Marvel's Star Wars Relaunch

[Ramsay Snow]

Marvel's current run of Star Wars has been hit or miss for me. The first volume of Star Wars lost me after about nine issues or so, and I took a pass on this current one. I liked the last volume of Darth Vader, but Doctor Aphra's book has been up and down with me.

I think for me it's an issue of scope. Since Marvel reacquired the license, there really haven't been many books set outside of the timeframe of the movies, and I think that was what appealed to me the most with Star Wars comics. 40 years ago, no one knew where things were going after The Empire Strikes Back, and it was kind of exciting, but now it feels like it's all just connecting the dots to me.

I think the majority of Disney's Star Wars comics have been hit or miss. That said, I read a slight bit of the Dark Horse-era Star Wars comics, and didn't care for them.

The problem with the Disney-era Star Wars comics is an inherent flaw in the entire concept. They have to play it safe so nothing conflicts with film canon, and, resultingly, it feels like you don't really get any revelatory material. We've gotten a slight bit of good stuff, but not much.

I thought Aaron's run had bits & pieces that were good. My favorite was probably Dengar vs Chewie, while Sana Starros was an interesting addition......When Gillen took over, I didn't think his work was all that much better than Aaron's, but it was far more consistent. I liked complete storylines with Gillen, which was a rarity with Aaron.

As for the Vader comics, I preferred the Soule run. Fun concept, cool new jedi characters, but the execution left a little to be desired. That first jedi was a badass (Kirak), and he wiped the floor with Vader, but the resolution of the fight felt cheap. That wasn't the only time the comic felt that way, it's like Soule, for the most part, had quality concept ideas on the characters and knew how to build up the fight, but he'd go for weak endings. Not all of them, but enough for me to make that complaint.

Doctor Aphra had some fun elements, but I often found the comic got a little too silly, be it with the actual storylines or the characterizations. Just wasn't my cup of tea.

Then there were the various Star Wars one-shots. Some were OK, but, for the most part, we didn't really get anything out of them. Just dull short-stories when there should've been a lot more.

Thing is, even with the restraints on doing a Star Wars title, there are plenty of ideas which can be made. It essentially feels like the creative teams are holding back.