Star Wars #3 Review

by Henry Wood

Written by Alex Segura

Illustrated by Phil Noto

Lettered by Clayton Cowles

Edited by Mikey J. Basso, Drew Baumgartner, Mark Paniccia, Robert Simpson & Grace Orriss

Garlev, an old colleague of Han and Lando’s crash-lands on Cloud City and immediately goes into a coma. Valance and Han are called into Cloud City by Lando while remembering the adventures they shared with Garlev, and Luke returns to Rynn and updates her on his mission. But what is Garlev’s connection to Luke’s mission on the ongoing conspiracy threatening the New Republic?

So, this is the Han focused issue of the series, as the last issue was the Luke focused one, and the next will be the Leia focused one. It’s clear how Alex Segura has laid out the first few issues of the series and it’s a good way to balance the ensemble cast. As for Han Solo himself, I think Segura has an interesting handle on the character, especially at this point in his life. Valance treats him like a smuggler, even teasing him about being a former smuggler, which Han bristles at. Seeing as this is a transitory part of Han’s life, changing from being a smuggler turned freedom fighter to a husband and father, it’s an interesting time to explore his personality. I think this by far is the best part of the issue, and I hope Segura takes the chance to expand upon it.

The plot itself is pretty standard, there’s a conspiracy going on, and Garlev, who was mentioned by Luke in the previous issue, is for some reason at the center of it. Luke returns from his sojourn and talks with Rynn Zenat. I think my major issue with the story so far is that I don’t think I like how the story is still centralized around Luke, Leia and Han, but especially Luke. I feel that at this time, Luke should be off on his own trying to collect relics and information on the Jedi Order of old, instead of helping the New Republic. I am trying to withhold judgment on the story as a whole, because it is possible that this is what causes him to remove himself from New Republic politics in the future.

The art, as usual, is stellar. I have never, and probably will never, lodge a complaint about Phil Noto’s art style. It’s a good balance of photo-realistic (which is important for a series where almost all of the main characters are portrayed in live action) while still being original enough that it doesn’t feel uncanny valley.

Overall, I think the series has shown promise, but I still do have concerns about the direction of it. I hope we can expand on Han’s feelings about himself and his place in the galaxy in the future, and I’m interested in seeing what Segura has planned for Leia in this era.