Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Star Wars Legacy War #3Star Wars Legacy: War #3 of 5
Dark Horse Comics
Ostrander, Duursema & Parsons

As Star Wars Legacy builds to a conclusion, this issue kicks off the fighting in what appears to be the big finale. The issue moves fast – very fast as compared to the normal Star Wars Legacy issue. Not only is the paced picked up in a major way, but the amount of characters involved is also increased. It appears that the pieces are moved into place in such a way that any single character (or many) could meet their demise at any given point. This is the payoff for all of the slow building that has been done in this title over the past few years. This is an excellent read.

The issue opens with another Skywalker jumping into the fray: Bantha. Cade's Uncle enters the mix at the request of the Jedi council. It seems that the pending battle is desperate enough that the Jedi want more than just one renegade Skywalker. It also helps that Bantha and Cade parted on bad terms in a previous arc. This is a welcome addition for the final couple of issues.

The bulk of the issue deals with the set up and opening of the war. Armed with the knowledge that the Jedi's hidden temple's location is known to the Sith, the Jedi would rather defend than flee. However, the Sith have a wild card that even their army officers are unaware of. The Jedi's plan is to lure the Sith in and as they battle on the planet, the fleet swoops in behind the Sith and traps them. Obviously not everything goes as planned.

As I mentioned the number of characters that play a role in this issue is staggering. Ostrander and Duursema never lose focus though and the characters they involve never feel forced or unnecessary despite the fact that the issue moves from scene to scene so quickly. Even R2-D2 finally gets a panel in an issue.

Duursema has such command of these characters that her illustrations could literally carry this issue with no dialogue. She's got the lightsaber battles looking vibrant and fluid while using the facial expressions to convey a deeper emotional level to the dialogue. It's an issue where Duursema is at the very top of her game.

As sad as it is that this title is coming to an end it's clear that the creators have some major plans for the characters. I was pleased to see the issue's pace picked up so much but I was happier to see so many characters playing an important role in the issue. This comic book is what I expect from a Star Wars book. It's excellent fun cover to cover.

4.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles