Conversing with the manager at my local comic shop, I mused how Star Wars is as big as it ever was- a pop culture phenomenon, in fact, that's grown far beyond what I first witnessed as a child in the '70s. While I more often go for comics of the superhero genre, I found myself picking of the first issue of this latest installment of the epic franchise, the faint warmth of nostalgia enveloping my mind. This book picks up where the first movie, Star Wars: A New Hope, left off, the Rebel Alliance enjoying a period of renewed hope after the Imperial Death Star has been destroyed. With the Empire in a state of disarray, Rebel forces have launched a daring offensive across the galaxy in hopes of defeating them once and for all. The main cast of Skywalker, Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, and the droids run into trouble intercepting an arms deal between Jabba the Hutt and the Empire, Darth Vader making an appearance in the first issue! While I'm not the biggest fan of artist John Cassaday's style, it's skillfully done, the portraits of the original movie actors apparent in his renderings, and their respective personalities present in Jason Aaron's writing.
February will bring two other books within the series, Star Wars: Darth Vader and Star Wars: Princess Leia, the former I'm looking forward to. The Super-DuperToyBox is more focused in the superhero genre, but Star Wars is integral to my love of action figures, the original Kenner line some of my first. It's also true that Darth Vader was the catalyst for this blog, my search for the original 15" deluxe Kenner action figure starting the whole thing back in 2010! There were a few preview pages of Star Wars: Darth Vader in this first issue that got me excited about the forthcoming series, namely the two page spread of Darth Vader paying a visit to Jabba the Hutt by artist Salvador Larocca, pictured below. Greatness!
My Kenner 15" Darth Vader with the more recent Hasbro Black Series 3 3/4" Darth Vader my nephew gave me last year...
.jpg)
More Later- Make It FUN!
Don't you just love those fresh,new number 1 issues!It's where It all starts!
ReplyDeleteI DO, Tony! Thanks for reading!
DeleteThat's pretty awesome artwork in the Vader double-pager.
ReplyDelete...straight from the preview- practically bought the issue just so I could go home and inspect more closely ;)
DeleteOoh! I didn't realize this issue was shipping already. It's been a while since I've followed a comic, but I just might have to make an exception for this one.
ReplyDeleteThat 15 inch Vader looks amazing. In the past, I would have gladly claimed Boba Fett as my favorite Star Wars character, but I think Darth Vader has taken the top spot for me these days.
... I also had a 15" Kenner Boba Fett in the '80s- boy would I like to see him again!
DeleteWhenever I see the larger BF for sale, he always seems to cost a lot more than the other figures. I can only assume it's partially to do with the number of accessories that he had.
DeleteWell, that and it's just a cool figure.
Huh, I usually try to avoid getting into to many tie-in comics - my list is long enough as it is - but this is tempting (I've liked John Cassaday's style since Planetary though, so that's actually a bonus for me).
ReplyDeleteNice shot of your two Vaders as well - that 15" one is epic.