Crimson Empire #3 (of 6)

Story: Mike Richardson, Randy Stradley
Pencils: Paul Gulacy
Inks: P Craig Russell
Colors: Dave Stewart
Editor: Diana Schutz

Kanos single-handedly saves the rebels from attack. He explains the fate of the Royal Guard and his tie to Jax. Reviewed 02/27/98 Story Maybe it's because the super-lame villain Jax gets only one page, but this issue is a little better than the first two. I enjoyed seeing both Shev and Mirith watch the consequences of their bad decisions crash down on them, but in the end I'd rather that they had been intelligent characters. The flashback sequence was not bad, even if it did stir up bad memories of "Empire's End". The honor of the Emperor's "secret service" is portrayed well, and this is the first glimmer of reason shown why we should have any feelings at all towards Jax. The reference to the pilot of the Millennium Falcon really bugged me. Maybe it was thrown in to make up for a lack of Vader or Emperor cameo, but it felt really cheap. Not to mention... by this point in the timeline the whole universe knows the Millennium Falcon and it would be completely useless to smuggle anyone anywhere. Art Nothing's improving here. Great color work is being wasted on below average art. Peeves from previous issues stand, but of particular annoyance this issue was the rendering of Mirith. Her costume does not belong in the SW universe (maybe Xena or X-Men), and she certainly wouldn't gain anyone's respect that way. Gulacy might as well have given her a superheroin body if we're going to see that much of it. Wardrobe aside, her face looks completely different in every panel... almost a completely different person. Closeups of hands are done pretty well, but that doesn't sell issues. It's too bad because what we see of the Royal Guard versus Stormtrooper battles tease me about the potential of what the visuals might have been. The Dorman cover is once again worthy of framing. Conclusions The story is looking up slightly, but the art remains poor. 5.5/10. Not recommended.
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