Star Wars: Empire Ascendant comic by multiple authors
This book is separated into 4 different comics, each one either finishing up one of the previous series or starting up one of the new series. The format was extremely engaging and I loved how we're getting all four storylines intertwined, preparing us for what is going to be a heck of a jam-packed year in Star Wars comics in the post-ESB era. Note: the intro page for the Doctor Aphra comic precedes the Valance comic while the intro page for the Valance comic precedes the Doctor Aphra comic...the comics themselves are in the order presented below.
Star Wars: "An Echo of Victory" written by Charles Soule, illustrated by Luke Ross and Guru-eFX
Okay, so this one had me crying like a baby. We get Shara Bey and Kes Dameron a.k.a. Poe's parents, first seen in the "Shattered Empire" short-run comic series, as our main characters. And man is what they go through absolutely heart-breaking and awe-inspiring at the same time. They're trying to burn a tunnel through the ice when the tunnel collapses and Kes thinks they're done for. The two parents begin recording a goodbye holo transmission for a toddler Poe (see below), proclaiming that they hope he will live in a galaxy filled with peace and freedom and never have to fight...little do they know. But then, Kes feels the burden of being a Rebel against the mighty Empire full-force and wonders if winning against tyranny is even possible. I'll leave the rest up to your imagination but needless to say, I am freaking sobbing with all sorts of emotions.
Darth Vader: "In Service to the Empire" written by Greg Pak, illustrated by Roland Boschi and Rachelle Rosenberg
This one felt a little tongue-in-cheek and was more on the humorous side...oddly enough for a Vader comic. It actually felt a lot like that bizarre "Dark Visions" issue with the officer determined to hunt down a Rebel U-wing pilot at all costs. Like, over-the-top and extremely dramatic.
We start off with Sergeant Cordo at the Battle of Mimban and then fast forward 13 years to him congratulating a new cadre of death troopers. He makes it very clear that just because they are supposedly the elite, that doesn't make them immune from mistakes and needless death. He makes sure they know that only victory is acceptable. They then travel to an unnamed planet to destroy the Rebel Superweapon--I'm assuming the one from the Dr. Aphra comic series, the shape is very reminiscent--and all does not go as planned...although the troopers are certainly victorious. The mission is seen as a failure by one officer due to Cordo's death but Vader sees things a different way...looks like we might have a troupe of death troopers accompanying our favorite villain in this next series... Notice their signature garbled communication in the panel below.
Bounty Hunters: "Two Sides to Every Sortie" written by Ethan Sacks, illustrated by Paolo Villanelli and Arif Prianto
Valance is back! It's so cool seeing him have a convo with Han when we know their history from the "Imperial Cadet" short-run series. That interaction was something I was missing from the "Target Vader" short-run series. Han is with a young Rebel engineer named Vharn who knows the schematics for a shield generator that can withstand an orbital bombardment. Check out the panel below to see just what shield generator they're talking about... Valance's job is to get Vharn with the schematics across the galaxy to the Rebel rendezvous point. As he puts it, "You want a babysitter?" It was quite a short story with not much plot and was overall fairly predictable, but that last panel was sweet as anything.
In regards to the news (to me) that a brand new series is coming in March, I'm not sure I understand Marvel/Lucasfilm introducing yet another comic series taking place during the post-ESB era. We now have "Darth Vader," "Star Wars," "Doctor Aphra," and "Bounty Hunters." The first three I'm hella stoked for but this last one, well, you know I'll read it and review it and will find enjoyment in it but gosh darn it that's a ridiculous amount of story to keep up with!! And was Valance really a popular enough character to warrant saying he'll "finally" get his own series?? I'm just confused...
Doctor Aphra: "Epilogue" written by Simon Spurrier, illustrated by Caspar Wijngaard and Lee Loughridge
This was definitely an Epilogue to "Doctor Aphra #40," in fact, it repeated the vast majority of Aphra's holomessage of existential contemplation, but this time, instead of the idea being that it was being recorded, it was being listened to by Vulaada, Tolvan, and Aphra's dad. And then we get the aftermath with the three sitting on a snow-covered hill in the cold of Hoth staring up at the stars wondering about their mutual pain in the butt.
Luke walks up and lets them know about Aphra's last deed in the previous issue of scrambling all the probe droid data, adding a few weeks to the time it'll take Vader to find the Hoth Rebel outpost. Tolvan's response to his appearance? "You're the farmboy they bumped up to commander after one lucky shot." Very interesting, turns out not all the Rebels really know each other and Luke is known of but not necessarily known. Reading the "Star Wars" long-run comic series, it seems like Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie are always at the center of everything, but perhaps that's just for our benefit as the readers and wouldn't actually be the way it is in reality?? Now I want to know more about this whole dynamic!
Anyway, Luke continues with, "I always knew she was good--on the inside." To which Tolvan says to Vulaada and Aphra's dad after Luke walks off, "Should we tell him she also saved the Emperor's life?" Haha!! Aphra's dad then says, "Better not. Nothing crueler than reality to a dreamer." Another interesting fact that they consider Luke a dreamer, out-of-touch with reality when he seems pretty down-to-Earth and hands on from what we've seen of him in the "Star Wars" series...hmmm...
With two women helming the new Aphra series (Alyssa Wong and Marika Cresta), I am totally pumped to see what direction the archaeologist's story takes in April!!
Oh!! And check out an awesome panel of Vulaada herding Tauntauns with her Qaberworm!!! Looks like the young girl is making herself at home amongst the Rebels alright.
Well, this book certainly packed a punch with so much to contemplate about what 2020 is going to bring in the world of post-ESB Star Wars comics. Looks like they're going to make up for the shorter time jump (ESB to ROTJ being only one year--as opposed to ANH to ESB being three years) by loading us down with a variety of content. I'll be curious to see how everything plays out!!
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