Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Star Wars Dawn Of The Jedi Force Storm #1Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm #1 of 5
Dark Horse Comics
Ostrander, Duursema & Parsons

The latest Star Wars takes place some 36,000 years before the original trilogy but this issue begins even before that as Ostrander takes great care in setting up the universe. This issue serves as an entry way into the very beginnings of the Jedi and the Sith. Ostrander and Duursema deliver the same high level of storytelling that the pair has delivered in countless Star Wars comics, including the far-reaching Star Wars Legacy series. This is the start of something special.

The beginning of the comic (actually the entire first half) reminded me a lot of the beginning of the film, The Fellowship of the Ring. There is an anonymous narrator that sets the stage through the ages. Much like Lord of the Rings, there are noble characters, a set of nine (in this case pyramids called Tho Yor not rings) and a great conflict that scatters things a bit. Then the book picks up the story with a couple of scenes of characters.

The book is difficult to simply zip through. The comic has a lot of new terms and it has a lot of strange planet names. However, the basics are that these enlightened beings loaded themselves onto these pyramids and travelled to a place called, Tython. Tython became the central place for the special beings where they learned to fine tune their skills using the force. However, the planet was too dangerous for non-force users, and once they began having off-spring that couldn't use the force, the descendants were sent to live elsewhere.

All is not well though. There are creatures that feed on the force and hunt down those that possess the power. It's not clear what they do with the force users but they seem to be a primary villain in all of this. Of course, being a Star Wars comic, there is also a political element where one group seeks to overthrow another. This book picks up after that conflict but it's a safe guess that there are some that are not willing to let it all go.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsDuursema brings this book to life. Her range of characters in this book is nothing short of amazing. The book could have been lifeless with all of the caption boxes and strange names, but Duursema keeps the panels interesting by providing a high level of detail and a good range of emotion. The ending of the book is where she gets to stretch out with a terrific battle. One on one combat is one of Duursema's strengths and I was pleased to see it included in the opening issue.

This book is going to be mandatory if you plan to follow this series. The seeds are subtly planted all over this issue and, as a result, it's difficult to pick out which are going to be important in the long term. I like the set up and the execution of this issue a lot, even if it reads a bit slow. You simply can't go wrong with Duursema art and Ostrander's direction. This is going to be a fun ride.

3.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles