Forces of Destiny Comic Collection
Forces of Destiny Comic Collection by various authors and illustrators listed below
This was a fabulous book broken down into 5 separate comics about 7 different female heroes from the Star Wars galaxy. We get a comic on Leia, Rey, Hera, Ahsoka & Padme, and Rose & Paige. All the stories except Rey's story and parts of Ahsoka & Padme's story were new and unique to this book so I would say it was definitely worth the purchase! If you so desired, you could even individually order each of the comics through Kindle as linked below.
Leia, written by Elsa Charretier and Pierrick Colinet, illustrated by Elsa Charretier and Sarah Stern:
Leia, Hera, and Han have been sent on a mission to seek out a lost Rebel ship in the snows of Hoth. Unfortunately, Leia and her tauntaun don't get along! The princess keeps getting bucked off and Hera and Han both lend their own brands of advice to help it not happen again. Leia will have none of it and is determined she can succeed on her own. Ultimately, Leia and her tauntaun fall into a deep pit where they lo and behold find the missing ship! But a wampa attacks!! Will Leia and her tauntaun finally team up to defeat the beast or will all go awry??
Throughout this simple story which was super fun on its own, there's a through-line of Leia thinking about Rebel success against the Empire and how they must stand up for themselves and conquer against all odds. The story also goes back in time in several places to set us up for this hunt for the lost ship and shows Leia giving a speech to her troops, optimistic as ever.
All in all it is a quite moving tale and doesn't shy away from scary situations and the real meat of the story. I very much enjoyed this read.
Rey, written by Jody Houser, illustrated by Arianna Florean and Adele Matera:
This story has been told before both in the Forces of Destiny video shorts and in a previous Forces of Destiny narrative book that I read called Forces of Destiny: Daring Adventures: Vol. 1. It's a fine tale, but placing it in a book that contains mostly brand new stories does it a disservice. I definitely would have liked to see something exciting and unique from Rey pre-Force Awakens, but I guess Star Wars Adventures is taking that role at the moment. Either way, it was still a fun re-read in an enjoyable visual format.
Rey meets BB-8 and they come across a nightwatcher worm who wants to eat BB-8 for dinner!! Thinking on her feet, Rey feeds the worm scrap metal that she finds along their escape route. Then Teedo's thugs attack, desperate to get BB-8 back into their clutches and Rey calls upon the nightwatcher worm again to take care of business.
It's certainly a delightful tale full of heart and excitement, but nothing new to the thorough reader/watcher. There were a couple of extra tidbits like BB-8 going scavenging with Rey for a day which was for sure interesting and added to the story, but overall I would've liked something completely different.
Hera, written by Devin Grayson, illustrated by Eva Widermann and Monica Kubina:
Something about the beginning of this one seemed oddly familiar to me and I have no idea from where. Perhaps it was a similar storyline as an actual episode of Rebels?? I'm really not sure. But as the story progressed, things changed up a bit and I was met with a unique and highly interesting tale that had me engaged throughout.
Hera and Chopper land at the Fekunda Outpost, a thriving farming society that Hera hopes to push over to the Rebel cause. Unfortunately, the Imperials have gotten wind of their success as well. So Hera infiltrates the farming community and convinces them to fight against rather than work with the Empire. Her whole plan is to frustrate and confuse the Empire by slowing down the growing process. Will it work??
There are all sorts of species involved in this one which is fascinating! Even including an otter-like species I've never seen the likes of before. The otter guy, Lemnos (pictured to the left), is loving working with Hera and seriously considers joining up with the Alliance directly! This was a fabulous story showing ways that the Empire could be attacked using non-violent means of disruption. Definitely on board with this different tack.
Ahsoka & Padme, written by Beth Revis, illustrated by Valentina Pinto:
The bulk of this story has been told before in both the video shorts and the book linked to above, but this version provided so much extra story that it felt like something all together new!
We start with Barriss Offee and Ahsoka facing off in a lightsaber training round. Ahsoka wins handily by using Barriss' weakness. Barriss then tells the Togruta that she did not win well because what if she came across an opponent whose weakness she did not know. Ahsoka then ponders this line of thought until Padme shows up at her door asking for help in securing a dinner party for Arthurian delegates (pictured to the left). These guys are a quite intriguing species with taste buds in their hands--they as such do not use utensils when eating. We then get Padme talking to her handmaidens about what will be required of them during this meeting. Then we get the story we are familiar with from the show: Ahsoka notices utensils on the table and a Clawdite assassin is revealed. Can Ahsoka and Padme team up to stop the threat in time??
I do love how in this story we get Ahsoka saying Padme reminds her of Anakin and Padme saying Ahsoka reminds her of Anakin...so sweet how highly these two think of the confused and powerful Jedi. *heart*
Overall, I greatly appreciated the extra material on the front end as Ahsoka's musings added depth to her story. Is she good enough? Is she the best Jedi she can be? Both questions that lead to her eventual dropping out of the Jedi Order...so some great foreshadowing here!
Rose & Paige, written by Delilah S. Dawson, illustrated by Nicoletta Baldari:
An all new story taking place on D'Qar, this one was fun and exciting, an enjoyable romp with our favorite sister pair.
Leia needs to know what natural resources are available on the planet but landspeeders are a no-go, so Rose invents some wheeled trucks that can fly through the brush and travel long distances without an excessive amount of fuel use. Paige and Rose test out these vehicles much to the chagrin of Lazslo, the head mechanic, who makes fun of them throughout the entire process. Unfortunately, things don't go quite as Rose planned and chaos ensues. Will Rose and Paige make it back to base safely and will they deliver some much needed news??
My favorite part of this comic were the Squonks (pictured above) that were introduced as a new avian non-sentient species. They are ostrich-like birds that can hunt by scent. Super cute and really fun to read Rose interact with them on such a strong level.
I quite liked this one and felt it very different from what I'm used to with Delilah S. Dawson--Phasma--as it wasn't dark or disturbing but was 100% likeable and optimistic the entire way. No matter what went wrong, Leia and Paige both encouraged and built up Rose until she felt capable rather than a failure. Great lessons to be learned from this particular comic for sure!
Overall this was a worthy read and provided some never-before-seen content which was exciting and refreshing! Brand new stories with Leia, Hera, and Rose & Paige, as well as additional extras to a story with Ahsoka & Padme made for a truly delightful experience. I'm loving what Star Wars comics have been doing lately and this is absolutely no exception. It's published by IDW along with Star Wars Adventures and the movie graphic novel adaptations and so is more focused toward kids, but I found it delightful regardless. In summary, I ate this collection up and highly recommend the read!
Leia, written by Elsa Charretier and Pierrick Colinet, illustrated by Elsa Charretier and Sarah Stern:
Leia, Hera, and Han have been sent on a mission to seek out a lost Rebel ship in the snows of Hoth. Unfortunately, Leia and her tauntaun don't get along! The princess keeps getting bucked off and Hera and Han both lend their own brands of advice to help it not happen again. Leia will have none of it and is determined she can succeed on her own. Ultimately, Leia and her tauntaun fall into a deep pit where they lo and behold find the missing ship! But a wampa attacks!! Will Leia and her tauntaun finally team up to defeat the beast or will all go awry??
Throughout this simple story which was super fun on its own, there's a through-line of Leia thinking about Rebel success against the Empire and how they must stand up for themselves and conquer against all odds. The story also goes back in time in several places to set us up for this hunt for the lost ship and shows Leia giving a speech to her troops, optimistic as ever.
All in all it is a quite moving tale and doesn't shy away from scary situations and the real meat of the story. I very much enjoyed this read.
Rey, written by Jody Houser, illustrated by Arianna Florean and Adele Matera:
This story has been told before both in the Forces of Destiny video shorts and in a previous Forces of Destiny narrative book that I read called Forces of Destiny: Daring Adventures: Vol. 1. It's a fine tale, but placing it in a book that contains mostly brand new stories does it a disservice. I definitely would have liked to see something exciting and unique from Rey pre-Force Awakens, but I guess Star Wars Adventures is taking that role at the moment. Either way, it was still a fun re-read in an enjoyable visual format.
Rey meets BB-8 and they come across a nightwatcher worm who wants to eat BB-8 for dinner!! Thinking on her feet, Rey feeds the worm scrap metal that she finds along their escape route. Then Teedo's thugs attack, desperate to get BB-8 back into their clutches and Rey calls upon the nightwatcher worm again to take care of business.
It's certainly a delightful tale full of heart and excitement, but nothing new to the thorough reader/watcher. There were a couple of extra tidbits like BB-8 going scavenging with Rey for a day which was for sure interesting and added to the story, but overall I would've liked something completely different.
Hera, written by Devin Grayson, illustrated by Eva Widermann and Monica Kubina:
Hera and Chopper land at the Fekunda Outpost, a thriving farming society that Hera hopes to push over to the Rebel cause. Unfortunately, the Imperials have gotten wind of their success as well. So Hera infiltrates the farming community and convinces them to fight against rather than work with the Empire. Her whole plan is to frustrate and confuse the Empire by slowing down the growing process. Will it work??
There are all sorts of species involved in this one which is fascinating! Even including an otter-like species I've never seen the likes of before. The otter guy, Lemnos (pictured to the left), is loving working with Hera and seriously considers joining up with the Alliance directly! This was a fabulous story showing ways that the Empire could be attacked using non-violent means of disruption. Definitely on board with this different tack.
Ahsoka & Padme, written by Beth Revis, illustrated by Valentina Pinto:
We start with Barriss Offee and Ahsoka facing off in a lightsaber training round. Ahsoka wins handily by using Barriss' weakness. Barriss then tells the Togruta that she did not win well because what if she came across an opponent whose weakness she did not know. Ahsoka then ponders this line of thought until Padme shows up at her door asking for help in securing a dinner party for Arthurian delegates (pictured to the left). These guys are a quite intriguing species with taste buds in their hands--they as such do not use utensils when eating. We then get Padme talking to her handmaidens about what will be required of them during this meeting. Then we get the story we are familiar with from the show: Ahsoka notices utensils on the table and a Clawdite assassin is revealed. Can Ahsoka and Padme team up to stop the threat in time??
I do love how in this story we get Ahsoka saying Padme reminds her of Anakin and Padme saying Ahsoka reminds her of Anakin...so sweet how highly these two think of the confused and powerful Jedi. *heart*
Overall, I greatly appreciated the extra material on the front end as Ahsoka's musings added depth to her story. Is she good enough? Is she the best Jedi she can be? Both questions that lead to her eventual dropping out of the Jedi Order...so some great foreshadowing here!
Rose & Paige, written by Delilah S. Dawson, illustrated by Nicoletta Baldari:
Leia needs to know what natural resources are available on the planet but landspeeders are a no-go, so Rose invents some wheeled trucks that can fly through the brush and travel long distances without an excessive amount of fuel use. Paige and Rose test out these vehicles much to the chagrin of Lazslo, the head mechanic, who makes fun of them throughout the entire process. Unfortunately, things don't go quite as Rose planned and chaos ensues. Will Rose and Paige make it back to base safely and will they deliver some much needed news??
My favorite part of this comic were the Squonks (pictured above) that were introduced as a new avian non-sentient species. They are ostrich-like birds that can hunt by scent. Super cute and really fun to read Rose interact with them on such a strong level.
I quite liked this one and felt it very different from what I'm used to with Delilah S. Dawson--Phasma--as it wasn't dark or disturbing but was 100% likeable and optimistic the entire way. No matter what went wrong, Leia and Paige both encouraged and built up Rose until she felt capable rather than a failure. Great lessons to be learned from this particular comic for sure!
Overall this was a worthy read and provided some never-before-seen content which was exciting and refreshing! Brand new stories with Leia, Hera, and Rose & Paige, as well as additional extras to a story with Ahsoka & Padme made for a truly delightful experience. I'm loving what Star Wars comics have been doing lately and this is absolutely no exception. It's published by IDW along with Star Wars Adventures and the movie graphic novel adaptations and so is more focused toward kids, but I found it delightful regardless. In summary, I ate this collection up and highly recommend the read!
Comments
Post a Comment