Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire (Star Wars (Dark Horse)) [Paperback]

John Wagner (Author), Kilian Plunkett (Author), Various (Author), John Nadeau (Author), P. Craig Russel (Author)

Book Description

Series: Star Wars (Dark Horse) | Publication Date: May 20, 1997

Darth Vader wants Luke Skywalker - alive. Prince Xizor, the largest trader

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse; First Edition 1993 edition (May 20, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569711836
• ISBN-13: 978-1569711835
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 6.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #689,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book., September 12, 2004

By 

Craig Collins (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire (Star Wars (Dark Horse)) (Paperback)

I read this book in 2 hours and do not regret it. It was definetely worth the $10 I paid for it. It gets a little confusiing at times, but you just gotta keep reading it. Now you can find out when and where Luke constructed his new lightsaber, and much more. If you are a star wars fan, you won't regret it, if your not, you probaly won't have any idea whats going on.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Above-Average, December 9, 2005

By 

Z. Stern (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire (Star Wars (Dark Horse)) (Paperback)

A decent graphic novel. Has pretty good art, the storyline was ok, but what really ruined this for me was the unrealistic-ness. If you thought Empire vol. 1: Betrayal had cheesy dialogue by Vader, you'd hate this. Vader also seemed to be acting like a disobient 2 year old, never listening to anyone. What I also found annoying was the fact that the characters all seemed to be constantly talking to themselves. Boba Fett isn't his usual quiet, calculated self in this book. He was always taunting others and talking to himself as he tried to escape what seemed like an entire galaxy chasing him. Possibly the only cool characters in this were Luke and Dash Rendar. I've definitely read better.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Intersting filler-in for the novel, February 27, 2000

By 

Nathan (Wilmington, DE United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire (Star Wars (Dark Horse)) (Paperback)

Whereas the Shadows of the Empire novel was focused on the normal character, the Rebels and Vader and the new Xizor, the comic's point of view is mainly that of the scum of the galaxy, the bounty hunters and Jabba and his goons. That is where it makes its biggest mistake -- it can't stand alone.

It's laudible that they tried to give an alternate perspective in the comic so fans wouldn't feel like they were just rereading the novel, but on the other hand it doesn't make sense unless you've read the book. Characters just show up and aren't explained, and events that are quite big in the story can't be emphasized enough in the comic due to space restraints. It would have been a much better idea to instead of paralleling the novel, to adapt it entirely to comic form, plus add the bounty hunter stuff.

The art was mixed. The droids, Fett, Vader and most of the bounty hunters looked good, but the more humaniform characters looked messed up and unrecognizable. Leia and Lando in particular looked bad, Dash was strange, and Xizor looked horrible; he wasn't even consistent from panel to panel.

Fortunately, the locations were pretty good, but where this comic shined were the spacefights, dogfights which would do a Rogue Squadron comic proud. There was some interesting use of tactics, all the ships were drawn very well, and the lighting effects and engine glow were very good.

Fett was another problem in this book. He talked too much. We already know he's one of those silent but deadly guys; why authors feel the need to have him give corny one-liners, talk to himself and gloat to his enemies is beyond me. The dialogue throughout the comic was decent, but there were quite a few corny or unecessary lines.

A last note -- this comic was released before it was quite established exactly what bothans looked like, so they are kind of messed up looking.

As a companion for the novel, this comic worked fine, but as a stand-alone piece, it is below par. If you like Star Wars, or if you're a big Shadows fan, then I recommend this one. If not, don't bother.