The Good
When it comes to Star Wars comics, I can take them or leave them. Some are really good but there are some 'good' ones that don't hold my interest for long despite my love for Star Wars. When I heard Brian Wood was writing a Star Wars comic, I was definitely intrigued. I thought I would go into the comic with an open mind and avoid knowing what era the story would take place in (it wasn't easy).
To my surprise and amazement, this comic takes place right after Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. That almost seems unheard of. Most of the comics either take place pre- or post-original trilogy. This time period may be completely set but Wood shows there is still plenty that could be told.
If you think back to the original movies, there was a passing of time between Episodes IV and V. The idea of what the Emperor must have felt or what the Empire did immediately after the destruction of the Death Star is fascinating. That isn't the focus here but there is mention of it. You could put most of the blame upon Darth Vader for failing to prevent Luke Skywalker from unleashing his proton torpedo that blew it up. Tiny details such as this or the mention of financial matters gives the comic a more realistic and detailed feel.
Art in Star Wars comics is another tricky area. It does look really good here. There is of course the artistic liberties in taking the actors looks and putting them into a comic. The ships and backgrounds look as they should. There has been times the ships have looked too clunky but that is not the case here. Carlos D'Anda's art is a welcomed sight and having an Alex Ross cover was a bonus.
The Bad
I mentioned the art but while some minor changes could be overlooked, Leia looked almost too...curvy. There were also a couple moments she looked more like Padme. Leia also has a...violent encounter with a tie-fighter pilot. It felt a tiny bit out of character but perhaps it's due to the fact that she recently lost her entire homeworld and hasn't had time to properly deal with it.
There is plenty of action and story telling but there was just a tad too much set up and descriptions reinforcing when this story was taking place.
The Verdict
I've also been a little skeptical about Star Wars comics. I have enjoyed some but never got really excited about too many of them. This one definitely has the potential to change that. Brian Wood is doing what is rarely done, he's writing a Star Wars comic taking place during the time period of the original trilogy. He easily displays that there is a definite gap between movies that could be explored and used to further flesh out the characters, give us new stories while still retaining the true essence of the movies. Carlos D'Anda's art is going to a welcomed addition to the stories. Because it is a first issue, there is the obligatory set up. We are definitely off to a really good start. Now that the time period and premise has been set up, next issue is going to be even better. I cannot wait to see what happens next. This is the sort of Star Wars comic I've been looking for.