Comic Info
Comic Name: Star Wars: Han Solo
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Marjorie Liu
Artist: Mark Brooks
# of Issues: 5
Release Date: 2017
Reprints Star Wars: Han Solo #1-5 (August 2016-January 2017). Han Solo has been tapped again by Princess Leia for a clan destine mission. The deadly Dragon Void Run is about to begin, and Han, Chewbacca, and the Millennium Falcon are now entered in the race in an attempt to retrieve Rebel informants that are in danger. The Dragon Void is deadly and Han finds his piloting skills will be put the test to survive…but he might also have to win if he has any hope of outfoxing the Empire.
Written by Marjorie Liu, Star Wars: Han Solo is a five issue limited series published by Marvel Comics after reacquiring the rights from Dark Horse Comics. The series features art by Mark Brooks.
The relaunch of Star Wars at Marvel invigorated the comic book franchise for me. Dark Horse seemed to spit out spin-off, prequels, and other tie-in books in record numbers while they attained the rights and Marvel started out small with a few core titles…but they quickly began to expand to numbers which made collecting hard. While I kept up with the main Star Wars title for awhile along with Darth Vader, some of these limited series fell by the wayside.
I kind of wish that the series had been a completely solo Han Solo. Once again, Chewbacca is running beside him as copilot and it might have been interesting to have an adventure where Solo is completely alone. While the character is generally sure of himself, there is some underlining self-conscious doubt and a solo Solo adventure could have explored this better.
The whole spy network presented in the story gets a little bogged down and in turn confuses the story a bit. By the fifth issue rolled around, I didn’t really care who the spy was and primarily just cared about the Dragon Void Run part of the comic…the spies seemed incidental. While the spies are the thrust of the action, I wish they had done a better job streamlining them into the story and clarifying their roles by developing the characters.
Mark Brooks has a nice solid artwork for the series. Artists who are trying to recreate real actors always have a challenge because if they don’t match, people will notice. Brooks’ art blends in well with the other Marvel Star Wars books and the movie designs.
Star Wars: Han Solo doesn’t really distinguish itself that much. The adventure is fun, but it feels unimportant at the same time. Since it is a prequel to the events of the current movies, we know Han and Chewbacca make it out the Dragon Void Run before the series even begins…which negates any suspense. With that in mind the core of what happens needs to be exciting enough to hold the readers, and Star Wars: Han Solo doesn’t quite live up to that.
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