Star Wars #3 Review
By D. Goodman
Star Wars #3
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by John Cassaday
Colored by Laura Martin
Published by Marvel Comics
With the third issue of Marvel’s new Star Wars series, we have now reached the halfway point in the title’s first arc. So far, the series has been exactly what any Star Wars fan could ever want: non-stop action, great character moments and a big dose of whatever it is that makes the franchise so special to so many people.
When last we left our heroes, Luke was trying to escape from Darth Vader, Han and Leia were using an AT-AT to try to escape from Imperial forces and Threepio was just trying to do something useful. As issue #3 opens, the action picks up right where it left off, with the Rebels trying desperately to make their way off Cymoon 1.
So why did this latest issue seem like a bit of a letdown?
It’s not that the issue wasn’t good. Aaron and Cassaday are really starting to find their groove with the characters and the Star Wars universe as a whole. The interactions seem more natural, and Aaron has started to find the correct “voice” for Lord Vader, which was just a bit off in the first two issues. Visually, the book looks incredible, with Cassaday doing some great work capturing the best aspects of the main cast while also giving the book the sense of spectacle that any comic with Star Wars in the title needs.
No, I think a big part of the problem may be that this third issue reads exactly like the first two.
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Since the beginning, each issue of Star Wars so far has had the same basic elements:
- Luke does something altruistic and heroic
- Han and Leia bicker and fight
- Darth Vader does something really badass
- Threepio acts like Threepio
While this works for the most part and makes the comic read like it fits right into the world of Star Wars, it can come off as repetitive in a monthly, ongoing series. It almost seems as if Aaron had a checklist of things he wanted to put in the book in this first arc and just focus on that and the action before starting to really create something unique and all his. And while that’s a noble goal, and great for the long-term prospects of the series, three issues of what is essentially the same story is enough, no matter how well done it may be.
In just two issues of Darth Vader, Kieron Gillen is already well on his way to making the book unique among Star Wars lore. It’s time for Aaron and Cassaday to do the same here.
The Bottom Line: Even though the third issue of Star Wars reads a bit too much like the first two, the quality is so good that it can be easily forgiven. Now that this part of the first arc has wrapped up, I’m looking forward to seeing what Aaron and Cassaday can do going forward and what new directions they can take the title in.
Star Wars #4 is looking like a make or break issue for this series. Fingers crossed that it won’t disappoint.
Next: Previously ... our review of Star Wars #2
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