MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Greg Pak
ART: Matteo Buffagni
COLORS: Tamra Bonvillain
LETTERS: VC's Travis Lanham
EDITOR: Mark Paniccia
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Terry Dodson with Rachel Dodson
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Mike McKone with Guru eFX; Nilo Rodis-Jamero (Concept Design Variant Artist)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2019)
Rated T
“Cloud City Blues”
Lando Calrissian is one of the most beloved characters in the Star Wars film series. However, Lando had a controversial start in the 1980 film, The Empire Strikes Back (also known as Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back or simply, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back).
Marvel Comics is currently publishing a new Star Wars maxi-series project that comprises three books: Star Wars: Age of Republic, Star Wars: Age of Rebellion, and Star Wars: Age of Resistance. This project will span 30 issues in total (reportedly), with each issue spotlighting one hero or villain from one of three particular Star Wars eras: Republic (prequel trilogy), Rebellion (original trilogy), and Resistance (sequel trilogy).
Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Lando Calrissian #1 is a new release in the Age of Rebellion series. It is written by Greg Pak; drawn by Matteo Buffagni; colored by Tamra Bonvillain, and lettered by Travis Lanham. The story finds Lando trying to take care of his money problems while dealing with his bad luck that often ruins his plans.
Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Lando Calrissian #1 (“Cloud City Blues”) opens on Cloud City, the gas mining facility that floats above the planet Bespin. Former smuggler Lando Calrissian is now Cloud City's “Baron Administrator.” Calrissian has a beautiful dream of a life of leisure and luxury and of being totally legitimate, but he has money problems. Along with his cyborg aide, Lobot, Lando becomes involved in a scam that will gain him the fantastic wealth and the peace of mind that comes with it, except that his bad luck won't make it that easy.
Since Marvel Comics started publishing Star Wars comic books again (in 2015), the publisher has given us two Lando Calrissian miniseries and now this one-shot comic book. Charles Soule and Alex Maleev's 2015 miniseries, Lando, remains one of Marvel's best Star Wars publications. 2018's Lando: Double or Nothing, a tie-in to the 2018 film, Solo: A Star Wars Story, is an average work with some entertaining moments.
Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Lando Calrissian #1 falls somewhere between. As far as the story, “Cloud City Blues” is average like Lando: Double or Nothing. It is filler material that finds the character to be in the same place, in the end, as he was in the beginning. The best writer Greg Pak seems able to do here is say that Lando is a rogue with a heart of gold and possessing some morals and ethics. But I am always happy to see Lando's cyborg aide, Lobot, whose only film appearance was in The Empire Strikes Back.
On the art side, Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Lando Calrissian #1 is closer to Alex Maleev's fantastic work on the 2015 miniseries. Artist Matteo Buffagni's clean line work and smooth brushstroke create comic book art that is classic cool science fiction. As Maleev had colorist Paul Mounts, Buffagni also has a talented comic book colorist in Tamra Bonvillain. Travis Lanham does fine lettering for this comic book, the same way he has been doing for other AOR titles.
So yes, I found things to like in Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Lando Calrissian #1. As a Lando comic book, it, like Lando: Double or Nothing, is a missed opportunity.
6 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
-----------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment