Star Wars #3: In the Shadow of Yavin

Star Wars #3: In the Shadow of Yavin, Part 3

Writer: Brian Wood
Art: Carlos D’anda
Colorist: Gabe Eltaeb
Letterer: Michael Heisler
Cover Artist: Alex Ross

Star Wars #3 ramps up the action and cranks up the drama. There’s turmoil between Luke and Leia as tempers and personalities flair. Meanwhile Han and Chewie get into some serious trouble on Coruscant. Toss in some stunning artwork, and this issue takes it to the next level.

Skuldren: First off, I really enjoyed the artwork in this issue. Right off the bat, we get a menacing Vader putting a subordinate in his place. Then there’s a beautiful two page spread of the second Deathstar in orbit above the moon of Endor. There’s a dramatic shot of Leia in her X-wing cockpit, action packed battles with Stormtroopers, and an end panel showcasing the elite of the Empire’s pilots and their new TIE interceptors. The colors are rich and vibrant with wonderful lighting effects that make everything glow and shine with an added level of reality. It couldn’t look much better.

Geralyn: The artwork is a treat, but for me this series is a nice bridge between episodes 4 & 5. It has the freewheeling sense of ANH with a bit of the darker edge of ESB. As in the first two issues, #3 also delves further into Leia’s issues regarding the events that transpired in ANH. I found myself thinking of everything that’s fallen on her young shoulders. In all the business of escaping the Death Star and then destroying it, there was no time for personal loss. Now she’s inherited Bail’s position as Rebel Alliance leader, and while she may be capable, the inheritance was as abrupt as it was heartbreaking. She’s making decisions and taking actions which may be as much for the wrong reasons as the right ones. And there just may be some over-reaction going on there. The girl’s got some baggage she needs to work through. Mon Mothma basically confronts her with that, but doesn’t push Leia which is probably a good thing. After all, she wants Leia to think, not break.

Skuldren: While there was a little bit of build up of tension in previous issues, it truly comes to a head in this issue. On the one hand, there’s some serious drama going on between Luke and Leia. Luke creatively detours from a mission in order to flirt with a fellow member of the squad (which I have to admit, at first sight, I thought it was Leia since she was wearing a pilot helmet, thus creating a very uncomfortable few moments) which causes Leia to chew him out. There also appeared to be some animosity from Wedge toward Luke, though there wasn’t any dialog. After Luke’s little incident, Leia puts Wedge in charge. From a storytelling perspective, I can’t help but wonder where this is going to go. Are we going to see a further strain between Luke and Wedge to cause a break and an emotional growth in the characters’ relationships? Will we see the same thing happen between Luke and Leia? I have the feeling things are going to get worse before they get better, and the drama could certainly be entertaining to watch.

Geralyn: Now see I thought Luke’s reasons for the detours were actually valid and the flirting was a side benefit. Wedge’s reaction, in my opinion, is a harder read. It could be as simple as being annoyed with Luke for flirting with a fellow pilot, or it could be something else. Anyway, Leia chews Luke out, grounds him for about a week, and disables Luke’s X-wing command codes. I get that Luke disobeyed orders, but I also think Leia over-reacted. It’s this that Mon Mothma calls into question. Was Leia doing this for the good of her team or was this personal because of Luke? Now, I’m pretty sure I know how far I want this explored, which is basically not explored because the kissing scene in ESB was as squicky as I want to feel. But we are between ANH and ESB, and that side of the Luke-Leia relationship is kind of the bantha in the room. I really hope it’s handled well.

Despite this detour into Luke-Leia relationship land, there’s also the issue of whether or not Prithi, Luke’s cohort in flirting, could or could not be the spy. Something’s definitely up with her, but I keep thinking it just couldn’t be that easy. I secretly kind of wish the spy would turn out to be Mon Mothma — I know, I know, not going to happen, but what a fun twist that would be.

Meanwhile, as just about anyone but the rebels knew was going to happen, Han and Chewie are set up. Of course there’s an evil Imperial that Han shoots, and naturally a lot more shooting ensues. This pretty much serves to confirm there’s a spy in the works, and to leave this issue on a cliffhanger.

All in all, I found #3 a satisfying issue. It’s definitely added layers to the story and, while I don’t know if this was Brian Wood’s answer to some of the Leia-as-pilot criticism, I was happily amused when I read this:

“Princess Leia Organa, senator from Alderaan, noted diplomat, and key player in the alliance to restore the republic, has little patience for those who condescend to her whether it be in an incom t-65 snub fighter or in the grand chamber of the former senate…she is anyone’s equal.”

Definitely a 5 out of 5 bikinis from me.

Skuldren: I concur. This issue stepped up the action and the artwork, while continuing some fun character threads. Definitely a five out of five metal bikinis.