Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Star Wars #15
Marvel Comics
Aaron & Mayhew

"Star Wars" comes out of the "Vader Down" crossover with an issue focusing on the time period between "Revenge of the Sith" and "A New Hope" when Obi-Wan is charged with watching over young Luke. The comic is okay but doesn't really break any new ground. Basically, if you've read any comics or novels or short stories based on this time period then you've read this before. The artwork is extremely beautiful but does struggle capturing the look of the characters as seen in the original Star Wars film. This is a decent read.

Luke appears to be about ten years and is out racing with his friends. Things go badly and he gets in trouble with his Uncle. Obi-Wan decides Luke could use some help from the invisible hand. Uncle Owen eventually catches on the gives Kenobi a stern warning.

The comic uses plenty of familiar names and faces in the comic. Jabba, Biggs, Sand People, Jawas, Beggar's Canyon and so on. There isn't anything new in the comic. However, the interesting part of the comic is the confrontation between Owen and Obi-Wan.

I'm not sure any existing story out there has covered Owen's feelings quite as bluntly as in this comic. Obi-Wan tries to play off his role in events around Owen and Luke but Owen is persistent in his accusations. What's very interesting is how Obi-Wan comments that he tried to train Luke and was stopped by Owen. When Kenobi dropped off Luke as an infant wouldn't it make sense that Kenobi would state, "take care of the boy and I plan to train him"? What's changed? There's more to this story it seems.

The comic has some minor missteps. Based solely on the film, Kenobi seems taken aback when he heard "Obi-Wan" and he even states how's it’s been a long time, a long time since he's heard the name. Clearly, Owen calls him Obi-Wan and it really isn't a long time until "A New Hope" rolls around. Another oddity is that the Sand People attack from all directions. Don't they travel in single file to hide their numbers?

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsThe artwork has a realistic painted style to it and it looks gorgeous. There are some very interesting looking panels and the story moves along well with the artwork presentation. However, the artwork struggles with coloring Obi-Wan's hair and beard. It appears blond, gray-blond or dark brown depending on the panel. There are also some very odd looking facial reactions from the characters, specifically Owen. There is one panel where Owen is showing anger, but it looks like a straight face to a comedy bit. Overall, I really enjoyed this style and definitely want to see more of it in this universe.

"Star Wars" comes out of the "Vader Down" crossover with a one-shot about Obi-Wan watching over young Luke. The comic provides some of the same old characters that you have come to expect from Luke's home world during this time period. The highlight of the comic is Owen's confrontation with Obi-Wan. The comic has some humor and some good moments and a touch of action. The book is presented with a beautiful style of artwork that really makes this comic come alive. Overall, the story and the moments aren't really anything that hasn't been covered in comics, short stories or novels before. This is a decent read but nothing terribly different.

3 out of 5 Geek Goggles