WGTB Reviews Star Wars #1

There is a lot for Star Wars fans to be excited about these days: The Force Awakens trailer went up on the Internet in December, and was a fun taste of what will undoubtedly be the hit film of 2015-2016. Also, just a few weeks ago, Disney which now owns both Lucasfilm and Marvel comics, brought the Star Wars licence back to the publisher who had it from 1977 until 1989 when it was taken over by Dark Horse Comics. Of course, Dark Horse's work with the property from 1994 to 2014 proved they were worthy custodians of the Star Wars universe, but this only means that Marvel Comics' first issue in decades would have to be strong and lasting impression.

Marvel's Star Wars Vol.2 #1 (March 2015) Written by Jason Aaron, art by John Cassaday, colors by Laura Martin and letters by Chris Eliopoulos.

So how did Marvel do? All in all, I would say Marvel didn't do too badly. All the main characters were present -- including Darth Vader -- who is always cool to see. John Cassady's art has a photo-realism that works well, especially given that it's a franchise readers cannot help but bring their old awe-struck memories to the reading experience. The ships and technology was also great, and the fact that Star Wars has always had the best naval architecture of any science-fiction/space opera franchise, was not lost on Cassday and the Marvel crew. Have a look for yourself:

An AT-AT in Star Wars #1

And it's not just the technology: the gang's all here in Star Wars #1...

It's almost a truism to say Jason Aaron is as skilled a writer as comics can get. His work with the various Thor titles since the Marvel NOW! re-branding has lent itself to space-opera and stories of epic proportions, as did Wolverine and the X-Men which was never afraid to go to outer space when needed. So while it's probably too early to tell whether these stories are going to great, I think Aaron is both the right person for the job and at this point is off to a good start. The book is at a $4.99 price point, which seems to be where Marvel is heading these days (Avengers!) which was slightly unpleasant, but this particular edition included sample pages from the upcoming Marvel releases: Darth Vader and Princess Leia, both of which looked like good beginnings to a fresh look at the Star Wars universe. 

... as is Darth Vader!

So while it's probably too early to tell whether these stories are going to great, I think Aaron is both the right person for the job and is off to a good start. In either case, while the Dark Horse material is no longer canon, (Will it become an Ultimate Star Wars universe?) it will be interesting to see how Marvel does with this line of Star Wars comics, especially given the new films are just over the horizon. However, from a first impression, things look to be in good shape. 4/5 STARS