The Star Wars #1 review
Script: J. W. Rinzler
Art: Mike Mayhew
Colours: Rain Beredo
Lettering: Michael Heisler
Cover Art: Nick Runge
Variant Covers: Jan Duursema and Douglas Wheatley
A review by Jake Morris.
It is common knowledge nowadays, among both Star Wars fans and movie fans in general, that the story set in a “galaxy far, far away” was not always in the same vein as how we know it. George Lucas originally wrote Star Wars as a story featuring different heroes and by and large, different enemies.
With The Star Wars #1, Dark Horse presents to us that original vision in which the universe is still at stake in the fight between good and evil but does so under the guiding hands of J. W. Rinzler who is on scripting and Mike Mayhew on art.
Like all Star Wars tales, the issue begins with a brief overview of events leading up to where we are now. The differences and similarities between the final story and Lucas’ original draft are noticeable from the start with the Jedi and Sith’s existence in this story but under the names ‘Jedi-Bendu’ and ‘Knights of Sith’. As well as those smaller changes, we also get a look at how the heroics of the trilogy differ from this story’s protagonists.
Hiding out on an icy wasteland is the Jedi-Bendu master, Kane Starkiller, and his sons; Annikin and Deak. Alongside Kane, but located on the planet of Aquilae is Rebellion Army General, Luke Skywalker, a character unrecognisable from his usual characterisation.
The introduction to the current exploits of Kane and his sons is a rather nice nod to how Obi-Wan began his teachings with Luke but expands further and gives us a glimpse at some other forms of Jedi tutoring. Sparring no time however, the characters are thrust into action and we get our first Jedi/Sith battle. The duel leaves lasting implications on Kane and Annikin, and after an emotional few moments they set a course for Aquilae and as always with these sort of tropes, a course with destiny.
The status quo of the characters known from the eventual Star Wars trilogy is intriguing as many characters appear under similar names albeit differing looks wise. The Emperor is a more public figure and injects pure hatred towards the Jedi but in a political manner. It is an interesting angle but does bring about possibilities of the character hamming up the scenes later on in the story. As well as the Emperor, an Antilles makes an appearance, alas Wedge fans may be sad to find out he goes by the name of ‘Bail Antilles’.
As the story scoots forward and changes location, we do get a look at an alternate Leia who is much younger here and looks to be less independent. It is something many might dislike as the strong leader found in Star Wars looks to be absent, though there is still a lot of story left in which her character can develop.
Star Wars fans will appreciate the frequent nods to be found in the story. Bundled among the issue are the obvious influences that George Lucas carried over into the eventual Star Wars story, such as the robotic parts that were used to replace any loss of limbs. They are small cogs part of a larger machine but it is great to see Star Wars’ original roots.
One area that is interesting is that the political standpoint of the issue comes across as more prequel-trilogy than it does original trilogy. Much disdain is shown for the prequels but the idea that Lucas would use aspects of the original draft for the prequel framework is a pleasantly satisfying revelation.
Star Wars comic books have always been blessed with gorgeous artwork and The Star Wars #1 is no exception. Blessed with strong pencils that not only depict a range of emotions but they come across as very operatic; a nice touch considering Star Wars is deemed a space opera. The colouring lends itself to photo realism and it grants a real sense of adaptation as opposed to character designs being original works of fiction.
Aesthetically, the worlds are not so different from what movie-goers eventually witnessed on the big screen. The capital city, Alderaan in this story, is filled with skyscrapers that lack personality which describe the Galactic Empire’s regime perfectly, whereas the Rebellion’s home is coveted by grand architecture that heralds back to a more classical time of an Old Republic. Not everything is so similar though, as redesigns for many of the Empire’s and Rebellion’s crafts and worlds have been given a new look courtesy of some fantastic work by Sean Cooke.
For Star Wars fans, The Star Wars #1 is not just a homage to what eventually became a phenomenon but a fresh take, the original take, on that far away galaxy which should satisfy anyone looking for new tales from George Lucas’ carefully crafted mythos.
4/5
Jake is a contributing writer for Drunk On Comics. You can follow him on Twitter at @JakeUtd.