Star Wars Adventures #1 is a mixed bag. Writer Cavan Scott tells two very different stories that do not seem to have much in common, as they are different and are not about the same characters. The first story is very much the writer telling the same tale as the one found in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This proves to be the stronger of the two stories for its consistency of voice and interesting story it plots. Most Star Wars fans know the scavenger, Rey, who they came across in Episode VII.
The opening of the story reads very much as if you were reading a comic book adaptation of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She is going about doing her business, scavenging old ships to see what she could make money off of. She struggles to live on Jakku, a planet very much similar to the ones that both Anakin and Luke Skywalker grew up on. I wonder if there’s something there that the creative teams both on the films and in the comics are telling us about her. Apparently, she arrives back at the Nima Outpost to find her blobfish friend has been taken while she becomes introduced to Krynodd, who is the new junk boss.
This shows both how quickly someone can be taken on Jakku, a planet that seems to epitomize much of the Wild Wild West. Bobbajo is treated pretty horribly too by these new junk bosses. Rey’s encounters with these characters show how often she meets new people. While there is a set structure to things, she is always going up against new threats. It’s troubling for her to not be free or successful when she could be the daughter of Luke Skywalker like some think she is. While there’s plenty of intrigue left for this story, the “Tales from Wild Space” arc starring Master Milo does not seem to do much for the story. He has Crater, a robot running his ship, alongside himself.
Milo recalls the days of the Old Republic, where he points out a girl named Lina that loved Dex’s Diner; however, the story points out she’s not the most honest in her stealing from a Jedi. It ultimately ends up with her in a confrontation with someone who resembles Obi Wan Kenobi. It seems that the tale not only highlights the history of Star Wars during the Old Republic but also tells a moral tale about stealing and how it’s bad. I am not sure audiences reading this book really want a morality lesson.
Scott is an interesting writer when he sticks to the Rey story. He seems to be following closely the events of the recent film, which make it something interesting to follow; however, his “Tales from Wild Space” doesn’t seem to have the same interesting plot as Rey. It mainly comes down to the characters, too. Rey is simply a more interesting character than Milo in “Tales from Wild Space.”
The artists, Derek Charm and Jon Sommariva, are both great. Charm seems to be very appropriate in tone and style for Rey’s story, while Sommariva is great because he’s close to the Hannah Barbara style and definitely matches how one would think the funkiness of “Tales from Wild Space” should be. The issue, as a whole, seems to be off to an okay start but could improve as the series progresses.
Tommy Zimmer is a writer whose work has appeared online and in print. His work covers a variety of topics, including politics, economics, health and wellness, addiction and recovery, and the entertainment industry.
