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

I loved this issue, definitely one of the high points of the series for me. I liked the artwork a lot more than usual as well, had no complaints about Larroca & Delgato's work on this one. I'm surprised that it seemed almost more like a set-up issue than a finale issue. Now I'm really excited to see where Gillen takes this series! It was nice they through in that bonus story at the end.

 

Vader dressing down the trooper with the sabre...loved it!

 

I enjoyed this issue more than I expected I would. While I really like the idea of SCAR Squadron - and understand that new original characters will probably have to serve as part of the main series before branching off on their own, much like Aphra - I worry that, with such little screen time, they'll fall into a common trope: the bad@$$ elite unit that goes off on bad@$$ missions, where they make funny quips about murdering people and bond over how bad@$$ they are. There's really a hell of a lot of personality and characterisation, which really shone through in this issue, that could be built upon if SCAR Squadron got a chance to shine as opposed to popping up once every few arcs in someone else's story. Here's just some of the standout scenes that make me want SCAR Squadron to get their own comic run:

Spoiler

- Kreel is a lightsaber-wielding Stormtrooper, which would normally be a recipe for your traditional "awesome character fans should regard as awesome just because." But he gets his butt whipped by dialling the training remotes beyond his abilities, rather than improbably defeating them anyway. And then, when Vader reprimands him, he acknowledges that he doesn't actually want to be a Sith or a Jedi like most characters in his mould would. Rather, he sees himself as a trooper first and foremost, and appreciates the weapon.
- We already know that Kreel has a damn good reason for supporting the Empire, based upon his background. But his meeting with the Emperor was masterfully done, providing a rare example where his background realistically informs his present decisions. The common Sergeant meets the Emperor himself and is in awe - a fact made all the more beautiful by Palpatine praising him by wrote, as he's probably had to a thousand times, only to ruin it by muttering "Whoever you are." The Emperor is a figure that we know doesn't deserve the loyalty of men like Kreel, even without that acknowledgement, and yet it still inspires him to singlehandedly take on an entire compound of rebels and win.
- Having been liberated from oppression by the Empire, Kreel then went on to free a bunch of primitive aliens from the reign of their tyrannical overlord. Yes, he did this so those natives would help him find the Rebel base in the system. But think about how any other Imperial would have handled it. The Empire has no qualms about making deals with local tyrants provided they toe the Imperial line. They also have no issues with threatening innocents to get what they want. Instead, Kreel chose to execute a tyrant in spectacular and public fashion in order to free primitive aliens, because that's what the Empire did for him in his mind. He doesn't see things like race or planet, just the order the Empire provides its citizens.
- This in turn leads to the convincing portrayal of Kreel as a righteous fanatic. The guy is undeniably evil. He's previously strapped the corpse of a Rebel admiral to the outside of his shuttle because he regards his enemies as something less than human. And, unlike a lot of characters in that situation, there's no friction between what he believes and what he does. He's someone who makes no apologies or claims to be a good person. He genuinely believes that he can do whatever the hell he likes, no matter how brutal, to oppose the Rebellion because they threaten peace, order, and safety itself.
- On the non-"I want a spinoff" front, the issue also had some other great aspects. I liked how Vader, despite hating the Jedi, regards the lightsaber as a weapon worthy of respect due to its history. And I also liked the use of Horox III as the Rebel outpost, rather than a random new planet. It had way more emotional impact as the last place the main characters were at before the branched off to the Screaming Citadel and then their own unique, individual adventures, before returning. I'm always fond of the idea of Rebels having no real home. While the Rebellion is always shown hopping from base to base, it's rare to see that gut-punch of them departing on a mission, only to return and find the Empire beat them there.

All in all, this issue was a great read and a brilliant end to this already great run of individual adventures!

 

Thought it was a good thematic end for Aaron's run. They've been on the high of their Death Star victory, and a bunch of other minor victories. They are able to care about other stuff, and be a little less focused. And now, in a very personal way, The Empire Strikes Back. Perfect way to begin the new War Era of the main SW line.

Also, really dug the Tusken backup story. Killer art.

 

Yeah these last 6 Aaron one-shots were some of the best things he's done on the book since the start. And he's always had a predilection for one-shot stories anyway (See: the Journal of Old Ben Kenobi) so it's not as if he completely abandoned it but these were awesome Actually Lacorra's art here was great as well because he seems to shine drawing technology and people in armour (which is why he worked so well on the Darth Vader comic) so having it be almost all troopers I thought really worked. And Kreel as someone who has such devotion to the Empire and it's Emperor not out of a need to be nasty but that it's the right thing to do and simply seeing the Emperor gave him a new fantasism. (Which Palpatine sort of wrote off as "whoever you are"). Interesting, comparatively low key ending for Aaron's run but still powerful.

The Old Ben Sandpeople back up was grand as well cuz it was just really heartfelt and having Ben talk about what he can glean from the sandpeople culture. And the art there was fantastic as well, I really hope we get Sorrentio on the book as the main artist sometime.

 

Man that end scene was great. If more of the book had been like that Leia exchange then I would have loved Aaron's run a lot more. Not that I disliked it overall, but I am more welcome to Gillan on the book than I would be if this was the type of story we had throughout. All in all a VERY humble end to the run and I respect Jason immensely for that.

 

Yeah, the ending was nice, but if the SCAR squadron actually rigged the bodies as Sana suggested, Luke would be a goner. Dragging all those bodies without checking them first and checking whether they're not being watched was really stupid.

And what was so unconscionable about Imperials destroying a Rebel outpost? The Rebels did the same to the Imperials many times over, including in this series. I never noticed Han or Leia ever stopping to properly bury any of the hundreds or thousands of Imperials they killed.

 

I believe that SCAR also killed all the families and civilians that were living around the outpost. And the loss of all the life is what hit the crew hard.

But I completely agree that they acted stupid about dragging all the bodies into a huge pile. I don't know why SCAR wasn't hiding in sniper nests ready to pick them off. Strategy on both sides was lacking.


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Now I just want a SW infinities where Luke gets killed. Yeah that was dumb

 

Did they? I looked at the issue again and there are no civilians or any civilian buildings whatsoever portrayed in the comic.

 

I thought it was implied that they killed the kids that took them to the rebel outpost. Maybe I was reading too much into it.


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I don't think those were kids. Just another diminutive alien species. And I didn't get the impression that SCAR squadron hurt them at all. In fact, the SCAR squadron were the good guys in this issue. They first rescued the locals from their oppressive warlord and then took out the enemy base without any loses. That's what Luke, Han and Leia usually do.

Sergeant Kreel isn't a bad guy in my opinion. He's just a good guy fighting for the bad guys, cause he genuinely believes in Imperial propaganda.

That scene with Palpatine, where Palpatine barely notices him, while for Kreel its the greatest moment of his life, reminded me a lot of how many German soldiers felt during WW2, when they met Hitler for few minutes or even seconds and they had similar reaction to what Kreel felt.

 

Kreel promised if he failed again he would kill his entire squadron with the lightsaber and then himself so that's quite a big dangling thread out there.

Vader's reaction with the saber was great. He may hate and kill the Jedi but he knows that someone has to be worthy to wield it and he just *barely* let Kreel out of there alive cuz his speech was so persuasive.

 

So, Kreel survived this issue right? Wonderful issue (as with the last several) but I was a bit confused at certain parts.

 

I haven't read #37, but did #36 and the Annual and have to say the R2 stories was hilarious. I loved it. The others were okay. The Han Solo story was pretty good too.