Empire #40 The Wrong Side of the War, Part 5 (of 5) Story: Welles Hartley Art: David? Fabbri Inking: Christian Dalla Vecchia Coloring: Neziti Domenico Lettering: Michael David Thomas Cover: David Michael Beck, Brad Anderson Released: 03/01/2006 Reviewed by: JF Boivin (12/11/2006) SUMMARY: The Rebels who infiltrated the Imperial base on Kalist VI succeed in their mission to rescue Jorin Sol, who's been a prisoner for some time. Thanks to Luke, they even manage to free all the slaves and get them off aboard a transport. But Luke makes an enemy in the process. No sooner has he found his old friend again, Janek "Tank" Sunber, that they both have to go their separate ways because of their different beliefs. But unknown to the escaping Rebels, their mission's success might have been part of an Imperial plan to destroy the Alliance from within...

[final cover] [preview cover]

THE STORY

It all comes to an end... well, sort of. The final caption says "The action will continue in Rebellion #1 - on sale soon".

Anyway, the Rebels win the day of course. They managed to rescue all the Jabiimi slaves and the prisoner Jorin Sol and they all get off planet aboard the slave transport and the original tanker Nuna's Twins with which they infiltrated the base. But it all seems too easy... it seems that the Imperial Intelligence agents counted on the Rebels to rescue Jorin Sol, almost as if they made him into some sort of spy. So the Jorin Sol saga is still not over, and proably will be a major plot point in the new series.

I really love how the whole Luke/Tank confrontations plays out. I think the way they both act is realistic and in character. They both stay true to their allegiances, and unfortunately by the end of it two childhood friends are now enemies. They are both on "the wrong side of the war" (get it?) The issue wraps up nicely, with Janek "Tank" Sunber as the narrator just like in the beginning of this story arc. Every character has an important role, and it's easy to identify with them. Truly remarkable storytelling on the writer's part, simple yet so gripping.

THE ART

Just a quick note, not to repeat myself, about Fabbri's style. The characters are a little bit cartoony, yet they are so recognizable and the facial expressions and body postures are so realistic that it makes up for a good balance. Maybe it's won't satisfy everybody, but it's good enough for me. I wonder what project he's up to next.

CONCLUSIONS

A very good last issue of a regular series, which just started to hit its stride in the last dozen issues or so. We have a winner.

Rating: 8.5 / 10 Highly Recommended