SPOILER Marvel's Star Wars Annual

This week, we fans were treated to Marvel's Star Wars Annual. This is the first Annual comic since Marvel took over the reigns from Dark Horse. I'm happy to say this issue caps off a fantastic year of the great comics from the titan publisher. Dark Horse left some very big shoes to fill and Marvel has stepped up to continue the great comic tradition in the Star Wars universe.



Before we get to the story, I would like to welcome you back to Coruscant! This is a great page to establish the setting in which the events of this issue unfold. Somewhere between the prequels, The Clone Wars, and a little bit of Blade Runner. I love the cacophony of red Imperial insignias and the Emperor looking like a demonic Wizard of Oz. Angel Unzueta's art is brought to life by the vivid colorist work of Paul Mounts. I know I say this a lot, but after you've finished the issue, take another look through each page of the book. There is so much detail and life to this book.



Meet Eneb Ray, Rebel spy and badass extraordinaire. Ian Fleming, the British novelist who created James Bond, drew a sketch of what he thought James Bond should look like. Other than the blonde hair, Eneb Ray looks a lot like Fleming's sketch. I would not be surprised if this is a nod to the British super spy, because Eneb Ray is the best of the best when it comes to Rebel spies. There's nothing in this issue he backs away from.



Eneb Ray is posing as some sort of Imperial tax collector, which allows him to see the intricacies of the Empire's economy and trade. That's Leia Organa, communicating through a medium we've seen her in before. Ray has established himself in the Imperial infrastructure under the name Tharius Demo. In another nod to the spy genre, Leia tasks Ray with a mission he deems impossible. Despite the conclusive term, Ray accepts a mission to penetrate an Imperial facility and free some senators that are on death row. We also learn how Leia and the Rebel Alliance have established a spy network, with each agent unaware of who or how many other spies there are. On a side note, all signs of The Force Awakens campaign point to Leia being a high-ranking military officer, so it's cool to get a look at that side of her at this point in her legacy.



Ray heads for the dimmer part of Coruscant to break into a prison called Arrth-Eno. Here is where I'm going to slow down the details of the story. There are lots of crazy twists and turns in Arrth-Eno and you are better off reading them. I will share some images and talk a little bit about things, but if you want a spoiler-free experience, stop reading now and head down to your local comic shop. Come back afterwards if you want to hear my thoughts. That being said, let's move on.



As Eneb Ray does his Ethan Hunt/James Bond climb on the exterior of the sky-scraping prison, he ponders the possibility of capture and torture by the Empire. From the sound of it, their methods are brutal enough to make anyone talk. It's better to be killed than taken alive. There is no one that can stand up to the wicked methods the Empire's most sinister agents have devised.



Here's a "NAME THAT SPECIES" collection of the senators Ray is to extract.



Then this guy shows up. A few more pics below, and that's all you get.



Mr. Darth Sidious himself shows up to the party, and as you can see, he's ready to party. The Emperor plays a heavy role in the climax of this issue. It's certainly the most we have seen from him in the comic book pages. If you are a fan of Sidious kicking ass when he needs to, Paul Kemp's novel, Lords of the Sith, would supplement this issue nicely. As far as his comic book appearance goes, this is by far my favorite take on the Emperor. Unzueta nailed the snarl of the Emperor; an expression that always means trouble for whomever's eyes it meets.



Hats off to Kieron Gillen for a perfectly paced story that delivers a lot for Star Wars fans to eat up. Annuals of any comic series are very hit-and-miss, but the Marvel team didn't miss a beat here. I hope this isn't the last we see of Eneb Ray. This seems to be a small glimpse into a character's life that is likely filled with great stories. As far as where this story lands in the timeline, we are post-A New Hope/pre-The Empire Strikes Back. Eneb Ray is at the peak of his career, so I hope Marvel shows how he got there. I'm really happy the Lucasfilm Story Group has chosen readers the grittier side of the Star Wars galaxy. The new Battlefront novel is also a great look into how the Rebel Alliance carries out missions. And I have to admit, Chewbacca is serving that purpose as well.

2015 has been a great year for Star Wars fans. What started out as a slow trickle of the new canon is now a flood of new stories and characters. The comics have played a huge part in that. I'm happy to have the pleasure of keeping up with Marvel's contribution to the Star Wars each week, as well as hearing what you guys think. The Cantina Books and Comics section has become such a great community and I thank you all for reading and contributing to it. We have a lot to look forward to going forward in 2016. I hope to see you all there, both current Cantina members and any newcomers.

Oh...and next week...

 

The review is up! Thank you so much for your patience, folks. Hope you guys enjoyed this issue as much as I did!

 

Spoiler

No, this is the first in the canon. The only time I can remember was the Dark Horse series Dark Empire, and that was a straight up clone. It was an interesting twist indeed.