Booknote: Star Wars: Shattered Empire

Greg Rucka, Star Wars. Shattered Empire. New York: Marvel, 2015. ISBN: 9780785197812. 

Genre: comics and graphic novels
Subgenre: Star Wars, space opera
Format: trade paperback
Source: the Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library

This comic is part of Marvel's new runs of Star Wars under Disney ownership. The series of four issues picks up on events right at the end of the film Return of the Jedi. The second Death Star may be destroyed and the Emperor dead, but the Imperials still have plenty of fight left in them. They launch a series of attacks on various worlds, including Naboo, keeping the Rebels occupied for a while longer.

Though we may like to think it was all a happy ending at the end of Return of the Jedi, like most civil wars, this one likely had chaos and remnants of fight from the losing side. This short comic series captures that. We get appearances from known characters, and we get new characters. The action goes on all the way through to keep us reading. Also, there are elements that lead to the events of the new film, The Force Awakens. However, you can read the comics on their own.

Overall, this was a quick and entertaining short read. Fans of the original will probably like it, and fans of the new film will find things to like as well. The volume also includes the first issue of Marvel's new Princess Leia series and the first issue of the 1977 Star Wars comic adaptation so folks can take a trip down memory lane. In addition, Checchetto's art is very good and another reason to pick this volume up. If your library already has other Star Wars comics, this will make a good addition. In the end, I liked it. It was good with solid art.

3 out of 5 stars.

This book qualifies for the following 2016 Reading Challenges: