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Darth Krayt reveal

“Allies”
Written by John Ostrander
Art by Adam Dekraker

With the first story arc for Star Wars:  Legacy, “Broken”, having wrapped up, Ostrander and company take us back to the beginning of the series, showing us events in the premiere issue from a different perspective.  We see the unexpected truth behind the end of the Sith-Imperial War and a few items are cleared up.   “Allies” makes for a great jumping on point for new readers (though, granted, the series isn’t even a year old, so new readers shouldn’t be that lost), stands perfectly well on its own, and gives us some Darth Krayt two-lightsaber action.  Not bad at all.

The opening scene, depicting the final moments of the Battle of Caamas as viewed by Nyna Calixte and Roan Fel, does a good job of giving the reader ample background information on the narrative landscape for Star Wars:  Legacy, explaining the reason for the Sith-Imperial War, the Sith’s involvement, and Fel’s feelings regarding the war.  While some of the clarification is welcome (Fel’s exact feelings about the war, Jedi, and Sith), the scene comes across as a little too much information dumping, with some of Fel’s dialogue feeling forced.

That point aside, Ostrander’s script is excellent, crafting an intriguing tale that is self-contained yet manages to connect to the background of the Legacy series in a big way.  Ostrander has already done a standalone story already (in the excellent Star Wars:  Legacy #4, “Noob”), painting character portraits against the backdrop of galactic affairs and being successful in getting the readers emotionally committed to them.  The intricate politics of “Allies” is fascinating to read, and boosts Calixte’s stock as a character of interest.  Whereas she easily could have been mishandled to be a bland double-crossing politician, Ostrander pulls off her intrigues well.  Also, the story is well-paced, with so much happening in 22 pages that you’re left breathless, and better yet, giving the issue multiple reads while craving for more.

Dekraker’s artwork is, for the most part, rather good.  He lacks the polish of regular artist Jan Duursema but manages to remain faithful to the representations of the characters.  There are some quirks in the artwork, where it looks murky in spots (when the escaping Fel and Draco encounter the sentry droids, for example).  The page where Krayt assumes the thrown is another example- Krayt looks as though he is sitting too low (like he’s seriously lounging), and it looks silly.  Otherwise, Dekraker does a fine job, and makes the few “action” sequences spring to life (Krayt taking on the Imperial Knights, for example). 

And the cover is excellent.  More like this, please.

“Allies” continues to build the mythology of Star Wars:  Legacy, and the series only keeps getting better.  This issue showcases how well-developed and interesting the cast of characters is.  For example, the main protagonist, Cade Skywalker, is nowhere to be found, and the issue doesn’t suffer one bit.  Highly recommended.

Rating:  A

“Broken”
Script by John Ostrander
Illustrated by Jan Duursema and Dan Parsons

At long last we have the start of Legacy: a new era for Star Wars picking up over a 120 years after Return of the Jedi. By this time, Luke’s new Jedi order have become plentiful again, finding a place in the galaxy as guardians of peace. Of course, “peace” would equal “boring” in a Star Wars story, so we find the Jedi faced with a menace: the Sith have returned.

Hmm.

It sounds a bit familiar, doesn’t it?

Right off the bat, Legacy will cause some controversy from fan circles for the return of the Sith, as well as the fact that there is a resurgent Empire now ruling the galaxy (again), and that during the first issue, another Jedi massacre occurs.

As I said, it sounds a bit familiar, doesn’t it?

One can’t help but be a little skeptical based on the early promotional ad and some information in the special premiere issue #0. Having the Sith return, take control of an Empire, and massacre Jedi isn’t groundbreaking, no matter how you spin it. And I am not even involving the debates about Vader’s fate and how the return of the Sith invalidates his sacrifice, his role as the Chosen One (if he ever was), and other typical fan debates. The issue here is concerning Legacy as it has been promoted and positioned as the “future of Star Wars”. The real question is how Ostrander and Duursema pull it off.

After reading the first issue, I would conclude: pretty decently.

A lot happens in “Broken”. The inside front cover gives a nice synopsis of what’s gone on since the end of Return of the Jedi, bringing us to the present. The first page features an excellently scripted internal monologue of Darth Krayt, concerning his reasons for wanting to create a new order for the galaxy. What strikes the reader immediately is how different this is for a Sith. Krayt does not come across as psychopathic, or power-hungry. This was a rather nice change, and sets the stage for how these new Sith are not quite the same ones as old.

The rest of the issue unfurls at a rapid-fire pace. Quite simply, there’s a lot to get to and not enough time to get to it all. The first issue is action-packed, full of imagery that rivals the movies and Clone Wars cartoons. The new Sith are put over in a big way, taking out a number of Jedi and the Academy on Ossus. There is a certain “cool factor” about them, particularly with Darth Nihl, who ultimately takes out Kol Skywalker. Krayt is right up their in fearsome-looking Sith Lords, with a nice touch being his Yuuzhan Vong armor (fueling speculation as to whom he might be, considering he was alive during the Yuuzhan Vong war). Along with the action, there is some political intrigue, tragedy, and some mysteries. Issue 1 sets up a number of plots that will play out for the foreseeable future, and all of them seem worth the monthly investment.

The artwork is decent, if a little flat in places. Duursema and Parsons excel in the characters (a prime example being the shot of Krayt appearing with his trusted Sith lieutenants, which was beautifully done; another being a panel of Coruscant). Young Cade, however, never winds up working for me as drawn. I would say that the artwork is fairly strong overall.

In the final analysis, Legacy #1 is a good start to this new Star Wars saga. While running at a frantic pace for most of the issue, Legacy #1 manages to slow down in the right places, giving the issue a balanced feel. I would recommend adding Star Wars: Legacy to your monthly pull list, at least in the short-term.

Rating: B