This story was fairly disjointed. It took more than half
the graphic novel to get into the story, which is in itself a bad sign.
I have to give the authors credit for some of the dialogue, though.
It wasn't clear in the way it tried to move the plot forward, but the banter
was great. It is exactly what I would expect from such a close knit
group.
The other thing to talk about is the art. I didn't like
this art. The style seemed to detract from the story, and it was
too bright, with not enough shades to it. The depth of field was
gone. It looked more like an old Marvel comic, not a recent Dark
Horse issue.
The story revolves around Commander Isard trying to manipulate
things in the Empire to her gain. I know a little about Isard from
reading the back of the book Isard's Revenge, part of the X-Wing series,
and from what I learned about Baron Fel in Vision
of the Future.
Isard wants control of the Empire. She has maneuvered an
inept Governor to that planet, and moved an elite fighting squadron there
to prove a tempting target for the rebels. They must think it is
important. But Isard knows that many of her enemies will be discredited
if the planet is lost to the Rebels. So she makes sure it is lost.
The action takes up most of the book. There are three strikes
against the planet, and each one take the Rebels closer toward domination
on that planet.
I finally have a time frame for the Rogue Squadron comics.
Six months have passed since the battle of Endor. It doesn't seem
long enough for what has happened in the last five issues.
At least they recognize the loss in the last issue, of a main
character. It's nice to see that this series is evolving, and that
even some of the main characters may pass away. Of course, to keep
continuity, we need to keep at least Wedge and Tycho alive.
This story also introduces Baron Fel, who only shows up two thirds
of the way through. So far, he seems honorable, and we see his gardening
ability, and the respect and fear he generates in Rogue Squadron.
But that's it. I believe the next installment
focuses almost exclusively on this character, though.
All in all, it seems to be a competent way to depict the takeover
of a planet. After all, the Rebel Alliance has to retake the Imperial
planets one by one. But there was not enough here to hold my interest
until Fel showed up.
by Warren Dunn, all rights reserved.
