– Spoiler Review –
Young leaders, full of ambition, want to see their cause succeed and grow their own legacy apart from their forefathers, and focusing on such an intriguing dynamic for Hyperspace Stories #8 makes Michael Moreci and team’s Kylo Ren and General Armitage Hux such a complex, earnest depiction of the characters.
Since the sequel trilogy era in real life only lasted roughly 4-5 years, instead of nearly 10 with the films spread out every 3 years in other trilogies, and much of the period between the original trilogy and sequels still being developed, it feels like we haven’t been able to properly live in the era as much as we have with others. IDW’s Star Wars Adventures had two issues with Kylo Ren and General Hux teamed-up and Marvel had a few with both them where they appear in their Age of Resistance miniseries, with the General Hux #1 issue putting the two together like they are here. Unlike the Hux issue, Hyperspace Stories #8 focuses on both throughout, showing their rivalry, begrudging respect of one another, and mindsets for creating their own legacies. Much like Moreci was able to pierce through Boba Fett’s armor last issue and show us several aspects of the character, he does the same with both Kylo and Hux, in subtle and obvious ways. For General Hux, there’s been no question about his love of the First Order, but his hatred of Kylo and how he steals the spotlight is even more fierce, to the point he started funneling info to the Resistance if only to see Kylo fail. Moreci breathes all those aspects into this short issue, from how desperate he is about proving superior to Kylo he’s willing to die rather than face failure to their begrudging relationship of push and pull power which their ambitions prevent them from collaborating on before it gets out of hand, while also peering into the smart, harsh decisions which got him to where he is today. My favorite thing from the previous Hux comic I mentioned above was how it displayed his shrewd mind, so I was glad Moreci did so here as well, as Hux knows they won’t be broken by Kylo’s attempts at pressuring and makes up his own, devious plan. Even as Kylo saves him from his plan, he’s still defending it, unwilling to give his rival any quarter.
As for Kylo, there’s not nearly enough with Ben Solo yet and this is one small step in adding to the character’s story. Moreci’s Kylo gets dressed down by Snoke in the opening but he wastes no time in getting his hands dirty, killing the locals protecting their leader, yet he shows restraint when confronting the man himself, and his family; I appreciate this duality to his approach because it peers into the duality beneath the mask. He’s also too quick to write off Hux and his advice, though he ends up with the slightly more effective strategy to bring the locals under First Order rule, and despite his animosity toward the General, he still saves him. Those looking for more of the Ben beneath the Ren, one could almost call his actions here Jedi-like, saving the locals from a beast, including someone he doesn’t even care for, even if his intentions are making them subservient to the First Order; it’s also very Darth Vader-esque of Kylo, as the Sith Lord brought a lot of people to heel while also saving them from dangerous beasts, all in the name of order. And yet despite his decisiveness in getting the leader to agree to FO rule, he’s still trying to find his place in this story, before Rey ever went through the same issue, as his uncertainty about a presence in the Force he felt when interrogating the leader’s family is easy ammunition for Snoke to prey on his insecurities and keep him invested in the dark side’s offer to eradicate such issues. Of the two, I felt Kylo got the stronger exploration, but I quite enjoyed how the overall story makes a case for how formidable the pair would be if they actually teamed up and put their differences aside. The efficiency of their ambition and will would probably have made the Resistance’s fight even harder, to the point they might’ve lost.
As for the presence in the Force Kylo felt, we clearly see the child holding onto Viiveenn’s doll, and while we learned the Wookiee toymaker who created said doll made tons, the clear echo of the Force he senses from the mysterious object inside makes me believe this doll was the real deal. Is it the same one Finn and Poe find, later give to Rey, who gives to back to the young Wookiee…or a different one, as Rey doesn’t seem to feel a pull in the Force when handling the doll beyond to give it up, so this one could still be out there, with the object Viiv’s father put in there still unclaimed. There are only four issues left, yet if these keep releasing monthly, we’ll finally have the answer by the end of the year!
Artist Andy Duggan and colorist Dan Jackson reunite, having last worked together on issue #3, while stalwarts Jimmy Betancourt and Tyler Smith remain as letterers. Snoke’s throne room was visually dazzling in The Last Jedi and Duggan and Jackson make sure it remains that way, even in its brief appearances in this issue, as the way the room is drawn/colored, it’s almost hard to tell where the floor ends and the walls begins, while the red Jackson uses makes it feel endless yet helps focus your eyes on Snoke, as if there is nothing else to concern yourself with in his presence. It’s overwhelming and only adds to how he could have such a grip on his underlings, the effect would only grow the more one spends time in its view. What stood out the most to be about Duggan’s style in issue #3 was the multiple panels of the same scene, showing little changes, to move the story or action along, and in issue #8 there’s one early which worked very well, which is Kylo and Hux’s interaction before they head out on their mission. Kylo doesn’t move, his mask making his silence hard to gauge, and Hux starts off all confident in their conversation but eventually caves once Kylo turns his head and leans close, his lack of words doing all the talking; Vader would’ve been proud. The sequence of Kylo breaking into the leader’s home is fantastic series of panels, as it starts with subdued, dark lighting in the home, the family all huddled in the corner, waiting out the firefight happening outside their door, followed by Kylo blasting open the door with the Force, Smith & Betancourt’s “krk” SFX combined with Jackson’s bright, flooding white and red make it almost feel like an alien abduction scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, then next Kylo appears, masked and silent, in the doorway, a strange green light behind him make him seem even more unsettling. The leader’s wife rushes to defend her husband and, without moving much, Kylo holds out his hand and leaves her hanging in the air, before dropping her unceremoniously, his word bubble of silence feeling authoritative as it hangs above his head and where the leader’s wife hangs.
Here is one other thing:
- Next month sees the return of Quinlain Vos to Dark Horse comics in issue #9, while #10 stars the Bad Batch. And then issue #11, initially mistakenly solicited for issue #10, will focus on Yoda and Mace Windu on a mission to an archaeological site where Jedi artifacts might be found…potentially giving us the answer to the mysterious item in the doll!
Hyperspace Stories #8 makes another villainous-ly good case for focusing on the bad guys, as Moreci and team explore the many facets of Kylo Ren and General Hux.
+ Kylo and Hux dynamic, as well as their individual strengths
+ Art team plays into Kylo’s feelings of how he should be perceived
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.