Invasion #1: Refugees, part 1 (of 5)

Somehow I don't think that statement was meant to generate this much discussion...

 

I have to add that "the bearded guy who stays behind" is also the first one who realizes that it's an invasion. Adding Sio Bibble to the forum banner seems to have been an even better idea than was intended.

 

I agree that royalty - especially politically liberal royalty - has an instant "Star Wars" vibe; but I'd also argue that even if Luke is "chosen", the Star Wars hero (and the Campbellian hero) usually retains an ability to communicate with ordinary people - not just "us", but ultimately also "them", as well...

I'm not sure you actually disagree, but I just thought I'd say that!

Ken...?

There are at least two Yuuzhan Vong moves that Panha could be referring to, their incursion in 29/28 BBY, and their implied support the Vagaari in 22 BBY. I don't think it's unreasonable that an ordinary Chiss could have heard of the Yuuzhan Vong... as it stands, there are all sorts of possibilities...

But, mainly: Chiss! Cool!!

I don't think he's ever canonically called a Chiss...

Exactly what I was hearing in my head once I realised what they were doing here!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYgc-kKhEnU

The space-blockade and droid-dropship sequences in TPM are my favourite effects shots in the Prequels, and the ones that still look most Star Wars to me (I made the instructive mistake of watching them after the start of Ep.III once... ). The music's also excellent. I think we can repurpose the Battle Droid theme for the Yuuzhan Vong now, though.

Also, I'm sure battledroids would behave similarly to Yuuzhan Vong warriors when it came to civilians attacking them like Kaye....

So, Luke set up Caled and Nina's marriage when she was the Moff's wife?

But, less allusively, this is all kinds of awesome, isn't it? And see below for something... hidden?

*facepalm* !! I only actually

 

I originally posted my revio of Invasion #1 in the darkhorse boards, but it seems to be more lively here so I'm going to paste it here =)

I must tell I'm not dissapointed about Invasion #1, I like the NJO a lot and have read most of the novels (missing some e-books).

In scale 1-10
Art: 8
Color&Inks: 9
Story: 8
Cover Art: 10

I like the art, but I have no doubt it could have been better, Colin Wilson I have no arges against him, but I'm not really a fan of his art, I fell it kind of dirty. I would have liked something more sketchy like brian ching's style. Also I think he uses to much debriss everywhere, as we can see in the page that only has a yuuzhan vong, the coralskippers there are leaving a trail of debriss out of nowhere, and ... I don't know how to describe this but I think he abuses of the circles and squares over the faces and bodies. Anyway even if I'm not a fan of his drawings I think the perfectly fit on war thorn enviroment like this era.

Wes Dzioba, I think he does a great work with the colors, brigh colors with the art of colin seem to make a great match, although sometimes I think he abuses on the inking, I know you can't use much colors with the vongs, in the end they are covered by that black crab armor, but it seems like he is missing shadows in several places, sometimes just using pure black instead of gradients(even with other species not just vongs).

Tom Taylor, I must say his script melds really well with what we already have about the new jed order, there are just some details here and there, but I take them as story purpose, for example, retakint the #0, I wasn't happy with the idea of a chiss and a wookie being able to defeat a whole squad of vongs, one on one I have no doubt the wookie could win, but against more than 5 , and even worse the chiss survided using a blaster ... which the crab armor is supposed to be resistant, it can wistand a light saber ; but again this is a comic not a novel, so things need to move faster, and that couple being masacred by the vongs wouldn't have had the same impact as their sacrifice. I just hope that the next time Luke vanquishes a whole party of vongs (he killed 14-15) he gets at least some bruises, in the novels he can fight that many vongs, but he ends exausted and with more than just a little scar. But again, I liked that scene, where he looks as an all migth jedi that is saving the day.

Cover Art, I pray to the goods that Jo Chen stays with invasion util the end of it, but I guess it is improvable.

Over all I like this new title, and think it has a great potential, there are many free spots from this time they can exploit. And I hope to see cameos, not protagonic roles(or at least not so common) of a lot of characters, Kyle Katarn, Corran Horn, Kam, Kyp, and a lot of other jedis and members of the republic and remant.

 

Speaking of that full-page Vong image, I do have one complaint about the art - all the best stuff is portrait-oriented, which is harder to use as a wallpaper image. Tom, get this guy on some double-page spreads!

 

Oh, I agree. I'd also agree that the Prequel Big Three might have had a harder time to communicate with the ordinary people, but I think this has to do with both the times and the places. I definitely wouldn't go as far as those who dislike the prequels because the main characters aren't the same "scoundrels" as in the OT; after all, Lucas deliberately wanted to have other characters. If you look at Obi-Wan, he starts out as some kind of snob who thinks himself above Jar Jar (and funnily that's the other thing prequel bashers are doing ) and the Gungans, but ten years later he's a somewhat more relaxed guy who's enjoying a drink while hunting scum in the lower levels of Coruscant, and who's best friends with the chef from Mel's Drive In.

The Elite are people, too.

That said, Artorias' royalty comes across as really ordinary. There's a spare crown in the backpack that the king can wear when officially defending his planet, and the prince has some kind of luxury vest. Which he wears with stupid goggles on his head. It's a bit like a british prince wearing a reversed cap that doesn't match his suit. It also speaks volumes that nobody here guessed that these four people wouldn't be ordinary until the comic flat out told us. So expect more Leia and less Padmé. Because it's Leia's times, and not Padmé's.

I don't know about that, but - come on. The Jedi Knight series already had Mara and the Noghri in it, and if a casual SW fan (or a casual SW game designer who also thought it a good idea to have Morgan Katarn appear as a Force Ghost, and mixed up the date in the opening crawl while he was at it) saw a blue guy with red eyes (especially back in 2000), who would he most likely think of? Papa Smurf?

 

Hung over Papa Smurf?

 

I just noticed that in Balance novel, there is a mention from Mara, saying that Luke is now training a new apprentice, after that I do not remember if there was another metion of who this apprentice was.
I doubt this was deliverately put there, but maybe now we can fit Finn there, it is more less about the time we can fit the battle of Artorias, Balance point takes place 2 months after the battle of Fondor where the Happans were obliterated, but I think that Luke might have recluted Finn few after the battle of Dantooine, which I think was the first large scale ground battle, that leaves enougth time for a decent quasi instruction at the academy, I think it was hinted that Luke went to Yavin during or before Heroe's trial.

Do anyone else remembers this mention:

Meanwhile, her husband was training another apprentice - obviously assuming there would be peace and justice to defend in the future. She wondered, though, if it was hope or just habit that kept them all sticking to business. (Balance Point Chapter 4)

 

That's a reference to Anakin Solo.

 

Lets hope Dark Horse is going to make a wallpaper for this series like it did for others.

 

I do not insist in it being a reference to Finn or anything else, but I doubt that's a reference to Anakin, because he is present in that very moment, and Mara also describes him in the same paragraph, being a reference to Anakin makes no sence, she would have said that that Luke was training Anakin not some new random apprentice, plus Anaking is far from being a "new" apprentice.

 

I think it's a reference to Anakin, too, but I understand what you mean, and if the context is vague enough we could always retcon it.

The paragraph is describing how Luke does a thing that is seen as a significant investment in a stable future: Training a "new apprentice". "New" doesn't really mean "it has been less than a year that he took him on" but rather "future Jedi Knight" - "we're still investing time and resources into forming a young man into a Jedi Knight". Mara is also thinking in very general terms here, because whether it's Anakin or not, training an apprentice for the future would always be an optimistic action. And this way not every sentence referring to a character also uses that character's name. So it's a bit of "broadened thinking" that doesn't need to directly refer to the name of the character we know. To be honest, I think always referring to the name we know would result in a more kids-oriented book anyway; compare how many of the kids book always need to relate to movie locations and equipment.

Yes, some of the regular novels fall into that trap, too - I especially think of Luke and Callista taking the scenic route through the original movie locations. But normally, it shouldn't be overdone.

Anyway, it's a totally cool idea to work our new hero into this. We should check the context and then always refer to it so that someday a source material writer will quote us, and then it's canon.

 

This is the whole text, of the first paragraphs of chapter 4:

The mention of Anakin just after that is why I do not think they were refering to him. I'm guessing that Tyers might have intended it to be Danni Quee, the newest acquisition of the order, she was intended to have a major rol in Knightfall the trilogy that would have took place after Balance Point; but as that never took place any guess is possible.


I think it is a good oportunity to help the NJO Novels and Invasion Comic to coexists.

 

No, the fact that Anakin immediately appears is what means it's referring to him. "We're still optimistic. Luke's training an apprentice. Here's Luke's apprentice Anakin now." Really, does, "We're still optimistic. Luke's training an apprentice, Finn Galfridian. Here's Luke's apprentice Anakin Solo now" make any sense at all?

It's not written to be a nonsensical hash -- it's written to make sense. Anakin's name doesn't need to be used every single time he's referred to. The context clearly establishes that it's referring to Anakin. Why should Mara be thinking in random non-sequiturs? Why should Luke's apprentice Anakin not count as his apprentice mentioned a few lines earlier?

 

I agree with Havac in that the next paragraph talking about Anakin strongly suggests that that's who Tyers was referring to as the "new apprentice," not to mention the fact that he's sitting next to Luke in Jedi robes, as any apprentice would. But since Anakin is not expressly referred to as Luke's "new apprentice," it does leave open the possibility of Finn taking that role in a potential retcon, if the need for one arises due to something in the comic series. This is unlike The Clone Wars, where they expressly state the date that each event is taking place on in some of the novels and comics, even though previously established continuity says something completely different (i.e., the date of Anakin's knighthood at 4 weeks after Geonosis in Wild Space).

 

I too wondered about that statement as it was alreadywell established in prior NJO novels that Luke had "two apprentices"; Jacen and Anakin. I can't agree that the context implies that Anakin is the "new" apprentice in question. The speaker is Mara Jade. Anakin was an 'old' apprentice in relation to his master. Her closeness to the other characters renders her statement insensible if the reference is being made to Anakin. Perhaps all of you are correct who say that the author's/story's intent is toldwith Anakin in mind, but, it seems to me that the text allows for an alternate reading. I'm not convinved that its Anakin who is intended.

 

It's not "new" -- it's "another" apprentice that he's training. And Anakin is another apprentice.

And let's look at that text again.

Meanwhile, her husband was training another apprentice - obviously assuming there would be peace and justice to defend in the future. She wondered, though, if it was hope or just habit that kept them all sticking to business.

She stared over folded hands at her younger nephew.

Sentence one: Luke is training an apprentice -- "another" in the context of Luke's fifteen-year history training Jedi. Sentence two: digression to Mara's wondering. Sentence three (the second sentence to move the scene forward and continue establishing information, following right up on "yes Luke has an apprentice"): there's her younger nephew. Luke's training another apprentice. Here he sits. Luke's training an apprentice because he hopes for the future. Here's said apprentice.

The whole point of this scene is to introduce Anakin. This is his first appearance in the book. The whole scene is an introduction to the Mara-Luke-Anakin dynamic anchoring the plot thread. The sentence refers unambiguously to Anakin. Tyers was not out making up new one-mention apprentices to Luke. Trying to make the apprentice someone other than Anakin turns the paragraph and the scene into a nonsensical mishmash. Unless you're deliberately contorting the sentence to mean something it doesn't, completely severing it from all context around it, there is no possible way to make that sentence refer to anyone other than Anakin.

 

It all seems a little lopsided; you need a Han to balance the Leia, IMHO.

This is true. Although I hope that what this discussion shows is that Star Wars: Invasion #1 works great whichever side of the prequels you look at it from!

Finn's braided vest had a "Beatles chic" vibe to me - Carnaby Street, c. 1967. Young rebels, and all that.

You have a point, but canon could produce a recton if, for example, it was decided the only Chiss outside the Unknown Regions in this period were Thrawn and Spiker; he could be Flim, working off-hours after a stand-up gig.

Feesa = Smurfette!?

I'm with Havac on this. Mara's not exactly being reasonable; as well as introducing Anakin, the purpose of this scene to show that she's getting annoyed with Luke... so it's likely Tyers meant Anakin...

That said, it would be possible to read an understated reference to Finn into that line. "Luke's training another apprentice; [reflects wordlessly on Finn, then turns attention to Anakin, as the apprentice who's actually present]..."

I've read this scene over a lot of times, and it's one of my favourites in the NJO - I'm pretty sure this idea has occurred before, either to me or someone else...



- The Imperial Ewok

 

I'm not sure I agree with your reasoning...