Review: Star Wars Adventures #18

I haven’t been reading Star Wars at all. I think it’s because I had a certain level of salt with the fact that some of my favorite extended universe stuff became obsolete for a bit. I won’t lie when I say I went into this IDW title with exactly that pretense hanging over me. Couple that with the fact that the cover page is a full spread of a character that I absolutely cannot stand. If you don’t know this about me, please understand….I really truly detest JarJar Binks. This issue was a struggle. Not because Delilah Dawson’s writing is un-religious to the material or anything else, I think more so because it was so much so..accurate.

Still, please don’t let my own personal character biases sway you from checking out this little title. My words as per my preference with character is to its discredit. Especially as Adrianna Florean fills all the pages of this issue with some really charming art that reminds me of a Saturday Morning cartoon. I think the thing that really stands out to me during all of this is really the fact that they allow Princess Amidala to truly shine as not only a diplomat, but as an adventurer. She does such all while managing to find a balance and democratic sort of approach which, for children who might be given the title, I find is so utterly important. It’s so easy to get lost in the action of comic books that we often aren’t allowed to see people give thought to their own process and how and what their actions might produce, so the fact that we’re given pause is appreciated.

There is a complimentary balance in savvy and action that we know Amidala is capable of but often gets glossed over for whatever reason. It’s that alone that makes this worthy of the praise that I give it. I think that it’s too important just actively not mention. The second part of this issue brings a nice little spotlight on Han. Not so much himself as a the central focus, more so as a side character in Gannis Ducain’s quest to heed advice given to him and repay a debt that he feels is owed. The amoral ambiguity of the person he meets with ends with the issue itself closing with a cliff hanger that makes us wonder what’s to come of Gannis and if he will, indeed, manage to make good on the promise he’s made to Solo and himself.

I really enjoyed this 3 out of 5 star issue, as I hope all of you will too, if you manage to get a hold of it, despite all my terrible character bias. Do you agree?

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(W) Delilah S Dawson, Michael Moreci (A) Arianna Florean (A/CA) Derek Charm