Review: Star Wars #57

This issue of Star Wars read more like a chapter from A Game Of Thrones in that it focused on a world that was much more reliant upon farming, hunting and making a living by the sweat of your brow than piloting speeders, blaster battles and light saber duels. The world of Hubin is a decidedly low tech society unconcerned with the politics that fuel the conflict between the Empire and Rebellion, aligned with neither, or at least that is what the wealthy, charismaticÂ Thane Markona would have Han, Luke and Leia believe. The three Rebel heroes, along with trusty astro-mech droid R2-D2 and what’s left of their protocol droid C-3PO have been somewhat more than stranded on the secluded moon while Sana Starros handles an unavoidable Imperial entanglement. Markona opens his lavish mansion to our heroes, even extending an offer to repair 3PO, however this does little to put Luke and Leia’s suspicions to rest. Finding themselves without the possibility of any form of transport off world for at least five months, Luke and Leia reluctantly accept their current circumstances while Han ends his tour of the town at the first tavern.

Although the planet-bound at this point the action has not ceased, in fact this issue is briskly paced and full of intrigue. Kieron Gillen takes an opportunity to do some very nice character work, as well as to lay the foundation for some of the moments that would ultimately come to fruition in the Empire Strikes Back. While that aspect of the narrative is exciting, Gillen does his best work in developing these iconic characters through some extremely authentic dialogue and a firm grasp of exactly how they interact. In a series that has been as entertaining as this one has been, due in large part to the action/adventure tropes employed by Gillen it’s a welcome break to see an issue like this, especially when it is as well written as this one. There is a sense of the calm before the storm in the narrative, a tension that exists just off page that threatens to explode and in an instant change the current tone. Gillen is a consummate storyteller as is evidenced in this issue, this narrative works because it’s a solid story, not just because it’s a Star Wars story. Gillen masterfully pulls us into this world and makes us care about these characters in a way that goes beyond the feelings we already had for them as Like, Leis and Han. It’s almost as if we are seeing them for the first time or more accurately, through new eyes from a new perspective. This is no small accomplishment, these are characters most of us have known our entire lives. They are ingrained in our psyches, they are the stuff of our childhood memories and they are enmeshed in our lives in ways that even our family members are not. So when Kieron Gillen offers us a deeper look at something so close to us already and allows us to get a deeper understanding of these characters that for many of us have taken on biblical importance that is an amazing feat.Â Obviously I am a fan of Gillen’s work, but if his run on Star Wars was my introduction to his work, I would be saying these same things about it. It’s that good.

Spanish Artist Angel Unzueta’s take on the familiar Star Wars cast is spot on, almost photo-realistic at times. In fact I recognized some of the reference photos that were used, but that doesn’t diminish the beauty of the work for me at all. There is a warmth to his work that transcends the realistic look. The settings and backgrounds are so painstakingly detailed that I found myself gazing into them at times to appreciate the work that went into creating such a believable alien world. Unzueta is no stranger to the Star Wars Universe, his detailed take on the heroes, villains and environments of this iconic galaxy can be seen in several Star Wars titles going back to the first annual in 2015. The colors provided by Guru-eFX enhance the realistic feel of Unzueta’s work, bringing a life of texture to the entire work.

Overall this is an exceptionally entertaining issue, engrossing and intriguing in ways that go beyond our familiarity with these characters and this saga. There is an excitement to this current arc that has been missing from some of the other Star Wars titles. Gillen and Unzueta have created one heck of a solid story and I can’t wait for the next chapter to unfold. 4/5

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Writer- Kieron Gillen
Art- Angel Unzueta
Colors- Guru-eFX
Letters- Clayton Cowles
Cover Artist- Jamal Campbell