– Spoiler Review –
A family on the run, deep in the bowels of Coruscant, holding onto the biggest secret in the galaxy at the moment: the Empire’s making a second Death Star. But who will come save them? Especially when no one believes their calls for help? In Star Wars #28 (Vol. 2), a Jedi comes to their aid, wrapping up a fun arc in a little too neatly and quickly of a bow.
Last we left Bev and Melton, and their children, they had crash landed on Coruscant, the denizens of the underworld encroaching on their ship, quickly abandoning the easy pickings when the corporate security come buzzing down their way. Without much help in sight, Melton decides to create a distraction to help his family escape, and while it buys them more time, they end up in the sewers dodging nasty creatures of the dark. It doesn’t look good, corporate security closing in on them, and an Imperial officer approaching from the other direction…except it’s Luke Skywalker!! How is he there? And why is he alone?
Back with the Rebellion, Luke’s fighting for investigating the family after last issue he felt the Force calling him about their plight. The Rebellion’s biggest concern is whether it’s a trap or not, but Luke’s so sure even Hera says he sounds like Kanan, high praise from her, and he manages to convince them to not only track down the family, but allow him to go largely alone to find them. Even the spare team he takes with him, all dressed up as Imperials, is left behind, with his lightsaber, as his trust and faith in the Force is so complete. His confidence is fun to watch and a small hint at the Jedi Master we’ll get to meet as stories expand his story after Return of the Jedi. He manages to rescue them, using the sewer creatures against the security forces, and bring back their haunting message to the Rebellion. Whereas I was worried the Rebellion leaders would balk at the news, their recent confidence and belief they have all the time in the galaxy shattered, but instead the confidence continues, Mon Mothma saying they’ll take it down like the last one. Does this mean we’ll get the story of the Death Star II plans unfolding in the comics? As far as the solicitations have promised however, we’re instead joining Leia on a quest for more fuel for the Rebellion, so I’m very curious to learn a little more about the overall future of the series as it feels like we’ve had these stories already, be it in the last volume that went over 70 issues or even earlier this volume.
The way the issue jumps back and forth from Luke with the Rebellion, trying to assure them they should follow-up on the lead and let him go out there to rescue them, and the family trying to escape, it makes it feel like these are unraveling at the same time, so Luke being on Coruscant so quickly, and finding them even quicker, makes this whole arc feels rushed even for three issues, something that’s typically fast. It’s a bit surprising it’s all over so quickly, but the bigger surprise was how easily it all unfolds. Luke’s in and out of Coruscant in the blink of the eye and the family bumbles along well enough to survive until he gets there; it almost feels like we could’ve learned about this whole ordeal in dialogue in the middle of a different story. Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast and enjoyed it overall, it’s a fun adventure and the perspective on an ordinary family wrapped up in something so large is cool, but having it over so quickly and easily leaves me with the impression of story I’ll forget as quickly as it ended. Is certainly an important one to tell, as now we know Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn are to thank for, at the very least, alerting the Rebellion about the second Death Star, but even knowing that’s a new obstacle I’m not sure if this series will deal with that as much or not as it continues.
These past three issues are fitting with Andrés Genolet’s work, as his style feels fitting for the adventurous and simple story unfolding with Bev and Melton’s plight. Even though there isn’t much definition to their surroundings, when the family is in the Coruscant underworld, Rachelle Rosenberg’s colors offer off-putting clouds of gas and puddles of water, sickly greens and yellows everywhere they run, making plight seem even worse due to the conditions and the fact their children have to go through it too. The Rebellion’s clean surfaces, comparatively, shows the disparate situations, how easy and comfortable it is for them to pass judgement on unknown voices in the ether, which shows Luke’s disconnect with the Rebellion and connection to the Force, listening to it and willing to get himself literally dirty if it means helping people as the Force wills it. The corridor ghouls, which totally sounds like an RPG name for a creature, were a spooky design, the puppy-like paws and enlarged bodies invitingly cute, the giant mouth and teeth giving me Xenomorph-vibes from the Alien franchise, while Rosenberg’s stark white and intense red eyes paint the picture of a creature which thrives in the dark, dirty tunnels (or corridors, since that’s what they are named after!) of Coruscant’s underworld. As I’ve said before, Genolet’s very expressive faces has been another highlight of his work and the way the Rebellion leaders, Admiral Ackbar, General Syndulla, and Mon Mothma look when Luke drops the DSII bomb is priceless, certainly the shock I was expecting, disbelief shared between one another, though Mothma’s resolve afterwards, looking mighty close to Caroline Blakiston’s performance in the role, is as hoped-filled as you’d want a leader to fill despite the news. One highlight of Clayton Cowles’ lettering is the sharp, large blaster fire SFX when Bev takes out the ghoul, their flight in silence brought to a loud end as she fires in the small pipes and corridors of the sewers they’re in
Star Wars #28 (Vol. 2) brings the plight of Melton and Bev to a breezy, yet fun close, with a Luke at his confident prime.
+ Confident, at peace with the Force, Luke
+ Disparate situations even clearer with the art
– Too quick, too easy
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
STAR WARS (Vol. 2)
The Destiny Path: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 / Arc Review — The Will of Tarkin: #7 | #8/Arc Review — Operation Starlight: #9 | #10 | #11 | #12 — War of the Bounty Hunters: #13 | #14 | #15 | #16 | #17 | #18 — Crimson Reign: #19 | #20 | #21 | #22 | #23 | #24 — Special Issue: #25 — Death Star II: #26 | #27