– Spoiler Review –
Luke and Leia go on a mission for the Rebellion and find themselves in trouble, naturally, in another fun issue of Dark Horse’s Hyperspace Stories!
Some of my favorite issues of IDW’s Star Wars Adventures, their all-ages contributions before Dark Horse’s return, were ones that put Luke and Leia through adventures together, as so often if we see them together during the Original Trilogy era, especially between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, Han’s usually along for the ride too. There’s nothing wrong with Han of course, but it’s nice to see the twins being friends, relying on one another, and strengthening their bonds before the truth comes out about their relationship to one another. Hyperspace Stories #2 continues such traditions, as writer Cecil Castellucci brings a good energy to the script and the connection between Luke and Leia, as she shows how much they trust and rely on one another, holding each other up despite their different stations in the Rebellion. There was some clunky dialogue, more so to keep some of this clearer for all-ages, but it never takes away from the experience for Luke and Leia’s time together.
I really enjoyed how one of the locals Luke and Leia deal with, after they find the remote planet they were hoping to set up a spy on is already under Imperial control, is very adamant they don’t take sides. Sure, she stands up to bullies like the Empire, helping hide the twins from an Imperial search, but then she sends them on a dangerous trek away from prying Imperial eyes to find the help they need to escape unnoticed. Far too often it feels like these stories, especially in all-ages content, tend to find everyone far to willing to turn on the Empire or join the Rebellion, so it was refreshing to have a character stand firm in their neutral ground.
Hyperspace Stories is a 12-issue maxiseries and one of the intriguing hooks is that there’s a thread which connects the entire series together. In issue #1, the seeds were laid regarding something special a Wookiee Senator had in their possession, though before he dies he hides it in his daughter’s little doll. When looing for a place to hide this issue, Luke and Leia stumble into a shop and Leia finds a little Wookiee doll, reminding her of one she had as a child. Is it the same doll the Senator gave to his daughter? Or is this doll she finds now the same as the one his daughter had? I’m going to bet somehow the doll ended up in Leia’s hands, but the fact this was when she was a child and Alderaan is gone (we just learned her Lola droid from Obi-Wan Kenobi didn’t survive the destruction), how did it get to someone/some place else? The next story jumps to the sequel trilogy, so we’ll see how it adds the growing mystery of the doll and its contents next issue.
On art is Megan Huang, with lettering by Tyler Smith and Jimmy Betancourt. Megan has contributed to some issues from IDW’s output and I’ve enjoyed her work before and she didn’t disappoint again. I particularly enjoyed the look of the resale shop Luke and Leia take shelter in, as it seemed eclectic as you’d expect, familiar to many I’ve walked into in my life, and different enough it felt out of this galaxy. Luke and Leia’s trek through the planet’s wilderness was also a highlight, from the isolation they faced with big, mountain views with just them in sight, while Megan’s colors brought the chill to the snowy mountain region, while the fire they make when they camp felt warm but certainly not enough for the situation, much as we hear them complain about how cold it is. When Luke and Leia must split up, when they stumble into the Imperial operations and are noticed, I liked how the panels split, showing the growing divide between them. Smith and Betancourt’s lettering helps keep the flow of the story, while their SFX has some neat little moments, be it the TIE fighter flying overhead cracking through their isolation in the mountains or the echoes calling them forward to inspect a cave.
Here are a few other things:
- There are two sequel trilogy issues in a row coming up next: November brings us a Poe and Finn adventure and December finds Rey swinging with the Wookiees for issue #4!
Writer Cecil Castellucci keeps up the solid work from the opening issue with Hyperspace Stories #2, finding a good balance of light, adventure fair with deeper meanings if you look in the right place, while artist Megan Huang matches and surpasses the energy Castellucci’s script brings.
+ Luke and Leia bonding
+ Isolation through the art
– Clunky dialogue
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.
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.
HYPERSPACE STORIES REVIEWS
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