– Spoiler Review –
Hyperspace Stories: Codebreaker is Dark Horse’s latest miniseries, which takes fans to the sequel trilogy era, focusing on Poe Dameron during a vital mission for the Resistance. Ethan Sacks, with the art team of Marc Yarza & José Marzan Jr., delivers an action-romp, with heart and humor to spare, making a must-read for fans of the character, a good time, or the era!
Taking place prior to The Force Awakens, Hyperspace Stories: Codebreaker finds the Resistance’s communications no longer secure thanks to the First Order’s new special codebreaker. Poe Dameron, alongside Snap Wexley, are assigned the dangerous mission to track it down, but things quickly go awry. Poe’s left to finish the mission with only the trusty BB-8 at his side, but it might be more than either of them can handle when they find out the codebreaker is a young girl! If you’ve read Sacks’ Bounty Hunters on-going or Jango Fett miniseries (both for Marvel) in the past, you’ll know what you’re getting into already. But if this is your first, know he maintains the same quality he’s shown for years now, with a keen sense of pacing, a good mixture of humor and heart, and having the story stand for something more. Given we have an extensive comic series about Poe on daring missions in this same timeframe already, Sacks’ choice for Poe to do so without his signature X-wing and squadron really brings a different energy to the story and easily stands alone, yet it also works in concert with what came before. I also really appreciated how Codebreaker has a clear ending, but there’s little threads Sacks left himself (or someone else) as something to revisit in the future, be it a First Order pilot who matches Poe’s skills, the threat of pirates, and how the main story with the titular codebreaker all works out. And while Codebreaker might not seem consequential in the long run, it’s better to have stories which explore these characters rather than a Wookieepedia checklist, so I found this miniseries to be a fun and quick read any sequel era and Poe fan should be sure to check out.
A lot of what makes Codebreaker work is Sacks’ ability to capture Poe Dameron’s personality and all the swagger, and fun, Oscar Isaac brought to the role. His humor and bravado bounce between panels, whether he’s getting his butt handed to him versus the imposing Grummgar or trying his best to sound confident in a plan he never really has, which keeps up the miniseries’ zippy and fun pace. The interactions between Poe and BB-8 show their deep and caring relationship for each other, even if they are doubting each other’s ability to make something seemingly impossible happen, and it really made me wish we got more of the two of them explicitly on the screen together; but hey, that’s what comics (or novels) are for! And instead of retreading Poe explorations from the films, Sacks puts him through a different type of conundrum that kept me interested to see what he’d do until the final issue. We also get glimpses of the leader he’ll become, casting a well-rounded portrayal of Poe throughout the miniseries.
Poe’s conundrum revolves around Cheka, a young Muun girl who happens to be the First Order’s special codebreaker. Her story is a bit tragic, which Codebreaker doesn’t linger on much, but what happened helps form a question in Poe’s mind regarding his mission: if he brings her back to the Resistance, will they just have her do the same thing for them as the First Order did? While Cheka can seem older than she is, calculating probabilities and downloading schematics on the fly thanks to her natural skills and cybernetic implant, Poe is never under the illusion she’s anything but a kid. And while having her abilities would be helpful in the fight against the First Order, he realizes having her stuck on their base, away from her family, doing for the Resistance what she did for the First Order, would just be more of the same. The friendship they build throughout Codebreaker, as well as what we know about Poe already, goes a long way in telling us how Poe will resolve the situation, but I was still a smidgen pleasantly surprised by the results. It’s clear that Poe never doubts what the Resistance stands for, but he does wonder what his and their actions would do to a girl who has already gone through so much.
No matter your age, this is a great question to explore by Sacks, as what does it mean to use the same people or methods the bad guys did for good instead? Does that suddenly make it okay? In an era of increasing AI slop, generating more AI to prove it’s terrible isn’t the slam dunk one might believe it is, as using it means degradation of the environment and is still the same shortcut. This situation can apply to bigger and smaller ones too, from how Democrats shouldn’t parrot the racist or exclusionary politics used by Republicans (look how Zohran Mamdani won and he didn’t throw vulnerable communities like LGBTQIA+, specifically the transgender umbrella, under the bus) to how kids should consider responding to bullies in school. Come for the fun action and humor, stay for an important point about how the previous generation can help point the way for the future generation.
On the First Order side of things, we’re introduced to the Banshee of Bestine, a highly skilled ace pilot, though they have more than stopping Poe to worry about in Codebreaker. The Banshee’s reputation puts them at odds with other pilots, specifically Elrik Vonreg, another ace who made his debut in Star Wars Resistance! The two bicker about how to proceed, especially regarding who gets to shoot down Poe Dameron, and the in-fighting gave an extra dimension to the foes of the series. It also just makes a lot of sense, two hot-headed pilots with fancy outfits and egos to fit them would certainly clash regardless of the mission at hand. Whereas Vonreg is decked out in all red, the Banshee is more subtle, in an off-grey suit, but it’s the tick marks of all those they killed which sets them apart. While we know Vonreg’s fate, the Banshee’s is one of the things Sacks keeps open, and I’d like to see more about them, even if it’s them returning for revenge against Poe. I’m especially interested to see more because I have a theory that assumptions made by us and the pilots around them have misgendered the Banshee. In issue #4, a close-up on the Banshee reveals a glimpse behind their helmet’s visor and the eye we see is more feminine than masculine, while a banshee is typically associated with feminine spirits. So not only is there a story about how this pilot became so good and racked up quite the list of kills to dive into in the future, but there could be a some interesting aspects to explore if my theory is right, like how they rose in the ranks, almost Mulan-style, and what it says about us and those around them for making assumptions it would have to be a male-identifying pilot to be an ace. Seriously, how often do we get ace pilots who aren’t men in stories, including Star Wars? It’s about time that changes.
Bringing this daring, funny, and fast-paced adventures to life is the art team of Marc Yarza on pencils, José Marzan Jr. inking, colorist Nicola Righi, and Comicraft’s Tyler Smith & Jimmy Betancourt! Issue #2 has some of my highlights of this team’s work, starting with the excellently silly and totally wonderful BB-8 bowling ball moment. As Poe and Cheka try to escape her prison, more stormtroopers threaten to cut them off, yet BB-8 rolls off, Fast and Furious style, and uses an unconscious trooper as a ramp. He soars through the air, colliding with two troopers with a satisfying “thwack” sound FX by the letterers. And he does this all with a little First Order cap, an earlier attempt to blend in. From the way the first trooper looks like the perfect ramp, colored with dirt by Righi from the debris of a recent explosion, the arc of BB-8’s flight first looking like a web as he makes impact and then turning into a perfect soar, to the dramatic way the troopers fall after he hits them, Yarza and Marzan Jr. makes the scene both funny and impressive. Also impressive, the pairs consistency with BB-8, it’s impressive how well his specific design looks in their hands, Righi coloring the little droid perfectly. The other great sequence is the chase through the city streets afterwards, the First Order in hot pursuit. They do a really good job of making the scene flow, be it as small as seeing puffer pigs in the reflection of a trooper’s visor after his pal was caught in a puffing mess or the way one trooper speeds up and jumps over, a glance at his hand leads into the reveal he’s carrying one of those riot batons. And this sense of flow even helps land the final blow to the chase, as we’re so caught up in Poe and the trooper’s little fight, Poe ducking suddenly makes it a surprise to us and the trooper when he smacks into a low-hanging sign, just like Poe so hilariously warns him moments before. As I mentioned earlier, I liked the juxtaposing designs for Vonreg and the Banshee. It goes down even to the coloring, where the Banshee’s visor is red, much like Vonreg’s suit, giving the Banshee a less showy look yet the tick marks and red visor point to the sense of confidence. The fight with Grummgar in issue #3 is a delight as well, not just in the Indiana Jones-esque nature of the encounter, but the way Yarza and Marzan Jr. play with scale. Grummgar looks so imposing compared to little Poe, towering over him in every panel, but when Poe is about to get the upper hand and knock out the bounty hunter, taking a pipe into his hands, he appears larger in the way the scenes are angled. The team really goes big in the finale, the space dogfighting dynamic and engaging, with a lot more SFX than ever before to give the scene a bit more punch. There are a few moments throughout where Poe maybe doesn’t quite look like Poe, but they are few and far between and never detract from the experience.
Here are a few other things:
- While there aren’t any new stories on the docket for Sacks with Star Wars, don’t miss out on his absolutely stellar Boba Fett: Black, White & Red #3! Seriously, it’s already been one of the best BWR’s yet, but his issue took it to a whole other level. And we still have the final issue, written by the excellent Alyssa Wong, to enjoy December 31! As for a full review, much like how I did a miniseries review for Codebreaker, expect a miniseries review of Boba Fett: Black, White & Red in January, after the final issue. As always, if you’d like to cover comics like this on a regular basis, or anything else you’d like to share about the Saga, we’d love to have you on the Manor, so check out our Submissions page now!
- Also in January, I’ll have my annual Star Wars comics year-in-review set to hit the Manor, so tune back in then!
- *Despite my theory, at this moment, the Banshee of Bestine will have to be recorded as a male-identifying character in my data regarding the comics’ diversity, something I touch on in my year-in-reviews as well.
- Delays can get out of hand: the wait from issue #3 to issue #4 was four months! I had to reread the series before I dove into the finale, I forgot a few things. But if you’re picking this all up after the finale or waiting for the TPB, it’s nothing you’ll have to worry about.
- Stay tuned to all things Ethan Sacks via his wonderfully named Sacks Appeal newsletter!
Ethan Sacks and team’s Hyperspace Stories: Codebreaker is a page-turning good time for any fan, especially those of the sequel era, and underneath the humor and action, there’s a deeper message fans of all ages can appreciate.
+ Capturing the essence of Poe to make a fun action series
+ The deeper questions hidden in Poe’s choices with Cheka
– Fast pace makes it feel a little short
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky.
DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this comic from the publisher at no charge in order to provide an early review. However, this did not affect the overall review content. All opinions are my own.