Shadow Stalker

Vader sends Jix to deal with a troublesome governor. Reprinted from Topps' SW Galaxy magazine 9-12. Reviewed 11/28/97 Story Take away the media-hype-event aspect, and I think the SOTE concept is a great thing for SW comics. There's a lot of potential in telling stories that take place during the movie time frame. The classic Empire vs Alliance backdrop can be used without having to invent new ways for the Imperials to keep coming back. Plus, great characters like Vader (the coolest part of SOTE) can be used as supporting cast. Shadow Stalker's is an example of the potential that exists in the SOTE concept. The only familiar character is a supporting role by Vader, but the story of Jix is engaging and definitely feels like SW. To Windham's credit, the original four-part story flows well as a single issue. While I found that I ever really cared about the fate of Frija's character... my MAIN complaint would be that having human-replica droids all over the universe will greatly diminish the uniqueness of Guri's character. Art The pencils are certainly above average (except for the frog-snake which was very silly and uninspired). Choles imagination to pose his characters and use the whole page is impressive. However, the hilite for me is the colors. This book has tremendous depth thanks to the detailed shading and is the closest I've seen to an 'Image' style from a DH book. This would have been wonderful on a more glossy paper stock. I've mentioned before, but I love male SW characters with long hair! Summary The first quarter is the best, but if you don't already own the SW Galaxy issues... you'll find this a smooth-flowing reprint. 6.5/10. Recommended.
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