Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Mar 19, 2015 14:29:16 GMT -5
Something I just want to make folks aware of, is that I've put links to each review into the very first post of this thread. So, if you're looking for what I wrote about a specific issue, you can just go to the start of this thread and navigate directly to the review you want from there. I just thought it'd be easier than scrolling through pages of replies to find what you're looking for.
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Confessor
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Not Bucky O'Hare!
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Post by Confessor on Mar 21, 2015 20:18:31 GMT -5
Star Wars #27Cover dated: September 1979 Issue title: Return of the HunterScript: Archie Goodwin Artwork: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Bob Wiacek (inks) Colours: Petra Goldberg Letters: John Costanza Cover art: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Bob Wiacek (inks) Overall rating: 6½ out of 10  Plot summary: Luke Skywalker and C-3PO are travelling to the backwater world of Junction to find spare parts for R2-D2, who has been damaged by Imperial blaster fire. Upon arrival, Luke and 3PO locate a salvage yard owned by a human named Skinker. Unknown to the pair, Skinker is being paid by the droid-hating bounty hunter Valance (who is currently working on Junction) to keep a look out for Luke. The greedy salvage dealer dispatches a lackey to alert Valance that, against all odds, his quarry has arrived on their doorstep. In the meantime, Valance stalks an Imperial spy who has spotted Skywalker and is attempting to alert Darth Vader of the Rebel's whereabouts. Valance kills the spy before he can transmit a signal to the Empire, ensuring that the hunter will have his prize to himself. Meanwhile, Luke and 3PO have managed to acquire the parts that they need for R2, when they are suddenly confronted by Valance in Skinker's yard. Luke manages to deflect the bounty hunter's shots with his lightsaber, causing a laser bolt to ricochet back and hit Valance, revealing the cybernetic parts beneath his skin. Valance eventually disarms Luke and is just about to kill him when, in a rare moment of bravery, C-3PO puts himself between Luke and the bounty hunter. The droid announces that he is prepared to sacrifice himself to save his master. Valance is moved by this behaviour and, in a moment of self-reflection and mercy, lets the pair leave unmolested. Comments: Issue #27 of Star Wars serves as a follow-up and conclusion to issue #16, in which we first met the droid-hating bounty hunter Valance and learned of his vendetta against Luke Skywalker. Carmine Infantino's artwork displays all the usual artistic traits – good and bad – that I always make mention of, but, interestingly, Luke Skywalker seems to have gotten an off-panel haircut between this issue and last. Gone is the Conan the Barbarian-style mane that Infantino has been drawing him with since issue #12 and in its place is a hairdo much more in keeping with how Luke looked in the original trilogy films. Bob Wiacek's inking seems to be back on point in this issue, after the slightly rushed-looking effort he turned in last time and as a result, much of the artwork in this issue really shines. In fact, some of Infantino's panels in this comic are simply gorgeous and a real pleasure to look at. In particular, the scenes in the spaceport town on the planet Junction are excellently rendered, with lots of detail and exotic atmosphere. Infantino's art here almost makes you want to climb into the comic panel and go off exploring the streets of this alien spaceport. Here are two of my favourite spaceport panels from this issue...  On the downside, there's a particular instance, on page 5 of this story, where Infantino seems to be ripping off or swiping from Walt Simonson's artwork in issue #16. Take a look at the two panels below; the left-hand panel is by Infantino and is taken from this issue, while the right-hand one is by Simonson and is from issue #16...  Note that the panel of Infantino's isn't a flashback to the scene in issue #16 or anything. It's an entirely different moment in the character's life. I'm not sure why an artist of Infantino's abilities would resort to copying Simonson so obviously, but there it is. Unfortunately, Infantino isn't the only one being unoriginal in this issue: Archie Goodwin also repeats himself somewhat, by attempting to keep Valance's cybernetic secret hidden from the readers on the opening pages of this comic, before "shockingly" revealing the bounty hunter's true makeup. I appreciate that some readers of this comic may not have picked up issue #16 and Goodwin obviously wanted to give those newcomers the "big reveal", but for a long-time reader of this series it just seems like a cheap reuse of an old gimmick. Goodwin also writes a really weird moment between Princess Leia and General Dodonna, where we see Leia put her arm around the older man and seductively caress his hair and beard, while apparently whispering into his ear (or maybe even puckering up to kiss him!). The dialogue that Goodwin ends this scene with only reinforces the impression that the princess is hitting on Dodonna and that nookie is imminent, when he has her say "Now, let's go inside...this night air makes me talk too much." The ending of this scene is a real head-scratcher. Leia's relationship with Dodonna is not supposed to be like that at all and nothing else is ever mentioned in the Marvel comic series to indicate that there is any suggestion of a romantic connection between the two. It makes me wonder whether this scene was accidentally misinterpreted by Infantino and that he maybe thought that Leia was supposed to be hitting on Dodonna or something. Like I say, it's a real head-scratcher. On the upside, "Return of the Hunter" is a pretty gripping, done-in-one storyline, with plenty of action and some good dialogue. Goodwin continues to write the droid-hating Valance as a self-loathing nutjob, which I like a lot. The scene in which we see the bounty hunter destroying a group of droids, for no other reason than the sheer pleasure he derives from watching droids suffer, marks Valance out as a real weirdo. Having a hatred of something as ubiquitous in the Star Wars Universe as droids is odd enough, but this kind of "sport" aptly illustrates just how deep the bounty hunter's issues are. I also love the scene where, due to damage caused by a deflected laser bolt, Valance is revealed as a cyborg and the shocked reaction that this provokes in Luke, prompts Valance to accuse Skywalker of being a hypocrite. In Valance's mind, even this supposed droid-lover is repulsed by the idea of someone who is half man, half droid. The fact that Valance then suddenly gives up his hate-fueled vendetta against droids in general and Luke in particular because C-3PO is prepared to sacrifice himself to save his master, further marks the hunter out as a very complex character. This is some powerful writing on Goodwin's part. We also see how much improvement Luke has made with his lightsaber skills in the scene where he deflects Valance's laser bolts. I guess that all that practicing with the training "remote" that we saw in the Star Wars movie and again in issue #18 has paid off. Goodwin also has Luke make reference to one of Han Solo's piloting manoeuvres called "threading the asteroids", which ties in nicely with the expertise we'll see Solo using in the asteroid field sequence of The Empire Strikes Back. Overall, issue #27 of Star Wars is a fairly flawed creation. Parts of it are excellent – especially the artwork – and it's certainly quite an exciting story. Also, the way that the confrontation between Luke, C-3PO and Valance is resolved is very interesting and pretty thought-provoking. However, the out of character scene between Leia and Dodonna, the reusing of the big reveal from issue #16, concerning Valance's cybernetic secret, and the weird Simonson swipe by Infantino all serve to diminish the comic's quality. Continuity issues: - Luke Skywalker's lightsaber is coloured yellowy orange instead of blue/white on the front cover and inside the comic.
Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "Now step back...before killing you, I mean to melt your pet junk into slag." – Captain Valance prepares to destroy C-3PO, prior to killing Luke Skywalker.
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Mar 24, 2015 13:48:59 GMT -5
Star Wars #28Cover dated: October 1979 Issue title: What Ever Happened to Jabba the Hut?Script: Archie Goodwin Artwork: Carmine Infantino (breakdowns)/Gene Day (finished art & inks) Colours: Glynis Wein Letters: John Costanza Cover art: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Bob Wiacek (inks) Overall rating: 4 out of 10  Plot summary: Following their escape from The Wheel and Darth Vader, Han Solo and Chewbacca are forced to make repairs to the Millennium Falcon in a smuggler's hideout on the rainswept world of Orleon. Unbeknown to Solo, Jabba the Hutt has placed a hidden alarm device in the cavern where the Falcon is concealed, to alert him if the Corellian smuggler should ever use that particular hideout. Jabba soon arrives on Orleon and his henchmen launch an assault on the cavern, in an attempt to flush Han and Chewbacca out. However, the two smugglers soon discover that they have another problem: the cavern they have hidden in is infested with Stone Mites, biological weapons from the days of the Clone Wars that can eat through anything. The destructive mites attack the Falcon, but using the ship's main guns, Han manages to blast away the cavern's ceiling – which has been weakened by the mite's corrosive activity – and the freighter escapes. Once beyond the planet's atmosphere, Han and Chewie are confronted by Jabba's ship, the Voidraker, but the smuggling czar reveals that his craft is infested with Stone Mites and he needs to take refuge aboard the Falcon. Han allows the Hutt to come aboard, but not before he forces Jabba to cancel the debt he owes and the attendant price on his head. Comments: This issue sees us finally catching up with Han Solo and Chewbacca, who have been absent from the pages of the comic for five months, since they departed The Wheel at the end of issue #23. We also get to catch up with the Marvel Comic's version of Jabba the Hutt (spelt with one "t" here because the official spelling wouldn't be changed to Hutt until 1983 and the release of Return of the Jedi). I noted in my review of Star Wars #2 that Lucasfilm hadn't come up with a finished design for Jabba when the first Star Wars movie was made, so artists Howard Chaykin and Steve Leialoha chose to depict Jabba as a human-sized, bipedal, yellow-skinned alien in the film's comic adaptation. This design was heavily based on an alien from the Mos Eisley cantina who would later be named as Mosep Binneed. Once that precedent for how Jabba looked was set, Marvel stuck with it for the crime-lord's subsequent appearances – at least, up until the comic adaptation of Return of the Jedi. This is why the Marvel Comic's version of Jabba the Hutt looks so different in these early appearances to the bloated, slug-like gangster we all know and love. Issue #28 is a stand-alone, done-in-one adventure, but it's not one of the better comics from the Archie Goodwin and Carmine Infantino era. Some of Han's dialogue is pretty corny here and it's certainly hard to imagine Harrison Ford speaking any of these lines. I definitely feel as if Han is the character that Goodwin has the least good grasp on, in terms of writing suitable dialogue. That said, Jabba is quite well characterised and the fact that he prizes the Millennium Falcon over Han and Chewie's lives ties in nicely with Greedo's threat that Jabba "may only take your ship" in the Star Wars movie. Another nice touch that I really liked is that every time Jabba has to go outside into the pouring rain of Orleon, one of his henchmen holds what looks to be a force field generated umbrella over him. I also love that Jabba's ship is called the Voidraker; that's a cool name for a spacecraft. Of course, the major flaw in this issue is the fact that Jabba looks nothing like he does in Return of the Jedi. An in-universe explanation that later writers concocted for Jabba's markedly different appearance in these early issues of the Marvel series, was that Mosep Binneed was actually Jabba's accountant and that he sometimes used the Hutt's name in interactions. This somewhat improbable justification for the two Jabbas still doesn't explain why Han calls Mosep "Jabba", since its obvious that he knew the real Jabba very well – well enough to recognise him by his laugh alone in Return of the Jedi, in fact. Despite the glaring continuity error that he represents, I must say that I quite like the Marvel Comics' version of Jabba and I remember being slightly disappointed at the Jabba that George Lucas gave us when Return of the Jedi came out. I guess I was just used to the comic version. These days I probably like the Marvel version of Jabba just about as much as the movie one. It has always seemed to me that a two-legged Jabba would be able to rule his criminal empire much more effectively than a slow moving, slug-like beast. The Stone Mites are a nifty little plot device and it's interesting that they are a biological weapon from the days of the Clone Wars. As a young kid, I remember being creeped out by the huge swarms of these insects in this issue. The acid that the mites produce, which can eat through anything, is somewhat reminiscent of the blood of the xenomorph in Ridley Scott's movie Alien, which had hit cinemas a couple of months prior to this comic being published. That close proximity to the film's release probably means that it's just a coincidence, but I guess it could be possible that Goodwin was inspired by Alien to some degree. The artwork in this issue sees inker Gene Day doing embellishing and finishing over Carmine Infantino's breakdowns. I think I kind of prefer Day in this capacity, although we still get some of those weird, overly-harsh facial expressions that I always note whenever Day inks Infantino. Still, there's some reasonably nice art in this issue, even if Infantino's overly-angular artistic tenancies and poor grasp of Star Wars ship design have never really been my cup of tea. That said, there is a slight discrepancy between the art and Goodwin's scripting in one sequence, when one of Jabba's henchmen tells him that only one of his goons was killed in their last assault, despite the artwork clearly showing two men being gunned down. All in all, issue #28 is an odd one. It's not a bad story really, although not a particularly excellent one either. Yes, there are continuity issues, but in the days before the Star Wars sequels came out, there's no reason why this tale wasn't a totally plausible instalment from The Adventures of Luke Skywalker. However, time and the evolution of Star Wars continuity has not been kind. The fact that we have an entirely different looking Jabba the Hutt means that pretty much the entire issue doesn't align with continuity. Also, the cancelling of Han's debt and the removal of the price from his head is problematic and would prove troublesome for Goodwin, when, in issue #37, he had to hastily reinstate it in time for the release of The Empire Strikes Back. Given how closely Goodwin had to work with Carol Titleman, who was the Star Wars Corporation's Director of Publications, it's surprising that the contents of this story were ever approved – especially when shooting of The Empire Strikes Back was already underway at the time. With perhaps the exception of "Hoth Stuff!" in issue #78, it's tough to think of another issue of Marvel's original Star Wars comic that clashes so badly with established continuity. As such, this comic can pretty much be regarded as the poster child for those who dismiss the series as being frivolous and not in keeping with George Lucas's vision. Continuity issues: - Jabba the Hutt looks entirely different from how he will appear in Return of the Jedi and subsequent films.
Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "She's vibrating like a cantina dancer at a Tatooine moisture festival, Chewie!" – Han Solo colourfully describes the sudden shaking that has seized the Millennium Falcon to his co-pilot.
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Mar 25, 2015 21:34:53 GMT -5
Star Wars #29Cover dated: November 1979 Issue title: Dark EncounterScript: Archie Goodwin Artwork: Carmine Infantino (breakdowns)/Bob Wiacek (finished art & inks) Colours: Glynis Wein Letters: John Costanza Cover art: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Bob Wiacek (inks) Overall rating: 8 out of 10  Plot summary: While interrogating a Rebel spy, Darth Vader discovers that a deserter from the Alliance named Tyler Lucian knows the identity of the Force using Rebel pilot who destroyed the Death Star. Meanwhile, the former droid-hater Valance has come to realise that the relationship Luke Skywalker shares with R2-D2 and C-3PO represents hope for a galaxy where cyborg's like him may one day not be social outcasts. Valance manages to learn of Tyler and the information he possesses, prompting him to pursue the former Rebel in an attempt protect Skywalker, by preventing the deserter from revealing Luke's name to Vader and the Empire. Valance catches up with Tyler near the deserter's hideout, on the shores of Rubyflame Lake on the planet Centares, but before he can kill the ex-Rebel, Vader arrives in his TIE Advanced fighter. Valance and Vader battle each other, with Valance giving his life to prevent Vader from learning the information he seeks, as the Sith Lord sends him plunging into the highly corrosive waters of Rubyflame Lake. With Valance dead, Vader turns his attention to Tyler, but, inspired by Valance's brave sacrifice, the former Rebel commits suicide by jumping into Rubyflame Lake himself, thwarting Vader's plans. Comments: This issue sees the series back on form again, after the somewhat lacklustre story and huge continuity problems of last month. We have the return of the cyborg bounty hunter Valance and, in a way, this issue functions as the third instalment of a Valance trilogy, along with "The Hunter!" in issue #16 and "Return of the Hunter" in issue #27. Archie Goodwin's writing of the bounty hunter is, as ever, really excellent. Valance is a very complex character, especially now that his droid-hating days are behind him and he has new-found respect for Luke Skywalker, a man who Valance believes is fighting for a better galaxy. A galaxy in which even a cyborg like him might one day be accepted. I think in the hands of a lesser writer, Valance's change of motivation between Star Wars #27 and #29 might have seemed contrived and unlikely, but Goodwin has already defined this character in such a way that his moral about-face seems perfectly plausible. I love how badass Valance is in this issue, especially during the barroom shoot-out where he learns Tyler Lucian's name. Also, the way Valance behaves during his battle with Darth Vader is very powerful, as he tries to prevent the Sith Lord from learning Skywalker's name, in order to buy Luke more time to gain mastery of the Force, so that he can one day defeat Vader. For Valance to ultimately give his life in order to save Luke is an unexpected and yet totally believable end for the bounty hunter. To then have the disgraced Rebel deserter Tyler Lucian commit suicide to thwart Vader, after being inspired by Valance's sacrifice, makes this a very heavy issue and a testament to how great a writer Goodwin could be. The opening pages do a great job of reminding the reader just what a ruthless and sadistic villain Vader is. It's kind of chilling to see how driven the Dark Lord of the Sith is to learn the name of the Force user who destroyed the Death Star. The fact that the artwork never allows us to see the poor Rebel spy who is being interrogated only serves to make the torture that the man has to suffer seem more stomach churning. Talking of queasy stomachs, it's cool to see Captain Wermis make another appearance, as he squeamishly watches Vader conduct his interrogation. I also like that the climax of this issue occurs on the planet Centares, where, in issue #25, Luke and Princess Leia exchanged Senator Greyshade's space-yacht at Jorman Thoad's used spacecraft dealership. Something that I really want to mention is that there's an intriguing and enigmatic scene right at the end of this issue, when Vader returns to his Star Destroyer. He seems to overhear a stormtrooper complaining to a fellow infantryman that he's been in his armour so long he's beginning to "feel like a blasted borg...or worse." Vader then turns to Wermis and instructs him that, for the time being, all off-duty personnel must remain in full armour. This is fascinating because it suggests that, being a cyborg himself, Vader understands what Valance was fighting for on some level and that he takes exception to the stormtrooper's derogatory attitude towards those who are half man, half machine. The order to force all off-duty stormtroopers to remain in their armour is presumably a punishment for the remark and an attempt to give the men responsible a taste of what it's like to never be able to escape your armour, just as Vader can't. As such, this scene provides a fascinating glimpse into the twisted humanity of the Sith Lord. Goodwin really is firing on all cylinders here. As far as the artwork is concerned, there's some superb sequential storytelling from Carmine Infantino in this issue, with the artist giving us lots of inventive "camera angles", excellent pacing, detailed backgrounds and some striking splash pages. Here are a few examples...    While it's true that all of the usual aspects of Infantino's art that I dislike, such as his overly angular inclinations and inaccurate depictions of Star Wars spacecraft, are still evident here, Bob Wiacek's finished pencils and inking make the art look nicer than usual. This really is just about as good as the art gets during Infantino's tenure on the book. Still, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't wonder how much more awesome this issue would've been if we'd have had Walt Simonson pencilling, with Wiacek on inks, as we did in the excellent issue #16. Talking of Wiacek, there's an explanation on the letters page as to why he and the series' other regular inker, Gene Day, are working more or less alternately on this series. Apparently, Marvel UK's Star Wars Weekly comic was reprinting almost two issues worth of U.S. stories every month – and, in point of fact, Star Wars Weekly had been printing these stories in advance of the U.S. publication date for some time now. Marvel therefore needed to quickly amass a lot of material to keep up with demand in Britain and this necessitated two regular inkers on the series. In fact, before the year was out, Marvel UK would begin publishing UK exclusive stories by Goodwin and Infantino, that American readers had wait a couple of years or more to read, as we shall see. Ultimately, although this is a very good comic from Marvel's original Star Wars run, it isn't quite up to the high standards of issues #16 and #17, which are the two best issues of the series so far, in my opinion. Nonetheless, it's really not far off and is definitely a comic that I would recommend to anyone who wants to read the cream of the issues from the period between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Continuity issues: None Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "That boy you're seeking...and his droid...held out hope of something better, Vader. A time, a life, when even someone like me might not be a freak. A foolish dream, no doubt...but so was destroying the Death Star!" – Valance explains his motivation for protecting Luke Skywalker to Darth Vader.
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Mar 30, 2015 19:23:34 GMT -5
Star Wars #30Cover dated: December 1979 Issue title: A Princess Alone!Script: Archie Goodwin Artwork: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Gene Day (inks) Colours: Petra Goldberg Letters: Joe Rosen Cover art: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Bob Wiacek (inks) Overall rating: 6 out of 10  Plot summary: Princess Leia Organa has travelled to the Imperial factory planet of Metalorn on a mission to inspire hope and raise awareness of the Rebellion among its worker-slaves. The planet is ruled over by Governor Corwyth, who has prevented word of the Rebel Alliance from reaching the subjugated labourers, while feeding them a constant stream of Imperial propaganda as they toil for the greater glory of the Empire. Once on the planet, Leia evades pursuing stormtroopers and manages to locate her former history teacher Arn Horada, with the intention of having him spread word among the labourers of the Rebellion and its fight against the Empire's tyranny. But before she can say much to Horada, she is confronted by Baron Orman Tagge, who is visiting the facility as an overseer and plans to capture the princess to gain favour with the Emperor. After a short scuffle, Leia manages to escape Tagge with the help of a young girl named Tammi. Upon leaving the planet, Leia reflects that her actions will possibly inspire the worker population to sabotage the Imperial war machine in any small way that they can. Comments: This is another stand-alone issue of Marvel's Bronze Age Star Wars series. I must say that it's cool to have an issue that focuses entirely on Princess Leia, since, as I've noted in other reviews, she seems to be the character that Archie Goodwin has the best grasp of at the moment. Unfortunately, Goodwin's writing here isn't as good as it could be and as a result, what might've been a real corker of an issue ends up being a more average affair. One problem is that Goodwin writes the Empire as a bit too Orwellian and the planet Metalorn as perhaps a bit too dystopian for a Star Wars story. The idea that the Empire would control the labour force on Metalorn (who are really little more than slaves) so tightly certainly makes sense. However, the sterile, dead world of Metalorn itself, the Imperial propaganda that the workers are fed, talk of "approved visitation periods" and the strictly regimented way in which the pseudo-robotic labourers are treated feels much more like George Orwell's 1984 or Aldous Huxley's Brave New World than it does Star Wars. In fact, the status quo inside Metalorn's factory complex isn't a million miles away from the society that George Lucas himself gave us in his earlier film THX-1138. Now, I'm not adverse to seeing the Empire using propaganda and historical revisionism to control its citizens – and I quite like the cover story we have in this issue that Alderaan was destroyed by a freak meteor shower, rather than by the Empire itself – but the way that it's executed in this comic just doesn't feel very Star Wars-y somehow. On the plus side, it's cool to see Baron Tagge make another appearance and, is it just me, or is there a touch of Marvel super-villain about him here? Maybe a hint of Dr. Octopus or something? Anyway, it's nice to see that this issue advances the ongoing storyline about Tagge's attempts to win the Emperor's favour and replace Darth Vader as his right-hand man. In particular, I like that we get to see the consequences of Luke Skywalker's successful mission to destroy the Tagge-owned turbine back in issue #26, with Tagge now needing to prove his worth to the Emperor as a result. Governor Corwyth is a fairly neat, if somewhat unmemorable, character who seems to have the persona of a dastardly upper-class British villain. Certainly, I can't help but read his dialogue with the accent of the English aristocracy. Art-wise, there's an interesting snippet of behind the scenes information in the "Bullpen Bulletins" column inside of this issue (and in every other Marvel comic published this month). By this point in the run, Goodwin was apparently providing very basic sketches of every panel for artist Carmine Infantino to base his work on. That's interesting because it means that an awful lot of the story pacing and panel composition in issues from this period must've originated with Goodwin, rather than with Infantino. Regardless, Infantino provides some really nice industrial scenery in the backgrounds of the panels in which the Imperial stormtroopers are perusing Leia through the factory complex. There's also a fair bit of action in this issue, which Infantino renders very well, creating some striking artwork in the process. Still, it goes without saying that we get the signature Infantino angular style and shoddy depictions of Star Wars tech that I love to hate and the comic suffers because of it. Also, Infantino's drawings of the Imperial stormtroopers appear to have reverted back to the highly stylised take on the foot soldiers that we saw earlier in his run, making me wonder if the comparatively excellent drawing of a trooper in issue #25, which I mentioned in my review of that comic, was actually redrawn by inker Gene Day or something. Overall, this is a reasonably entertaining issue, although it's not one of Goodwin's best. He writes Leia here as a little too sure of herself and even a touch arrogant, especially when you consider that her mission was, at best, a disaster and, at worst, a total failure. However, I like the idea of Leia acting as a figurehead to inspire hope among the worker populace of Metalorn, but I just wish that the princess wasn't quite so self-congratulatory about it. Yes, the message of hope in this issue is a bit heavy-handed, but still, the metaphoric parallel between the plants that the little girl Tammi is trying to grow and the seed of Rebellion that Leia is attempting to germinate works much better than you might think. Continuity issues: None Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "Find her! If it takes every stormtrooper on Metalorn...find that Rebel witch!" – Governor Corwyth orders his men to intensify their search for Princess Leia Organa.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Mar 31, 2015 5:39:09 GMT -5
Star Wars #29Cover dated: November 1979 Issue title: Dark EncounterScript: Archie Goodwin Artwork: Carmine Infantino (breakdowns)/Bob Wiacek (finished art & inks) Colours: Glynis Wein Letters: John Costanza Cover art: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Bob Wiacek (inks) Overall rating: 8 out of 10  . Valance! Nooooooooo! Well, better to go in a blaze of glory than be spread too far like a little nut of butter over a big toast (to paraphrase Bilbo Baggins). Valance was the most interesting new character to be introduced in Marvel's Star Wars (sorry, Jaxxon) and his death here certainly gave weight to this story. I am very impressed by the job Goodwin did with the transition between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, even if there were many things he was not allowed to do. Vader's search for Luke's identity was interesting in and of itself, and when Empire begins and Vader knows who Luke is, we readers are not left to wonder how he got that information. Good review as always, Confessor! You put a lot of work into these things! |
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Post by dbutler69 on Mar 31, 2015 9:10:47 GMT -5
I'm falling way behind the pace, but I'm looking forward to getting to #29!
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Mar 31, 2015 10:40:41 GMT -5
Valance! Nooooooooo! Well, better to go in a blaze of glory than be spread too far like a little nut of butter over a big toast (to paraphrase Bilbo Baggins). Valance was the most interesting new character to be introduced in Marvel's Star Wars (sorry, Jaxxon) and his death here certainly gave weight to this story. I more or less agree with you, although later original characters like Kiro, Dani, Shira/Lumiya or even Plif were just as good IMO. Jaxxon, alas, just didn't star in the book enough and clearly some readers -- even young readers back in the day -- just had a visceral dislike for him straight away. Personally, I still get a kick out of thinking what might've been if that Jaxxon spin-off mini-series that Roy Thomas envisioned in his letter in issue #20 had actually happened. Ah, Jaxxon...we hardly knew ya! Good review as always, Confessor! You put a lot of work into these things! Thanks, roquefort. It's not much of chore, to be honest, I'm loving re-reading these issues again and putting down my thoughts on them. Actually, I got a PM from Charlie Lippincott * a day or two ago, complimenting me on my reviews and he also linked to this thread on his Facebook page. I got a pretty big kick out of that, I can tell you.  I'm falling way behind the pace, but I'm looking forward to getting to #29! Well, there's no rush dbutler69. Whenever you get round to reading an issue, your thoughts and comments on it will be most welcome, no matter how far behind you are. * = Charlie Lippincott was the head of the Star wars Corporation's marketing division from 1975 to roughly 1978 and was basically responsible for persuading Roy Thomas and Marvel to do a SW comic in the first place. |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 4, 2015 11:44:58 GMT -5
Star Wars Annual #1Cover dated: 1979 (actually issued on December 4th, 1979) Issue title: The Long Hunt/A Duel of Eagles!Script: Chris Claremont Artwork: Mike Vosburg (pencils)/Steve Leialoha (inks) Colours: Bob Sharen Letters: John Costanza Cover art: Walter Simonson Overall rating: 9 out of 10  Plot summary: While on the planet Tirahnn, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia are attacked by a group of fierce Catuman warriors on the orders of a green-skinned, winged woman named Kharys, the Majestrix of Skye. Han Solo and Chewbacca rescue the pair, but Solo recognises Luke's description of Kharys as an old enemy from his smuggling days. After a Smoke Demon under the command of Kharys enters the Millenium Falcon and murder's Han's friend Katya M'Buele, he resolves to confront the Majestrix on her homeworld of Skye. Upon reaching the planet, the Falcon is shot down by Imperial TIE fighters and Luke and Leia are captured by the Highland S'kytri, a tribe of winged people not directly affiliated with Kharys. The two Rebels are brought to trial before the Supreme Council of the Highland Clans, where Leia is identified as an enemy of the Empire. But before the council can turn her over to the Imperials, Luke is recognised as the son of the clan's "wingless brother", who was one of a group of Jedi Knights who helped save the planet from destruction during the Clone Wars. As a result, Luke and Leia are set free and, with their S'kytri allies, set about rescuing Han and Chewbacca, who are now being held in Kharys' fortress. During the assault on the fortress, Leia manages to rescue Solo and his Wookiee first mate, while Luke kills Kharys in a lightsaber duel. This essentially frees Skye from Imperial rule, since the planet's affiliation with the Empire stems from a time when Darth Vader, who was one of the Jedi that earlier helped save the planet, returned years later. Vader invoked the S'kytri's oath of fealty and installed Kharys as Skye's ruler to do his bidding. With her now dead by Luke's hand, the S'kytri are free to resist the Empire's rule. Comments: This is the first annual from Marvel's Star Wars series and what a great comic it is! There's some beautiful artwork here from Mike Vosburg, who had previously pencilled issues of Marvel's The Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu and John Carter: Warlord of Mars, and would go on to work on The Savage She-Hulk. Unfortunately, this annual represents his only contribution to Marvel's Star Wars run and that's a real shame because the sequential artwork here is both pretty and very well executed. For example, I love how inventive and detailed this panel depicting Luke and Leia being chased through the crowded streets of Tirahnn is...  After recent issues with regular artist Carmine Infantino's highly stylized and overly-angular art, it's a breath of fresh air to get an artist on the series who seems to be able to effortlessly conjure the Star Wars aesthetic so well on the page. It's also nice to see the likes of the Millenium Falcon, the Imperial stormtroopers and Chewbacca accurately rendered for a change, since these are all areas in which Infantino fails to impress. The sequence set in the bazaar on the planet Tirahnn is very well drawn and I like the amount of detail that Vosburg puts into his panels throughout this issue. Also, the sequence showing the rescue of Han and Chewbacca has lots of pace and movement in its panel-to-panel flow. We get the welcome return of inker Steve Leialoha too, whose confident and sumptuous inking hasn't been seen in this series since the movie adaptation issues. While we're on the subject of the art, I must mention how great Bob Sharen's colouring is. He even gets the colour of Luke's lightsaber correct, which is something that has barely ever happened in the regular monthly series. The front cover features a lovely Walt Simonson illustration, depicting Luke Skywalker in a dramatic battle stance, lightsaber ready, as Kharys and her Catuman warriors close in. The way Luke's lightsaber is rendered here, with gleaming cross beams of light radiating off of it, is reminiscent of the Star Wars theatrical poster by Tom Jung. Chris Claremont's writing is on top form and he nails the voices of the central cast perfectly. So much so, in fact, that you can almost hear the voices of the movie actors speaking his dialogue. Claremont also gives us some nice character development too, with several examples of Luke's ever increasing abilities with the Force and his lightsaber being shown (which is very in keeping with how Goodwin has been writing Luke in the main series). In fact, this issue represents the first time in the Marvel series that we see Luke engaging in a lightsaber duel against an enemy, six months before cinema audiences would see Luke duel Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back. I also really like Claremont's narration; it has a poetic quality that is somewhat akin to the way Roy Thomas wrote in the earliest issues of the series. Katya M'Buele, a female acquaintance of Han's from his days as a smuggler, is an interesting character and notable for being black-skinned. Although she's not the first black-skinned character to have appeared in Star Wars-related literature (that honour goes to Rekkon in Brian Daley's novel Han Solo at Stars' End), Katya is the first black-skinned character to appear in the Star Wars comic, which is kinda cool. On the downside, giving her an African sounding last name just because she's black isn't really very enlightened and, visually, she does look a lot like a character from a blaxploitation movie (and therefore reminiscent of Marvel's other blaxploitation-influenced female, Misty Knight). But still, she's an interesting character and it's a pity that she gets killed off so quickly. On the negative side of things, Claremont gives us an uncomfortable, vaguely incestuous moment between Luke and Princess Leia, when Luke thinks of his own attraction to the princess and wonders about her feelings towards him. Of course, like I always say when these moments arise in the Marvel run, nobody knew back in 1979 that Luke and Leia were siblings – probably not even George Lucas! A bigger problem, continuity-wise, is that the S'kytri tell Luke that long ago three Jedi Knights saved their planet: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader and Luke's as yet unnamed father. This is problematic because, as we all know, Darth Vader and Luke's farther are the same person. Again though, nobody outside of those immediately connected to the writing and filming of The Empire Strikes Back would've had any inkling in 1979 that Vader was Luke's father. In closing, this first Star Wars annual is a really great comic and much better than the majority of the issues we've been getting in the main series so far. It looses a point for the continuity gaff about Luke's father and Darth Vader being two separate people – although, it should be noted that this isn't really Claremont's fault, since all the evidence at the time pointed towards this being the case. The Vosburg/Leialoha artwork is gorgeous and a real pleasure to look at, while Claremont's scripting, characterisation and plotting delivers a really engaging read. I'd rate this annual and issue #17, which was co-written by Claremont, as the joint best issues of the series so far. Continuity issues: - The S'kytri tell Luke Skywalker that three Jedi Knights saved their planet: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader and Luke's father. However, Vader and Luke's father are the same person.
Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "Welll...that outfit looks a little daring to me. On Tatooine, she'd be asking for a bad case of sunburn or wind scar." – Luke Skywalker comments on a scantily clad female in the Tirahnn bazaar.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Apr 5, 2015 10:27:26 GMT -5
Something I just want to make folks aware of, is that I've put links to each review into the very first post of this thread. So, if you're looking for what I wrote about a specific issue, you can just go to the start of this thread and navigate directly to the review you want from there. I just thought it'd be easier than scrolling through pages of replies to find what you're looking for. Now that's a damn clever move! Do you mind if I copy it? |
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Post by Action Ace on Apr 5, 2015 15:56:59 GMT -5
Star Wars Annual #1 was the first new Star Wars comic I ever bought off the stands. It is still one of my favorites and may be my all time favorite comic written by Chris Claremont.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,220
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Post by Confessor on Apr 5, 2015 18:48:28 GMT -5
Something I just want to make folks aware of, is that I've put links to each review into the very first post of this thread. So, if you're looking for what I wrote about a specific issue, you can just go to the start of this thread and navigate directly to the review you want from there. I just thought it'd be easier than scrolling through pages of replies to find what you're looking for. Now that's a damn clever move! Do you mind if I copy it? Ha! No, not at all. Star Wars Annual #1 was the first new Star Wars comic I ever bought off the stands. It is still one of my favorites and may be my all time favorite comic written by Chris Claremont. Yeah, it's a real corker. Definitely one of the best of the issues from between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. It's funny, I liked it as a kid, but I never loved it. It's definitely a comic that has improved with the passing of time, at least for me. |
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,220
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Post by Confessor on Apr 5, 2015 19:02:49 GMT -5
Star Wars Weekly #94Cover dated: December 12th, 1979 Issue title: The Way of the Wookiee!, Part 1 Script: Archie Goodwin Artwork: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Pablo Marcos (inks) Tones: Howard Bender Letters: Irving Watanabe Cover art: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Bob Wiacek (inks) Overall rating: 4 out of 10  Plot summary: Prior to the events of the Battle of Yavin, Han Solo and Chewbacca stop off on the planet Formos as part of a Kessel Run to pick up a shipment of spice from one of Jabba the Hutt's contacts named N'Mrith. Shortly after landing, they encounter Imperial Commander Quirt, who suspects them of being smugglers. Han manages to talk his way out of trouble, but Quirt, who is eager to acquire new prisoners for the Spice Mines of Kessel, remains suspicious. After making contact with N'Mrith, who warns them to keep a low profile while on the planet, the pair manage to attract unwanted attention when Chewbacca spots a fellow Wookiee being led in chains by a group of Quirt's stormtroopers. Chewbacca becomes enraged and charges toward the stormtroopers, forcing Han to shoot his sidekick with a stun blast. Comments: "The Way of the Wookiee!" is the first UK exclusive storyline to be published by Marvel UK's Star Wars Weekly comic. Yes, issue #60 of the series had seen the concluding part of "The Kingdom of Ice" published in Britain, whereas U.S. readers would have to wait two years or more for that final instalment, but this storyline was written and drawn specifically for UK audiences, with no intention of it being reprinted as part of the U.S. Star Wars series, at least initially. The reason why the UK needed exclusive stories was that, with Star Wars Weekly coming out every Wednesday, Marvel UK were reprinting the equivalent of almost two issues of the American series a month and demand was therefore outstripping supply in the United Kingdom. "The Way of the Wookiee!" wouldn't be published in the United States until November 1981, when it was collected in Marvel Illustrated Books: Star Wars #1. The story itself focuses on Han Solo and Chewbacca and takes place before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. As such, it can be seen as something of a companion piece to the "Crucible!" story in Star Wars #17, which showed a flashback to Luke Skywalker's life on Tatooine, prior to his involvement with the Rebellion. However, "The Way of the Wookiee!" is not told as a flashback, it is simply a story that is set at an earlier time in Han and Chewie's lives, much like Brian Daley's novel Han Solo at Stars' End, which had been published earlier that same year. Archie Goodwin writes a fairly entertaining story in this first episode, although Han's dialogue doesn't quite sound right in places. At one point, Goodwin has the Corellian smuggler saying "Peace, fellas! Peace!" to a group of approaching stormtroopers, which is not a line that I could hear Harrison Ford delivering in a Star Wars movie. Chewbacca's characterisation is a bit off too, with the Wookiee flying into a berserker rage, shortly after he and Han had been warned not to draw attention to themselves. Chewie has his reasons, as we shall see later, but still, Goodwin is clearly writing the Wookiee as a ill-tempered brawler here – the kind that "rips people's arms out of their sockets when they lose." Chewbacca is actually a much wiser character than that. Still, the basic set up of this tale is skillfully told and well paced. Carmine Infantino's artwork is of much the same standard as in the U.S. series, but there's an unkempt nature to Pablo Marcos' inking that works well in some panels and not so well in others. Marcos had previously drawn Marvel's black-and-white horror magazine Tales of the Zombie from 1973 until 1975 and I can definitely imagine his style suiting a horror story. However, his artwork here works well in the panels featuring starships or the shabby spaceport town, but it often looks a bit scribbly during the more character driven moments and I'm not sure that he's a particularly good fit for inking Infantino. Still, Marcos does rein in the worst excesses of Infantino's angular art style far better than Bob Wiacek or Gene Day do. This is a fairly solid start to the story, with a decent amount of action and a pretty good antagonist in the form of Commander Quirt. It's also an interesting glimpse into Han and Chewie's days as spice smugglers. The issue is marred by some poor characterisation and the jury is still out on whether Marcos' inking really compliments Infantino's pencils. Continuity issues: None Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "I'm tellin' you, big buddy, it gets harder and harder to earn a dishonest living in this galaxy!" – Han Solo complains to his Wookiee co-pilot about Imperial interference on their smuggling runs.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Apr 5, 2015 20:09:20 GMT -5
That's a nice design by Infantino... Very often in those days I wished he had drawn the spaceships a bit more as they appeared in the film (of which there was only one!) but he did have a certain consistent "Star wars style" when he drew technology. He used it again in his Star-lord stories published in Marvel Preview.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 5, 2015 20:32:46 GMT -5
Wow, that's one cool looking star destroyer! I need to track down this story, as I love Han and Chewie.
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