Expanded Universe Round-Up #29

​Star Wars (2013 series)

​Vol 1 - In the Shadow of Yavin

This is part of a Dark Horse reboot which met its end shortly after the Disney acquisition. The story itself in this TPB isn't terrible, though the characters didn't feel like themselves all the time. I think the main problem is that this became an extremely crowded era even before this series was published and a reboot, treading the exact same ground as previous comic series(es), was in no way necessary. I would have much preferred to see the Empire/Rebellion line continued.
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​Vol 2 - From the Ruins of Alderaan

Once again, I'm underwhelmed. Perhaps because our heroes have been divided for so long and their separate stories didn't engage me. There is some decent stuff here, with Luke, Leia and Wedge dealing with their losses... and then there's the mediocre stuff, like someone's nephew randomly being revealed and also Han's drawn-out and stagnant side of things.
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Vol 3 - Rebel Girl

Somehow, this TPB managed to be worse than the previous two. No one acted consistently or like themselves and the art was horrendous - faces and facial expressions were the artist's glaring weakness. It was horribly distracting.

I've just realised that there's a fourth volume in this series and since I want my Legends collection as complete as possible, I've ordered it... but I know I'll probably hate it.
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Vol 4 - A Shattered Hope​

A random assortment of 3 stories, none of them long enough to annoy me the way that some of the stories in this series have. The first one was good... the other two were average.
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Star Wars Adventures

#1 - Han Solo and the Hollow Moon of Khorya

This adventure offers nothing new, which isn't itself a problem, but it also feels a like a tired retread. Han has had many of these types of stories told about him in the Legends canon. I wasn't keen on this comic adding a new character from Han's childhood, since this part of history had been covered extensively by that point.
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#2 - Princess Leia and the Royal Ransom

Another less-than-stellar adventure. Some writers really don't "get" how to capture the banter between Leia and Han (it's too easy to take it too far, I think). This is the kind of story that would not have felt out of place in the 1970s and 1980s, but it didn't work for me in 2009 (and it worked a lot less during today's reread).
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#3 - Luke Skywalker and the Treasure of the Dragonsnakes

A slight step up from the previous two instalments. I always wish we'd seen more of Luke's training on Dagobah, so I was happy with the concept - although I admit to expecting a bit more, since I know what Taylor is capable of in his other work.
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#4 - The Will of Darth Vader

Now this is what I was waiting for. This adventure carries Taylor's signature humour and somehow even manages to evoke sympathy for Vader being under the Emperor's leash, all while maintaining his fearsome image. The other comics in this line - so far - hadn't dug deep enough below the surface to interest me, but this one did.
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#5 - ​Boba Fett and the Ship of Fear

A Boba Fett one-shot that doesn't mess with the character or do something silly like make him get too attached to others? Hurray! This was an enjoyable adventure that rang true to Fett's persona - and the ending was great too.

#6 - Chewbacca and the Slavers of the Shadowlands

The framing device helped ground this story, which was fascinating because of the era in which it was set. I liked seeing more of Chewbacca's earlier life. The art, though... I can appreciate a soft, cutesy style (and I did like it here), but it didn't match the tone of the story and felt a bit off as a result.
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