A New Hope - Manga Volume 3

Translates and reprints a Japanese adaptation of the classic film, Star Wars: Episode 4 - A New Hope. The heros fight to escape the Death Star. Reviewed 10/22/98 Story I praised the first two issues of this series for the choices to slow down the pacing of certain sequences resulting in great dramatic effect. I would say that this latest issue matches the pace of the movie almost exactly. This is fine because we're into the action half of the film now. It is certainly much better than most adaptations which blow through events far too quickly. I was somewhat disappointed not to find new scenes or shots that are not from the films, as with the first two issues. I attribute this to following up greatness with mere excellence. There were also a few random lines missing, like a favorite of mine, "Look out! He's loose!" This is still the greatest film adaptation I've read. Art Does the art alone justify buying a story you already know? The answer is still "yes". The varied camera angles put new spins on memorized sequences. The poses and facial expressions bring better acting and great emotion to the scenes. Finally, the Ben / Vader duel is wonderful. I'm not all that familiar with Manga, but I assume that the genre in general knows how handle sword-play. I think ANH would have been much cooler if Ben had showed the ability we see here. (Perhaps Ben is a little angry in this adaptation, but I can forgive it.) Conclusions If you want an adaptation, this is the one to get. 9/10. Recommended.
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