Star Wars vol. 1: In the Shadow of Yavin
Though Dark Horse’s tenure with the “Star Wars” license kicked off with probably the most significant comic-based story in the franchise, “Dark Empire,” they’ve since spent a lot of time exploring new characters, scenarios and timelines. The end result has produced a lot of worthy entertainment, particularly between two “Johns” — Ostrander and Jackson Miller — yet the argument could be made that their explorations have strayed pretty far from the core appeal of the films that spawned them all. Specifically: the adventures of Luke, Leia, and Han on the run from Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire. In that sense, this new “Star Wars” series is an attempt to get back to those roots courtesy of writer Brian Wood and artist Carlos D’Anda. To that end, they’ve produced a very satisfying story here.
As the title “In the Shadow of Yavin” implies, this takes place shortly after the events of “Episode IV” and the destruction of the first Death Star. This major victory for the Rebellion has only had the Imperials crack down harder on them and our protagonists are currently without a home base. That’s one problem Leia, Luke and Wedge are trying to solve when the series opens only to have a Star Destroyer and a full squadron of TIE fighters drop down right on top of them. Though Leia is shot down, Wood establishes her badass credentials right off the bat by having her successfully land her X-wing and then shoot the (also crashed) fighter pilot who took her down right in the face.
Those of you who appreciate a combat-ready “princess” are going to find a lot to like here as a lot of the narrative focuses on her. In fact, immediately after she returns Mon Mothma has some dire news for her. There’s a spy in the Rebel ranks and despite her best efforts it continues to leak vital information to the Empire. In order to combat this threat, she tasks Leia with assembling an off-the-books elite squad of pilots to combat the dual threat of finding out who the spy is and finding a new home for the Rebellion.
Meanwhile, Han and Chewbacca have been given a hundred million credits with which to procure much needed supplies for the Rebels. They hit their first checkpoint, get the goods, and then come back without a hitch. … Only kidding. The first stop has Boba Fett and Slave I and a Star Destroyer getting the drop on them, while their next stop on Coruscant winds up putting them on the radar of every bounty hunter and Imperial official on the planet. Par for the course for these two, really.
While Wood may have seemed like an odd choice to write this title given his fierce creator-owned roots and predilection for socially-conscious material like “DMZ” and “The Massive” he shows a real willingness to dive into the “Star Wars” world here. He gets a lot of the lingo here along with a lot of the mechanics of spacecraft dogfighting, throws in some interesting continuity references with the second Death Star and makes sure that all of the cast has something interesting to do. Everyone gets their moment to shine here, and he’s given me a new favorite Chewbacca moment as the Wookiee shows what industrial-sized bowcasters are best used for.
The writer also has a good solid grasp of the main cast too. Luke is still the young, energetic farmboy now having a brush with cockiness thanks to his success at the Battle of Yavin. Yet he’s still coming to grips with his connection with and responsibilities to the Force, though he may not be as alone as he thinks he is here. Leia, as mentioned above, is a badass here but also one still struggling with the grief of losing her whole home planet and family. However, this only serves to forge her into a stronger soldier capable of dealing with whatever crisis approaches. As for Han and Chewie, they’re not exactly the comedy relief though their sections are the most fun of the book. Discerning “Star Wars” fans might also like to know that this Han Solo is one who likes to shoot first. Just so you know.
We also get some interesting scenes with Darth Vader as well. Some might be initially confused by his utterance of “Skywalker…” but I like this take on the character as someone who has gone so far into the Dark Side that he has forgotten himself. We’re also dealing with a Vader who is diminished after his defeat at Yavin as the Emperor makes abundantly clear. It’s a new take on the character, as he’s nearly always presented as the invincible symbol of Imperial might, yet it’s one that Wood makes work without sacrificing any of the character’s indomitability.
Overall, his writing feels invigorated here with his chance to play with the toys in the “Star Wars” universe. This is a very entertaining and accessible read as you only need familiarity with “Episode IV” to understand what’s going on here. Of course, I can’t say that what’s going on here is particularly new or innovative as we’ve seen stories of this like done before in this universe. There’s also the fact that very little headway is made in the main plot threads of ferreting out the Rebel spy or finding a new home for the Rebellion in this first volume and things end on an unresolved note here. While I do like my stories in collected editions to be cliffhanger-free, I will at least concede that things end in a way that generally makes me interested in what comes next.
Carlos D’Anda is no stranger to providing art for comics based on other media as he not only contributed designs for the “Batman: Arkham” games, but illustrated the tie-in graphic novel “Arkham City.” While he displayed a great sense of exaggerated style there, the artist dials it back here to deliver some very fitting and appropriate representations of these iconic characters. He’s also got a great eye for detail when it comes to the familiar tech of the series and he can put together an action scene with great style and energy too. Ryan Odagawa, who illustrates the backup story “The Assassination of Darth Vader,” isn’t quite in the same league, but he has an advantage in the sense that his story consists of nothing but Darth Vader offering lots of examples as to why he’s the Sith Lord.
It may not bring a whole lot new to the table, but this new “Star Wars” series does an excellent job of putting a fresh spin on familiar material. This is an exciting, fast-paced adventure like the movies and it benefits greatly from Wood’s characterization and attention to detail as well as D’Anda’s action-storytelling skill. If you’ve ever wondered why Dark Horse has been able to hold onto the “Star Wars” license for so long and why I’d be disappointed if they ever lost it, this volume provides a very good example of why that’s the case.