Dark Empire

For anybody who's read Dark Empire, what do you think, is it worth buying? I've never read any of the comics, but this story seems more important to the timeline than most, so I'm considering it. Would you recommend it, or not? Thanks.

 

If you don't really want the comics I highly recommend the audio dramas for dark empire 1 and 2. They are so much better, and have more scenes.

 

Get thee to a comic shop!

It is definitely worth the buy. Dark Empire II is OK, and Empire's End is mediocre at best, IMHO.

 

Empire's end feels like a last two issues to dark empire 2. If you can find the cd versions of the audio drama's empire's end audio is better than the comics.

 

I didn't like it that much, but it did have its good points.....great covers by Dave Dorman and the Eclipse being the only ones that come to mind.

Still I would recommend reading it, if nothing else than for the historical value of reading the first Star Wars comic produced by Dark Horse.

 

I hated dark empire 2

 

True, Valentino. I just didn't like the look of it. It took away from the story, at least, it did for me. That's why I said it was mediocre. Other than that, I liked it.

 

OK, thanks, I guess I'm going look for it.

Wow, it's probably been 10 years since I last bought a comic book. Once upon a time I'd made a decent start on collecting all of Macfarlane's Amazing Spidermans. I think I'd gotten about half of them before losing interest and moving on to another hobby. And of course I ended up selling all of them...

 

Crow,
You'll find that DHC has collected the series into "trade paperback collections." If you don't have any recent comic experience, you don't have to buy the individual issues. Get the collections.

Dark Empire is well-worth the read. Dark Empire II is worth it. Empire's End is worth a read only to tie up everything. It was originally planned to be three times larger in scale, but they had to cut it down due to LFL mandate to two issues mid-stream. If it seems rushed and leaving some loose ends open, it's because it did.

Another comic series you may enjoy is Tales of the Jedi: Redemption. This is also collected and is a masterpiece in characterization. It's the final arc in the whole Tales of the Jedi saga, so you'd be jumping into it at the end. But, if you like it, you can take the entire journey and see how everyone got there.

I'd recommend all of the TOTJ books (there's a lot of them), since they do have a direct and important link to Dark Empire. The "flashback" stories told by the holocrons in Dark Empire are actually shown in the TOTJ series.

 

Dark Empire series was great. I really enjoyed Dark Empire 1 out of all of them. Empire's End had its moments as well. The art is well drawn and conveys a sort of dark attitude. I'd say buying them would be worth it.

 

Thanks for the help, everyone, and for the other recommendations, Genghis12. I knew that it was available as a TP, and I found it last night on Amazon (actually, a zShop), but it was $17.95 plus 3.99 S&H, so I decided I'd ask for a review from the "experts" before I spent that much.

I think I'm going to see if I can get it cheaper on eBay, first, however.

One more Q: are DE I, II, and Empire's End all considered "stand-alone" stories, like TTT or the JAT, or are they more like three parts of a trilogy?

 

They're a trilogy, but the first stands alone. If you read DE2, you need to read EE as well to complete the story.

 

If you like super-weapons Dark Empire is your story. But graphics suck and story is stupid.

 

The drawings were good and artwork was excellent... but the story sucked. Yet it is essential to the storyline of the EU. Get the comic books and get some eye candy. The audio books are ok, because they have added content.

 

Val,

How was the ending better? Do tell! I love the DE serries but like I said before, the ending is a bit weak. I'm all ears.

 

If you really want the absolute full story of that arc, I'd suggest also getting Crimson Empire and Crimson Empire 2. The first explains why certain things happened in the Dark Empire trilogy. CE2 fills out the story, but has relatively little reference to the Dark Empire events, except how they are related through the first Crimson Empire story. The artwork in the CE series is more vibrant IMO, because they use the actual coloring of characters, backgrounds and objects, rather than the omni-present atmospheric lighting that permeates the Dark Empire series. DE portrays everything in a certain frame the same color, usually greens and blues, and adds to the overall dark moody tone of the trilogy.

 

I have to respectfully disagree with everyone here. Dark Empire would have been great had we not ressurected the Emperor.

But I am probably letting my hatred of the Emperor's character letting me be blinded. If you like Palpatine, then pick it up.

If you're like us very few out there who do not like his character, don't waste your money.

 

I bought DE1 and I really enjoyed it- but not for the money I paid for it. It just didn't last long enough for me. I suggest you do what I did for the next two- go to a book store (like Barnes & Noble) and sit down in one of those big comfy chairs and just read it there. It really doesn't take too long, and you get the story for free. Then, if you decide you like it enough to add to your collection, you can buy it.

 

Crow-T-Fett: "One more Q: are DE I, II, and Empire's End all considered "stand-alone" stories, like TTT or the JAT, or are they more like three parts of a trilogy?"

TTT and JAT standalone??? They are as much essential parts of a trilogy as any novel ever could be, IMHO.