Star Wars: Thrawn — Alliances

There is a disturbance in the Force.  Emperor Palpatine has sensed it on the edges of Imperial space and he wants it dealt with.  Immediately.  That’s why he’s sending not only Darth Vader to deal with it, but Grand Admiral Thrawn as well.  Their journey takes them to the rim planet of Batuu where little-known aliens with links to a mythical armada in the unknown territories are gathering.  While this would seem out of the ordinary, Thrawn believes this is connected to a previous mission he participated in on the planet decades ago.  A mission where he found himself teamed up with an unlikely ally:  Anakin Skywalker.

“Alliances” is the second adaptation of a Timothy Zahn novel from writer Jody Houser after “Thrawn” which, as longtime readers will know, I really liked.  The dual-timeline nature of the story is handled well as it’s interesting to observe how Thrawn handles Anakin in the past and present.  Particularly in the present as Thrawn’s willingness to stand up to Vader, and not receive a force choke or lightsaber to the gut for his troubles, is both impressive and credible to observe.  Pat Oliffe and Andrea DiVito provide art for the present and past storylines and acquit themselves well in both eras.

However, “Alliances” is not on the same level as “Thrawn” for one big reason:  Its complete lack of an ending.  This was originally published as a four-issue miniseries and the fourth issue ends with a “The End?”  As of the time I’m writing this, there’s been no solicitation of an “Alliances” vol. 2 miniseries, which means that you’re not getting a complete story with this volume.  I’d certainly read a second volume if it were published.  Right now, though, I can’t recommend this volume because it’s only half the story.  So you’re better off either waiting for the hypothetical second volume, or just reading Zahn’s novel instead.