Some days it feels like Star Wars is letting Disney print money. Star Wars has returned to its original comic home with a vengeance with not one but four titles by the end of April 2015. March is all about Princess Leia with her title receiving a two issue debut in March.
The story begins at the end of Star Wars (you might call it Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope) as we witness the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Yavin and Princess Leia's reaction to the destruction of her home world. The reader witnesses the immediate aftermath after the credits as we hear what Leia said or did not say at the medal ceremony. As the Rebels prepare to run for a new base, everyone has a shared question. Why is Princess Leia not grieving? With nothing to do in the retreat, Leia joins forces with a fellow female Rebel, Royalist and Alderaan refuge Evaan in a personal mission to find her people before the Empire can destroy their culture forever.
Of the three Star Wars titles this is my least favorite. It is Star Wars...so I like it and like it a lot more than many things I read. But Star Wars and Star Wars: Darth Vader are pretty hard to match. I have really enjoyed those titles that feel like Star Wars to me. I have recently been reading other Mark Waid titles, and I found this more interesting than the current Marvel NOW! Daredevil run, which Waid has received acclaim for. But I have enjoyed his work on S.H.I.E.L.D. much more. My self-observation has been that when Waid writes a character I am emotionally attached to I react more positively to his writing. Princess Leia is not as "dear" to me as Han or Luke since I always wanted to be one of them. I found the artwork by Terry and Rachel Dobson to be softer than the pencils and inks of the other Wars' titles. Though it may honestly fit the female-led story with the softer lines then the hard lines found in the Vader title. She is a princess after all.
Is she a princess or a queen? There is the issue of her actual title addressed in the book. She is no longer a Senator, as the Senate does not exist. The title princess is the one most used. But, and I have never thought about this before, she is a queen. Evaan calls it! But will Leia live up to a royal legacy?
Leia and Evaan may be the Star Wars female odd couple. One is royal, the other a pilot. One is cultured, the other blunt. One is diplomatic, one is crafty. I have a good feeling about this.
Now Star Wars: Princess Leia #1 is not perfect. I have a friend with a strong opinion that I understand. It is neither my favorite Waid title or Star Wars book. But I do love me some comic book Star Wars and I will be back for issue #2.
Nice review, Daniel. I also like the fact that the story is really looking at Leia as royalty. On the whole, though, I found it the weakest of Marvel's 3 new SW titles, although I think Evaan is a strong and potentially quite interesting character.
ReplyDelete