Friday, February 5, 2016

Review: Star Wars: SHATTERED EMPIRE #4

JOURNEY TO STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS – SHATTERED EMPIRE No. 4
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.  And visit the "Star Wars Central" review page here.]

WRITER: Greg Rucka
ART: Marco Checchetto
COLORS: Andres Mossa
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
COVER: Marco Checchetto
VARIANT COVER: Sara Pichelli
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2015)

Rated T+

Shattered Empire: Part IV

The recent miniseries, Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Shattered Empire, has come to an end.  The film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, takes place some 30 years after the events depicted in the 1983 film, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.  As The Force Awakens' release date (December 18, 2015) approached, Lucasfilm filled in the three-decade story gap between Episode VI and Episode VII (The Force Awakens), using its media partners in book publishing and in comic books, in this case, fellow Disney subsidiary, Marvel Entertainment, LLC.

Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Shattered Empire is written by Greg Rucka, drawn by Marco Checchetto, colored by Andres Mossa, and lettered by Joe Caramagna.  According to Marvel.com, Shattered Empire will fully be part of the official Star Wars canon and will depict the immediate aftermath of the events of Return of the Jedi.

As Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Shattered Empire #4 opens, Lt. Shara Bey contemplates mustering out of service to the Rebel Alliance.  This troubles her as the job is unfinished.  Even with the death of Emperor Palpatine, remnants of the Empire continue to fight.  Now, she finds herself on a mission with the legendary Commander Luke Skywalker and his droid, R2-D2, of course.  Their destination is the Imperial base on Ventine to retrieve something Palpatine stole.

Now, that I am totally smitten with artist Macro Checchetto's beautiful cover art and interior art for this series, I don't want Shattered Empire to end.  In fact, I am sure that Greg Rucka can spin more post-Battle of Endor yarns to keep us entertained for at least another year or two.

The biggest thrill for me, however, is Luke Skywalker, my all-time favorite Star Wars character.  It's always great to see him in action in a comic book, which does not happen enough as far as I am concerned.  In Shattered Empire #4, Checchetto depicts Luke as having an air of mystery about him, and behind his eyes, secrets gather like storm clouds.

After reviewing the first issue of Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Shattered Empire, I said that the series had potential.  It has reached that potential, but there can be even more...

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Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.


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