Longbox Junk - Star Wars: Princess Leia

Welcome to another Longbox Junk "Rescue Review"!  This time out, I blow the dust off of a great little Star Wars mini (as I recall, it was one of the first that came out when Marvel got the Star Wars license back).   I haven't made too many changes to this one, so except for some pictures and creator credits, so it's pretty much exactly the way that I wrote it a few years back.  I did do a re-read, but I'm still right on board with everything I said then, so no big changes needed on this one.

Enough (new) introduction, then. Enjoy!

ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION:

Can it really be called Longbox Junk if there's a $250 variant cover?
I only have the regular covers, so in my case. . .yes.  Let's do it!

STAR WARS: PRINCESS LEIA

MARVEL ( 2015)

SCRIPTS: Mark Waid

PENCILS: Terry Dodson

COVERS: Terry Dodson

ISSUE 1

After the events of the first Star Wars movie, the rebels are pulling out of their base and scattering until they can find a new one. Princess Leia is frustrated because she wants to be part of the action instead of being treated like a delicate Princess. Against everyone's wishes, she leaves with R2-D2 and a female pilot named Evaan to seek out and preserve the remaining people and bits of culture from her destroyed home planet.

This issue starts off at the exact moment Star Wars ended. . .the rebel award ceremony. Dodsen's art doesn't exactly capture the likenesses of the movies's stars, but his style does serve the story well.  He's another one of those "Love it or hate it" sort of artists.  I'm sort of in the middle, but no real complaints about the art.  Overall, this is a GREAT opening! I really liked the way it is literally a direct continuation of the original movie.

The rest of the issue is just as good, introducing new character and fellow Alderaan survivor, Evaan, along with plenty of cameos from the rest of the Star Wars crew.  All in all, a very enjoyable read for a huge Star Wars fan like myself.  I declare this first issue a winner. And after the bad taste X-Files/30 Days of Night left, I need to read a winner.

ISSUE 2

First stop for Leia and Evaan is Naboo, where Leia wants to rescue an Alderaanian singing group. Along the way, she is betrayed by Lord Junn, and old friend of her family and narrowly escapes with the group. . .not knowing that one of them is in contact with her sister, an Imperial officer.

I'm really liking this series. The story is nicely done, although it seems like Leia is a little out of character and taking a few too many foolish chances. . .almost like she's a female Han Solo. That said, I liked the flashback scenes with young Leia and Bail Organa, which pull back from the action and bring some emotional weight of loss and remembrance to the story.

The art is also improved a bit from the first issue.  Now that Dodson has moved away from the more familiar Star Wars faces and into the meat of the story with new characters, his inability to capture the likenesses of the movie's stars isn't nearly as noticeable as it was in the introductory issue.

ISSUE 3

Princess Leia and Evaan head to Sullust, where they plan on rescuing an enclave of Alderaanians.

When they arrive, they find the enclave to be paranoid and secretive. They are convinced that Leia is an imperial spy, and when the Imperials attack (guided by the unwitting information given to her sister by Tula on board Leia's ship), Leia comes under attack as well. An Ex Machina rescue by R2-D2 leads to a teamup victory that convinces the Alderaanians to leave with Princess Leia.

Not as good as the previous 2 issues. This series is beginning to fall into a "Trap of the month" feel. The art is still fantastic, but hopefully Leia won't fall into a trap and narrowly escape next issue. . .

ISSUE 4

Leia discovers that Tula is the unwitting spy on her ship. In a bad attempt at turning the tables, her sister Tace is taken prisoner and Leia agrees to turn herself over to the Empire in exchange for her freedom. During the exchange, the rebel fleet shows up for what will surely be a big 'ol trademark Star Wars space battle fiesta in the final issue.

I really liked this issue, but the sub-plot about a failed diplomatic effort to bring in some half-breed Alderaanians because of racism sort of dragged it down a bit. Still, a nice setup for the final issue.

ISSUE 5

And it's time for the big finish!

Leia turns the tables on Commander Dreed and escapes. A Star Destroyer shows up to take out the gathered fleet of Alderaanian survivors, but she makes a "We can do it. . .TOGETHER!" speech and they pull off the big win. Okay, the ending was a bit predictable, but it was still very nicely done. 

All in all, a strong ending for a great little mini!

CONCLUSION

Overall, I really liked this whole series. There were a couple of issues where it looked like things were slipping off course a bit, but Mark Waid kept a steady hand on the wheel and gave us a very nice little piece of Star Wars focused less on space battles and dark Jedi drama and more on how do you keep a people together when they no longer have a home. 

The bigger picture of Leia bringing together the remaining Alderaanians reflects the smaller picture (as shown silently at the end when Leia returns to the rebellion) of the group of heroes in the original films coming together as a team. Nicely done.

I have to say that this was a great read and I heartily recommend it to Star Wars fans, or to comic readers who want a taste of Star Wars from a bit of a different angle than what's in the movies.

Up Next. . .

Another Rescue Review!

Join me as I take a look at the practically-forgotten (and pretty much failed) DC effort to start a new pulp-influenced side universe.  DC's First Wave 6-issue mini PLUS the First Wave Batman/ Doc Savage one shot special.

Be there or be square!