Star Wars: Crimson Empire III - Empire Lost

The third Crimson Empire mini-series brings together the last surviving Imperial Guard and the familiar faces of Luke, Leia and company. Will he be able to complete his quest for revenge against those responsible for Emperor Palpatine's death?

The Good

As a life long Star Wars fan, I can never get enough. There are plenty of quality comics and novels that tell the continuing adventures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and all the other characters we know. The Crimson Empire mini-series have focused on Kir Kanos, the last of Emperor Palpatine's Imperial Guards. He swore revenge against everyone that had a hand in the end of his master.

Somehow I missed the last Crimson Empire mini-series (it was released back in 1998). I was a little concerned prior to opening up this issue but thankfully, as Dark Horse often does, there is a detailed recap informing new and returning readers what has gone on before. There is also the timeline that appears in all Star Wars Comics letting us know when this takes place (5-25 years after the Battle of Yavin and we can also tell by the appearance of Jacen, Jaina and Anakin Solo).

The various Star Wars comics have been interesting but there's something that feels off when the main characters aren't present. Luckily, Kir Kanos' quest for revenge will bring him up against Luke and Leia. We also have an appearance by (pretty much) everyone's favorite bounty hunter.

For readers unfamiliar with Kir Kanos, we get to see him in action in the beginning which serves to let us know how much of a badass he can be. As an Imperial Guard, you would expect nothing less. The familiar characters are depicted nicely by Paul Gulacy and there is plenty of action to move the story forward.

The Bad

For me, it can sometimes be hard to read stories in this period having read the current novels that take place decades after this time period. We already know which characters will survive and there really isn't much to the question of whether or not Kanos will get revenge against Luke and Leia. But just as we knew the fate of Darth Vader, we can still enjoy the prequels and Clone Wars stories (unless you're one of those fans that insists everything about the prequels is wrong).

One of my pet peeves when it comes to Star Wars (and most sci-fi) comics is the colors. We have a nice variety here and the use and shading look really good. My problem is it often feels too colorful for the Star Wars Universe. Laser shots don't look right and seeing "CHOOOM" or "BRAAPP" kind of takes you away from the vibe of story.

The Verdict

Many Star Wars fans know the Imperial Guards were a tough group of soldiers. With the previous Crimson Empire stories, the final surviving guard, Kir Kanos is determined to get revenge against all that had a had in the death of Emperor Palpatine. While many Star Wars comics don't always feature the main cast, this mini-series is bringing Kanos up against Luke and Leia as he prepares the final phase of his revenge. Readers that might have missed the previous Crimson Empire comics (since they came out over a decade ago) can still easily jump into this series as the real action is about to begin. For readers of the novels taking place well after this time period, it's a little hard to worry about whether or not characters will live or die. But it's great to see a new Star Wars comic featuring the characters we are familiar with. And it's really great to finally see the return of the last Imperial Guardsman.