Star Wars Volume 1: Skywalker Strikes TPB

by Jason Aaron

[Quirky Cat]

I’m not really sure why, but I’ve been putting off reading this series for far too long. I loved the other Star Wars comics I’ve read, and I’m sure this will be no exception. The series is set shortly after the conclusion of A New Hope, and is primarily showing us the Rebel forces attempts to thwart the Empire (though as you can tell by the title of this volume, by the Rebels I mostly mean Luke, Lea, and Han).



I’ll admit I have some bias in favor of this series – not only do I love Star Wars, but I’m a huge fan of Jason Aaron and his other works. So naturally that combination is pretty much the Holy Grail in my mind. If you’re a fan of either/both this is definitely the series for you.
There’s quite a bit going on in this volume, both plot wise and with character development. Add in appearances from all of our favorite Star Wars characters (Luke, Lea, Han, Chewie, C-3P0, R2-D2, Boba Fett, Darth Vader, and more) and you’ve got yourself a pretty full volume. And in case you were wondering – yet they are all drawn the way they appear on the big screen.
Onto the plot (finally, I know), first we see the team (Luke, Lea, Threepoi, Artoo, and Chewie) all trying to pull off a pretty dangerous assault on Cymoon-1. For those that don’t know, it is literally a weapons manufacturing plant and is probably one of the more dangerous places to infiltrate (surely any unnamed character that tried it would have perished). Throw in Vader’s arrival and you’ve got a pretty hot mess on your hands. I won’t say what happens (though based on their appearance in later movies it’s obvious they survive).
From here on out (for this volume, that is) the perspective starts to shift around rather suddenly. We have Luke off in one direction, Han and Lea in another (working on another mission that just so happens to force them to be together), and then there’s the addition of Vader’s, Boba Fett’s, and a mysterious third party’s perspectives.
Thanks to the events on Cymoon-1 Luke finds himself with a sudden loss of faith in his ability to become a Jedi. The only way for him to resolve this concern is for him to discover the reasons why Obi-Wan chose him in the first place. Which means going back home. I actually wish this plot had been stretched out a bit more – I like the concept of soul searching to find one’s way, especially when applied to the Jedi. Though it’s possible it’ll continue in later volumes as well.
I have to say I really loved the artwork of the series so far – each planet is so beautiful and distinct. Plus as I mentioned above all the characters (even the smaller roles) look exactly like they did in the movies, a huge advantage for quickly identifying them.
I’m curious to see where things go next. I personally am greatly looking forward to the fallout from the revelation of the identity to the person hunting down Han (I know the series is old, but I’d still prefer not to spoil that little detail here). It looks like it could go either really funny or rally dramatic, but ideally both. Regardless, I can’t wait to start reading the next volume.


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