Empire #30 In the Shadows of Their Fathers, Part 2 (of 5) Story: Thomas Andrews Art: Adriana Melo Coloring: Michael Atiyeh Lettering: Michael David Thomas Cover: Tom?s Giorello Released: 04/27/2005 Reviewed by: JF Boivin (05/01/2005) SUMMARY: On a diplomatic mission to Jabiim, a convoy of Rebel Alliance members led by Princess Leia is taken prisoner after a revelation during her public speech to the Jabiimi Loyalists. It turns out that Luke's father is believed responsible for the Empire exploiting the planet for two decades. Now the Loyalist leader Nolan Gillmunn is trying to make up for inviting the Rebels in the first place by helping them escape. But a sudden attack by the Nationalists, the local government loyal to the Empire, might put a permanent stop to the Rebels' political problems.

[final cover] [preview cover]

THE STORY

I must say that this issue is low on action, and heavy on dialogue. But this is not a bad thing in this case. This is just this type of story, more dramatic and character-driven, with a little touch of politics on top. I think the Star Wars Universe has room for all types of stories to be told.

The first thing I noticed in this issue (and last) is Andrews' intelligent and well-written script. The characters' emotions are well-written and clearly stated, whitout being overdone or expository. It's amazing to think in how many ways this could go wrong, but so far this story intrigues me. Luke's exploration of his father's past sins, Gillmuun wanting to avoid making his father's mistakes; the title of the series couldn't be more fitting. The scene between the two in the medlab after Luke's sever beating is just poignant.

On the down side, I don't know if Andrews is setting up the story to have some sort of surprise development, but even though it's not revealed here it's very easy to predict. After the opening scene where Hesz expressed his desire to hand the Rebel prisoner over to the Empire, at the end when Soams says "I don't know how, but they found us!" , it's clear that a clich? betrayal is taking place. Also, the scene with Wedge and Hobbie flying around and just helpless to go help their friends down on the planet just feels like an extra sub-plot we could do without. But what happens in the rest of the series might change my opinion.

Speaking of rest of the series, it seems like the editor is having some problems getting his materials on time. This issue comes out over two months after the last one, and the next one, which was supposed to be the third installment (and originally scheduled to come out March 2) is now going to be a fill-in issue. Why not simpy change the title to a bi-monthly publication if they can't keep up with the work load? And why do five-parters if there's almost a year between the first and last installments?

THE ART

Melo is still one of my favorite artists. But she's got something about bushy eyebrows that kind of looks cartoony. Captain Dantels look way more sexy than she did in her first appearance eight years ago in X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #? (which, by the way, took place seven months earlier in Star Wars chronology). On the other hand, I don't think the depiction of a Star Destroyer on the last page is her best work. The shape is seems copied from a movie still, with the surface details just a few random lines to fill it out. But overall, good artwork.

CONCLUSIONS

One of the rare stories where Luke finds out about his father's past adventures.

Rating: 7 / 10 Recommended