Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist(s): Marco Checchetto, Angel Unzueta, Emilio Laiso
Colourist: Andrew Mossa
Release Date: 17th November, 2015

---

Marketed as the “Journey to The Force Awakens”, Shattered Empire – a four-part Star Wars mini series from Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto – doesn’t initially appear to have a whole lot to do with the upcoming Lucasfilm blockbuster.  However, as you make your way through this collected volume, you start to realise that there are a lot of subtle nods and references to the film contained within these pages, including Greg Rucka quite literally planting what could be a fairly significant plot point for the movie.

The story kicks off during the closing moments of the Battle of Endor, and is focused around Shara Bey, a celebrated Rebel pilot who finds herself intimately intertwined with some of the big-time players in the Star Wars universe.  From providing covering fire for the Millennium Falcon as it makes its final run on the second Death Star to accompanying Princess Leia on a diplomatic mission to Naboo to assisting Luke Skywalker as he attempts to recover the aforementioned plot point, Shara is thrust right to the very forefront of the Rebellion as the defeated Imperial forces execute their post-defeat plan – “Project Cinder” – in a desperate attempt to exact vengeance.

Perhaps the first thing to note about this series is the absolutely jaw-dropping artwork on display.  Checchetto, assisted by Angel Unzueta and Emilio Laiso, puts forth perhaps the most visually stunning recreation of the Star Wars Universe that I think I’ve ever seen, laying out several truly cinematic double-page spreads along the way and injecting the proceedings with an epic sense of grandeur throughout.  The familiar faces are instantly recognisable, and the frequent battle scenes – both space and land-bound – are rendered with detail and energy.  Andres Mossa injects a whole new level of depth and awe with his rich, glossy colours, making this book an absolute joy to behold – even before you start reading the words of Eisner Award-winning writer Greg Rucka.

Rucka has some fun here playing with the existing characters, but does it in a far more controlled and restrained way than I felt Jason Aaron did in the Skywalker Strikes graphic novel.   Rather than homaging and referencing the original movie too heavily, Rucka restrains his inner fanboy somewhat as he opts to centre this story around a brand new character in Shara Bey.  Shara is a woman with a lot of depth and relatability who brushes off the relative fame her exploits have afforded her in favour of wanting to spend time with her husband, Kes Dameron (and no, that surname isn’t a coincidence, folks).  Her interactions with the heroes of the Rebellion also help show her true character as she more than holds her own, refusing to be in awe of these larger-than-life figures, and actually eclipsing some of their heroics with her own actions during the course of this series.

I’m not going to delve too much into the story for risk of spoiling the impact, but Rucka should be applauded for capturing the true essence of the Star Wars Universe, providing a deeply personal, character-based journey with an epic “space opera” backdrop.  While there are definitely no spoilers here per se for the  upcoming movie, it does provide a little more context for what happens after the credits rolled on Return of the Jedi, and shows that perhaps the Ewok and firework-filled celebration may have been slightly premature.

Overall, while the pacing suffers ever so slightly from the four-issue format – this is a story arc that definitely deserves another issue or two for it to truly breathe – this is still undoubtedly the most impressive of Marvel’s newly introduced Star Wars comic books, and should be considered essential reading for anyone who considers themselves a fan of this iconic franchise. Which, I’m assuming, is all of us, right?

Rating: 4.5/5.

---

PREVIEW ARTWORK
[Click to Enlarge]

---

You can purchase Star Wars: Journey ToThe Force Awakens – Shattered Empire TP from Turnaround Publisher Services (who generously provided the review copy of this title) via their official website.

---

The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson-Adams (aka Ceej)
Article Archive: Ceej Says
You can follow Ceej on Twitter

---