Star Wars #6 Review
Author: Charles Soule
Artist: Jesús Saiz
Colorist: Arif Prianto
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel Entertainment
Wow, what an issue. I was really excited for Charles Soule's run of Star Wars, and while the first couple issues were great, the ones leading up to this seemed a little slow. But this issue, it all paid off. Just as a recap, in the previous issues we learned what the OT crew was up to immediately after the events of Empire Strikes Back. The hunt for Han Solo took Lando to Tatooine, and the whole team visited Cloud City again. Luke set off on his own journey after getting a vision of a hooded figure offering him a lightsaber, and what he found was Verla!
Verla is a character from one of Soule's previous Star Wars runs, Darth Vader, and it was super-exciting seeing her again. It's really interesting seeing someone who's been on the run from Vader and the Inquisitors for so long come across Luke. Normally characters instantly like Luke and become his ally; it's refreshing seeing the opposite happen. And it makes sense, of course you'd want to kill the son of the person who's been trying to kill you for two decades! But as expected, Luke gets out of the trap she tries to kill him with, and she eventually realizes that he's not like his father. Hooray!
But here's where the issue really picks up. It's impossible to talk about it without spoiling it, so if you haven't read it, stop reading this review now until you do. You really want to read this one. Verla doesn't have the lightsaber for Luke like he expected, but she points him towards a Jedi Outpost from the High Republic where he might find one. That would be amazing on its own, I love seeing the interconnectivity between different projects in Star Wars, but that's not all. When he finds and picks up a lightsaber inside, he suddenly realizes he's not alone inside the Outpost. Behind him materializes none other than... the Grand Inquisitor!
This is a huge reveal! For those not aware, the Grand Inquisitor is the former leader of the Inquisitorius, who was killed in a fight with Kanan in the Rebels TV series. He went on to appear twice in Force-induced hallucinations in the show, so it's not entirely surprising to see him do so here... at first. As Luke starts fighting G.I. with his new lightsaber, we quickly realize that he is not a hallucination, despite his fiery appearance. He's really there, fighting Luke! Vader senses that a trap was sprung, and immediately sets course for the Outpost. By the time he gets there, Luke has already defeated G.I. and left with the lightsaber, but G.I. is still there. He asks Vader if he'll finally let him die, but Vader refuses, and G.I.'s last words before disappearing are "There are worse things... than death."
OH MY GOD, I got chills just writing that! Grand Inquisitor's last words before falling into the fires of a burning Star Destroyer were "There are more terrifying things than death.", and here he is, not dead and repeating that line. It appears that his last words were more than just a cool line, they were true! It seems like Vader trapped his spirit and won't let him fully enter the Cosmic Force. He's being kept in some torturous purgatory as a trap for Vader's enemies. It's such a cool concept that could only come from Charles Soule.
The last couple issues were slow, but now I'm totally on board. Soule is writing something special here, as he did with 2017's Darth Vader series. Add that to the amazing art from Jesus Saiz, Arif Prianto, and Clayton Sowles, and this is the best Star Wars comic this year, in my opinion. I absolutely cannot wait to see where the next issue leads; I have a feeling it's only gonna get crazier and crazier, in the best way!
Artist: Jesús Saiz
Colorist: Arif Prianto
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel Entertainment
Wow, what an issue. I was really excited for Charles Soule's run of Star Wars, and while the first couple issues were great, the ones leading up to this seemed a little slow. But this issue, it all paid off. Just as a recap, in the previous issues we learned what the OT crew was up to immediately after the events of Empire Strikes Back. The hunt for Han Solo took Lando to Tatooine, and the whole team visited Cloud City again. Luke set off on his own journey after getting a vision of a hooded figure offering him a lightsaber, and what he found was Verla!
Verla is a character from one of Soule's previous Star Wars runs, Darth Vader, and it was super-exciting seeing her again. It's really interesting seeing someone who's been on the run from Vader and the Inquisitors for so long come across Luke. Normally characters instantly like Luke and become his ally; it's refreshing seeing the opposite happen. And it makes sense, of course you'd want to kill the son of the person who's been trying to kill you for two decades! But as expected, Luke gets out of the trap she tries to kill him with, and she eventually realizes that he's not like his father. Hooray!
But here's where the issue really picks up. It's impossible to talk about it without spoiling it, so if you haven't read it, stop reading this review now until you do. You really want to read this one. Verla doesn't have the lightsaber for Luke like he expected, but she points him towards a Jedi Outpost from the High Republic where he might find one. That would be amazing on its own, I love seeing the interconnectivity between different projects in Star Wars, but that's not all. When he finds and picks up a lightsaber inside, he suddenly realizes he's not alone inside the Outpost. Behind him materializes none other than... the Grand Inquisitor!
This is a huge reveal! For those not aware, the Grand Inquisitor is the former leader of the Inquisitorius, who was killed in a fight with Kanan in the Rebels TV series. He went on to appear twice in Force-induced hallucinations in the show, so it's not entirely surprising to see him do so here... at first. As Luke starts fighting G.I. with his new lightsaber, we quickly realize that he is not a hallucination, despite his fiery appearance. He's really there, fighting Luke! Vader senses that a trap was sprung, and immediately sets course for the Outpost. By the time he gets there, Luke has already defeated G.I. and left with the lightsaber, but G.I. is still there. He asks Vader if he'll finally let him die, but Vader refuses, and G.I.'s last words before disappearing are "There are worse things... than death."
OH MY GOD, I got chills just writing that! Grand Inquisitor's last words before falling into the fires of a burning Star Destroyer were "There are more terrifying things than death.", and here he is, not dead and repeating that line. It appears that his last words were more than just a cool line, they were true! It seems like Vader trapped his spirit and won't let him fully enter the Cosmic Force. He's being kept in some torturous purgatory as a trap for Vader's enemies. It's such a cool concept that could only come from Charles Soule.
The last couple issues were slow, but now I'm totally on board. Soule is writing something special here, as he did with 2017's Darth Vader series. Add that to the amazing art from Jesus Saiz, Arif Prianto, and Clayton Sowles, and this is the best Star Wars comic this year, in my opinion. I absolutely cannot wait to see where the next issue leads; I have a feeling it's only gonna get crazier and crazier, in the best way!
A Look Inside
