A long time ago on a page far far away…

Broken (Star Wars: Legacy, Vol. 1)

Have you ever noticed, that when someone other then George Lucas writes a Star Wars story, it’s a really good story? Well, the folks at Dark Horse Comics noticed this and have been publishing stories about the force since before Anakin Skywalker whined about how mitochlorians make his skin itch.

Star Wars Legacybegins 125 years after the movie Return of the Jedi. The Empire has rebuilt it’s forces, the Republic has crumbled, the Yuuzhan Vong have retreated from known space, the Sith have risen as the dominant force in the galaxy, and the main character is a Skywalker. This story has Imperial Stormtroopers, Sith Lords, and lightsaber wielding aliens. If you add a writer with a resume that includes more than the information on the side of a Corn Flakes box, you’ve got everything you would need for a Star Wars story. If you add a writer like comic book mainstay John Ostrander, you’ve got a recipe for an excellent story.

John Ostrander fleshed out and updated the DC comics golden age character The Spectre, and modernized the silver age character the Martian Manhunter. Ostrander progresses the universe of the force away from the characters we’ve memorized the dialogue of, and into uncharted territory that seems as familiar as what we’ve grown to love over the years. Ostrander introduces us to a padawan named Cade Skywalker, who is forced to grow up and make a difficult decision in the heat of battle. It’s an old chestnut of a story, but it’s only setting the stage for the rest of this tale.

Star Wars, a new hope (known to many of us simply as “Star Wars”) contained a good deal of politics and senatorial maneuvering, which Mr. Lucas promptly dropped halfway through the film and didn’t return to until his second trilogy of films. Legacy brings us back to the political intrigue. We see Imperial Moffs vying for power with their Emperor, making deals and trading the lives of their own children for a little bit more time against the forces of the Sith.

What I enjoyed most about this collected edition is the atmosphere it contained. Throughout the Star Wars movies we are teased with bits and pieces of life in a universe far far away, and then the flavors of that world are not brought back to us at all. Legacy brings all those pieces into the for front of the story. Vulgar words of Huttese are strewn through the dialogue of space pirates. The engineer of the pirates tramp freighter is a Zeltron, a near human alien from the classic Marvel Comics series of the 1980’s. Technology has improved over the years as we are shown new TIE fighter designs, and a variety of new styles of lightsaber. Ostrander matured not only the storyline but the culture and art of the universe as well.

If you enjoyed classic the Star Wars films, and felt you were cheated out of your childhood by the phantom clones that sought revenge, then this is the Star Wars sequel you’ve been waiting for. What’s not to love in a comic book where there are Jedi on the run Sith lurking in the shadows, and legions of Stormtroopers? If you’re a fan of Star Wars who has been looking to get the taste of Revenge of the Sith out of your mouth, this is your book.