Comics Star Wars #33-37: Out Among the Stars & Annual #3 (6/6 Released)

#34 was fun, it was nice to get some character development for Sana - she's like Aphra with a conscience!

 

Yeah I really liked this issue. I got a good feel for Sana finally, she had some good character shading in the Rebel Jail arc in her dealings with Aphra but here she had a whole issue to shine.

Spoiler: spoilers

If there's one complaint it's that I have no idea how she was able to steal the crates back from Jabba right under his nose, I feel like that overestimates her abilities a bit too far without showing us what she had to do to get them. Loved the hospital ending and it tying into her growing up on Nar Shadaa.

Sana had an unfortunate introduction that went on far too long and strung the audience along for a nothing reveal everyone had guessed, but she's had some good development since then and I'm hoping Gillien doesn't drop her when he takes over. I think they could have played the wife of Han Solo angle much more low key than they did and gotten much better stories from it, but they squandered it by going big.

I try not to be too negative in the current Marvel comics threads because in a lot of ways they haven't done a lot for me but the handful of series/issues I do really like I feel I should give my support for. This was one of them.

 

Star Wars #35 preview.

Spoiler

 

It looks like two different people colored the issue. Like one tackled characters and the other tackled the backgrounds. Please Marvel - invest the effort. I may have to start talking with my wallet. And I haven't missed an issue yet. I am just so disappointed with those panels.


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Spoiler

Draven eh? I'm glad he is showing up again. Let's hope he does not screw this operation up.

Also some A+ manipulation by Mon Mothma. I think she was having quite a bit of fun there.

 

Spoiler

DRAVEN!!!!!

 

Spoiler

Draven lives!

Also - Hammerhead Corvette!

 

Spoiler

Looks like Cracken still hasn't come back from his vacation, then...

 

Spoiler

Also Akiva, the planet from the first aftermath book, is home of the alliance's new prison

 

Knew I recognised the planetary name!

 

It's the colouring. On the one hand it's interesting that it's now reached this degree of detail but that also requires a high level of skill to use well.

Arguably, if doing digital colouring it might be better to have the same person do the colours as the pencils for a better sense of integration, which I think i what the Sejics do.

 

I have never understood Delgado's colors. To me they have always brought out the worst in Larroca.

It would be nice for Aaron to end his run on a high note. Everything since Rebel Prison has been a slog for me partially because Aaron sometimes drags things on forever. An arc of one-shots is helping liven things up a little.

 

Tough crowd. Art looks really well done to me. Story looks interesting too. Han felt very Han to me.

Sent from Moto X-Wing

 

I think it is that the faces look uncanny valley like

 

I don't like the art at all. Idk how you call this artstyle but I prefer the artstyle from Doctor Aphra or the old Dark Horse comics way more.

 

All the Dark Horse comics? That's a pretty broad brush to stroke.

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This art style is called "Tracing" and then using Microsoft PowerPoint to gradient fill in the lines. (i.e. Least amount of effort to produce the most content at the fastest pace).

See Also: Cheap.

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There is more composition there than you think. And does new technologies and techniques make art more cheap...or just different? This is an old argument and accusation. Similar things were said when the pen was invented.

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Larroca is known for working extremely quickly. He started working on the book in December, hasn't missed a month yet, and will apparently be shipping two books in November. That sort of work rate is pretty unusual. While I respect that Larroca can work so quickly while putting out acceptable work, I think the art still ends up looking rushed.

I learned to love his art in an almost stockholm syndrome sort of way on the Darth Vader run. If Marvel has decided they aren't going back to the 'blockbuster artist' approach they used earlier in the run then I hope Larroca and Gillen can get right back into the groove they had in Darth Vader.

 

Tracing is not a new technology or technique. Digital art like the War Machine book from the late 2000s is new technology and techniques. Tracing is a sometimes needed tool to get work out on time that many artists rely on way to often.



I don't wanna get into this debate again cause I do actually like Larroca but I feel like tracing itself is not a technique and is only something to be used sparingly. Larroca has improved a lot with his art and lessened the tracing somewhat but still tracing itself is not a skill it is a tool that CAN be helpful but not if treated like it's own style

 

I think it takes time. That colouring was to a new degree of detail than I'd seen before but it still looked odd, with time those using will develop the skill to really put it to use well. Unfortunately, I doubt Marvel's production timetables will help in this respect.

 

I really wanna see them do maybe a one shot or even graphic novel with just their best artist and colorer and just give them as much time as possible. Like Mark Brooks or someone cause he seemed to be so consistent

 

It's sort of tragic that David Marquez hasn't done the interiors on a SW book yet. Everything I've seen from that guy is perfect.

I wouldn't be surprised if Andrea Sorrentino eventually gets some SW work. I'm not sure if he has anything planned after Secret Empire.

Regardless, I would love for this book to go back to being a 'premier' series that gets some of the top artists.

 

Well I guess there were some which aren't that great, I thought about the Clone Wars, Dark Time and those "Darth Vader and ..."- Comics. I just prefer decent drawn pictures, while the new Mace Windu Comic shows that this isn't always working. But comics like Aphra and Kanan have great art. Especially the MAIN STAR WARS series should have decent art and not this ugly tracing stuff.

 

I don't know what gods Sorrentino must have hacked off to get lumbered with SE.

And yeah, both he and Marquez do excellent work.