Goodwin, Archie
AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:
2.6 out of 5
(5 books)
TOP PICK:
Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Newspaper Strips Vol. 2
Classic Star Wars: Escape To Hoth
(Art by Al Williamson)
0 ABY. The third in the series of graphic novels reprinting the old Star Wars newspaper strips. The Rebel Alliance evacuates their Yavin 4 base in the face of the Empire's deadly new battlecruiser, the Super Star Destroyer Executor, and they then set up home on the ice planet Hoth.
Meanwhile, Luke, Han and Chewbacca have another run in with bounty hunters on Ord Mantell. This latter story gives us perhaps the best moment in the book when we get to see Boba Fett and Darth Vader together once more, the two coolest characters in the saga.
The book as a whole has all the good and bad elements of its predecessor, 'The Rebel Storm', but does have the benefit of having an actual ending. Once again, worth a read but far from the best book in the franchise.
3 out of 5
Classic Star Wars: The Rebel Storm
(Art by Al Williamson)
0 ABY. The second book of the Classic... series in which the old black and white newspapers strips have been reworked, coloured and collected into trade paperback format. We get several linked adventures here set between 'A New Hope' and 'The Empire Strikes Back' the best of which are Luke's crashlanding on a seemingly uninhabited ice planet called Hoth and Darth Vader's plot to get to Luke using an Obi-Wan Kenobi impostor. We also get to see the Rebel heroes' first encounter with Admiral Ackbar and the Mon Calamari.
So, by the simple merit of being packed with Star Wars excitement, this book is worth reading. There are, however, downsides. Firstly, because of the nature of the newspaper serials, the book starts halfway through a story and then ends halfway through a story (I'm giving Lucasfilm the benefit of the doubt there that this element isn't a cheap stunt to force you to buy the previous and subsequent books). Also, because so much had to be conveyed in limited space in the newspaper strip, it means the book is very dialogue-heavy with reams of now unnecessary exposition.
One final thing that bothered me was Williamson's habit of filling every inch of empty space, meaning that in some of the pictures there are half a dozen physically impossible planets providing a backdrop that I feel crowds the main focus rather than highlighting it. So, some good things, some bad.
Followed by 'Classic Star Wars: Escape to Hoth'.
3 out of 5
Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Newspaper Strips Vol. 2
(Art by Al Williamson, Brent Anderson and Thomas Yeates)
Collecting more than fifteen issues of the 'Classic Star Wars' comic series from Dark Horse, which in turn collected syndicated newspaper strips from the early 80s, this book follows Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie and the droids in the months after Episode IV. As the Empire besieges the Rebel base on Yavin 4, the heroes of the saga must seek allies offworld, uncover traitors in their own ranks, foil ruthless bounty hunters and seek a new home for the Rebellion.
My two biggest problems with this book are the fact that it's filled with heavy, exposition-dumping dialogue and that Al Williamson's art is at time much too busy in its backgrounds, drawing focus away from the important elements. A lesser problem is the slightly cheesy nature of some of the plotlines within the book (Serpent Masters, Obi-Wan impersonators etcetera), but I forgive that to a certain degree because it harkens back to the 1930s sci-fi serials that inspired George Lucas to create Star Wars in the first place.
If you're able to get past those faults, then what you're left with is a fun collection of adventures for the heroes of the Rebellion which sees them encountering the likes of Admiral Ackbar and Boba Fett, as well as discovering the remote ice planet Hoth. None of these stories will blow your mind, but they're enjoyable Star Wars nonetheless (and its worth remembering that elements from these stories became fundamental building-blocks in the old EU continuity).
3 out of 5
The Invincible Iron Man: Unmasked
(Art by George Tuska and Johnny Craig)
A collection of ten issues from the late 1960s featuring Iron Man taking on such villains as the Crusher, the Gladiator, the Night Phantom, the Controller and the Mandarin.
It's hard to believe now but until John Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. came along, Iron Man was considered a B-list Marvel hero. This book is a perfect example of why that is. Here we get overly-wordy and unnecessary dialogue, tepid romantic subplots and a string of just rubbish villains. The Mandarin is considered one of Iron Man's most iconic foes, but here we get a sense of just how much of a redemption the MCU version (in Shang-Chi) is, considering the terrible megalomaniac plans/speeches and the racially insensitive approach to Asians.
This book is absolutely representative of Marvel at its worst in the late 1960s and the only thing that's missing is Stan Lee's irritating penchant for alliteration.
1 out of 5
Wolverine/Nick Fury: The Scorpio Connection
(Art by Howard Chaykin)
When a SHIELD team is wiped out in Peru, Nick Fury personally takes on the investigation due to the apparent involvement of Scorpio, the villainous younger brother whom Nick believed dead. Also on the trail with a personal vendetta is Wolverine, out to avenge a friend who died at Scorpio's hands. However, there is far more to the identity of this returned Scorpio than it first seems.
Logan and Fury make for a good pairing with their military backgrounds and their pragmatic, ruthless demeanours and it is this pairing which is the book's strongest point. Both characters, whilst nominally good, have been known to skirt the grey areas of morality and as a result we get a somewhat more adult graphic novel than much of what Marvel was producing in the late 80s.
Familial revelations aside, Scorpio isn't a great antagonist and the fact that he's little more than a pawn for his controlling mother doesn't help that. Not having a really solid villain to pit Fury and Wolverine against is pretty detrimental to the story and a real shame considering how many great villains Marvel have at their disposal.
Not a great graphic novel, but not bad if you want to see two of Marvel's badasses team-up.
3 out of 5
Collaborations & Anthologies:
Indiana Jones Omnibus: The Further Adventures - Volume 1 (here)
Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... - Dark Encounters (here)
Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... - Doomworld (here)
Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... - Far, Far Away (here)
Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... - Resurrection Of Evil (here)
Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Newspaper Strips Vol. 1 (here)
Star Wars Legends: Forever Crimson (here)
Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space Volume 1 (here)
The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told (here)