Star Wars #4
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: John Cassaday
Under the capable hands of Jason Aaron and John Cassaday, Marvel’s Star Wars has been nothing but a success. These amazing creators have taken so much of what I love about Star Wars and re-created it in the pages of this book. I wasn’t feeling much excitement for the franchise before this series started and it completely reinvigorated it for me. The first three issues were action-packed, fun issues full of amazing character portrayals. Unfortunately only the later of those aspects seems to have continued in this issue. Star Wars #4 was obviously going to be a breather issue and sadly, Aaron and Cassaday both deliver their less exciting outing yet.
However, that isn’t to say that Star Wars #4 is a bad comic. Jason Aaron continues to excel at portraying most of the characters in the Star Wars universe. I thought his Han Solo would standout after reading the first issue but Aaron’s work with Luke Skywalker has been the best so far. After their previous mission, Luke’s confidence is completely shaken and he no longer thinks he is worthy of being a jedi. His inner-struggle and identity crisis are the strongest aspect of this comic. Aaron sees why Luke is such a compelling character and instead of letting the movies take charge of his hero’s journey, he is making Luke a very dynamic character.
The main issue is that through juggling so many different stories, Aaron made this comic feel disjointed and unfocused. We go through the futile meeting of Jabba the Hutt and Darth Vader, catch up with Han, see a bounty hunter torture information out of Greedo’s brothers, get insight into Luke’s inner struggle and see Leia argue with the rebellion leaders. It’s all too much, especially considering how some of the material failed to hold its own again others.
Namely the Darth Vader and Jabba negotiations. On the plus side, Aaron has seemed to improve his rendition of Vader, toning down the in-your-face evil nature of his dialogue in previous issues. Though he fails to compare to Kieron Gillen’s portrayal of the character, Aaron’s characterization is no longer a problem.
However, the fact that Vader has such a prominent role in this book is. Darth Vader has his own awesome series and his presence feels like its overflowing the book. He has an ample amount of material in his solo book and considering the already unfocused nature of this issue, it felt gratuitous and detracting to have his storyline take up about half the pages. If Aaron wants to raise this series back to its previous highs, he will certainly have to choose his side-plots more carefully.
John Cassaday announced his departure from this series will be with issue #6 and he will be sorely missed. Despite a few rushed panels, John Cassaday’s work in this issue continues to astound. The cinematic scope of his pencils are the main draw and given the low-key nature of this issue, he isn’t able to flex his strongest muscles. However, he still presents us with a great looking comic. His facial expressions are mixed but all of his character designs are outstanding. Though, it was inevitable Cassaday’s departure will be unfortunate, nonetheless.
Jason Aaron has a strong handle on the Star Wars universe. His characterizations are mostly flawless and the tone he gives this comic makes it feel like Star Wars more than anything. His first arc was an acion-packed thrill ride filled with great character moments and stunning fight sequences. Star Wars #4 is a filler issue between the interesting stories we know Aaron is capable of writing. Aaron’s fourth issue is so concerned with setting up so many stories that it ends up feeling jumbled and unfocused. There’s no doubt that this book will jump back to its previous quality but this issue hurt the momentum too much to be exciting.
Artist: John Cassaday
Under the capable hands of Jason Aaron and John Cassaday, Marvel’s Star Wars has been nothing but a success. These amazing creators have taken so much of what I love about Star Wars and re-created it in the pages of this book. I wasn’t feeling much excitement for the franchise before this series started and it completely reinvigorated it for me. The first three issues were action-packed, fun issues full of amazing character portrayals. Unfortunately only the later of those aspects seems to have continued in this issue. Star Wars #4 was obviously going to be a breather issue and sadly, Aaron and Cassaday both deliver their less exciting outing yet.
However, that isn’t to say that Star Wars #4 is a bad comic. Jason Aaron continues to excel at portraying most of the characters in the Star Wars universe. I thought his Han Solo would standout after reading the first issue but Aaron’s work with Luke Skywalker has been the best so far. After their previous mission, Luke’s confidence is completely shaken and he no longer thinks he is worthy of being a jedi. His inner-struggle and identity crisis are the strongest aspect of this comic. Aaron sees why Luke is such a compelling character and instead of letting the movies take charge of his hero’s journey, he is making Luke a very dynamic character.
The main issue is that through juggling so many different stories, Aaron made this comic feel disjointed and unfocused. We go through the futile meeting of Jabba the Hutt and Darth Vader, catch up with Han, see a bounty hunter torture information out of Greedo’s brothers, get insight into Luke’s inner struggle and see Leia argue with the rebellion leaders. It’s all too much, especially considering how some of the material failed to hold its own again others.
Namely the Darth Vader and Jabba negotiations. On the plus side, Aaron has seemed to improve his rendition of Vader, toning down the in-your-face evil nature of his dialogue in previous issues. Though he fails to compare to Kieron Gillen’s portrayal of the character, Aaron’s characterization is no longer a problem.
However, the fact that Vader has such a prominent role in this book is. Darth Vader has his own awesome series and his presence feels like its overflowing the book. He has an ample amount of material in his solo book and considering the already unfocused nature of this issue, it felt gratuitous and detracting to have his storyline take up about half the pages. If Aaron wants to raise this series back to its previous highs, he will certainly have to choose his side-plots more carefully.
John Cassaday announced his departure from this series will be with issue #6 and he will be sorely missed. Despite a few rushed panels, John Cassaday’s work in this issue continues to astound. The cinematic scope of his pencils are the main draw and given the low-key nature of this issue, he isn’t able to flex his strongest muscles. However, he still presents us with a great looking comic. His facial expressions are mixed but all of his character designs are outstanding. Though, it was inevitable Cassaday’s departure will be unfortunate, nonetheless.
Jason Aaron has a strong handle on the Star Wars universe. His characterizations are mostly flawless and the tone he gives this comic makes it feel like Star Wars more than anything. His first arc was an acion-packed thrill ride filled with great character moments and stunning fight sequences. Star Wars #4 is a filler issue between the interesting stories we know Aaron is capable of writing. Aaron’s fourth issue is so concerned with setting up so many stories that it ends up feeling jumbled and unfocused. There’s no doubt that this book will jump back to its previous quality but this issue hurt the momentum too much to be exciting.
A Look Inside
