Jedi Academy - Leviathan #1

Writer: Kevin J Anderson
Penciler: Dario Carrasco, Jr
Inkers: Mark Heike, Bill Black, David Jacob Beckett
Colorist: Ray Murtaugh
Cover: Ray Lago
Editor: David Land

Miners on Corbos send a distress call to the New Republic because they are under attack. Luke sends some of his Jedi Academy students to investigate. Reviewed 10/21/98 Story The first four pages introduce the reader to the concept of Luke's 'Jedi Praxeum' on Yavin IV and to four of the main characters. This is to be expected in the first issue of a brand new series. It would probably be a mistake to limit understanding of the story to those who have read (and remember) Anderson's Jedi Academy novels. Unfortunately, I found Luke's monologue to be extremely awkward and unnatural. Perhaps it would have been better as internal thoughts (thought boxes) rather than spoken word (dialog bubbles). Nevertheless, this basic narrative to himself rubbed me the wrong way somehow. It didn't "ring true". I think this colored my opinion for the rest of the issue. The scenes on Corbos could easily be cut scenes from the movie ALIENS without modification. I've seen this before. I really enjoyed ALIENS though, so I'll give it a chance. This issue makes extensive references to events in other Star Wars literature. If you find this tightens continuity, you'll enjoy it. If this is a peeve of yours, then look out. Art Overall, the art is pleasing. The pencils/inks (why three inkers?) are very lifelike and detailed, particularly the scenery and landscapes. The color work is up to Dark Horse standard. There are three very notable exceptions, however: Luke, Leia and Artoo. Every single panel containing one of these characters made me wince my eyes in pain. I am not one who believes that the characters need to look like the actors who played them, but I want the comic portrayal to capture the essence of the character (the 'Heir to the Empire' adaptation is the best example of this). Luke's face looks really wrong to me. I can't put my finger on the exact problem, but it doesn't feel like Luke. This is compounded by coloring. Luke's face tone is too dark and his hair color is far too light. The result is a Luke who looks like he has spent far too many hours in the tanning bed. Leia looks like she's strung out on drugs (perhaps a tribute to the off camera Carrier Fisher of 1982?). At very least, she looks ill. Artoo shouldn't be that difficult, but he was slightly off throughout. His problems were topped off by an overhead shot on the top of page four where R2's blue panels at the top of his dome were drawn as a single circle cut into four pie pieces. Conclusions It's too early to write off this series, but it has a stumbling start out of the gate. Art and writing have potential, but plenty of room for improvement. 4/10. Not recommended.
"EnsViews" are copyright ? 1997-8 by Paul Ens. They are posted to rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc, emailed to Dark Horse Comics and archived on theForce.net. With the exception of Dark Horse Comics Inc, they may not be reprinted without permission. Titles, Cover images, Dark Horse Comics, and the Dark Horse logo are trademarks of Dark Horse Comics Inc. and its respective Licensors.