flashbacks to Saw and Jyn’s time together before he left her, including panels of him teaching her to shoot and one damn amazing one I can’t stop thinking about: Saw, with a younger Jyn at his side, is arguing with Bail Organa at the Yavin IV base…with a young Leia at his side! So while Jyn never got to deliver the plans to Leia, we do know they at least know of each other/maybe even met. I haven’t read Rebel Rising yet (my copy hasn’t arrived), a YA novel that covers the period of time Jyn is with Saw, but I’m curious if we’ll see said scene in there or not (I’ll update this once I’ve read and reviewed it). Either way, this issue does seem to run a little fast, but it does slow down at the end to give us the entirety of Galen Erso’s message (which is impossible to read without hearing Mads Mikkelsen’s delivery). Jody Houser continues to make this adaptation both feel like the film and feel natural to the comic medium, a feat I feel like doesn’t normally happen too often.
As for the art, the faces continue to be its only weakness, as the likenesses flip from spot on to ‘who is that,’ but at least my concerns about Chirrut and Baze from last issue are mostly assuaged as they get more detail here. Likewise, Tarkin and Krennic, for all of the two or three panels they’re in here, have faces more like their actor counterparts and they don’t look as identical as they did in the previous issue. Otherwise, Emilio Laiso, Oscar Bazaldua, and Rachelle Rosenberg all combine their skills together to match the aesthetic of the film, with some choice but purposeful changes.
Here are a few other things:
- Last issue, Houser changed up dialogue a bit more than she did here, so it seems she’s only doing it when absolutely necessary. No matter what, she did a great job adjusting conversations a bit before so I’m ready and interested to see what else she’ll change going forward.
- Something I really wished we saw in the movie was glimpses of how Bor Gullet was affecting Bodhi’s mind and I got my wish here in the comic!
- The awesome image of the Death Star blocking out Jedha’s sun as it fires off its deadly single reactor blast? Intact and gorgeous as ever here.
The team behind the Rogue One adaptation continue to impress with their vision for the film told through comic panels.
+ Fun flashback moments
+ Makes the story work for the medium
– Moves a little faster this issue
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 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6
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)
Comic One-shot Review: Cassian & K-2SO (by Ryan)
Doctor Aphra
Aphra (#1-6) | And the Enormous Profit (#9-13) | Remastered (#14-19) | Annual: #1
Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith
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Poe Dameron
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