I Reads You Review: X-Men #1

X-MEN #1
MARVEL COMICS

WRITER: Brian Wood
PENCILS: Olivier Coipel
INKS: Olivier Coipel and Mark Morales
COLORS: Laura Martin
LETTERS: VC’s Joe Caramagna
COVER: Olivier Coipel with Laura Martin
28pp, Colors, $3.99 U.S. (July 2013)

Rated T+

Marvel Comics’ Marvel NOW initiative (which began in Fall 2012) is the major re-launch of the publisher’s comics line. Within that major re-launch have been several re-launches, and one of the big unveilings is a new comic book entitled, X-Men.

The new X-Men is written by Brian Wood and drawn by Olivier Coipel. That is a major creative team, but the really big news about this new X-Men title is that it features a female-only lineup. This new X-Men comic book stars Storm, Kitty Pryde, Psylocke, Rachel, Rogue, and Jubilee.

X-Men #1 (2013) begins with Jubilation Lee (Jubilee, of course) on the run, and in possession of an infant. Someone is following her, and she calls for the X-cavalry. Meanwhile, John Sublime shows up at The Jean Grey School for Higher Learning in Westchester, New York. He has a tale of impending doom to tell.

Writing the X-Men means recycling the ideas of other writers, ideas that were first published decades ago. What Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Len Wein, and Chris Claremont wrote can be and has been rehashed, re-imagined, remade, and re-jiggered into countless new comic book stories. This has gone on for decades and can go on for many, many more decades.

Along comes Brian Wood. He is one of those writers that can take someone else’s concept and write new stories that are as fresh and as innovative as the original idea. See him do it on Dark Horse’s new eponymous Star Wars comic book with artist Carlos D’Anda. Wood’s new X-Men is the freshest take on the franchise since Grant Morrison shocked us with New X-Men 13 years ago.

One of the elements that made Morrison’s New X-Men so bracing was the art by Frank Quitely. Wood has an artist collaborator who is still ascending. Olivier Coipel, the French comic book artist, has not yet reached his creative peak, but he is a good storyteller. His pretty, eye-candy style is made even prettier by Laura Martin’s dazzling colors.

Coipel is making X-Men a stimulating, refreshing read. Also, amazing is that he is the first “artist of color” (or how about “Black guy”) to be the series artist (and not a guest artist) on a main or “flagship” X-Men title in the 50-year history of the franchise. When you consider that people associated with Marvel have evoked Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X to describe the X-Men, it is ridiculous that it took this long.

By the way, no African-American or Black writer has been the series writer for Uncanny X-Men or X-Men. Is this an accident or is it because the powers-that-be over the years just wanted it that way? Well, I guess Brian Wood and Olivier Coipel are as bold as it’s ever going to get.

Any way, I like X-Men #1. This is just the first issue, but I already think that the 2013-launched X-Men is a fabulous comic book.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 29 2013

MARVEL COMICS

MAR138132 AGE OF ULTRON #5 2ND PTG HITCH VAR $3.99

MAR130722 ALL NEW X-MEN PREM HC VOL 02 HERE TO STAY $24.99

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MAR130633 NEW AVENGERS #6 NOW $3.99

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MAR130740 ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN BY BRIAN WOOD TP VOL 01 $19.99

MAR130662 UNCANNY X-FORCE #5 NOW $3.99

MAR138133 UNCANNY X-MEN #4 2ND PTG BACHALO VAR NOW $3.99

MAR130669 VENOM #35 $2.99

MAR130703 WOLVERINE AND X-MEN #30 $3.99

FEB130492 X-MEN #1 NOW $3.99

Review: STAR WARS #5

STAR WARS #5
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

["Star Wars Central" review page is here.]

SCRIPT: Brian Wood
ART: Carlos D’Anda
COLORS: Gabe Eltaeb
LETTERS: Michael Heisler
EDITOR: Randy Stradley
COVER: Rodolfo Migliari
28pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (May 2013)

“In the Shadow of Yavin” Part Five

Set during the time of the original and classic Star Wars film trilogy, Star Wars is a recently launched comic book series from Dark Horse Comics. Star Wars is written by Brian Wood, drawn by Carlos D’Anda, colored by Gabe Eltaeb, and lettered by Michael Heisler.

Star War’s opening story arc is “In the Shadow of Yavin.” It begins shortly after the events depicted in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. The Rebel Alliance destroyed the Galactic Empire’s fearsome space station, the Death Star, at the Battle of Yavin. However, the Rebellion, still fighting off attacks from the Empire, is trying to find a new permanent home base. Princess Leia Organa has formed a secret squadron of stealth X-wing fighters to help find a new rebel base, but she must also expose a spy within the Rebellion’s ranks

Senator Leia Organa and her secret squadron of stealth X-wings enter the Pybus System, in the continuing search for a new rebel base. As Star Wars #5 opens, Leia and her squadron are fighting off two squadrons of TIE fighters and an Imperial Interdictor. Of course, the Rebels have some success, but the TIE squadrons are commanded by the ambitious Colonel Bircher, and he plans on matching the Rebels trick for trick.

Meanwhile, Han Solo and Chewbacca seek refuge in the underworld of Coruscant, the Imperial center. Is Perla their salvation? Meanwhile, Darth Vader continues to make plans with Birra Seah. Luke Skywalker and Prithi prepare to disobey Leia, again, but at least they mean well.

As I wrote in my review of the fourth issue, this new Star Wars comic book is like having a follow-up to the original Star Wars film. It’s like an imaginary television series called “Star Wars: The Day After” or “What Happened after Luke Destroyed the Death Star.”

Writer Brian Wood has summoned his inner George Lucas and Alan Dean Foster (the ghost writer of the novelization of the first Star Wars movie). Carlos D’Anda’s art goes back in time, recalling Howard Chaykin, the first Star Wars comic book artist, and creates art that looks like classic, 1970s Star Wars comics. In fact, Wood and D’Anda, issue by issue, are building a Star Wars masterpiece.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

-------------------------

Review: STAR WARS #4

STAR WARS #4
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

["Star Wars Central" review page is here.]

SCRIPT: Brian Wood
ART: Carlos D’Anda
COLORS: Gabe Eltaeb
LETTERS: Michael Heisler
EDITOR: Randy Stradley
COVER: Alex Ross
28pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (April 2013)

“In the Shadow of Yavin” Part Four

Return to the days of Star Wars yesteryear in Dark Horse Comics new Star Wars comic book. Star Wars 2013 is set during the time of the original and classic Star Wars film trilogy. Star Wars is written by Brian Wood, drawn by Carlos D’Anda, colored by Gabe Eltaeb, and lettered by Michael Heisler, with covers provided by Alex Ross.

The opening story arc, “In the Shadow of Yavin,” takes place shortly after the events depicted in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. The Rebel Alliance destroyed the Galactic Empire’s fearsome space station, the Death Star, at the Battle of Yavin. The Rebellion, still fighting off attacks from the Empire, is trying to find a new permanent home base and to restock supplies and armaments. Princess Leia Organa has formed a secret squadron of stealth X-wings to help find a new rebel base and also to help expose a spy within the Rebellion’s ranks

As Star Wars #4 opens, Han Solo and first mate, Chewbacca, are aboard the Millennium Falcon, trying to escape from Coruscant, the Imperial center. Now, to save their lives, they will have to get deeper into a snake pit. Meanwhile, Senator Leia Organa and her secret squadron of stealth X-wings enter the Pybus System, in the continuing search for a new rebel base.

Luke Skywalker and fellow squad member, Prithi, have been grounded for their actions. However, Luke is about to make two surprising discoveries. Also, Darth Vader meets Birra Seah; is she an enemy or an ally?

This new Star Wars comic book is like having A New Hope – the day after or what happened after Luke destroyed the Death Star. Writer Brian Wood tells a story that reads as if it were the real thing – the continuing story of the first Star Wars movie. Wood has practically fooled me into believing that this script came straight out of 1977-78.

Carlos D’Anda does what any Star Wars comic book artist should do: draw comics that look like Star Wars. In this case, D’Anda is true to the visual aesthetic of the original film, and his work recalls the early Star Wars comics from Marvel Comics back in the late 1970s. The new Star Wars comic book is the realest Star Wars we can get at the moment.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Review: STAR WARS #3

STAR WARS #3
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

["Star Wars Central" review page is here.]

SCRIPT: Brian Wood
ART: Carlos D’Anda
COLORS: Gabe Eltaeb
LETTERS: Michael Heisler
COVER: Alex Ross
28pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (March 2013)

“In the Shadow of Yavin” Part Three

All that is old is new again in the new Star Wars comic book series from Dark Horse Comics. Simply entitled Star Wars, it is written by Brian Wood, drawn by Carlos D’Anda, colored by Gabe Eltaeb, and lettered by Michael Heisler, with covers provided by Alex Ross. This Star Wars is set during the time of the original and classic Star Wars films: Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.

It destroyed the Galactic Empire’s fearsome space station, the Death Star at the Battle of Yavin, but the Rebel Alliance still must fight off attacks from the Empire. The rebels are also trying to find a new permanent home base and to restock supplies and armaments. Princess Leia Organa has formed a secret squadron of stealth X-wings to help find a new rebel base and also to help expose a spy within the Rebellion’s ranks

As Star Wars #3 opens, Darth Vader begins his new assignment in the Endor System, managing the building of a second Death Star. The Sith Lord, however, chafes under this demotion, handed down by Emperor Palpatine for Vader’s failure at Yavin.

Han Solo and his first mate, Chewbacca, continue their secret mission for Mon Mothma, leader of the Alliance. The two pirates land on the imperial center of Coruscant, where they await a meeting with a contact who can sell them the supplies that the Rebel Alliance so badly needs. Meanwhile, Leia confronts a troublesome member of her secret squadron, Flight Officer Luke Skywalker!

Brian Wood and Carlos D’Anda are still doing the damn thing. The new Star Wars isn’t a fluke. Issue #3 is as good as the first two issues. The action gets hotter. See Han Solo and Chewbacca in a gun fight! Plus, Wood’s spin on the Luke-Leia relationship is hard to ignore; this may be the most personal drama any Star Wars comic book has ever attempted.

The Force will call readers of Star Wars comics and fans of the original Star Wars trilogy to the new Star Wars.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Review: STAR WARS #2

STAR WARS #2
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

["Star Wars Central" review page is here.]

SCRIPT: Brian Wood
ART: Carlos D’Anda
COLORS: Gabe Eltaeb
LETTERS: Michael Heisler
COVER: Alex Ross
28pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

“In the Shadow of Yavin” Part Two (of Three)

Star Wars, a new comic book series from Dark Horse Comics, is set during the time of the original and classic Star Wars films: Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Star Wars is written by Brian Wood, drawn by Carlos D’Anda, colored by Gabe Eltaeb, and lettered by Michael Heisler, with covers provided by Alex Ross.

Exploring new story possibilities from that time period, Star Wars opens after the Battle of Yavin. The Rebel Alliance destroyed the Galactic Empire’s fearsome space station, the Death Star. Still, there are a number of post-victory struggles, such as finding a new permanent home base and restocking supplies and armaments.

Star Wars #2 opens aboard the Millennium Falcon. Han Solo and his first mate, Chewbacca, continue their secret mission for Mon Mothma, leader of the Alliance. There, is, however, someone hot on the Falcon’s trail. Meanwhile, Colonel Bircher takes command of Darth Vader’s personal Star Destroyer, the Devastator. Bircher’s specialty is tracking rebels, but he has also decided to target an additional quarry.

Back at the rebel fleet, Leia Organa forms a commando unit. In addition to Wedge Antilles and Luke Skywalker, this black operations team includes Gram Cortess from Alderran, Rus Kal Kin from Durkteel, Prithi from Chalacta, Falback Kord from Tinnel Four, Tess Alder from Corellia, and Ardana Cinn. Leia names Wedge Antilles her second-in-command, so where does that leave Luke?

The quality of the first issue of Dark Horse Comics’ new Star Wars comic book series was not a fluke. This is Star Wars, so naturally it is filled with pleasing elements of the franchise. However, this particular issue is also edgy and grim.

The edginess comes from the precarious position the post-Battle of Yavin Rebel Alliance is in. That’s what writer Brian Wood uses to make beloved Star Wars characters ruthless, single-minded, and even a bit selfish. These aren’t you or your father’s action figures, and their fight for survival feels genuine.

I find the series grim, because Wood doesn’t allow the original film trilogy’s signature characters, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, to dominate the series. In turn, this does not become a clean good versus evil tale settled by some exciting lightsaber duels. Indeed, thus far, Luke and Vader seem like two guys sent in the corner of the series to wear dunce hats. This is Star Wars off-the-hook and for reals, y’all!

Meanwhile, artist Carlos D’Anda already seems to have improved as a storyteller in this series, and he was really good in issue #1. Oh, this Star Wars comic book is too good to be true. It’s a trap!

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

I Reads You Review: Star Wars #1

STAR WARS #1
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

["Star Wars Central" review page is here.]

SCRIPT: Brian Wood
ART: Carlos D’Anda
COLORS: Gabe Eltaeb
LETTERS: Michael Heisler
COVER: Alex Ross
28pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

“In the Shadow of Yavin” Part One (of Three)

In the timeline of Star Wars Expanded Universe, “The Rebellion” is a five-year period that begins with the Battle of Yavin, the climatic battle in Star Wars in which the Death Star is destroyed. It includes the events depicted in the classic Star Wars films (the original trilogy): Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. This story period ends with the death of the Emperor, high over the forest moon of Endor and also as the Rebellion starts to transform itself into a government.

This is the story period in which Dark Horse Comics is setting its new Star Wars comic book series, simply entitled Star Wars. The series will explore new storytelling possibilities that “The Rebellion” period offers (according to Dark Horse Comics editor, Randy Stradley).

[According to Dark Horse: This is Star Wars as you remember it . . . and as you have never seen it before! We’re taking you back to those heady, adventure-filled days following the destruction of the Death Star—when the Empire ruled, the Rebels were on the run, and the galaxy was a dangerous place where anything might happen! The creative of Star Wars is writer Brian Wood, artist Carlos D’Anda, colorist Gabe Eltaeb, and letterer Michael Heisler. Alex Ross provides the cover for the first issue.]

Star Wars #1 opens after the Battle of Yavin, in which the Rebel Alliance destroyed the Galactic Empire’s fearsome space station, the Death Star. Still, the Alliance struggles. New allies are hard to gain, as even systems and worlds that have been able to fend off the Empire’s advances, refuse to side with the rebels. The Alliance also needs new sources of supplies, and most of all, they need a new permanent base.

That’s why the three-member, X-Wing, exploration team of Senator (Princess) Leia Organa, flight officer Luke Skywalker, and fighter pilot Wedge Antilles enter the Dominus Sector in the Outer Rim Territories. Meanwhile, Han Solo, with a death mark on his head in practically every system, and Chewbacca go on a mission for the Rebel Alliance. Mon Mothma, leader of the Alliance, makes a shocking offer to Senator Leia.

Meanwhile, the Emperor prepares to make his own moves in the aftermath of the Battle of Yavin. How will Darth Vader fare?

[This issue comes with a code to download a free digital issue of the comic book.]

First, I have to admit that when I read Star Wars novels, I read the ones involving characters from the original Star Wars film trilogy. Secondly, I can’t remember reading a Dark Horse Comics-produced Star Wars comic book that I did not like. Thus, I love this new Star Wars series. What’s do I like about it? The work of the creative team is what.

Dark Horse Comics may push the “come back to the adventure” angle, but for this series to thrive, the characters and the character drama will have to capture the reader’s imagination. Enter Brian Wood, an illustrator, comic book artist, and writer known for writing captivating characters in science fiction and fantasy settings.

Wood not only imagines and fashions conflicts within individual characters, but he also constructs lines of tension and conflict between allies and friends. The reader might wonder what is going on between Luke, who thinks often of what has been lost (even after victory), and Leia, who looks steadfastly towards the future. In Han Solo, Wood presents a man who is both a hustler and a survivor, but he seems to asks, can this man be hero in what might essentially be a lost cause. Also, Wood may be the only writer outside of George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan who has probed so deeply into the desires and struggles behind the mask of Darth Vader.

Visually and graphically, artist Carlos D’Anda never lets the reader doubt that this is classic Star Wars. In terms of style, D’Anda’s art recalls the very first Star Wars comic book artist, Howard Chaykin. D’Anda takes the cartoonish elegance of J. Scott Campbell (obviously an influence on him) and turns it into compositions that emphasize storytelling over quirkiness and style. However, it is the detail D’Anda puts in the Star Wars tech and star ships, the customs, sets, backgrounds, and backdrops that are the most impressive. Looking at the detail he puts into drawing the X-Wing and Tie Interceptors, for example, makes me wonder if D’Anda draws this solo. Gabe Eltaeb’s sparkling colors make the art even livelier.

I’ll just get it out of the way and say that this new Star Wars starts off the New Year as one of the best new series of the year. Readers of Star Wars comics and fans of the original Star Wars trilogy should try this Star Wars comic book, at least once.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 9 2013

DARK HORSE COMICS

NOV120036 BPRD HELL ON EARTH #103 ABYSS TIME #1 $3.50

NOV120046 BTVS SEASON 9 FREEFALL #17 NOTO CVR $2.99

JUN120048 CHERUBS HC $19.99

SEP120047 CONAN HC VOL 13 QUEEN O/T BLACK COAST $24.99

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NOV120045 EERIE COMICS #2 $2.99

OCT120039 GHOST #3 $2.99

SEP120064 OREIMO TP VOL 02 $10.99

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SEP120050 ROBERT E HOWARDS SAVAGE SWORD TP VOL 01 $17.99

NOV120010 STAR WARS #1 $2.99

NOV120043 STRAIN #10 (MR) $3.50

NOV120042 TO HELL YOU RIDE #2 $3.99

Albert Avilla Reviews: X-Men #37

X-Men #37
Marvel Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Brian Wood
Pencils: David Lopez
Inks: Alvaro Lopez

human being 2 of 2 (Spoilers)
This was a nice, little pleasant story; not what I like in my superhero stories. That's what I get for thinking potential will be reality. The story begins with proto-mutant, Shepherd, in a dog fight with two fighter jets. He's more than holding his own when Pixie comes in and teleports him away. Pixie and Shepherd have a conversation where both show that friendship is important.

At the same time, Storm and Colossus have a long-time friendship that is falling apart. Storm has to give Piotr the old beat down with a lightning bolt. Colossus is falling for Cyclops's agenda. Shepherd turns out to be a major letdown, cutting and running during a major turning point in mutant history. Pixie wanted to follow him to whatever paradise he went to. Real heroes don't leave when there is a fight to be won or forget their friends during troubling times. Shepherd could have turned out to be the next great X-Men antagonist or ally, but he was just a one night stand.

The art was a joy. The landscapes and the characters pull you into the story. If Shepherd was leaving that beautiful island to go somewhere better, it must truly be paradise.

I rate X-Men #37 Read a Friend's Copy. Al-O-Meter Ranking #3 (of 5)

Leroy Douresseaux Reviews: KING CONAN: The Phoenix on the Sword #1

"Old Man Conan"
KING CONAN: THE PHOENIX ON THE SWORD #1 (OF 4)
DARK HORSE COMICS

WRITER: Timothy Truman
ART: Tomás Giorello
COLORS: José Villarrubia
LETTERS: Richard Stakings & Comicraft
VARIANT COVER: Gerald Parel (Andrew Robinson-regular cover)
28pp, Colors, $3.50 U.S.

During his three-decade career in comic books, did the industry or the public ever consider Tim Truman A-list talent? By the breath and scope of his talent and his work, he certainly was/is, if it is even appropriate to categorize him with what are the usual and the standard in comic books. The terms “eclectic” and “diverse” seem a tad bit understated when describing Truman’s body of work.

Even as Lonesome Dove, Dances with Wolves, and Unforgiven made the Western cool again, Truman was looking at the past, present, and future of the Western and frontier storytelling (Jonah Hex, The Kents, Scout, Wilderness, etc.). Before Christopher Nolan and Guillermo del Toro, among others, were surprising people with their re-imaginations and interpretations of superheroes and classic fantasy characters, Tim Truman was bold and visionary on Hawkworld, JLA: Gatekeeper, and The Spider, among many.

In his comics, Truman, as a writer, artist, and writer/artist, offers muscular storytelling presented with surprising grace in beautiful graphics. So Truman is one of those rare creators who are actually ideal to create Conan the Barbarian comic books. Many are good, but few can capture both the splendor of Howard’s prose and the darkness and brutality of which this prose tells.

When it appeared in the cover-dated December 1932 issue of the famed pulp fiction magazine, Weird Tales, “The Phoenix on the Sword” became the first published story featuring the character, Conan the Barbarian. Tim Truman as writer and Tomás Giorello as artist have adapted that story in King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword, a four-issue comic book miniseries from Dark Horse Comics. The fourth and final issue recently arrived in comic book shops shortly.

King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword #1 introduces us to a gray-haired Conan, King of Aquilonia, and to Pramis, a scribe who is chronicling the story of King Conan’s rule. Conan tells Pramis of a time early in his reign – a time of unrest – and the story travels back to that time.

Although Conan freed Aquilonia from a despotic king, he is now despised by Aquilonians, from the common man to the elite. Rinaldo, the poet and bard, who once sang his praises, now stirs unrest against Conan and is part of a plot to unseat Conan and replace him on the throne with a pure blood Aquilonian, Baron Dion. The mysterious Ascalante is the ringleader, but even more mysterious is Ascalante’s companion, a long-time enemy of Conan, the wizard Thoth-Amon.

I find King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword to be an unusual Conan story. It is not as if I haven’t read a Conan story like this – one that is a conspiratorial drama, but this is not the Conan comic book norm. There is more dark drama here than there is edgy drama; in fact, the only fight scene is Conan’s palace workout at the beginning of the story.

That is not at all a bad thing. Tim Truman fashions a story filled with political machinations and intrigue, but at its heart, it examines what happens when you get what you thought you wanted and then find it to be a prison. As a monarch, Conan is trapped, and the interesting twist that Truman gives this story is that his enemies may be about to get what they wanted, but in the worst way.

Truman has a wonderful collaborator in Tomás Giorello, who takes Truman’s script and transforms it into comic book art that is a tapestry of exotic backdrops, a striking cityscape, strange costumes, and shadowy backrooms (includes a fine double page spread). This art is not only perfect for Conan, but for just about any Robert E. Howard story. Giorello could probably deliver a stunning comic book vision of Tolkien.

This comic book also includes a 4-page preview of Conan the Barbarian #1 by Brian Wood, Becky Cloonan, Dave Stewart, and Richard Starkings & Comicraft, with cover art by Massimo Carnevale.

http://www.ttruman.com/

Review: STAR WARS: DAWN OF THE JEDI – Force Storm #1

STAR WARS: DAWN OF THE JEDI – FORCE STORM #1 (OF 5)
DARK HORSE COMICS

["Star Wars Central" review page is here.] 

STORY: John Ostrander and Jan Duursema
SCRIPT: John Ostrander
PENCILS: Jan Duursema
INKS: Dan Parsons
COLORS: Wes Dzioba
LETTERS: Michael Heisler
COVER: Gonzalo Flores - variant (Jan Duursema – main cover)
36pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

In the Star Wars Expanded Universe timeline, there is a period known as “Before the Republic.” This era occurs from 36,000 to 25,000 years before the Battle of Yavin, the climatic battle in the 1977 film, Star Wars, in which Luke Skywalker destroys the Death Star. Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi is a new series of comic book miniseries situated in the “Before the Republic” age.

The first miniseries is Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi – Force Storm. It takes place a few centuries before that time, 36,453 before the Battle of Yavin (also known by the acronym, BBY). The series takes readers back to the beginnings of the Jedi, then known as the Je’daii. On the planet Tython, in the center of the galaxy, these Je’daii (a word in the Bendu language that means “mystic center”) form an order of warrior monks that strives to maintain peace and to balance the mysterious power known as the Force.

In Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi – Force Storm #1, Je’daii Master Ketu recounts the birth of the order to two of his students. This includes the first great conflict in which the Je’daii must take an active role, The Despot War (a conflict that takes place 12-years before Ketu tells the story). Meanwhile, on the lush world of Tatooine, Predor Tul’Kar of the Infinite Empire culls Force sensitives with the help of his Force Hound, Xesh.

I was surprised when Dark Horse Comics sent me a copy of Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi – Force Storm #1. It must be obvious to them (and even some of you, dear readers) that I enjoy reading Star Wars comic books. I certainly enjoyed reading the Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi – Force Storm comic book.

The first 11 pages of issue #1 recount the beginnings of what would become the Jedi Order (thus, the term, “Dawn” in the title). I expected a different story. To me, at least, it lacks grandeur, as if this was something Stan Lee and Steve Ditko cobbled together for Strange Tales back in the 1960s. The story that is set in the present (Infinite Empire) is more interesting, and the character, Xesh, seems like a budding star.

The art by Jan Duursema is good, looking as right for Star Wars as any other comic book art. The storytelling is good, though a bit calm for Star Wars, but the Ostrander-Duursema team is a good one for Star Wars comic books.

[This comic book also includes a 4-page preview of Conan the Barbarian #1 by Brian Wood, Becky Cloonan, Dave Stewart, and Richard Starkings & Comicraft, with cover art by Massimo Carnevale.]