Star Wars: Princess Leia #1 Review

Star Wars: Princess Leia #1 (of 5)
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Terry and Rachel Dodson
Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Published by Marvel Comics

With both Star Wars and Darth Vader getting off to such strong starts, I had high expectations for the first issue of the Princess Leia miniseries from Marvel. You had comic book legend Mark Waid doing the writing in addition to Terry and Rachel Dodson on the art, which would normally be enough to get just about anybody excited about a first issue. Add Star Wars to the title and I was sure Marvel had another surefire hit on its hands.

Taking place immediately after the events of A New Hope, this book follows Leia as she tries to deal with the loss of her home world and then deciding to gather together what was left of the Alderaanian people in order to protect them. Sounds like a concept perfect for Star Wars and the talents of Waid and Dodson, right?

So where did it all go so wrong?

Of all the comics I have read recently, Star Wars or not, Princess Leia #1 has to rate as one of the worst. It is plodding, overly wordy and just doesn’t work on the very basic level of being a compelling story.

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I want to make it clear up front that it isn’t because of the art. Terry and Rachel Dodson do as good a job as possible with the material they are given. The art is lush and the colors by Jordie Bellaire vibrant, and they combine to help make the story at least a treat to look at if not to read. Their style has a definite Ralph McQuarrie vibe going through it that gives the book a familiar yet fresh feeling at the same time.

No, unfortunately the blame for the shortcomings of Princess Leia #1 lies squarely on Waid.

While the general concept for the miniseries is solid, Waid executes it with such a lack of excitement and flair that you get the impression the characters don’t really care one way or another what’s going on. They seem stiff and appear to be just going through the motions instead of being active parts of the story.

But what really made the book a miss for me was the dialogue. Never have I read a comic where the characters spoke in such a methodical, unnatural way. I’m not sure what happened here, because usually a script by Mark Waid is filled with life and energy. Yet in Princess Leia #1, it’s like reading the contents of a laundry detergent box. And there is so much of it! Characters are explaining things that the reader can obviously see thanks to the art, and people just keep talking and talking and talking…

Well, you get the idea.

The Bottom Line: I knew that not every Star Wars series Marvel published was going to be great, but if you had told me ahead of time that Princess Leia #1 was going to be the one to miss the mark, I would have said you’re crazy. But that’s exactly what happened here as while the art is solid, the story and script are a disaster.

This is only for the most hardcore of Star Wars fans. and even then, I would wait for the trade paperback. There are better series on the stands that could use the support.

Next: More Star Wars: Darth Vader #2 review

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