REVIEW: Star Wars: Rogue One Adaptation #1

An imperial defector, claiming to be sent by Galen Erso asserts that the Empire is working on a weapon that can destroy entire planets. He is being held by Saw Gerrera. Our main protagonist, Jyn Erso, was raised by Saw after her father was forcibly taken by the Rebellion. The Rebels believe that Jyn is their best hope to infiltrate Saw’s domain and speak to the defector. If they can validate what the defector says is true, the next course of action is to find Galen, and have him testify to the Senate. The hope would be that other systems would hear about the Empire’s plans and defect to the Rebellion.

Coinciding with the film’s release on home video, this book is meant to expand on what was shown in the theatrical release of Rogue One. It follows the source material closely with the addition of new and expanded scenes. These new scenes include a scene where Jyn meets her cellmate prior to her rescue, a flashback of young Jyn’s abandonment by Saw, and a scene that brings together Bail Organa and Mon Mothma. A difference I noticed immediately was the pacing of the story. It seems much faster at getting off the ground in the early exposition scenes. This could be good or bad depending on your point of view as it glosses over some character moments early in Jyn and Galen’s portion of the story. This particular issue is all about introducing the characters and setting up for what will come later.

The art is decent but inconsistent. The art is split between two artists and it’s not really clear how they divided up the work. The characters are drawn to look like their film counterparts and it does that well for the most part. Unfortunately, characters only seem to show detail in close-up panels. The coloring is solid and assists the art when details are lacking. This issue does have a beautiful Phil Noto cover. He is one of the best in the business and the art on this cover lives up to his reputation.

The final page of the book is an afterword written by the director of Rogue One, Gareth Edwards. In this page, he expresses his gratitude for being able to work in the Star Wars Universe and his pleasure that the comic is being released to expand and grow upon the concepts that never made it into his final film. It’s a nice touch and I’m glad his thoughts are in the book.

3.5 out of 5. This is a good issue if you are into Rogue One and want an expanded version of the story. However, I would recommend waiting for an eventual collected edition.

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Written by Jody Houser
Art by Emilio Laiso & Oscar Bazaldua
Published By Marvel