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By Scott Allie, Ryan Benjamin & Curtis Arnold (Dark Horse Books)
ISBN 1-84023-655-8
This intriguing series concentrates on tales of the Star Wars universe told from the perspective of the evil Rulers rather than the heroic resistance. In this first collection (issue #1-4 of the monthly comic), set in the weeks just prior to the events of the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, betrayal is in the air.
As the Empire’s greatest weapon nears completion, Darth Vader is dispatched to the galactic hinterlands in pursuit of an apparent survivor of the massacre of the Jedis, unaware that a different kind of revolt is brewing at home. An unhappy collection of generals have decided to assassinate the Emperor, and their plan seems perfect.
As their machinations proceed and Vader is diverted to the Death Star to oversee the final arrangements, the creators of this volume manage the nigh impossible task of instilling a sense of tension, despite the sure and certain knowledge we all share that this plan simply can’t succeed because it didn’t.
How the plan fails is a good strong yarn, with a chance to see the charismatic Vader at his scene-stealing best, and the close echoes of the plot by his own generals to kill Adolf Hitler lend the fantasy some much appreciated undercurrents which are so often absent from space opera adventuring. Scott Allie’s script is economical and Ryan Benjamin art is open and dynamic, making this a page-turning delight for fan and civilian alike.
© 2004 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.