SPOILER Marvel's Star Wars Shattered Empire #3

This week's issue was just OK for me. Didn't really learn much compared to the last two episodes. I'm curious how they are going to finish off the series because this issue felt complete.

 

Can you elaborate on this a little more? What do you mean? Do you mean purging places to cover up war atrocities?

 

Kind of. It's called Cinder, and though we don't know much about it, he's in essence trying to break foundations where dissent is already naturally there it seems.

@Kyle, this issue really was big for me. Leia is sensing more and more, and is getting closer to physically manipulating the force, as she can pick up on the cold (great Rebels reference!) that Maul left. Seeing those Starfighters with the Star Destroyers! Plus, I love the new queen, she is ethnically different from Padme and the queen in Episode II, Jamillia, and she has a very unique dialogue and action that works really well. Leia didn't have that porcelain effect any longer, so that's good, and the Lando line was just fan-service LOL. I think that, even though we didn't learn much, we got a TON of action that ties together all of Star Wars, and with Luke in the final comic, I think it's time we meet Poe, and unfortunately, give him the bad news, as foreshadowed many times this issue. If what I fear doesn't happen, there better be some side characters that look similar to Kes and Shara!

 

I like this series just in general a ton. But this issue was the best so far.
The story's good, the art's beautiful, and the characters are interesting.

The one thing that I took away from this though is a wonder. Is Leia empathic like Quinlan Vos? (I forget the exact term used in Dark Disciple).

First there was her recollection of her barely-met mother in RotJ, then her memory of the same in the Princess Leia comic, and now this moment about Maul.

I just wonder how much this is going to be explored in the coming stories, or if that was even what they're going for.

 

It's safe to say the artwork in this comic is the best of all of them. Superb. I'm really excited Luke Skywalker will be in the next one. I like how they included Leia, then Han/Chewie, now Luke, rather than having them all appear only once together in the same issue. It shows that they're all off undertaking their own missions, and that the Rebel Alliance sometimes assigns them different tasks suited to their unique abilities. Love it.

The moment with Darth Maul's power being felt by Leia is really cool. It reminds me of the dark cave in ESB.

By the way, is the story of the dark cave on Dagobah explained in canon? I know it is explained in EU, but I don't know about canon.

 

Was it just me or did the Queen of Naboo look a lot like those Alderaanian sisters from the Leia series? I had to go back and check out their names. Also I'm in the middle of Aftermath right now and Shara and Norra seem almost like the same character.

 

I thought the exact same thing when reading! Yeah, this issue was amazing! The fight scenes were incredible and seeing a different, more mature and leadership-focused side of Han was really cool. My only regret is that it ends next week. Either way, with this series and Lost Stars both mentioning Naboo, is it possible we might see it in the future (NOT as Jakku, but just as a planet visited in TFA)? Either way, @Kyle, great review of a great issue and I can't wait for next week!

 

The art this week was a lot better than last week, I felt. It wasn't as noticeable when the styles switched between artists. The colorist is doing amazing work with this book. As for the story, I am excited to see how it concludes next week. Let's hope they don't delay it.

@AlienofDoom you may be on to something with that Leia theory

 

I like the idea of that quite a bit, lots of juicy possible story lines could emerge from that moment.

Definitely a great issue. I especially loved when Shara had to fly into space with a Queen and a Princess, it took the Queen from being a somewhat interesting character, to a likeable new character in her own right. Even the coloring of Leia in the portions featuring a different artists seems to have improved in this issue, I definitely can't wait to see the next issue featuring Luke!

I would agree on the similarities between Shara and Norra, however I think with far fewer pages so far, Rucka has built Shara into a much more compelling character than Wendig did with Norra(that being said, I still like Norra well enough). Rucka does have plenty of experience writing strong female characters in his non SW related work however.

 

I see Operation Cinder as something more nefarious than a cover up. I keep getting the feeling the Empire is out to destroy some resource on a large scale. That was a plot device in A New Dawn, where the Count Vidian wanted to destroy an entire moon to get his hands on a resource and one of the characters (Skelly) did not want to allow that to happen.

 

I haven't read this issue yet but looking forward to it. Also here is a preview of issue #4.

http://www.starwars.com/news/the-en...tar-wars-shattered-empire-4-exclusive-preview

 

Oh yeah! I loved the ladies fighting the empire Charlie's Angels style!

It was Lando and Nien Nunb who saved them.

What were Rucka's thoughts about Luke?

 

First off @Kyle ... fantastic work as always! I loved this issue. It sure felt like we were getting ready to see the end of Shara. Glad we didn't (at least not yet). My one nitpick (which really isn't a big deal) was that the cover was a bit misleading in regards to the role Lando played in the story.

@LadyMusashi Unfortunately, I think that Palpy's "open upon death" plan of destroying planets is likely to only stoke the flames of planet - identity conspiracy theorists.

You expressed my thoughts, basically to a tee. In the EU, Leia was pretty empathic in the Force. She really seemed to have a knack for sensing emotions, which certainly is supported by her sensing Luke in danger on Cloud City in ESB and her reminiscing of her mother in ROTJ. The Leia comic also supported this, essentially showing her recollection of Padme through the Force. It also does seem that her empathic abilities are connected to some skill in psychometry (Quinlan Vos's special talent.) I'm super curious to see how the Storygroup handles her burgeoning Force - sensitivity, particularly in TFA.

 

This issue like the others was knocked out of the park with story and art. We had the three women up in space knocking out the satellites to end the storm on Naboo. Leia and Shara are getting closer as this story continues and it does seem that Shara and her husband may not make it out of Shattered Empire alive. If that is the case then I can see Leia adopting or just raising Poe to be the pilot and person he is in TFA.