Liu, Marjorie
AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:
3 out of 5
(1 book)
Star Wars: Han Solo
(Art by Mark Brooks and Dexter Vines)
Han and Chewbacca are trying to return to their lives as smugglers but once again find themselves pulled into the Rebellion when Princess Leia recruits them for a secret mission; they must enter a famed starship race and use it as a cover for retrieving endangered Rebel agents. However, the struggle between the Rebellion and the Empire is not the only conflict they face since Han is torn between his growingly loyalty to the Rebels and his desire for fortune and glory.
This is a fun adventure for Han and Chewie, keeping them involved in the Rebellion but simultaneously getting them back involved in the galaxy's underworld. I especially liked the idea that the elitist racers feel like Han, a professional smuggler, doesn't belong in their prestigious race but that they slowly come around to liking him despite themselves.
There are two big problems with this book, however, which mean that overall it comes out as being just okay. The first problem is simply that the 'between Episodes IV and V' timeframe is perhaps the most overused and least interesting in all of Star Wars. Worse than that though is that this book's core theme is whether Han is a ruthless mercenary or actually a good guy who cares about the Rebels. If you don't know the answer to that going into this book then you've probably been sleepwalking through any Star Wars story you've ever seen or read. There's absolutely no tension to the core 'conflict' of this book because we all know full well that Han's a good guy and the fact that he does the right thing in the end will surprise absolutely no-one, making the whole endeavour feel a bit pointless.
3 out of 5
Collaborations & Anthologies:
Astonishing X-Men: Northstar (here)