Poe Dameron #3
Well, that was unexpected.
Here there be spoilers, so unless you’re ready to know what was in that egg, go pick up Poe Dameron #3 from Charles Soule and Phil Noto before continuing.
Alright, now that we’re on the same page, let’s chat. That was a Star Wars-style space kaiju, right? Moreover, that was a pair of space kaiju, right? (Side note, I’m fairly certain the plural form of kaiju is kaiju, like deer or fish. If I’m wrong, so be it.) I’d really like to get into the story and how it’s progressing. I have some stuff to say about the art, too. However I’m still stuck on the kaiju, which I’m incredibly torn on. So, it wouldn’t be fair to you, the reader, for me to force myself half-heartedly into continuing my review while my thoughts were still with our ebony and ivory kaiju friends. That being said, I’m a kaiju guy. Godzilla’s the best. I honest-to-God LOVED Pacific Rim. Kaijumax is one of the funnest books out there right now. This reveal seemed forced and extremely out of place, despite being kinda cool.
My issue comes from a pacing standpoint. I believe Black Squadron is going to wind up being a six issue story arc, so that places us squarely at the midpoint. Soule seems to be breaking the action down into three issue mini arcs that compromise the overall story. Or, at least that’s what I’m predicting from the first trio of issues. Dropping a kaiju fight on the reader at this point of the story is an odd choice to say the least. For me, it was incredibly distracting. And not in the good way. I had problems with the first two issues and the dialogue feeling wooden. Things were starting to loosen up and get interesting until the egg hatched, bringing the attention onto the poorly explained kaiju the Creche have been worshipping. I can understand what Soule and crew were attempting here. The good guys and the bad guys are having their faceoff and a force of nature blows through and changes everything. It could have worked, but overall it felt rushed and, even worse, unnecessary. The entire ordeal was over just as soon as it had begun, serving little to advance the story.
The kaiju issue aside, Soule is sliding into the voice of the characters fairly well. Poe is less of the “Devil may care” action hero that began to get on my nerves and Agent Terex’s moustache-twirling is no longer as pronounced as it once was. Or, maybe I’m just getting used to it. Soule is becoming the writer I know he can be with this material, so I have confidence in the future of the Poe Dameron title. For the writing at least. Phil Noto is one of my favorite artists. He captures faces in an amazing way. He does need some work on his action scenes, though. When you step into a space epic like Star Wars, it is a given that some of the key action beats are going to be based around vehicles, and that nailing those scenes will keep the reader invested. There is a lack of dynamic movement on the page in the battles here, and they don’t feel very cinematic at all.
When it comes down to it, this just wasn’t a very thrilling installment. I want to reiterate that I have hope for this book. All the right pieces are there, and there is no arguing with the degree of talent, but it is taking longer to get everyone on the same page than I would like. This is Star Wars Light, I want the real thing.
Here there be spoilers, so unless you’re ready to know what was in that egg, go pick up Poe Dameron #3 from Charles Soule and Phil Noto before continuing.
Alright, now that we’re on the same page, let’s chat. That was a Star Wars-style space kaiju, right? Moreover, that was a pair of space kaiju, right? (Side note, I’m fairly certain the plural form of kaiju is kaiju, like deer or fish. If I’m wrong, so be it.) I’d really like to get into the story and how it’s progressing. I have some stuff to say about the art, too. However I’m still stuck on the kaiju, which I’m incredibly torn on. So, it wouldn’t be fair to you, the reader, for me to force myself half-heartedly into continuing my review while my thoughts were still with our ebony and ivory kaiju friends. That being said, I’m a kaiju guy. Godzilla’s the best. I honest-to-God LOVED Pacific Rim. Kaijumax is one of the funnest books out there right now. This reveal seemed forced and extremely out of place, despite being kinda cool.
My issue comes from a pacing standpoint. I believe Black Squadron is going to wind up being a six issue story arc, so that places us squarely at the midpoint. Soule seems to be breaking the action down into three issue mini arcs that compromise the overall story. Or, at least that’s what I’m predicting from the first trio of issues. Dropping a kaiju fight on the reader at this point of the story is an odd choice to say the least. For me, it was incredibly distracting. And not in the good way. I had problems with the first two issues and the dialogue feeling wooden. Things were starting to loosen up and get interesting until the egg hatched, bringing the attention onto the poorly explained kaiju the Creche have been worshipping. I can understand what Soule and crew were attempting here. The good guys and the bad guys are having their faceoff and a force of nature blows through and changes everything. It could have worked, but overall it felt rushed and, even worse, unnecessary. The entire ordeal was over just as soon as it had begun, serving little to advance the story.
The kaiju issue aside, Soule is sliding into the voice of the characters fairly well. Poe is less of the “Devil may care” action hero that began to get on my nerves and Agent Terex’s moustache-twirling is no longer as pronounced as it once was. Or, maybe I’m just getting used to it. Soule is becoming the writer I know he can be with this material, so I have confidence in the future of the Poe Dameron title. For the writing at least. Phil Noto is one of my favorite artists. He captures faces in an amazing way. He does need some work on his action scenes, though. When you step into a space epic like Star Wars, it is a given that some of the key action beats are going to be based around vehicles, and that nailing those scenes will keep the reader invested. There is a lack of dynamic movement on the page in the battles here, and they don’t feel very cinematic at all.
When it comes down to it, this just wasn’t a very thrilling installment. I want to reiterate that I have hope for this book. All the right pieces are there, and there is no arguing with the degree of talent, but it is taking longer to get everyone on the same page than I would like. This is Star Wars Light, I want the real thing.
A Look Inside
