Star Wars Volume 1: In the Shadow of Yavin Author: Visit Amazon's Brian Wood Page | Language: English | ISBN:
1616551704 | Format: PDF
Star Wars Volume 1: In the Shadow of Yavin Description
Review
"This all just feels like Star Wars, and for a franchise that has been around for over 30 years, D'Anda somehow finds a way to inject new life into it." (Complex) "It is not hard to imagine playing Star Wars action figures with Wood some time back in my childhood. That unrivalled imagination, energy and excitement is exactly what Wood brings to this story." (Comic Book Resources)"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Brian Wood is the Eisner Award-nominated writer of Demo, and the writer of the critically acclaimed Local, Channel Zero, The Couriers and Jennie One. He is currently writing DMZ and Northlanders. Carlos D'Anda is a prolific artist, with work appearing in Superman: Action Comics, WildCATS, and Stormwatch.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Series: Star Wars
- Paperback: 152 pages
- Publisher: Dark Horse (October 1, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1616551704
- ISBN-13: 978-1616551704
- Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 6.6 x 0.3 inches
- Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Star Wars In the Shadow of Yavin, Volume 1, continues the story after the destruction of the first Death Star. Our motley crew of rebels are searching for a new base (which we know will eventually be Hoth) but are stymied by Imperial presences whenever they reach a new scouting location. Mon Mothma realizes they have a serious security breach and enlists Leia to create an elite group to work undercover to find their location. Meanwhile, she sends Han Solo on a secretive mission to barter for more arms and supplies at the heart of the empire: Coruscant.
Right off the bat, we have a gorgeously illustrated graphic novel in the Star Wars universe with perspectives from nearly all the main characters that survive A New Hope. From Vader to Boba Fett, Threepio to my personal favorite, Wedge Antilles - even Chewie and Han with their trademark banter are well represented here. But this really is Darth Vader and Leia's book. Leia comes into her own as a warrior princess, doing secret missions in an X-wing fighter. Meanwhile, Vader has to deal with the wrath of the Emperor over the loss of the Death Star as well as deal with backstabbing subordinates. It makes for some thrilling stories.
I feel the authors and artist did an excellent job of capturing the feel of the original 1970s Star Wars but also staying true and within the storyline. Luke and Leia aren't going to save the universe between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. But the story provides an excellent bridge leading up to the 5th movie events nicely.
Although the characters bear only a superficial resemblance to the original actors, they are still recognizable and so that doesn't take one out of the story. The illustrations are lush and very detailed as well as beautifully colored.
With any kind of graphic novel or comic book the first thing the reader judges is the artwork. In Shadow of Yavin the artwork is pretty good. I really liked the environmental artwork and found that the colors and general look of the natural backgrounds was very well done. The mechanical backgrounds of the Imperial scenes and the ships were all drawn and colored nicely. But, for me, the character drawings need quite a bit of work. I found that the facial features of the known characters were off and looked almost nothing like the people we all know - Han especially. I also thought that everyone came off as looking angry and their body language did not always fit what the scene was calling for - Chewie was never featured as a fun loving friend, but rather always angry.
As for the writing, I thought that the story was well laid out and entertaining. I enjoyed that the Empire was always close on the heels of the Rebellion. I thought that the portrayal of Mon Mothma was spot on with her disconnected demeanor, and Vader was close to character, too. I didn't think that the Emperor was cast in his usual light and thought he was a little too angry and confrontational with Vader, someone we know is treated more as a friend in the movies rather than a whipping boy featured here. I thought Leia was out of character as well as I had never thought of her as an experienced fighter pilot during this timeline. Luke was okay, he still has his farm boy presence in this book, but I did think a little more Force exploration was called for with him. When it comes to the book's narrative, I thought some of the included information was redundant and unnecessary as the artwork pretty well explained what the narrative goes on to.
Overall the book was a good read.
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