Two Star Wars Comics came out this week. Star Wars #24 and
Poe Dameron #7. Star Wars continued a current story arch, while Poe Dameron
started a new one. The Star Wars comic continues to impress, but the Poe comic
continues to be a miss overall.
Star Wars #24 continues to see Luke, Leia and Han on their
stolen Star Destroyer barreling towards a planet under siege. The Star
Destroyer is badly damaged and there are weird
instances happening all over the ship. Luke and Sana are sent to investigate
and run into the elite Stormtrooper squad. What follows is some great dialogue
and action within the comic. The strength of the main Star Wars line is how
much it feels like reading a story which could be adapted to the screen. It
simply feels like an adventure the three heroes would be on. The last issue was
a slight departure, but the 24th installment quickly got back on
track.
The dialogue and interaction between everyone is spot on.
The only line which was out of place was when Luke proclaimed himself a Rebel
to the Stormtrooper he was fighting. The rest of the issue was fantastic. Some
of the best parts were the interactions between Han and Leia. This issue kept
up their flirtatious interactions from the previous issue. It seemed out of
place some during the last comic, but fit in nicely during the action of this
one. I also liked the scenes with Sana and thought her interaction with Luke seemed
more natural. The Stormtrooper elite squadron actions were also well executed.
They aren’t the usual inept bucket heads seen in Rebels or other media. They
know how to execute a mission and don’t expect to fail.
The big reveal at the end of the issue was also well done. With
Darth Vader’s comic ending its run it was good to see him drop back into the
main line. It makes sense in the overall story for him to begin hunting down
Luke again. We see him continuing this search at the start of Empire Strikes
Back, and it is interesting to see him during this phase of the hunt. The way
the story flows into the main Star Wars narrative overall is one reason why I
will continue to keep reading the main Star Wars line.
The Poe Dameron comic is another case entirely. I enjoy
reading about the character of Poe, but the writing for the comic is its
downfall. I thought the last three issues had been an improvement in the dialogue
and story, but the 7th issue took a major step back. The dialogue between
characters is painful and doesn’t flow well. It doesn’t seem like a natural conversation,
and the quips Poe has throughout the issue seemed forced. They feel like they
are put into the comic because Poe made quips in the Force Awakens.
The actual story isn’t horrible, but not fantastic either.
The other big issue is the first order troops found in the comic are
cartoonish. One of the best parts of the new cannon is how nuanced the Empire
and First Order have been portrayed. In the main films it is very much black
and white, but the new books and comics have greyed many of the people found in
the Empire. I would have liked to have seen this within Poe comic as well
instead of the over the top mustache twirling bad guys.
I want to like the Poe comic and I thought the last story
arc was better than the first. This issue with the introduction of a new
journalist recruit just didn’t feel like a story set in the Star Wars universe.
It seemed more like a story that could be dropped into our political climate
than in the galaxy far far away. Maybe this is just one story and the next will
pick back up, but the dialogue between characters has been bad throughout the
entire run. I can still hold out hope for the only comic taking place after
Return of the Jedi.
What did you think of these two comic releases? Did you like
Star Wars #24? Did you like Poe Dameron more than me? Comment and let me know.
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