Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Star Wars Adventures, Vol. 9: Fight the Empire!

After a collection that saw a trio of stories set during the Clone Wars, Star Wars Adventures devotes a volume to a triumvirate of stories that occur during the original trilogy in the midst of the Age of the Rebellion.

First we see Luke and Han negotiating an arms deal on behalf of Princess Leia. Han's past history as a swoop racer has long been discussed. In this story, we see Han return to those roots when he gets the bright idea to participate in a swoop race in order to earn some extra credits. 

The middle story has Leia on a mission with C-3PO and R2-D2 involving an orphaned child and some storm troopers.

In story #3, immediately after the destruction of the second Death Star, Lando is participating in a star ship race in order to gain information about a pirating ring that has been disrupting Rebel supply runs. With the surprise appearance of a memorable character from Episode I, this was the best main story of the collection.

All 3 of the Wild Space back-ups were excellent. The Bib Fortuna story was a little out of character for Bib and Jabba and yet, it's a hilarious story that had hints of plausibility. The spy tale starring Mos Eisley Cantina regular Kabe was rather clever. I never realized just how tiny she was. But the best story of them 3 involved a rather special tauntaun and her trainer. 

A tauntaun with a very large tail is abandoned by her herd. A series of misadventures results in the creature becoming part of the Rebellion and later a beloved hero of the battle of Hoth. This story was so good, I read it 3 times. I really hope that somewhere out there on a lovely snow planet, the tauntaun and her person are roaming the frosty countryside in peace and prosperity.

Lots of fun this volume was with a lot of great talent. Derek Charm and Cavan Scott (Tales From Vader's Castle). Tony Fleecs (Stray Dogs). Michael Avon Oeming (World of Krypton). I wish all of the volumes of SWA were this awesome!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

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