Comic Review 191 // Star Wars Adventures Heroes of the Galaxy

Those who check in regularly would have noticed that I am on a roll with the library finds. I am trying to find and read all the Star Wars Adventures series. On my most recent trip to my local library, I discovered Volume 1. The original title that kicked off the series. SO I had to grab it. 

Title: Star Wars Adventures, Vol. 1: Heroes of the Galaxy

Author/Art: Landry Q. Walker, Cavan Scott, Elsa Charretier, Pierrick Colinet, Derek Charm, Jon Sommariva, Sean Parsons.

Fluff:

Travel to a galaxy far, far away in this collection of Star Wars comic book tales! When the junk boss Unkar Plutt is kidnapped, Rey realizes her future may be better with the devil she knows. Plus more stories with Obi-Wan Kenobi, C-3PO, R2-D2 and the rebels vs. the Empire expand the world of Star Wars into new territory for a new generation of fans.

Get a copy and support me: Amazon.ca

Format: Paperback, 80 pages

Review

Let's get the obvious stuff out the way. Yes, this is made for a younger reader, but I don't care. I have really enjoyed the stories so far, and I get to read them to my kids and absorb them into my hobbies (insert evil mastermind laughter). The part I feel that has impressed me the most with this series is the quick short format. There are no saga adventures, no getting to know the characters as we know them already. Just straight into the story and get out before you get bored.

This is officially volume one in this series. But with the stories not really linked, you can read in any order, which is nice. We kick things off with the main piece, all about Rey. We join her before any involvement in the films on the planet of Jakku. Getting to experience what her life is like. And though having connections is hard for her, it is better to know the devil than see it replaced by a new one. A great kidnapping story and a great way to add more Unkar Plutt into my life. For me, this was the stand-out tale. The rest are very lore-filling pieces. Tied to the mythology already created for SW. For example, we have an Obi-Wan and Dex story showcasing their friendship, which we already knew about, and the Flat Mountain of Yavin was a great way to tie in their other comic series Wild Space, but for me, these were filler and not the main reason to read this.

The art was great and stylish. It made for a joyful read, and most importantly, the kids loved it. Highly recommend it, especially if you have little ones learning to love the setting.

As always cheers for reading and use that link to support the blog.

Comic Review 190 // Star Wars Adventures, Vol. 1: The Light and the Dark

Back on the library finds with this fantastic Star Wars find. Though aimed at a younger audience, I found the last one enjoyable enough, and I am hoping this will follow suit.

Title: Star Wars Adventures, Vol. 1: The Light and the Dark

Page Count: 144 pages

Format: Paperback

Buy Now: Amazon

Publisher: Disney

Creators: Michael Moreci, Ilias Kyriazis, Megan Levens, Katie Cook, Cara McGee, Nick Brokenshire, Sam Maggs, Davide Tinto, Shane McCarthy, Jordan Clark, Yael Nathan, Casey Gilly, Butch Mapa, and Daniel José Older.

Fluff: Brand-new middle-grade stories featuring all your favourite characters from the far reaches of the Star Wars galaxy, spanning the entire Skywalker Saga and beyond!

Three oversized stories featuring Rey, Finn, and Poe; Qui-Gon Jinn and the mighty Wookies of Kashyyk; and Padmé and Anakin; plus half a dozen short stories including tales of villainy starring Kylo Ren and Darth Vader himself!

First, Poe and Finn take Rey to a remote planet to continue her Jedi training. But they're surprised to find that the First Order's reach extends far and wide. Then, Qui-Gon joins the Wookiees of Kashyyyk for a special Life Day celebration! And after that, Padmé and Anakin face a major predicament as they struggle to navigate the politics of the Republic!

Meanwhile, on the Dark Side, Kylo Ren faces the difficulties of leadership and the politics of fear. And, following the siege of Hoth, Darth Vader explores the secrets of the abandoned Rebel base. All this and new stories of dastardly exploits by Grand Moff Tarkin, Darth Maul, Tobias Beckett and Val, and the sinister Nihil.

Collects the first six issues of the Star Wars Adventures series starting in 2020.

Review

Hmmm, a mixed bag on this one. Nine adventures spanning the Disney films. The book kicks things off with a Rey story titled Obstacle Course. In this adventure, Poe and Finn create an obstacle course for Rey to practice on. Unfortunately for the trio, this out-of-the-way and dangerous world is also home to many pirates who figure out who the trio are in an attempt to capture them for their bounty. Great start to the book and a fun story.

We then hop all the way back to the start with Life Day. Set before Episode One, we get an Obi-wan and Qui Gon story, as they join the Wookies for a cultural event which is ruined by slavers hoping to capture the wookies for the slave markets. A lot shorter story than the first, but action-packed and has a great theme for an adventure. Would love more Qui Gon stories (know any good ones, comment below).

Then we move past Episode 2 with a Padme and Anakin tale. Set on Naboo, it has the duo facing off against a group of pirates looking for payment. Overall an okay story, but it was disappointing to see Anakin unable to handle three pirates solo. This is meant to be the hero of the Clone Wars, and he couldn't defeat three pirates? Lame. Let's move on.

Any idea why these weren't put in chronological order? From roughly episode 2, we jump into episode 5 with Invasion of Echo Base. For this adventure, we join Darth Vader as he leads the assault on Echo Base. Not super thrilling, as we all know what happens, but it is fun to view it from Vaders side.

After this, the stories get short and honestly not that interesting. We get a Kylo Ren tale showing his conflicted nature, but not much else. In the Hostage, Darth Maul slowly builds his criminal empire, but first, he has to take down some of the old guards. Then we got a Beckett story, which surprised me; this was due to the artwork. I did not recognize the title character and was left confused, then it all clicked. Knowing it was a Beckett story wouldn't have improved my opinion by the end. This was followed by another weak tale about Tarkin, a confusing and uninspiring read; just skip and save yourself some time. We then end the book with a story set during the High Republic era. Something I know nothing about, and due to this, I struggled to care, which is a shame as I feel this is definitely heading somewhere?

The book finishes like they all do with a cover gallery of variant covers.

I got to be honest and say a little disappointed. I may not be the target audience, but this missed the mark on many of the titles. The characters were flat and dull; the stories did not grab me beyond the Qui Gon and wookies. A real shame, especially for the opener, Volume one. Would love to hear your thoughts, so hit me up in the comments.