There was a time, not so long ago, that Star Wars was not a joke, but a moment in popular culture that changed everything. Dark Horse’s new Star Wars ongoing, written by Brian Wood and drawn by Carlos D’Anda, brings that back a little. Perhaps not much, but just a little bit, just enough to remind you why the eight-year-old in you fell in love.
Wood’s series picks up between A New Hope and Empire. The Rebellion may have blown up the Death Star, but they’ve also had to abandon Yavin, and there’s a spy in their ranks.
One thing that stands out, immediately, about Wood’s first issue is just what a badass Leia is, something that’s evident in the movies but never really explored. She’s really the central protagonist of the book, with Luke as a sidekick and Han only there for a few pages. Wood nails how each character speaks and to be honest, he does a difficult job with aplomb. These are famous characters and he nails them with the first issue.
Also telling is the rhythm of the book; in twenty-two pages, there are chatty sections but also ones devoid of dialogue. It almost makes you wish for a John Williams score.
D’Anda’s art is quite good, heavy on the detail and the research but not letting it get in the way of the drama. If there’s a nitpick to be had, it’s that D’Anda’s inking is a bit too thick and uniform for his pencils:
But again, that’s only a nitpick. The art itself is gorgeous.
Dark Horse calling a book simply Star Wars is a bold move, but the book earns the title. It really is Star Wars, and that’s probably the highest compliment we can pay it.
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I genuinely want to read comics, everything you post about them makes me want to go to comic explosion by my house and pick them up, but honestly i have no idea where to even begin. Whether its which comics to read, paper vs. on my tablet..It would be fantastic if GS did a beginners guide to getting into the world of comic books.
OK!
Let’s start with paper vs. tablet: Android and iOS both have Comixology, which has most of what hits the stands at this point, and Dark Horse’s app, which they’ve polished to a high sheen. I recommend tablets for single issues because honestly, on paper, singles build up FAST.
As far as stories… well, talk to me a bit. What movies do you like to watch? What TV shows do you enjoy? Also, folks, pitch in on the thread!
OK, I enjoy the usual television shows that most around here seem to, as for movies I enjoy the action/sci fi stuff (loved Firefly and BSG), but I also like a good mystery (which Is why Im so excited for this season of Justified) I loved the three Nolan Batman films but I’m not sure I want to try and delve into the stuff that has been going on for thirty years…
For action and SF, I recommend The Massive, from Dark Horse; Manhattan Projects, Nowhere Men, and Think Tank from Image; and Higher Earth from Boom!. For mystery, I recommend Point of Impact (a mini just wrapping up from Image) and Dark Horse’s “The Creep”, a really superb mini that also just finished.
As far as Batman goes, try Scott Snyder’s New 52 relaunch. It’s pretty accessible, and you can start from issue #1.
For accessibility, I think one of the best gateway series to comics is Y the Last Man. Excellent, revisionist take on one of the oldest fables that’s elevated by an impressive cast of characters that you genuinely bond with. It’s a rollicking dystopian 60 issue action movie that is just incredibly fun and entertaining. It’s also widely available in collected trades if you prefer paper, but might run somewhat expensive if you’re getting the entire series. Nothing stopping you from just picking up the first trade and trying it out.
For fans of Breaking Bad and The Wire, Scalped is an excellent little crime series set on an Indian reservation that is just begging to be adapted by HBO. It’s a little insensitive in in its representations of Native Americans, but the story is incredibly compelling. It might take more than a couple of trades to really get invested, but once you are, it’s a great journey, and the art is beautiful.
The Walking Dead is a beast, if you like Zombie stuff then you should already be reading. The show does a great job at distinguishing itself from the comics while keeping some elements in tact, but the comics are really the heart of Kirkman’s empire. You’d be hard pressed to walk into any store that sells books or comics these days without running into some form of TWD merchandise, if you have the money pick up the first compendium, if you have less I would recommend the first 2-3 trades to really get into the story, but the compendium has the best selection of comics of the series and if you’re anything like most fans of the series, the purchase of the second compendium won’t be far behind.
I can’t agree enough with Seitz’ recco’s on Manhattan Projects, Nowehere Men, and Think Tank, but for a first time reader trying to get into comics you might be safer looking into some completed and fully realized projects. Another current suggestion would be Saga, an awesome mix of Star Wars and Avatar that is an incredibly refreshing sci fi romp. I love those books so far, but waiting month to month as a new reader might be a bit straining for someone trying to find a great series to start off with,
If you like gothic horror, Faustian tales, or HP Lovecraft, then grab the first collection of Neil Gaiman’s the Sandman and get into a remarkable first trade, followed by an incredibly compelling series. A similar case could be made for Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing run.
If you want to get into the Superhero game, Rick Remender’s recent arc on Uncanny X-Force was sublime.
If you’re a literature buff, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is excellent, featuring characters from major works of fiction banding together to tackle an alien invasion (Jekyll/Hyde, Mina Harker, Alan Quatremain, and the Invisible Man versus HG Wells martians from War of the Worlds). Don’t be scared off by the abysmal film, it resembled the comics in name only. What good would this list be without an Alan Moore rape?
My favorite book on the stands right now is probably the Manhattan Projects, but I fear the whimsical art style might turn off new readers to comics. Pick up the first trade and leaf through, if it looks okay then you’ve got an awesome alternate history story peppered with fictional representations of famous scientists working for shady government agencies. Frankly, it’s awesome, and more entertaining than almost anything else out there.
If you add some of your favourite shows or books, I could recommend some more that might be better suited to your tastes.
Heh, if we’re talking Alan Moore, his name is usually the mark of quality. “Watchmen”, “V For Vendetta”, “Top 10″, “Tom Strong”, and individual issues like “Whatever Happened To The Man of Tomorrow”, “Mogo Doesn’t Socialize”, and “For The Man Who Has Everything”. I have literally read nothing from him I didn’t like.
Although avoid “Lost Girls”, which is basically porn.
This sounds a little simple but go to your local comic shop and tell them you’re new to comics and see what they’d recommend. Comics are kind of a losing business these days and shops that are still around are usually around because they’ve got a pretty kick ass staff.
Or if you have time to kill go to Barnes and Noble, buy a coffee and read comics all day. Seriously they have chairs and everything,
As far as the actually comics everyone is recommending I’ll throw in my 2 cents. Saga is awesome, Scalped is really bad ass but if you’re going to check it out you really need to start with the first trade paperback. Hawkguy errr Hawkeye is fantastic and Scott Snyder’s Batman is really good.
can’t wait to read this – couldn’t get my pull list last night, have to go tonight.
It’s a great start, and I’m really overjoyed it’s an ongoing. Hooray Wood!
Wait, that came out wrong!
Well, it’s an ongoing as long as Dark Horse has the license, right? Does anyone know when it expires, because why wouldn’t Disney move the rights over to Marvel as soon as they’re able?
Not sure when it expires, but if they launched an ongoing, they’re fairly confident that it’ll be running for a while.
This might be a trial balloon for all I know, Disney asking Dark Horse to show ‘em what they got.
I totally missed that this existed, maybe I’ll snag it next week.
They’re trying a little too hard with the whole, “Girls can be badass, too!” shtick. But as someone who’s read literally all of Dark Horse’s Star Wars comics, it still looks like it could be the best one they’ve ever done.
It makes sense with Leia, though. First movie, she successfully bullshits Tarkin after being tortured. Second movie, she leads the battle of Hoth and generally holds her own. Third movie, she runs around on speeder bikes, nearly rescues Han on her own, and murders a gangster in cold blood.
Yeah, I’m not saying she isn’t badass by any means. If you’ve ever read the Expanded Universe, she’s crazy badass as a full-fledged Jedi. It just felt like they were trying a little too hard to prove it to readers in the first issue.
I think Wood didn’t have much choice. You’d expect Luke to be the hero, but it doesn’t make sense post-”A New Hope”. He’s untrained, really still a child, a good pilot but not a good fighter.
Cool! I’m definitely checking this out! I was disappointed when they stopped making the Empire/Rebellion series! Since this is darkhorse too they should retcon anything from them probably. Right?
Not sure how they’re handling that, honestly.
So how many variations on “between IV-V” does this make? Three? Four if you count the newspaper serial? When does Han play “Seven Samurai” with Jaxxon the giant green rabbit? When does the Imperial Fleet conspire to assassinate Vader, Valkyrie-style?