REVIEW: Star Wars ADVENTURES: Smuggler’s Run #1

Rating if the Book Were a Movie: PG

Based on the Novel by: Greg Rucka
Adaptation by: Alec Worley
Artist: Ingo Römling
Translations: Edward Gauvin
Letters: Amauri Osorio
Cover: Ingo Römling
Editor: Elizabeth Brei
Publisher: IDW Publishing

Who among us hasn’t gotten lost in an adventure in a galaxy far, far away? Whether it was the movies, comics, toys, novels, tv shows, or fan fiction at some point we’ve all been exposed to one of the most storied franchises in the last 45 years. The staying power of Skywalker and company speaks volumes about how magnificent the writing has been over the years. These aren’t characters in a story. These individuals became our friends.

“Star Wars Adventures: Smuggler’s Run” #1 begins shortly after the conclusion of “A New Hope”. The rebels are getting ready to leave the base at Yavin 4 before the Empire gets a chance to show their gratitude for what happened with the Death Star. While most rebels are packing their blankets and stuffed wampas Leia is trying to get Han to go on a mission.

Lieutenant Ematt, a key piece to the rebellion for logistics purposes, had his unit attacked by the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) on Tanaab. Ematt was the lone survivor. He stowed away on a ship heading for the planet Cyrkon. The ISB is right behind him. The Millenium Falcon is the only ship in the rebel fleet fast enough to get there in time to save Ematt.

Han must get on the planet, find Ematt, and get back off planet without the Empire knowing he was even there. Adding another degree of difficulty to the job, Cyrkon is controlled by the Hutts. Jabba has plenty of connections there. What could possibly go wrong?

Story: 1 Star

I have always appreciated anything from the Star Wars universe that gives us information about what took place in the time between the movies. It’s even better if it can follow canon. This story does both. More impressive to me is even if most of the characters weren’t already household names the plot would easily hold up.

Artwork: .75 Stars

I really liked the way Commander Beck is depicted. Even before she speaks you know she is not one to be trifled with. The briefing room was a nice trip down memory lane. There were a few panels during the firefight that I would have liked to see done differently. It doesn’t take away from how solid the work in this issue is though.

Dialogue: 1 Star

Being able to recreate the verbal sparring between Han and Leia was impressive. I felt like I was transported back in time to when I watched their spats in the theater. What really stole the show was Commander Beck. Her dialogue makes Darth Vader’s conversations on the Tantive IV sound like he’s about to burst into song.

Editing: .75 Star

I will be the first to say there are some titles and universes I am not as familiar with as others. The original trilogy Star Wars is not one of those. At six years old I was explaining the differences between a bantha, dewback, wampa, and rancor to grandpa. There is nothing that I can see that even remotely questions if canon is coming into play.

The lettering is all very crisp and legible. I really like the way the bubbles are different to indicate radio chatter as opposed to individuals speaking to one another. The only room I see for improvement would be to make a couple of editor’s notes updating the reader where in the galaxy we are the first time we jump between settings

Mechanics: 1 Star

This book was very easy to fall into. The transitions from location to location are very smooth. It’s easy to have an emotional connection to the characters. I believe the creative team did a wonderful job on this project.

The biggest sticking point that comes with this book has nothing to do with the creative team. As much as I loved it as a geek on a budget I can’t afford to add a book with a $6.00 cover price to my pulls. I picked up this copy at a discount from an online retailer that couldn’t move the stack they had because of the price. If the cost for the rest of the books in the run comes down I’ll be all over it. If not, it was a great ride while it lasted.