Comics Star Wars #50-55: Hope Dies (6/6 Released)

I like to think that Vader only goes on full rampages like in RO when he has a serious case of the dark side munchies

 

Doing some welding here- it could be that the Empire still has a presence in Lothal (the system) but can’t retake Lothal (the planet). Ground invasions are tough and costly. During such a time of strain, the Empire might have to hold back from securing low-priority planets.

 

#51 is out today.

Spoiler: #51 spoilers

• Don’t get a posting to one of those wide winged cruisers. It’s safer on the other cruisers.
• Bandwin Cor dies in this issue. He was a background character from RO.
• The battle doesn’t make much sense, but I believe we lose 2-3 more cruisers.
• Thank God Mon Cala shield tech is strong!

—Adm. Nick

 

Spoiler

A pretty good issue, I liked the dialog between Leia and Queen Trios. It was nice to see Han and Chewie fly in and become an important part of the story. Unfortunately this just doesn't feel as tense as it's probably supposed to be, blowing up one ship full of red shirts each issue doesn't really do much. Maybe I'd feel something if they at least gave one page to introduce us to the characters before they get blown up. I'm eager to see Vader taking matters into his own hands next issue.

I noticed the colouring of the faces seemed much better in this issue. If the powers that be actually listened to the fans and this is a permanent change, it will be much easier to enjoy Gillen's stories from now on.

 

Spoiler

Why can't the Star Destroyers just spray the area with turbolaser fire and be done with it?

That's my main issue wit he story. No way can any of those ships last long against saturation fire from a SSD.

True, the Executor started off a few kilometers away, but it should be pretty close by now.

I'll refrain from calling this stupid until I see the other issues first. Maybe I'm missing something.

 

So I have an extremely minor quibble (nothing continuity-shattering or plot-related) if you'll indulge me, along with some canon points.

Spoiler

- My biggest quibble about fleet-centric arcs across all mediums is the lack of specificity regarding ship names and/or classes. You see this in novels, where they used generic terms like "cruiser," "destroyer," or what have you, in lieu of a specific class of ship, or visual sources like comics, such as this one, where they use "General Dodonna's flagship" and "Willard's ship" instead of an actual name. I don't mean that in the sense of wanting stories to sacrifice pleasant reading in favour dry, technical details. But I think it's a sort of immersive detail that requires very little space in order to add something extra. For example, saying "CR90 corvette" instead of "corvette" in a novel, or "No. The X. That's... Willard's ship," instead of "No. That's... Willard's ship," adds an extra level of detail at the cost of very little extra ink. I really don't want people to interpret this as me whining, since we're only into the second issue of this arc, and the most recent wasn't overly fleet-centric. With us less than halfway through, I'm almost obnoxiously optimistic about some new ships being namedropped. I only bring it up because it's been a really consistent thing since early Legends, and it's always baffled me given the cost/benefit of such minor details.
- Bandwin Cor, who was featured prominently in this issue, was last seen in Rogue One as a colonel. However, in this issue, he's rather prominently (and I mean that in the sense of the art style making the circles on his rank plaque almost literally jump off the page, as opposed to them being a subtle background detail that I happened to notice) wearing the insignia of a General. In the absence of a promotion being spelled out, it makes a hell of a lot of sense that he jumped from colonel to general. In RO, Cor is the second-in-command of General Merrick, in charge of the day-to-day administration of Starfighter Command. With Merrick dead, it makes sense that his deputy takes control of his portfolio. As a matter of fact, I'm less worried about future sources mentioning Cor as a General as I am about them also implicitly naming him as SAC of StarCom.
- The "shuttle" (again with my earlier quibble) that Cor tries to fly through the Imperial fleet is an RM-09 Alliance shuttle, originating from Empire at War. Fittingly, the RM-09 is used by the Alliance to ferry senior officers despite being poorly armed and armoured. Thankfully, the Wook should be able to make a page about it, since their policy is that Legends designs get to keep their name unless a Canon source contradicts it.

 

@Grand Admiral Paxis R: the Wook, that policiy was repelled -- much to my chagrin.

 

Tactically, it doesn't make sense. Plus the art doesn't help, as one second the Star Destroyers look to be a long distance away and then the next they are right outside Leia's window. So yeah, it's confusing and not perfectly drawn.

Basically, instead of a logical attack (ie, the Executor and the pair of ISD's escorting her simply unleashing massive barrages to destroy the base and fleet), we are given an Endor style battle. By that, I mean that the Empire is deliberately toying with the Rebels and not simply snuffing them out. It's hubris of the highest order. Vader is holding his ships back, destroying cruisers slowly and methodically, and trying to inflict maximum FEAR.

The Rebels have lost three cruisers so far (all of that wide winged variety), I guess the only other thing to say is thank God for that famous Mon Cala shielding tech.

--Adm. Nick

 

Bandwin's exit was darkly amusing "I can do it! Argggghhh!" (dead 1 page and 3 panels later, so much for being "One of the best") Also Leia's confrontation with Trios was so very great.

Anyway, I actually love the slow burn of the destruction of the fleet, that we saw in the first issue. Vader is taking them out, one at a time, so they feel fear. And anyway it's a hoot to see we're going to get some Darth Vader versus Han Solo action, just the setup of the dogfight here was amazing.

Oh and Vader is wearing his cape in the TIE Fighter, that was a detail I noticed when watching Siege of Lothal, Vader wasn't wearing his cape in the TIE cockpit.

 

I think the only reason Vader didn't wear his cape in the cockpit in Siege of Lothal was because of the high cost of animating cloth. Does he wear it during the attack on the Death Star in Episode 4?

 

I thought he did but then someone posted pics of Vader from behind in the cockpit in ANH and apparently he doesn't so now I'm just confused. Does Vader Cape or not Cape when flying? Cuz in the Marvel comics he's been cape each time (which you'd think in Zero G it'd start floating around cuz I don't think TIEs have artificial gravity)

 

During the attack on the DS-1 it always looked to me like Vader wasn't wearing his cape, just the inner robes:

 

Star Wars #55 solicit.

Spoiler

STAR WARS #55
KIERON GILLEN (W) • SALVADOR LARROCA (A)
Cover by DAVID MARQUEZ
Galactic Icon Variant Cover by ROD REIS
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
“HOPE DIES” PART 6
• If anyone is to survive this disaster, sacrifice is needed...
• Who’s going to make it?
• If hope dies, what survives?
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99
Star Wars © Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. Text and illustrations for Star Wars are © 2018 Lucasfilm Ltd.

 

That Marquez cover for #55 is awesome.

 

Who can they kill off at this point that we care about anyway? This whole arc has been anti climatic for me....

 

Mark me, folks. Dodonna is the sacrifice. The Rebel Files be damned.

--Adm. Nick

 

There's been some interesting panels between Trios and Leia but I agree this arc is pretty underwhelming so far. I need more substance than explosions and red shirts dying to get invested into the story. Art is still hit-and-miss though there has been less weird faces compared to previous arcs so I must give credit where credit is due.

 

I want to love this arc with every fiber of my being. That said, it's still feels so... meh. The art doesn't help, but the entire premise was going to struggle from the beginning due to us know that the Alliance High Command and a good chunk of the fleet will survive. I'm still approaching the arc with an open mind... but I just can't get over how they could have used the Mid Rim Campaign. To have see a massive Rebel offensive collapse would have been epic.

--Adm. Nick

 

We're only two issues in, so maybe it will pick up. So far I enjoy it, but I do see the lack of tension. I wonder when the next arc will be announced. I'm excited to see what that will be

 

The next arc will be announced in the November solicits next month, right? As October’s #55 is the final issue in Hope Dies.


Sent from my Ornithopter using The Force

 

It will be in the November solicits, but I'm wondering if we'll see an announcement sooner along with an interview with Gillen. I feel like they've done that before.

 

Yeah, we tend to have some sort of idea before the solicits - either through an interview or even an Amazon listing for the TPB.

 

Random thought- where is the REST of the Rebel Fleet? Sure, all these MC75's, MC80's, and MC80a's are the backbone of the fleet, but they aren't the only Rebel warships. Where are all the Corellian corvettes, Neb-B's, Hammerheads, transports, and other craft? I don't expect it to be addressed in the issue, but it's clear that the Alliance isn't completely assembled at Mako Ta. It a little thing that further reduces the tension... plus I'd love to see it explained. It really seems strange that the Alliance would go to all the trouble to assemble their cruisers in one spot but completely ignore their support ships. Thoughts?

--Adm. Nick

 

If we consider that the fleet and High Command tend to be in separate places to ensure the survival of the Alliance, I’d say the fleet is split in two in case of ambush.

 

True... but the fact that the entire High Command and their best ships are all in one place is still super dangerous. Don't get me wrong, there are dozens of ways to explain why all the other Rebel support ships aren't at Mako Ta, I just wish it was touched on in the text. Maybe it still will be, time will tell.

--Adm. Nick