Review: STAR WARS #2

STWARS2015002_DC11STAR WARS #2
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by John Cassaday, Laura Martin
Published by Marvel Comics
Release Date: February 4, 2015

The fanfare, the adventure, the old school fun. It’s Star Wars, exactly the way you’d expect it to be.

Jason Aaron does a great job capturing the voices of these iconic characters, to the point of being able to hear the voices with every word of dialogue in the issue. Vader’s voice rumbles through the pages, uncertainty in Luke’s voice makes the words tremble and the cockiness of Han Solo bantering with the strength of Princess Leia is spot on. Threepio is pitch perfect and you can even hear the giant, thundering footsteps of the wandering AT-AT as the issue progresses. From the “authenticity” perspective, Jason Aaron is absolutely nailing it, giving readers an Episode 4.5 where there is no worries of aged actors or the like, just a good ol’ fashioned fun adventure is here to be had.

This issue is fun, and while the voices are perfect, the plot is somewhat straightforward. The story does progress from the first issue, but it is a pretty linear path that is rather predictable. For me, the skilled interpretations of the characters is more than enough to keep this one entertaining, but for anyone looking for a dramatic turn or radical plot shifts, they aren’t in this issue. For people looking for an old school adventure that stays true to the spirit of Star Wars, you’ve most likely just found your favourite comic.

John Cassaday’s artwork is strong, capturing the the look and feel of Star Wars very well. As well as Aaron calls forth the voices of the characters, Cassaday captures their looks, mannerisms and all those little aspects of characters that makes it feel like we are reading something from the time of the original films. His artwork has the perfect amount of “campy adventure” to it, in that there is a lot of fun and spirit in these pencils, and there is big, boisterous action to be had within these pages. His pencils have a fluid motion to them and he draws objects and vehicles in such a manner that they are immediately recognizable by both look and sound. His lightsabers have that snap-hiss look and feel to them and he is certainly performing under the pressure of such a high profile release.

Star Wars #2 is a ton of fun if you are looking for an adventure that captures the spirit and tone of the original trilogy. Aaron and Cassaday are channeling the magic of the original films very well and giving readers a comic that is very true to what makes Star Wars great. I laughed, I heard the music, and I got excited to read more. This is a big, booming adventure featuring some of the most iconic characters of all time and I can’t wait to read more.

The Verdict: 8.0/10

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