Review: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge #2

Â Â By: Shawn Warner

I must admit even though I’m a huge Star Wars fans, I was somewhat nonplussed when all the new titles were announced. I was already extremely happy with Marvel’s foray back into the Star Wars Universe, so the idea of a retooling so soon felt rather like putting a hat on a hat to me. Well, after reading most of the “Age of Rebellion” one shots featuring many of the most loved heroes and feared villains in the “galaxy far, far away” and the most recent Darth Vader mini-series, I was on board and ready for more.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is a limited series that shares a name with the Disneyland resort opening this year, in light of that fact, I greeted the first issue with a bit of trepidation, fearing it would amount to little more than a sequential art sales pitch for vacations to the outer rim territories Disney style. However, after reading the first issue I found myself once again enjoying a Marvel Star Wars book. The narrative structure is familiar enough to capture the feel of the Star Wars Universe without coming across as a rehash of old ideas featuring new characters, in fact while there are plenty of familiar faces, we are introduced to enough new players to keep things interesting. Writer Ethan Sacks proves to be the perfect tour guide to lead us into treacherous outer rim locales like the Black Spire Outpost and introduce us to the strange inhabitants of this far off world. No stranger to the Star Wars realms, artist Will SlineyÂ who worked on the Clone Wars title in 2010 brings his dynamic style back to a explore a different corner of the galaxy in a different era.

Sacks, like fellow Star Wars scribe Greg Pak does a fantastic job of weaving timelines, characters and plot threads into a complex and intricately detailed tapestry covering vast expanses of time and space to tell an exciting story that brings this beloved universe more vibrantly to life. Galaxy’s Edge has the old west sensibilities that inspired and influenced George Lucas to begin this saga over 40 years ago. The second issue kicks off during the final moments of Jedi legend, Ki-Adi-Mundi’s life at the initiation of the now infamous Order 66. His death, more specifically his lost light saber will go on to play a major role in the story. The narrative has the feel of an anthology in the way Sacks uses vignettes featuring well known characters, like last issue’s inclusion of Han and Chewie while this issue prominently features Greedo, the bounty hunter who famously met his demise at the hands of a quick firing Han Solo. The events are centered around Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities in a what could be perceived as a nod to the old Friday the Thirteenth television series, the shop serves as a plot device to work the past portions of the narrative into the full story and does a fairly solid job of accomplishing this. Lots of plot threads converge at this point as Sacks smartly uses Dok-Ondar’s interactions with a particularly unpleasant Stormtrooper sargeant in search of the fallen Jedi’s light saber.

The issue goes on to tell a tale featuring Greedo and his ultimate confrontation with a disgruntled Jabba the Hutt, a Lobot-like codebreaker called the Givin and some rather explosive results. Sacks is obviously having a blast telling these tales full of every kind of tried and true action trope from bank job thrills to wild west bounty hunter intrigue, its all here in all its white knuckled glory. The action is cinematic in its kinetic pace and dazzling visuals. In all the big budget bombast Sacks never loses the heart of the story, the characters share witty banter and light saber sharp quips with one another. The dialog feels authentic, whether spoken by a familiar character or someone we’ve only just met, there is a genuineness to the words, as well as a natural delivery that heightens the effectiveness of the script. The comedic beats are among the highlights of the narrative, the jokes land effortlessly and with desired effect. Perhaps the most impressive accomplishment of the issue is how seamlessly Sacks weaves three very distinct eras in the Star Wars timeline together to tell a complex and engrossing story. The flashback sequences are my favorite, but the new material is progressively improving and drawing me in more with each issue.

Will Sliney is an accomplished artist by any standard. He has worked on many of Marvel’s marquee characters including Spider-Man and the X-Men, however I think his best work is evident here in the Star Wars Universe. Sliney captures the nuances of the familiar characters, particularly Greedo in this issue. His take on the iconic bounty hunter’s uniform and even his blaster is spot on. The Ithorian anatomy is rendered in such a way that recalls the original “Hammerhead” character from the cantina scene in A New Hope. There is an understanding of the Star Wars characters, their worlds, ethos and mythology that Sliney obviously possesses in spades and that speaks to everything he draws in this book. The intense colors provided by Dono Sanchez-Almara and Protobunker add a degree of realism that pushes the cinematic appearance to the next level.

As an anthology this title is shaping up to be an unqualified success. Sacks and Sliney are destined to join Han and Chewie, Artoo and Threepio as a classic Star Wars duo. Although Galaxy’s Edge is a limited series, I would love to see this creative team continue to explore these out lying territories of the Star Wars Universe. Until such a time we have the remaining issues of this series to look forward to, the next of which features fan favorite anti-heroine Doctor Aphra. Hopefully we will also get to see Sacks and Sliney’s takes on her duo of destructive droids, BT-1 and 0-0-0. If you are like me and you like your Star Wars stories with a healthy dose of old school flavor, I definitely recommend this series.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Writer- Ethan Sacks
Artist- Will Sliney
Colors- Dono Sanchez-Almara and Protobunker
Letterer- VC’s Travis Lanham