Star Wars #3
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: John Cassaday
I watched Star Wars in my English class this week. To experiment with the quality of this comic, I binged the three first issues as I got home and the result were fantastic. It continued the story so smoothly and felt so natural. The characters, the tone, the visual. Star Wars #3 serves as the conclusion to Jason Aaron and John Cassaday’s inaugural arc and it’s a veritable thrill-ride. This creative team is at the top of their game this week
There are so many things about Star Wars’ latest outing that work, but the standout has to be Luke’s characterization. Aaron just writes all of his lines so well that I would believe 1977 George Lucas had written them. Luke is on his journey to becoming a Jedi and his amateur heroism is put to the forefront as he attempts to sacrifice himself in order to save the mission. His dedication to his missions shows why he’s going to be such a powerful Jedi in the future.
Even if he doesn’t think so. It seems as though Jason Aaron has used this inaugural arc to set-up a new character arc for Luke. He states at the end of the issue that he’ll never become a Jedi because Ben isn’t there to train him. I believe this to be a direct result of his confrontation with Vader. Aaron has portrayed their relationship adequately complex given the time period. Luke may not know it, but Vader has a severe influence on his mind and I love that Jason Aaron is implying that between the lines.
One of the issues I had with the previous issue is that Aaron’s Darth Vader talked too much and didn’t feel like Vader. To some extents, that flaw still remains in this comic, but it improves. Aaron knows Vader and all of his actions feel true to the character as well as his motivations. However, his dialogue is a little off at times. But it isn’t really isn’t all that bad when it comes to Vader. He’s imposing and scary. He plays the part of villain very well, even though it isn’t quite as good as the original movie. Maybe that’s too much to ask, but it doesn’t hold up with the quality of the other aspects of this issue.
In terms of plot, this is an extremely simple series thus far. Jason Aaron presents us with an issue that is a true thrill-ride. The pacing doesn’t falter for a second and that’s a great factor in why it feels so much like Star Wars. Though, the final page of this arc suggests that the series will take a slower approach in the coming issues. I have no idea what Jason Aaron has planned for this book but the cliffhanger intrigued me quite a bit. Aaron seems to have a lot of ideas for this universe and it looks like he’s going to be exploring them with the rest of this series rather than giving us a thrilling adventure.
For problems, I only have one aside from the Vader’s dialogue. Near the end of this issue, Luke’s escape from his predicament felt extremely clunky. One panel he was in an explosion and the next, he was in the Falcon. It felt as though this issue was missing a page. It felt jarring and I turned the page a few times to see if I had just skipped something. Overall, it’s not a big problem but it slightly detracted from my enjoyment of this issue.
I don’t know how long he’s going to stay on this book but John Cassaday is one of its biggest assets. His art is so cinematic and evokes Star Wars perfectly. His Han, Leia and Luke all look exactly like their film counterparts and his Vader is commanding and frightening. His characters play an integral part in the quality of his art, but his action is the main attraction. It’s so fluid and Star Wars-esque. With this issue, Cassaday has solidified himself as the artist I want working on this book forever, he’s just that good.
I’ve always loved Star Wars. The universe is so rich, imaginative and iconic. Though, interest does tend to dissipate when you read/watch a lot of stories. This comic has completely reinvigorated my interest in this classic franchise. Jason Aaron understands why Star Wars connects with people and he brings that to the comic page so perfectly that sometimes I think I’m watching a Star Wars film rather than reading a comic. Issue #3 may be his strongest issue to date and I can’t wait to see what’s next!
Artist: John Cassaday
I watched Star Wars in my English class this week. To experiment with the quality of this comic, I binged the three first issues as I got home and the result were fantastic. It continued the story so smoothly and felt so natural. The characters, the tone, the visual. Star Wars #3 serves as the conclusion to Jason Aaron and John Cassaday’s inaugural arc and it’s a veritable thrill-ride. This creative team is at the top of their game this week
There are so many things about Star Wars’ latest outing that work, but the standout has to be Luke’s characterization. Aaron just writes all of his lines so well that I would believe 1977 George Lucas had written them. Luke is on his journey to becoming a Jedi and his amateur heroism is put to the forefront as he attempts to sacrifice himself in order to save the mission. His dedication to his missions shows why he’s going to be such a powerful Jedi in the future.
Even if he doesn’t think so. It seems as though Jason Aaron has used this inaugural arc to set-up a new character arc for Luke. He states at the end of the issue that he’ll never become a Jedi because Ben isn’t there to train him. I believe this to be a direct result of his confrontation with Vader. Aaron has portrayed their relationship adequately complex given the time period. Luke may not know it, but Vader has a severe influence on his mind and I love that Jason Aaron is implying that between the lines.
One of the issues I had with the previous issue is that Aaron’s Darth Vader talked too much and didn’t feel like Vader. To some extents, that flaw still remains in this comic, but it improves. Aaron knows Vader and all of his actions feel true to the character as well as his motivations. However, his dialogue is a little off at times. But it isn’t really isn’t all that bad when it comes to Vader. He’s imposing and scary. He plays the part of villain very well, even though it isn’t quite as good as the original movie. Maybe that’s too much to ask, but it doesn’t hold up with the quality of the other aspects of this issue.
In terms of plot, this is an extremely simple series thus far. Jason Aaron presents us with an issue that is a true thrill-ride. The pacing doesn’t falter for a second and that’s a great factor in why it feels so much like Star Wars. Though, the final page of this arc suggests that the series will take a slower approach in the coming issues. I have no idea what Jason Aaron has planned for this book but the cliffhanger intrigued me quite a bit. Aaron seems to have a lot of ideas for this universe and it looks like he’s going to be exploring them with the rest of this series rather than giving us a thrilling adventure.
For problems, I only have one aside from the Vader’s dialogue. Near the end of this issue, Luke’s escape from his predicament felt extremely clunky. One panel he was in an explosion and the next, he was in the Falcon. It felt as though this issue was missing a page. It felt jarring and I turned the page a few times to see if I had just skipped something. Overall, it’s not a big problem but it slightly detracted from my enjoyment of this issue.
I don’t know how long he’s going to stay on this book but John Cassaday is one of its biggest assets. His art is so cinematic and evokes Star Wars perfectly. His Han, Leia and Luke all look exactly like their film counterparts and his Vader is commanding and frightening. His characters play an integral part in the quality of his art, but his action is the main attraction. It’s so fluid and Star Wars-esque. With this issue, Cassaday has solidified himself as the artist I want working on this book forever, he’s just that good.
I’ve always loved Star Wars. The universe is so rich, imaginative and iconic. Though, interest does tend to dissipate when you read/watch a lot of stories. This comic has completely reinvigorated my interest in this classic franchise. Jason Aaron understands why Star Wars connects with people and he brings that to the comic page so perfectly that sometimes I think I’m watching a Star Wars film rather than reading a comic. Issue #3 may be his strongest issue to date and I can’t wait to see what’s next!
A Look Inside
