Let me be one of the few to admit that I didn’t really like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story the first time I saw it in theaters. It appears everyone enjoyed it more than Star Wars: The Force Awakens, except me.
Meanwhile, I loved The Force Awakens, but thought Rogue One didn’t take enough risks to interweave the characters we know and love from the original series. Maybe my expectations were too high, as I hoped the characters from Disney’s animated TV show, Star Wars Rebels, would would make (more of) an appearance in Rogue One. And if—SPOILER ALERT—at least one of the main characters didn’t all die in the end, there could have been a major opportunity to reintroduce said character as their older self in the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
But after I saw Rogue One in theaters again (and again), I realized that it was a flawless war film set in the Star Wars universe. This is not an easy achievement, and once I accepted it for what it was, I learned to appreciate the movie and its characters for who they were, as well.
And now, IDW Publishing has brought us a graphic novel adaptation of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and I, for one, couldn’t be more thrilled. Just as they did last month with their graphic novel adaptation of The Force Awakens, this comic book does justice to its film counterpart. With a smart manuscript adaptation by Alessandro Ferrari and beautiful, cartoonish versions of Jyn Erso, K2, Saw Gerrera, and other favorite characters by a team of countless artists and studios, you can tell that only passion was the maker of this stunning project. Each important moment of Rogue One is captured perfectly in this newest collection of graphic panels; it makes me wish Jyn and her friends were still around, as they could have had plenty of exciting adventures together in this galaxy far, far away.
After reading this latest graphic novel for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, my only hope is that IDW Publishing begins to make an entire series out of these adaptations, with the original trilogy being next on their list of things to graphically adapt.
Until then,
May the Force be with you!
