Lit Dark Empire comic trilogy - opinions

I finally picked up this seminal and revolutionary story a couple of days ago. Nice hardcover book.

I finished reading part yesterday and I must say I was pretty blown away by how good it was. I really didn't expect to like it that much. Especially with all the clone business, but in fact that was handled very if you ask me.

I loved the creepy Emperor in this and his thirst for power and longing for eternal life. I also that though Luke's descend to the dark side was very believable and concinving.

The art was wonderful and original too.

Supposedly the sequels are inferior, but I still look forward to reading them.

What's your opinion of this classic story?

 

Well I've read the first Dark Empire and I think it is ok. I don't think it is as good as some people make it out to be but I still like it. I really like the art on the Coruscant part. I also thought it was pretty cool how the Emperor revealed what he thought of Darth Vader before he died.

 

Well... for the stupid premise it sets up Dark Empire actually sold it pretty well, I just simply can’t stand the art style though I know it was done on purpose and never warmed up to the story that much (especially as it has way to many hints in it that it was meant to take place just after ROTJ), still at best average, especially against much better modern SW comics, though it is certainly way better than its sequels.

 

Its artstyle is a million times better and more talented than a lot of SW comics I've seen in stores nowadays imo of course...

 

Maybe I am just spoiled but....


they do not even seem to be playing in the same league.

 

Dark Empire was fantastic, it felt like Star Wars (before the prequels changed how Star Wars was "supposed" to feel with Jedi just everywhere). I loved the art, it's different.

II was okay, Empire's End was meh.

 

Pretty much agree. I can't help but wonder how Empire's End would have been if it wasn't rushed.

 

I'm sorry Gorefiend, but imo Dark Empire's art looks far better and much more inspired.

Different opinions and all that.

 

It would be interesting to see how DE would look now given the graphical tech advances of the last 20 years where comics are concerned.

Kennedy would still have it though.

EDIT:Just to show how far comic colouring has come, the below image is from Uncanny X-Men #305, October 1993. Star Wars Dark Empire 1 was December 1991.



While you can see elements of the style that is demonstrated in her Legacy work, there's nowhere near the same range or depths of colour.

 

Thing is even back then they could have made it "look" better (just look at TOTJ which has about the same quality in actually drawing but used much more normal colors), but they wen't with the whole bizarre on purpose and like in those Boba Fett comics that also did so, it just does not work for me. For that matter it would likely actually look better in Black and White.

 

I kind of like that you're up front about that it just doesn't work for you, that you can see what was being gone for and the idea but it just ain't for you.

It was watercolour washes that Kennedy opted for after all and that, along with Dorman's covers, really made DE stand out.

But then, I, at the time was used to stuff by the likes of Carlos Ezquerra and Colin MacNeil, so the traditional US 4-colour style was always going to have a hard time winning me over:

Colin MacNeil:



Carlos Ezquerra:



So yeah, kind of obvious that I'm going to like DE's art!

 

One last, important point:

Jim Baikie really got done over with the EE job, his style just didn't fit the story and it was all rushed anyway, but when he's on form? The man deserves his rep, check out the DR and Quinch story he did with Alan Moore:

 

I'm not a big fan of today's easy digital coloring. Sure, it can look splendid, but more often that not, it doesn't stand out from the crowd imo...

 

I'd dispute that it's anything but easy! Sure, people like Stejpan Sejic make it look easy, just as Jeff Smith makes Bone's images look easy, but neither is.

 

I like the art, but the story? Oh boy.

 

Those frames show off how using the moody tones and watercolor background work, with the important elements somewhat more traditionally colored, or at the least standing out from the background. In a few places, DE does that, but mostly DE seems to take the lazy approach and use the same few shades to color everything in a panel. It's a taste thing, but for me, the watercolor style of DE is just part of the Dark Ages of comics, like Liefield Anatomy.
The character deisgn in DE also doesn't really stand out to me at all.

 

Oh I love Judge Dredd as it works perfect there, for Star Wars it just did not feel right, as even the old SW Marvel Comics always had a certain color scheme going and the movies also work with it. Sure it makes sense for such a dark and slightly surreal story, but it just kind of makes it painful to actually read for me, whilst the Jabba, Agent of Doom and Empire issues that Kennedy penciled are also way more enjoyable because they just used a different color scheme.

 

I'm fine with the watercolors in Dark Empire, but I'm not a big comic reader or connoisseur or anything. It gives it a really dark and moody feel which fits the subject matter.

 

An excellent series, brought down by its dismal sequels.

 

Dark Empire II wasn't terrible, it just wasn't very good. It didn't really have a reason to exist. No doubt the story would have been stronger if Palpatine had just died in Dark Empire #6.

 

I am willing to forgive Dark Empire II for its fault since it introduced a loot of interesting ides and designs (that disappointingly few or even none have taken up); Empire's end on the other hand was a disappointment

 

Yeah, coloring is huge. Just compare these images from 2001, colored by Dave McCaig:



with these images from 2002, colored by Brad Anderson:

 

I find it funny how all four of these Jedi survived Order 66, but I digress.

I love the art; it is very suitably gritty.


I also like the plot, shot me. The idea of Leia having her own confrontation with Palpatine, something which the OT denied her.


I also loved how Palpatine no longer cared about his public image, he was just a Sith Lord now.


And I liked this duel:

And then there's the Fleet shots:

 

One little thing I love about Dark Empire is that moment where Palps says: "Do you have any idea how many Jedi 'Masters' I've killed?" and reaches for one of three lightsabers he has on display.

Because, since RotS, it's so easy to think those are the sabers of Fisto, Kolar and Tiin.

It's those little moments of accidental prescience that make the EU so special to me. Parts of the EU, anyway.

 

That is brilliant. And also now part of my personal canon. Thank you, and good day, sir.