Soule, Charles
About the Author:
Charles Soule is based in Brooklyn, New York and works as a writer, a musician and an attorney.
AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:
3.2 out of 5
(16 books)
TOP PICK:
Star Wars: Crimson Reign
Inhuman: Genesis
(Art by Ryan Stegman and Joe Madureira)
Black Bolt is missing, New Attilan has crashed into the Hudson River and the terrigen bomb has unleashed a cloud that is roaming the planet sparking terrigenesis in countless previously unknown Inhumans. As Queen Medusa tries to deal with all of these problems she is beset by enemies such as Lash and the Unspoken.
This book dates from the time when Marvel were actively trying to devalue the X-Men brand and supplant mutants with Inhumans (because, at the time Fox owned the rights to the X-Men movies and Marvel were trying to tank the X-Men IP in favour of stuff they hadn't sold off in the 90s). The problem is that, despite not being new to the Marvel Universe, the Inhumans have never been and will never be as interesting as mutants.
This book features young people gaining powers through terrigenesis and having to deal with how the world views them now and how they view themselves, but all of that is stuff that the X-Men comics have been tackling for literal decades at this point. Nothing new is covered here. On top of the derivative nature of the plot, it can't be avoided that there are very few Inhumans who could be considered either iconic or particularly interesting as protagonists. I can think of basically four Inhumans who have the chops to serve in that capacity and three of them don't even appear here (Black Bolt, Crystal and Lockjaw), whereas I bet you could rattle off ten X-Men with main character energy off the top of your head. We do get the fourth worthy Inhuman, Medusa, and her role here is one of the things that holds the book as a whole together.
Nevertheless, although this isn't a bad book, you'd do better to just go and read some X-Men instead.
3 out of 5
Star Wars: Crimson Reign
(Art by Steven Cummings and Victor Olazaba)
The core book of the Crimson Reign crossover arc and the second part of a trilogy which began in 'War of the Bounty Hunters', set between Episodes V and VI. Qi'ra and Crimson Dawn finally reveal their true purpose; the destruction of the Sith who hold the galaxy prisoner. To achieve her ends, Qi'ra unleashes spies, saboteurs, assassins and the Knights of Ren on missions with the intent of destabilising the Empire and dethroning Emperor Palpatine himself.
I was pretty underwhelmed by 'War of the Bounty Hunters' but it has to be said that this book is far, far better. I liked the idea of taking disparate characters and elements who hadn't been created when the classic trilogy came out and pitting them directly against the Empire. This book doesn't have to hold to established lore about where Luke, Leia and company are and what they're up to because all of the core characters are from more recent stories. It means there's some genuinely new ground to be explored in a period of the Star Wars timeline that's been the subject of stories for forty years. And where 'War of the Bounty Hunters' felt like an ill-fitting lump of a story dropped clumsily between ESB and RotJ, this one actually feels much more natural. In fact, the campaign launched by Crimson Dawn actually helps to make it more believable that the Rebellion went from total defeat at Hoth to total victory at Endor and Jakku in just a couple of years, because we see that the Empire is already reeling from other threats.
For perhaps the very first time since Marvel reclaimed Star Wars comics from Dark Horse (who were great), I'm genuinely excited to see where the next part of this story ('The Hidden Empire' - but not Rebel Assault II...) goes.
4 out of 5
Star Wars: Crimson Reign
(Art by Marco Castiello, Ramon Rosanas, Madibek Musabekov, Guiseppe Camuncoli, Daniele Orlandini, Will Sliney and Phil Noto)
Book 4 of the second run of Marvel's main Star Wars comics (not to be confused with the 'Crimson Reign' core crossover, also by Soule - Marvel really need to get better at naming their series/trade paperbacks). Luke sets off on a pilgrimage to learn more about the ways of the Jedi, whilst Leia and the Rebel fleet are left to confront the Star Destroyer Tarkin's Will and its ruthless commander Ellian Zahra. Also included are four short tales which serve as a celebration of Charles Soule's 100th Star Wars comic.
Unlike 'War of the Bounty Hunters', I actually quite liked the main crossover story of 'Crimson Reign' but one of the worst things about the former of those two stories was how badly the tie-in stories fitted around it, feeling arbitrarily plonked into the main narrative. Here it's sort of the opposite, with this book barely being a tie-in to the crossover at all. I rather prefer that, but it does make the title of this book all the more irritating as a result.
To begin with I was really enjoying reading Luke's quest to try and find out more about how to be a Jedi but then it ran into two major problems for me. The first one is that Luke encounters a spiritual echo of a Jedi from the High Republic and it's such a painfully blatant, and frankly nonsensical, attempt to give additional credibility to the High Republic publishing line by linking it to the classic era that it immediately becomes cringeworthy. The other problem is that Luke jumps around the galaxy desperately trying to seek out ways of getting more Jedi training, leaving the massive plot-hole of why he didn't just return to Yoda. We know from 'Return of the Jedi' that he doesn't until then, but it's always been hinted that he was just too busy searching for Han and fighting for the Rebellion to return to his training. Here, however, he specifically takes time out to get some more Jedi training but never once considers just going back to the Jedi Master whose location he already knows.
The second half of the book focuses on the Rebel fleet and their ongoing battle against Commander Zahra. It's pretty good overall and, between torturing Shara Bey and immolating the entire population of a Rebel camp, Zahra is a fittingly nasty villain.
Finally, there's Soule's victory lap of his Star Wars back-catalogue to celebrate his 100th comic in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. The stories are short, largely pointless, painfully self-indulgent and don't really add anything to the Star Wars mythos.
3 out of 5
Star Wars: Darth Vader - Dark Lord Of The Sith - Fortress Vader
(Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Daniele Orlandini and Terry Pallot)
18 BBY. The fourth and final book of the series begins with Vader and the Inquisitors hunting down a former member of the Jedi Council. However, with their work hunting the Jedi largely finished, Vader takes the opportunity to establish his own base of operations focused around the dark side nexus on Mustafar.
The start of this book should have been a really major event, since it's not often that a significant character from the movies meets their end in the tie-in media but, honestly, by this point in the series the whole thing of Vader hunting a Jedi fugitive has become a bit cliche (particularly if, like me, you've also read the similar stories from the older Expanded Universe comics too). It's really a sad state of affairs when seeing Darth Vader hunting down the remnants of the Jedi Order has become a bit boring.
The book jumps up a notch in the second act where we see Vader travel to Mustafar to build his castle. What gives this part of the book an interesting edge is that Vader enlists the help of the spirit of Sith and architect Lord Momin, bound to an ancient helmet and with dreams of resurrection. Its great to see Vader matching wits (and power) with another Sith Lord instead of just being treated like a naughty child the way he is by Palpatine.
The final third of the book has Vader going on a vision quest through his past which, whilst beautifully illustrated, is pretty inconsequential and amounts to simply rehashing a lot of scenes and dialogue from the Prequels. It doesn't feel like a satisfying end to the series as a whole but I did enjoy the brief moment where Vader is confronted by the figure of a Jedi and, thanks to Camuncoli's artwork, the Jedi's silhouette is clearly Luke's.
3 out of 5
Star Wars: Darth Vader - Dark Lord Of The Sith: Imperial Machine
(Art by Guiseppe Camuncoli and Cam Smith)
Beginning where 'Revenge of the Sith' ends, this book follows Darth Vader's first days as a Sith Lord, tasked by Emperor Palpatine with finding a lightsaber for himself by taking one from a fallen Jedi.
Not to be confused with the Darth Vader series set during the Rebellion (written by Kieron Gillen), here the titular Dark Lord is still all raw edges and unresolved Anakin Skywalker angst. It's interesting to see this iconic villain finding his feet (somewhat literally) and coming to grips with not only his role as Sidious' apprentice but also his position in the new Galactic Empire. This culminates in a great scene where he's shown a possible future in which he returns to the light side, kills Palpatine and seeks out Obi-Wan for forgiveness.
It also never hurts to see a story which features Vader going toe-to-toe with a Jedi survivor. What makes it particularly compelling here is that, without a lightsaber and unused to his cyborg armour, Vader is actually initially outmatched. Although, I have to say that this story isn't sufficiently different to the old Expanded Universe comics (the Dark Times series and 'Purge') to be a standout.
On top of the main story, we're also given a brief epilogue in which Vader meets the Grand Inquisitor for the first time. Fans of this 'Rebels' villain will enjoy learning a bit more of his backstory, as well as seeing why the Inquisitors bow before the might of the Sith. Sadly though this storyline cuts off rather abruptly and, presumably, one will have to buy the next book in the series for the resolution.
4 out of 5
Star Wars: Darth Vader - Dark Lord Of The Sith: Legacy's End
(Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Daniele Orlandini)
Book 2, set shortly after 'Revenge of the Sith' (novelised by Matthew Stover). Vader is tasked by the Emperor with hunting down Jedi Master Jocasta Nu, former keeper of the Jedi Archives, but is told he must capture her alive in order to retrieve a list of Force-sensitive children identified by the Jedi before Order 66.
This is fairly straightforward fare in regard to stories about Vader before the rise of the Rebellion, with him attempting to establish his position within the Imperial hierarchy whilst hunting down a fugitive Jedi. It is unusual for that Jedi to be one who actually appeared in one of the films, however, giving a bit more weight to the inevitable conclusion to the pursuit. I also liked the fact that this time around Vader is trying to capture the Jedi alive, but is unable to let any of his subordinates know why, putting him somewhat at odds with the likes of the Inquisitors.
Which leads me to one of this book's major failings; the way the Inquisitors are portrayed. Here the Inquisitors are shown as incompetent, flippant and little more than thugs. Whilst I get that the author is trying to set up a comparison between them and the true Sith Lord, it diminishes them as antagonists to the point that they're really no different than any number of Imperial officers. This is particularly disappointing in the case of the Grand Inquisitor, who is given none of the calculating menace displayed by the onscreen version shown in the 'Rebels' TV series (and brilliantly voiced by Jason 'Lucius Malfoy' Isaacs, too).
The book ends with an underwhelming final act in which bounty hunters try to kill Vader and he has to Force-choke some of those aforementioned Imperial officers in order to establish his spot in the pecking order. It's not bad, it's just something any long-term Star Wars fan will have seen many times before and feels like a big come-down from the Jedi-hunting action of the rest of the book.
3 out of 5
Star Wars: Hidden Empire
(Art by Steven Cummings, Victor Olazaba and Wayne Faucher)
The conclusion to the trilogy which also comprised of 'War of the Bounty Hunters' and 'Crimson Reign', wherein Lady Qi'ra and Crimson Dawn attempt to break the stranglehold held on the galaxy by the Dark Lords of the Sith. As the Empire begins to disassemble Crimson Dawn, Qi'ra and her allies put their final plan into effect, intending to activate the powerful dark side artifact known as the Fermata Cage.
Perhaps because there's too much going on and too much that needs to be included but this book felt a bit overcrowded and unfocused. The result is that there isn't really a terribly satisfying conclusion to the Crimson Dawn narrative, not for the specific stories of the characters featured. Honestly, Soule leaves far too much unresolved and it leave the book as a whole feeling a bit woolly.
There is good stuff here too though. My favourite element was seeing just how much the two Sith Lords outmatch all of the enemies arrayed against them. Also, too many stories have focused on the Sith infighting, with Palpatine treating Vader as an incompetent slave and Vader, in turn, constantly planning to overthrow the Emperor, but here we actually see Master and Apprentice working closely together to ensure the Sith control of the galaxy. And, honestly, it makes them much more compelling villains than when they're being all bitchy and back-stabby.
Overall a slightly disappointing end to the Crimson Dawn arc, but not an awful one by any means.
3 out of 5
Star Wars: Obi-Wan & Anakin
(Art by Marco Checchetto)
Set 'a few years' into Anakin's training this book sees the impulsive Padawan chafing at the strictures of the Jedi and considering leaving the Jedi Order. He and Obi-Wan are then sent on a mission to the remote planet Carnelion IV, which has been at war for generations, in response to a mysterious call for Jedi aid.
Since Marvel reclaimed the rights to Star Wars comics they've had a strange inclination to title all of their series after the main character(s), as if they think we're too dumb or fickle to buy into a book which doesn't have a familiar name plastered all over the cover. This annoys me, but isn't entirely relevant to this review, so I'll just get on with things...
The plot of this book is one which will be new to those who've only joined Star Wars under (evil) Disney's new canon, but as a long-time fan of the old Expanded Universe, I can say that there is nothing about the 'Jedi go to a world troubled by generations of war' plot here that breaks new ground. In fact, the whole book is almost a comic book remake of a Jude Watson younger reader story, from the Jedi Apprentice series, in which all the same plot points are hit except with Obi-Wan as the youth thinking about leaving the Jedi and Qui-Gon as the mentor unsure how to deal with it.
Add to this the fact that Checchetto's artwork is occasionally so overly busy that it made my head ache to try and take in what was happening. This book would have been much better with more minimalistic artwork.
It's not all bad, of course. There's an interesting scene in which Palpatine takes Anakin for a night out, the revelation that the 'Jedi' who is remembered on Carnelion IV actually had a red lightsaber and my favourite Star Wars character, Obi-Wan Kenobi, being a total badass.
3 out of 5
Star Wars: Operation Starlight
(Art by Ramon Rosanas and Jan Bazaldua)
Book two, 3 ABY. The Rebels come up with a daring plan to use an unbreakable code to reunite their fleet, but first they have to steal the only droid which knows the code from the heart of the Empire itself, Coruscant. Meanwhile they're fiercely pursued by Grand Moff Tarkin's protege Commander Ellian Zahra.
Much like the previous volume, 'The Destiny Path', this book is actually about the ongoing conflict between the Rebels and the Empire. Too many Star Wars stories in the Rebellion era just feature Han, Luke and Leia galivanting off on some irrelevant sidequest but here we actually get to see the larger narrative of the war being moved forward, which is something I very much enjoyed. Too many of the stories in Marvel's (second) run at the Star Wars licence have felt inconsequential, so it's nice to have some that don't.
Similarly, unlike many of the antagonists introduced in recent years, Zahra actually feels like a credible threat to the Rebels whilst also feeling like a three-dimensional character at the same time. She's not just another Star Destroyer commander and here we learn some of the details of why she's loyal to the Empire and her idolisation of Tarkin in particular.
Oddly, the big downside to this book is the characterisation of the Rebels themselves. Here we see Leia willing to sacrifice Lobot's life and Kes Dameron keen to execute Lando on the spot for trying to save his friend. I suspect that Soule was trying to say something about how the cause is bigger than any individual but the Rebels just come off as ruthless; meaning that I struggled to recognise the Princess Leia we know and love. The story seems to be setting up a plotline for Lando to betray the Rebels and, based on how they just tried to kill him and his best friend, I really don't blame him.
3 out of 5
Star Wars: Quests Of The Force
(Art by Andres Genolet, Madibek Musabekov and Andrea Di Vito)
Book 6. Trapped in No-Space, the heroes of the Rebellion have to find a Nihil Path engine in order to escape. Luke then has to undertake a quest to repair his damaged lightsaber, whilst Leia plans a symbolic strike against the heart of the Empire.
There are three main stories here and the first is simply finishing the narrative arc begun in 'The Path to Victory'. I can't say I found the overall plot of the Rebels being stuck outside the galaxy terribly engaging but it was a nice chance to get some character development in for Lando (not to mention a bit of nookie with Amilyn Holdo).
The story which follows Luke in search of a replacement kyber crystal felt a bit like retreading the storyline where he had to find a replacement lightsaber. It does give us some nice scenes of Luke telepathically entering both a neutral crystal and a dark side crystal and acknowledges the fact that he should really just being going back to Yoda for all this information. It's not a bad plotline, but it feels a bit out of place in this part of the timeline. Honestly, seeing Luke going on quests to better understand the Force and the Jedi feels like it would be better suited to the post-RotJ period.
The final third of this book gives us its best story, even if there is one major flaw in it. Here we see the Rebels re-affirming their public resistance to the Empire by planning a symbolic attack against Coruscant. What I want to see from this series at this point is the build-up to 'Return of the Jedi', with the Rebels no-longer on the back foot and instead making proactive plans. The problem is that the plan Leia comes up with here is nonsense. Send four pilots to Coruscant to blow up a statue, knowing full-well that they might not survive the attempt. I really can't see Leia wasting lives like this or Admiral Ackbar actually thinking it's a good plan. It's just a bit silly, really.
3 out of 5
Star Wars: The Destiny Path
(Art by Jesus Saiz)
Book one of a new series, set in the aftermath of 'The Empire Strikes Back'. The Rebel fleet is scattered and being hunted down by the Empire, Luke is reeling from Vader's revelations on Bespin and Leia is devastated by the loss of Han. Whilst Luke seeks to rebuild his connection to the Force and find a new lightsaber, Leia heads back to Cloud City with Lando, who she barely trusts at all.
This is a much more interesting storytelling period than the previous series by Marvel (set in the dull period between Episodes IV and V), with our heroes and the Rebellion itself having to deal with the fallout from some pretty devastating setbacks. This book does a great job of conveying the feeling of just how close to collapse the Rebellion is and how world-weary its heroes have become.
I'm quite the Lando fan, so it was nice to see his earliest missions with the Rebellion when he, like Han before him, is desperate to break free of his obligations but is pulled back by the connections he's made to the other Rebels. I particularly liked the scene where Lando inadvertently saves a woman and her gratitude for him rescuing her genuinely affects how he views the whole operation.
The one downside here is to do with Luke's quest and it's certainly not all bad. I love the idea of Luke having to seek out old Jedi ruins to further his training but here it seems just too convenient that, whilst on the hunt for a lightsaber, he find a completely intact Jedi temple which just happens to have a lightsaber sat lying around just inside the door. Sure it's supposed to be a trap set by Vader, but it still feels awfully contrived. Although it does retcon the original Marvel comics from the 80s, which had Luke using a lightsaber after Episode V, without any explanation of where he got it, as well a making a nice nod to the old Kenner action figure of Luke whose lightsaber was yellow for some reason.
4 out of 5
Star Wars: The High Republic - Light Of The Jedi
The first novel of the multimedia High Republic publishing programme, set two centuries before The Phantom Menace. The Republic is experiencing a golden age and Chancellor Lina Soh has set in motion several Great Works, the most recent of which is the construction of Starlight Station; a hub of Republic culture in the Outer Rim. As a result, Republic ships and numerous Jedi are near at hand when a disaster threatens the destruction of an entire star system. But the Great Disaster is just the first event in a chain that will pit the Republic and the Jedi against a vicious new enemy; the Nihil.
First off, I'll say that I'm a big fan of the High Republic Era as a concept (although this is the first story of it I've read so far), steering Star Wars publishing away from the shambles that is the Sequel Trilogy, whilst also tactfully avoiding overriding any of the old Expanded Universe (AKA 'Legends') stories of the Old Republic. A whole new era of storytelling which allows for great narrative freedom, whilst still being able to include the odd familiar face (three members of the Episode I Jedi Council make brief appearances).
Unfortunately, this book tries to do too much all at once in establishing this new era and is very poorly paced as a result. Things start well, with the Great Disaster and the various Jedi and Republic forces rushing to avert an even worse calamity, but then the book grinds to a halt and more of less starts all over again. There's also too much exposition going on, with characters stopping to lay out organisational details or technical specifications that are clearly for our benefit but which feel completely forced into the narrative.
On top of that, there are simply too many new characters to get to grips with. It's not that they're bad characters but constantly being thrown between the POVs of about half a dozen new Jedi, plus several Republic figures and the leaders of the Nihil means that there's little opportunity for us, the readers, to actually engage with any of the characters in any meaningful way. Honestly, I probably couldn't even name all of the 'main' characters in this book because they're so generic and we're given so little time to get to know them.
It's certainly not a bad book and I very much look forward to finding out how the High Republic series will develop, but this isn't the perfect launch point that I'd hoped it would be.
3 out of 5
Star Wars: The High Republic - The Blade
(Art by Marco Castiello and Jethro Morales)
382 BBY, part of Phase 2 of The High Republic. Jedi Knights Porter Engle and Barash Silvain answer a call for help on the remote planet Gansevor, where countless innocents are threatened amid the conflict between two warring city-states. Whilst Porter utilises his unparalleled combat skills, Barash seeks to find the truth hidden at the heart of the conflict.
This book starts off really well and has a lot going for it. I particularly liked seeing the development of the bond between Porter and Silvain, through their actions together and through flashbacks to their history. There's also something compelling about a story which, at its core, is simply the tale of two Jedi acting as Knights errant, without any of the baggage of the messy High Republic publishing programme weighing it down.
Unfortunately, despite having a lot of good elements, the end result is underwhelming. The fact that the Jedi try to mediate a conflict and then accidentally escalate it because they've been lied-to just feels very... obvious. I'm pretty sure, if I was so inclined, I could find a dozen other Star Wars stories which tell more or less the same tale with the same predictable twist.
3 out of 5
Star Wars: The Path To Victory
(Art by Andres Genolet and Ramon Rosanas)
Book 5 of the series set between Episodes V and VI. Luke undertakes a mission to rescue a couple of Imperial deserters who are carrying vital information to the Rebellion; that the Empire is building a second Death Star. Luke, Leia, Lando, Chewie and Amilyn Holdo then attempt to track down a long-lost supply convoy that disappeared during the High Republic Era.
I actually rather enjoyed the first half of this book, with the idea of two Crimson Dawn agents deeply embedded with the Empire risking everything to seek sanctuary with the Rebellion. However, it held two downsides for me, the first of which was Luke's role in the story. There's nothing wrong with how it unfolds but it feels way too contrived that Luke is the one who brings the discovery of the Death Star to the Rebels (and it also seems to totally ignore the many Bothans who died to bring us this information). The second problem was just how the Rebel High Command react to discovering there's another Death Star. You'd think that, having lost the entire planet Alderaan and all its people, the Rebel leaders would dread this new superweapon (that's the feel I always got from 'Return of the Jedi' too), but whilst Ackbar and Hera both looked shocked for a moment, Mon Mothma is basically of the opinion that it's no problem. It felt a really jarring end to an otherwise engaging tale.
The second half of the book is definitely the lesser. The continued inclusion of unsubtle High Republic links in the Rebellion Era stories feels very forced and I didn't like the cliffhanger that the book ends on. I'm not a fan of 'to be continued...' in general, but here it didn't even feel like the kind of cliffhanger that keeps you hooked and waiting for the next instalment, instead just feeling like the story is incomplete. Far worse, however, is the inclusion of Amilyn Holdo. Here she drags the main characters off on an irrelevant sidequest, following an absolutely terrible plan which she refuses to tell to her companions even though they absolutely need to know, but everyone continues to treat her as if she's not totally incompetent. If that sound familiar, that's because it's the same god-awful plot that the character was given in *holds-down-vomit* 'The Last Jedi'. I don't know if Soule was simply trying to establish continuity of character but, for me, it just reinforced what a terrible character Holdo was from the start (I feel sorry for Laura Dern, who I otherwise adore).
3 out of 5
Star Wars: War Of The Bounty Hunters
(Art by Steve McNiven, Luke Ross and David Messina)
A crossover ever, set between 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Return of the Jedi'. Boba Fett is on his way to deliver Han Solo's carbonite-frozen body to Jabba the Hutt when Solo is stolen by a mysterious new player, revealed to be the crime syndicate known as Crimson Dawn. An auction is then held for Solo which draws in his enemies, like Jabba and Darth Vader, as well as the smuggler's allies like Leia, Lando and Chewbacca. Caught up in the ensuing chaos are Doctor Aphra, Sana Starros and the bounty hunters Valance, Dengar and Bossk.
I have to admit that the idea of a comics crossover event in the Star Wars universe made me roll my eyes in despair. Dark Horse tried it years ago with 'Vector', which was fine, but Marvel's attempts thus far ('Vader Down' and 'The Screaming Citadel') have left a lot to be desired. Honestly, Star Wars is a property that doesn't need this sort of crossover and isn't particularly suited to it but Marvel has been churning out comics crossovers for so long now that they probably just can't help themselves.
The really disappointing thing is that there is an interesting core story to be told here, with Boba Fett having to recover Han from Crimson Dawn before any of the other factions get there first. Unfortunately the specific fact that this is a crossover event spoils the book as a whole. The linking-in of the tie-in stories from the ongoing series ('Star Wars', 'Darth Vader', 'Doctor Aphra' and 'Bounty Hunters') is so poorly handled that this book feels like it has big chunks of important narrative missing. Obviously this is intended so you go out and buy all the other books too but it's a real shame that it detracts so heavily from what could've been a solid story in an of itself.
3 out of 5
Star Wars: War Of The Bounty Hunters
(Art by Ramon Rosanas)
Book 2 of the ongoing Star Wars series, tying-in to the War of the Bounty Hunters event and not to be confused with the main book of the event, also written by Soule. As Starlight Squadron continues its mission to reunite the scattered Rebel fleet, Leia, Luke and Chewie take on the more personal mission of attempting to recover the carbonite-frozen Han Solo.
The first half of this book was pretty good and I enjoyed both Luke and Chewie's little sidequest to Nar Shaddaa and the story of Starlight Squadron rushing to the aid of a besieged Rebel base. The latter in particular felt like just the sort of story I want this series to be telling, showing us the ongoing war at the point where the Rebellion is not only at its most desperate but also on the cusp of its greatest victory.
Things get spoiled, however, in the latter half of the book where the main tie-in to 'War of the Bounty Hunters' happens. Demonstrating a problem common among Marvel's crossover events; the story is written with the intention of making you buy all of the other tie-ins too, not to mention the main event book itself. Unfortunately, rather than it being a story told from lots of different angles, what we get here (and what Marvel can't seem to get right these days) is a narrative full of holes which can only be filled by reading the other books and which therefore never actually feels like a compelling story in and of itself. Even having read the other stories, like I have, it doesn't justify how incomplete this book feels. It's really frustrating and, honestly, totally unnecessary with a bit of decent editorial oversight.
3 out of 5
Collaborations & Anthologies:
Original Sin (here)
Star Wars: Darth Vader - Dark Lord Of The Sith: The Burning Seas (here)
Star Wars: From A Certain Point Of View (here)
Star Wars: Heroes For A New Hope (here)
Star Wars Insider: The High Republic - Starlight Stories (here)
Star Wars: Rogues And Rebels (here)
Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures - Volume 2 (here)
Star Wars: The High Republic - Jedi's End (here)