Star Wars #38 review: The war at Jedha continues
By Thomas Bacon
The Empire’s atrocities continue on Jedha – but now Luke Skywalker has arrived to help in Star Wars.
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Salvador Larroca
Colorist: Guru-eFX
Jason Aaron’s run on Marvel’s monthly Star Wars comic has come to an end. Now, Kieron Gillen has taken over, and his first arc has begun to link the Original Trilogy and Rogue One. He’s brought the Rebellion to Jedha, where Princess Leia is seeking an alliance with the surviving Partisans. Already this plot has given us a sense of just what the Death Star’s firing did to this moon, and it was sobering.
The issue still has a lot of humor. [Credit: Marvel Comics]As somber as the book’s subject may be, Star Wars #39 is still a joy to read. Gillen gives the characters such distinctive voices, particularly Han. Somehow he manages to add real humor to even the most grim conversations.
The Empire Step Up Their Atrocities
Gillen revisits ideas he toyed with in his earlier Darth Vader run, bringing back the Queen of the Shu-Torun. This race of miners are used to working in even the most inhospitable of environments, and have been brought in to work on Jedha’s mines.
In order to acquire more Kyber, the Empire declare Jedha a prohibited moon. Anyone still on the moon – even civilians – are “ipso facto a rebel.” As a result, they launch an attempt to literally burn the survivors of Jedha to death.
This sequence leads to one of the most breathtaking in modern Star Wars comics. Where the Partisans would pull back, Luke does not. We get a stunning action scene in which the Jedi leaps out, drawing Imperial fire, then doubling back and attacking from behind. This isn’t the Luke Skywalker of Aaron’s run, hesitant and fearful, uncomfortable with a lightsaber. No, this is months later, and Luke has been training. He wields that lightsaber with skill and precision. But as he does so, can he avoid the dark side?
You can almost feel the darkness. [Credit: Marvel Comics]Kieron Gillen has breathed new life into Marvel’s Star Wars comics. Meanwhile, this issue shows Larroca at his best. Where the previous issue had felt rushed, here Larroca gives his characters time to breathe. There are still a few panels that feel awkward, but he captures the grim reality of Jedha so very effectively.
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Jason Aaron’s Star Wars run was enjoyable. If Gillen’s first two issues are anything to go by though, the comic is about to become unmissable. Perhaps most exciting of all, these comics are no longer largely irrelevant to the overarching Star Wars narrative. Now, they’re fulfilling an important purpose, carefully weaving the trilogies and the anthologies together. It’s a thrilling read.