After a thread was posted by smisk about the Republic comic series (http://boards.theforce.net/threads/star-wars-republic-thoughts.50027403/), I decided to create a similar thread about the Dark Times comic series. Star Wars: Dark Times was a comic series first published by Dark Horse comics in 2006 with it's last issue being published in 2013. It was written by Randy Stradley and the art was (in most issues) by Douglas Wheatley. The Dark Times series was the successor to the Republic comic series. Dark Times started right after Order 66 was issued and continued through the following months after Episode III. It followed the journeys and hardships of several Order 66 Jedi survivors as well as the crew of the smuggling ship Uhumele during the very beginning of Imperial reign in the galaxy far far away. Older members from the Lit forum should know me by now what a fanatic I am for this series I'm probably stating this for the millionth time here, but it's only fair if I do so again especially in this thread - Dark Times is the best of Star Wars to me (at least from what we've gotten so far). I like the darker, more adult oriented tone of the series. The art by Doug Wheatley is nothing short of amazing, and it set a bar for Star Wars comic art that is not easy to reach. My favorite character from this series is probably Bomo Greenbark, but Jennir and H2 are very close to being my favorites as well. Favorite story arcs - a tough decision for me between The Path to Nowhere and Blue Harvest. The Path to Nowhere #5 and Blue Harvest #5 are also my top choices for favorite issues. I can't honestly pick one between the two. My only regret about Dark Times is that we didn't get the opportunity to see the series finished as envisioned by DH comics due to DH losing the SW license to Marvel. The ending that we got, while not bad, it feels incomplete to me. So what are your opinions about Dark Times? What are the things that you liked, and what are the things you didn't? What did you want to see in the series that wasn't presented? Who are your favorite characters and moments from the series, as well as favorite arcs, issues, covers...?
I just finished the first issue, so I can't comment on the overall series, but I gotta say the art is fantastic! Looking forward to reading more!
It started off strong, but by the time of Out of the Wilderness it went off the rails. About one or two issues worth of story stretched into five issues, which came out spaced into nine issues' worth of release dates, with one of the least convincing romances shoved into the end.
Good series, didn't read enough to be frank. Really hoping the Kanan series highlights this era as a worthy successor.
I always enjoyed Dark Times. It's only downside was the long delays- but Wheatley's art more than made up for that. I admit, the last arc wasn't quite what I expected, as I was hoping for an unhappy ending, and feel that it ended more positively than I'd have preferred, but it still was enjoyable enough- albeit maybe they had planned to kill Jennir off much later in the story, so I sorta accepted Dark Horse getting axed as maybe why we never got to that?
We know that DH (or Randy at least) planned to make more Dark Times after A Spark Remains. But it wasn't meant to be it seems I'm looking forward to Kanan as well, and the fact that it's set during the dark times is a huge draw for me as well. I hope it delivers.
Dark Times is a more then fitting successor to Republic and like it is the best thing to happen in the era besides a novel (in this case Kenobi and even that was original supposed to be a comic )
This was probably my fav title. I could not get enough of it. I though Dass captured the whole post-Prequel era perfectly. Loved how he was written, not too powerful, but conflicted, a bit tortured. I'm still miffed they cancelled this. I haven't read any of Marvels new stuff and the previews I've seen don't hold a candle to Dark Times. Plus, the art. I literally have no criticisms of this title. It was the most "mature" out of the lot of SW titles. I have been trying to convince a friend to buy the trades because it's so great.
It was generally excellent, but the Ember 'romance' is utter nonsense. The final arc should have been far more conclusive too.
I completely agree with you about that, but we know the reason why it wasn't. So taking that in consideration, Dark Times had a pretty good ending. Way better than DOTJ and Legacy v2, which got rushed for the same reason as Dark Times.
My favorite SW comics series. hands down. Primarily due to Wheatley's amazing art. Whenever someone raves about the art in the new Marvel comics, I wonder if they ever saw this series...
Great comics! Still kind of bummed their won't be more, but I am looking forward to the Kanan comic. I enjoyed Dass Jennir's story, Bomo is a favorite of mine, really like the two characters initial meeting and Bomo laughing after learning about the clones turning on the Jedi, well done. K'kruhk's story was nice too,and I like his hat! And Doug Wheatley's art is just bloody gorgeous.
it was either hit or miss. "Blue Harvest" was probably one of the best TPBs ever. the art was also always outstanding.
Vader was great. Letting go of his former life. Liked the part where he asked Commander Vill if there was a contingency order to kill him. Dass grew on me. The rest of the crew was eh, alright. K'Krunk and the rest of the Jedi were fine.
I disagree. Remember there was the Fire Carrier arc to give Wheatley time to create the art, which suggests, unlike the others, A Spark Remains was likely planned before the licence transfer news hit, but they still stuck to their original plan. It wouldn't have required much alteration either, but Jennir and his former master taking on Vader, losing but enabling the crew of the Uhmele to escape would have been better for me. That and Ember being killed off, she betrays Jennir, tries to charm Vader because no one can resist her and finds out Vader really ain't interested.
That's true, however considering Randy's most recent post on his Facebook page about Dark Times, they did plan to produce more issues of the series. Also, the fan mail section (or whatever it was called) at the end of A Spark Remains #5 says It is certain that we would've gotten more Dark Times if the Marvel transfer and the Legends thing didn't happen. How much of the original intended ending for Dark Times was used in the final issue, we don't know and probably never will, unless Randy or Doug decide to reveal that in the future. My guess is that Dark Times had more time (and thus a better chance) to wrap things up in a better way than Legacy v2 and DOTJ. So the impression I got is that DH didn't get the chance to finish Dark Times 100% as it was originally intended. Also, by the time A Spark Remains was published DH knew it was going to lose the license, hence the marketing of A Spark Remains as the final arc for the series. That also had big influence to how we perceived the final issue. I expected the same thing or something similar to happen to Ember as well!
I actually disagree that Dark Times ended better than Legacy v.2. Legacy was maybe more rushed, but they also probably had less time, combined with a much larger scope, and yet it still (even if it did so in a rushed way) tied up just about every plot point introduced since issue 1, as well as a few lingering things from the first volume (and one can argue, the post-ROTJ EU at large). Dark Times, I don't really know what it ended up tying up, plus it had the happy crew all survive an encounter with Vader with no casualties which felt like a major, major cop out. DOTJ, I don't think the ending to it was even written with the intent to be any sort of actual conclusion to the series.
Well to be honest, saying which series had a better ending is subjective to an extent so no point in arguing about that. But I agree with you, and perhaps I wasn't clear enough before - Legacy v2 had a more rushed ending than Dark Times.
Wheatley's art is absolutely gorgeous. But the series was a disappointment. After a promisingly dark start in The Path to Nowhere, the story derailed with the mediocre Parallels and a lousy Vector arc; the story didn't seem to be going anywhere, a fact aggravated by the interminable delays in getting the story, and it seemed to just be killing off a crewmember per arc without much return. This was aggravated by the fact that the crewmember it killed off in Vector was the only interesting one. Nobody else managed to get much characterization. Then Blue Harvest got things back on track by remembering that Dass existed, and it did interesting things with him and had fun. Out of the Wilderness, however, squandered that by wasting an arc on Dass's romance with the villainess from Blue Harvest, which was supremely unconvincing and misguided. Fire Carrier was pleasant but didn't involve the main characters, and A Spark Remains attempted to pay off the constant presence of Vader lurking around the edges of the series, only to chicken out of an ending that actually resolved anything and ended the series on a happy, unresolved note that didn't fit it at all. Dark Times spent a lot of time on relatively few issues, only to end up not really going anywhere, and overall, its storylines were mostly mediocre or disappointing; only three arcs of its seven-year run lived up to its potential. Dark Times had some potential, and a few good arcs, but was a swing and a miss.
Spoiler The death of Crys Taanzer reminds me of the deaths of several protagonists in Game of Thrones. You learn that she considers her son dead, then it's revealed that Kenaan is actually alive, and just when you get you're hopes up for a mother-son reunion, bam she's dead
The one actually makes me wonder whether there was something planned for that storyline that got cut short because the Vector plague had this one special kind of victims, or whether it was decided she would go and she got some background while they still could write some. Just like Vector Prime gave Chewbacca more to do than 80% of Bantam combined. And with all the other characters, it was a constant "yeah we could work with them but we have time, don't we".
Again, that's one of those things we'll never know unless Randy or Doug decide to reveal it, like "behind the scenes" thing for Star Wars comics. To me, I can't decide which death in Dark Times was more gut wrenching: Spoiler Resa's or Crys Either way, both deaths are fitting and further reenforce the "dark" in Dark Times.
This is basically my take on the series, looking back. It had some of the absolute best plots out of any of the comics, ever (Bomo and Esseles... wtfwtfwtf........!!!!). But it dragged its feet too much in between those great moments. *sigh* like everyone at that time, the good ones must die. I was so miffed that annoying Ember survived. Like an ember that doesn't die. Ember. Dark Times. A Spark Remains...... Oh crap I just got that.
