Download Star Wars Vol 1 Skywalker Strikes Star Wars 2015 eBook Jason Aaron John Cassaday
Download Star Wars Vol 1 Skywalker Strikes Star Wars 2015 eBook Jason Aaron John Cassaday
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Star Wars Vol 1 Skywalker Strikes Star Wars 2015 eBook Jason Aaron John Cassaday Reviews
- "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."
..appears on the first page of the premiere issue of a special comic, a space fantasy phrase known the world over. As the reader turns the page, they are greeted by a double paged spread of the legendary title logo, emblazoned on a ebony stellar field, its stylized letters promising adventure on a cosmic scale. There follows the "opening crawl" of story inspired by the cinematic serial tales of "Flash Gordon," a science fiction hero of decades past...
...so begins a new era in a mythology beloved by generations, "the greatest space saga of all"..."Star Wars!"
"Star Wars (Volume 1)" is a 296 paged book collecting the first 12 issues of the inaugural "Star Wars" monthly ongoing comic book series from Marvel Comics. Originally premiering in 2015, this comic was the first of the fabled "adventures of Luke Skywalker" to be published by the company since 1986, when Marvel ended the publication of the very first "Star Wars" comic series after a total of 107 issues.
Enter the Walt Disney Company. In 2009, Disney bought Marvel Entertainment, the home of "Spider-man" and "The X-Men" for 4 billion dollars. Then in 2012, George Lucas, creator of the "Star Wars" film saga, sold his company, Lucasfilm, and the "Star Wars" franchise to Disney, also for 4 billion dollars. The stage was set for the Saga to enter a new direction in its popular history. Part of that history included the "Star Wars" stories that had been told for years beyond the realm that gave the Saga its birth, film. Comics, newspaper strips, novels and more related tales of the Star Warriors outside of the motion pictures that thrilled audiences around the world. These adventures came to be called the "Expanded Universe" and they began with the monthly "Star Wars" comic. These comic tales would be revived and rejuvenated beginning in 1991 when Dark Horse Comics, a then growing independent comic publisher, acquired the rights to release new "Star Wars" comics; the first of which was called "Dark Empire," a 6 issue mini-series that enthralled "Star Wars" fans and countless other comic readers. For 23 years, from 1991 through 2014, Dark Horse would publish a great and grandiose collection of "Star Wars" epics that would extend the Saga's mythology from thousands of years in the past to the future of the "galaxy far, far away." But as Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson wrote in a 2014 online post, "All things come to pass." The Disney Co. announced plans to create their own "Star Wars" comics under their Marvel Entertainment branch. As Mr. Richardson also stated, it was "The End of an Era."
The Disney era of "Star Wars" would begin with the adventures reprinted in this collection. The first story arc, "Skywalker Strikes," is written by Jason Aaron and drawn by John Cassaday. Set shortly after the events of "Episode IV," this tale finds Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo and friends attempting to infiltrate "Weapons Factory Alpha," an Imperial facility on Cymoon 1, and "the largest weapons factory in the galaxy." Masquerading as an envoy of Jabba the Hutt negotiating an arms deal with the Empire, the rebels hope to sabotage the factory but things are quickly complicated by the arrival of the Imperial negotiator, Darth Vader! Pandemonium ensues as Luke and company strive to complete their mission while at the same time surviving the deadly threat of the Empire's forces and the Dark Lord of the Sith. Barely escaping the facility alive, a heroic yet discouraged Luke decides he must return to his homeworld Tatooine in hope of gaining much needed knowledge about his bond with the Force. But unknown to the young Jedi, Vader is hunting for the rebel pilot who destroyed the Death Star...and he is close to finding him.
"Skywalker Strikes" is a thrilling "Star Wars" comic adventure, as writer Jason Aaron fills his story with a wealth of ingredients familiar to fans of the Saga while at the same time giving the reader an exciting, action packed tale. John Cassaday's art on this story arc is excellent, recreating the varied characters and mechanical creations from the "Star Wars" movies with a cleanly delineated style that the artist is well known for. But this long time "Star Wars" fan had a problem with this story its inclusion of elements not showcased in "A New Hope" but featured in the later films of the Original Trilogy. Imperial Walkers from "The Empire Strikes Back," speeder bikes from "Return of the Jedi," as well as other surprises can be found in this adventure. While it is usually a treat to see the impressive technology of the Saga brought to life in a new "Star Wars" tale, this critic believes the appearance of some of these works of wonder as well as other elements before their debut in the classic films undermine the sense of awe the average fan had (or may have) when viewing the original movies. Who can forget the first sight of the monstrous All Terrain Armored Transports on the ice planet of Hoth, spied from the point of view of a member of the Rebel Alliance's macro binoculars in "The Empire Strikes Back?" Or the matter of fact way the Empire's speeder bikes are introduced in "Return of the Jedi," hovering quietly a few feet above the leaf-strewn forest ground of Endor, waiting for Imperial Stormtroopers to mount them, then taking off at break neck speed, followed by Luke and Leia, in a high speed chase through the towering trees? Their actual introductions in "Episodes V" and Episode VI" are lessened and that initial sense of amazement the "Star Wars" movie audience first felt watching the theatrical films is diminished because of these earlier stories and their revision of the Saga's fantasy chronology. Admittedly, this criticism is tempered with the understandable reality that the "Star Wars" Saga is a mythos that is an ever growing set of tales that will continue to extend beyond its cinematic origins; and this critic loves reading these further adventures of these beloved characters. Still, something is being lost in the enjoyment of the Saga.
This volume's second major story is called "Showdown on the Smuggler's Moon," which details Luke continuing his quest to find answers about the Jedi by naively taking a trip to the dangerous Nar Shadda, "an entire world of pirates and outlaws." But the son of Tatooine soon discovers that Nar Shadda is a "wretched hive of scum and villainy" on a global scale, where a grotesque Hutt named Grakkus prides himself on being not just a galactic gangster but also "a collector of antiquities," specifically "all that remains of the Jedi." Still being a Hutt, Grakkus also enjoys violent spectacle and thus lords over a gladiatorial contest where he plans to see Luke duel as the last Jedi. Meanwhile, Han and Leia are searching the galaxy for a new Rebel Alliance base in a stolen Imperial shuttle, bickering all the way, until they are discovered by a pair of Tie Fighters and surprisingly, a woman named Sana Solo, who shares a matrimonial bond with a certain spice smuggler...!
Mr. Aaron's "Smuggler's Moon" story arc is another page turner in the "Star Wars" tradition and in contrast to this collection's first tale, this reviewer enjoyed the fact its plot and execution didn't rely on ideas from the Original Trilogy but rather took some of its inspiration from concepts originally conceived in the "Expanded Universe." This adventure stands on its own as a distinctive drama that exists as a companion chronicle to the cinematic "adventures of Luke Skywalker." It is beautifully illustrated by Stuart Immomen. In fact, this reviewer thinks this comic art may be some of the artist's best work! From his accurate drawings of Imperial hardware, an atmospheric vision of the worlds in the "Star Wars" galaxy to his nicely rendered versions of the iconic characters of the Saga, Mr. Immomen has helped create a great "Star Wars" comic tale.
In addition to the multi-issue exploits of the Star Warriors, the first 12 issues of the monthly "Star Wars" comic series reprinted in this collection also features a special story in issue #7, focusing on Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Titled "The Last of His Breed," it is an account of his time in exile on Tatooine after the Clone Wars, secretly guarding the "New Hope" of the galaxy, Luke. Written by Mr. Aaron and drawn by Simone Bianchi, it is a revealing and rewarding story of the Jedi Knight's solitary trials on the stark desert planet.
This hardcover volume concludes with a section devoted to artwork from "John Cassaday's Sketchbook," which features black and white sketches of the covers Mr. Cassaday created for the series as well as other preliminary art. This section also features pages reproducing some of the many "variant covers" drawn and painted for the early issues of the comic series. It should be noted that all the final covers to the original dozen issues of the comic are included in this collection as individual chapter illustrations. All the covers showcased in this book are reproduced without the final texts and logo designs to the give the reader a clearer view of the full artistry created.
As a published work, this collection is a celebration of the "Star Wars" Saga's return to the company that first translated George Lucas' epic vision and cherished mythology into the comic medium. It is also a celebration of great comic book storytelling.
It comes very highly recommended!
May the Force be with you, always! - I have been a HUGE Star Wars for the past 20 years. I truly love the treatment Star Wars comics were given by Dark Horse Comics, and was sad when I heard Marvel was taking it back, in lieu of the Disney buyout. Marvel originally had the rights to Star Wars when the Original Trilogy (OT) came out and contineud the series for several years afterwards. Their version of the expanded universe (they created) is mostly forgotten and doesn't receive much fan-fare. In light of the incereible job Dark Horse did, when they took it over, it is no suprise that Marvel Star Wars was forgotten.
Based upon their past history with Star Wars, I must admit I was a bit wary to pick this up. I was relieved to discover that my apprehensions were unwarranted. Marvel is making some great Star Wars comics. I wouldn't be suprised that some of the folks at Dark Horse where brought over, when Marvel took over.
Well enough history, This seriies focuses on the heroes of the OT ( Luke, Leah, Han, ..etc) just after the events of Episode IV ( A new hope). The rebels are on the run, but still trying to fight back. The story is very engaging, and a lot of fun. I must say, I really like the dramatic tone of the series. Dark Horse liked to tell more dark or mature Star Wars story, and even though I appreciated this, I am glad that this series is geared to a much more broad readership. This series does not "kiddify" the Star Wars Saga, but embodies the fun adventure that makes Star Wars so enjoyable to so many people.
The artwork isn't impressionistic at all, but it is still fresh and visually captivating.
The story does a good job of staying within the Canon and continuity, but still delivers a creative story line, that is very engaging. This series has made one very significant contribution to the Star Wars canon, but I won't spoil it. On top of all of this, this series is a great stepping in point for those who never read or followed the Dark Horse Star Wars comics.
Overall, I am really impressed with this series, and would recommend it to any Star Wars or comics fan. Defnitely pick it up and give it a shot, I don't think it will dissapoint. - On the cover, there's a blurb that says, "The Perfect Star Wars Comic." It's a quote from ComicBook.com. As I opened the book and started to read, I felt it was true. There's a single page, with, "A Long Time Ago...". Then, a two page, huge, STAR WARS. Then, text, angled like it is scrolling, introducing the tale. Then a starfield. Then a ship flys over, and a part of a planet appears. And, boom, we're in on the action. It's just like watching a new film!
The art is great. The banter between Leia and Han is spot on. I can hear Mark Hamill's voice in my head when Luke speaks. Situations are familiar and fresh, all at the same time. It's a fantastic book. It's exactly what I want in a Star Wars book. The universe even grows, the way the universe does with each film, with this book. Instead of, "Wow, there are super star destroyers now. Wow, what are those/ Walkers? Wow, a new character, Lando! Wow, how cool are speederbikes? Wow, Palpatine was from Naboo! Wow, stormtroopers are clones!" And so on. In this book...well, I won't spoil it. You'll just have to read it. But, I'll tell you that....this new information about the Star Wars universe made the news when it was published as a single issue.
You want a gripe? OK, I'll give you one. I'm not sure how I feel Darth Vader facing Luke long before their encounter on Bespin, or how I feel about Boba Fett being hired to find Luke long before the bounty hunter went after Solo as the smuggler and Leia escaped Hoth. It feels a bit too "ret-conned" to me, like the prequel movies.
But, don't let that hold you back. This is good Star Wars story telling. Action and Adventure in a galaxy far, far away.
Good stuff.
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