Customer Reviews

Darklighter (Star Wars: Empire, Vol. 2)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Biggs Darklighter isn't a very well known character. Rogue 3 in A New Hope, we know he was Luke's friend from Tatoonie that gave his life protecting Luke during the Battle of Yavin. This graphic novel, which collects Star Wars: Empire, issues #8-12 + #15, gives us Bigg's background, motives, and an in depth look at a fascinating man.

This graphic chronicles Biggs from the time he was a youth on Tatoonie, until the fateful Battle of Yavin, with many interesting notes in between.

Nor is this simply the tale of Biggs Darklighter. Luke Skywalker and "Hobbie" Klivian both have prominent roles.

There is also a small series called "The Short, Happy Life of Roons Sewell". Originally printed as Empire #10-11, it is composed of Roons Swell's eulogy, delivered by General Dodonna. Though this eulogy and a series of flashbacks, we see Roons Sewell's path to becoming a hero of the Alliance, a haunting, interesting tale.

Both these men had different lives, and took very different paths to becoming martyrs for the Alliance. Both men were brave and became icons of heroism.

The writing is flawless, the art is bold, and the story haunting. Highly recommended.

I am an original Star Wars freak, grew up, then got hooked back into Star Wars (I'm 37). I have been gathering up comic/graphic novels wherever I can find them, and I must say, this is my favorite series (other than the Clone Wars series). I like the deeper dimension this book and the other Empire volumes bring to the Star Wars universe. The storyline is quite full, compared to the skimpy (almost silly) story lines from other comics (Marvel comes to mind). One can actually relate to the characters; I am a female so of course I like the emotional relationships between the characters and the character development. The artwork is very nice too, and one can almost imagine them being real (if that makes sense). This particular story tells how the rebellion gathers speed, appealing to people's sense of right and wrong and how they actually stand up and do something about it. Great story.

Dark Horse comics have a gift for making Star Wars comics that are almost as visually appealing as the movies themselves. And their stories are usually very good, too. With this volume, though--which focuses on Biggs Darklighter--they try to explain how Biggs goes from (in the novelization and the outtake scenes that all us fanboys have memorized along with the rest of the movie) a young Imperial who's about to jump ship to an experienced and trusted Rebel pilot in about four days. It's a good story, but it's still hard to make the timeline work.

My Husband actually likes these books and he is 40. He is a big fan of Star Wars (not to the point of collecting SW items) and likes to read most of the spin offs. He said that these books are written pretty good.

I loved this one! I have reread it a few times and the art and story will keep you coming back for more...very nicely done indeed! I am a Star Wars geek of the highest order and this does not disappoint!

In the original Star Wars Biggs Darklighter was a childhood friend of Luke's who joins the rebellion and dies in the assault on the Death Star. Most of scenes were cut but his story still appears in the novel. With this graphic novel we finally get the whole thing, and it's a lot of fun.

We see Biggs and Luke growing up together with Biggs almost as Luke's mentor and big brother. We follow him through the academy, his reunion with Luke (a scene cut from Star Wars) and then things take off. After he becomes party to a civilian massacre, he soon leads his squad to desert the Empire, joins a mutiny, joins the Rebellion, steals a squad of X-Wings, helps cure another pilot's fatal illness and finally meets his fate over the Death Star.

Biggs' story is straightforward and well-told. There aren't any real surprises but hey, we've known how it would end for 30 years. As others have pointed out there's a slight problem in that he has to lead a mutiny and steal X-wings etc, etc in the day or two that the events in Star Wars take but hey, I can live with that. Just like I can live with the idea of a kid right out of the academy becoming a first officer. The art by Doug Wheatley is photo-realistic and attractive but a bit plastic and photo-shoppy in parts. Paul Chadwick's does a fine job with the script, pulling together continuity from various sources over the years.

There's also a second story about a rebel commander Roons Sewell. It's a short one telling the story of his life and death but far more nuanced and interesting than Darklighter's. Sewell quickly emerges as a morally complex and interesting figure while Darklighter is more of a stock hero. The art by Tomas Giorello is more stylized than Wheatley's but feels warmer and more human. Overall it's a stronger work.

This is a fine book and worth reading, not the best I've ever seen but a fine read.

For most of the Star Wars universe fans, the most interesting things you can read about are the characters of the original trilogy. After Boba Fett, Darth Vader etc. now is Biggs, the friend of Luke who died at the Death Star.
In addition to that the art-work is really good, so if you like Star Wars universe you will enjoy it a lot.
Another good comic-book of an excelent series.

Or maybe it should be a prequel to Rogue Squadron. The story of what happened before and during A New Hope.