Star Wars: Age Of Rebellion Special (2019) No. 1 review
By Monita Mohan
In Star Wars: Age Of Rebellion Special (2019) No. 1, dive into the legend of IG-88, a day in the life of Yoda and a vacation with Biggs and Porkins.
Star Wars: Age Of Rebellion Special (2019) No. 1
Writer: Simon Spurrier, Marc Guggenheim, Jon Adams
Artist: Caspar Wijngaard, Andrea Broccardo, Jon Adams
Star Wars Age of Rebellion Special No. 1 cover (Credit: Marvel Comics)
Star Wars: Age Of Rebellion Special (2019) No. 1 is an inconsistent, but compelling, read that follows several supporting characters from the original Star Wars trilogy. As Bryan Young succinctly writes in the afterword – the reason the Star Wars original trilogy was so immersive, was down to how real all the characters, including the supporting ones, felt.
Which is where the stories in Star Wars: Age Of Rebellion Special (2019) No. 1 add to the lore of the universe. We learn about IG-88, the bounty hunter, and witness a day in Yoda’s life on Dagobah. Readers will also become well acquainted with a couple of Yavin IV fighters, whether you want to or not.
“The Long Game”
IG-88 is an unusual creature – it is a droid bounty hunter. What are its motivations for pursuing this line of work? We get a glimpse of this curious personality in the first Star Wars: Age Of Rebellion Special (2019) No. 1 story.
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Written in an exalted style that befits the tone of the original Star Wars films, readers are given a brief history of IG-88, including its methods, its reputation and the legend behind the character. Without giving away any spoilers, be prepared for a heist story unlike any other.
While the story ends up feeling overlong, the characterization of IG-88 is splendid – as a droid, IG-88 is devoid of emotion and histrionics. This gives the story an uncomfortable, but captivating feel; think Philip K. Dick, but in the Star Wars universe. Caspar Wijngaard’s art adds to the atmosphere of the story, while accurately bringing to life many of the alien species that lived on the periphery of the original film trilogy. This story is not to be missed.
“The Trial of Dagobah”
Following the fall of the Republic and the massacre of the Jedi in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Jedi Master Yoda chose to exile himself on Dagobah, a mostly abandoned planet that would eventually serve as his final resting place. Yoda’s continuing guilt for allowing the Dark Side of the Force to win is explored in Marc Guggenheim’s entry in this special issue.
Yoda in Star Wars Age of Rebellion Special No. 1 (Credit: Marvel Comics)
Yoda must brave the unstable and inexplicable planet in an effort to procure food for himself. Dagobah isn’t kind to him – he struggles and suffers, more so mentally than physically, in an effort to get through his day. Andrea Broccardo’s art and Dono Sánchez-Almara colors perfectly capture the ethereal look of Dagobah, as well as render Yoda with a larger-than-life personality.
As enthralling as this story is, the denouement reads like it is one panel too long. The final scene belabours the point and takes away from an impactful line that tied up this story perfectly. Sometimes, less is more.
“Stolen Valor”
On a routine mission to take down Imperial TIE fighters, Jef Porkins has a crisis of conscience. Unable to shake himself out of this malaise, Porkins decides he needs a vacation; his best friend Biggs Darklighter invites himself as well. Things only go downhill from there.
Biggs and Porkins in Star Wars Age of Rebellion Special No. 1 (Credit: Marvel Comics)
There’s an element of truth running through this final story that makes the dialogue and art feel incongruous to the central theme. While good and evil were, to an extent, clear-cut in the original Star Wars films, at least to the supporting players, it has become obvious over the decades and through additional material that good people worked for the bad guys too.
Some of that is touched on in this story, but it is buried under Jon Adams’ writing and art styles. The verbosity and inauthentic dialogue combined with whimsical art makes it impossible to take this story seriously. This is a great shame, especially given the context of the theme in the modern world. There’s a cartoonish flavor to this story that doesn’t feel like it belongs to a galaxy far, far away.
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As the second segment in the Age Of… series, Star Wars: Age Of Rebellion is already showing plenty of cracks. The tone has been inconsistent and the stories lack cohesion. But since it is early days yet, fans can look forward to an improvement in quality over the course of the series.