Between Books - Star Wars: Before the Awakening

Star Wars: Before the Awakening by Greg Rucka provides backstory for the new heroes of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  FN-2187 is a skilled stormtrooper cadet who has one attribute holding him back, compassion.  His instructors and Captain Phasma observe and test FN-2187 as he prepares for his first deployment.  Both the trooper and Phasma wonder if the young man will ever be more than an outsider.  Rey is a young scavenger on the planet of Jakku.  Her fortunes appear to change as a storm uncovers an item that could change her life forever.  But what will she do to protect it?  Dameron Poe is a skilled New Republic pilot who has an encounter with the First Order.  With corruption rampant in the New Republic, his frustration leads him to join the Rebellion.  But can the skilled warrior survive his latest mission from General Organa!

The volume is a collection of three short stories.  They are easy to read and Rucka does a good job digging deeper into our new heroes.  For Finn or FN-2187, the reader comes to understand exactly how skilled he is.  And watching how well he performed as a cadet only reinforces what we will in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  It makes his actions very believable.  For Rey, readers come to understand the harsh life she lived.  And of course come to feel even more for her.  With Poe, Rucka uses his Star Wars: Shattered Empire to tie the young pilot to the ideology of the Rebel Alliance.  Poe becomes a true believer and even more of an action star.

Star Wars: Before the Awakening is a fine contribution to the Star Wars literature.  I am glad I read it, and feel like I know these characters even better than those who have not read this canonical volume.  Though one does not need to read it to really understand what we saw on the screen.  But it does allow us to dig deeper into the story.  I personally would recommend borrowing and not buying this volume.  But it should delight its intended young adult audience and a few adults who want more.

Between Books - Star Wars: Shattered Empire

Star Wars: Shattered Empire by Greg Rucka with art by Marco Checchetto, Angel Unzueta and Emilio Laiso is the installment of "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens" that I was anticipating the most.  But I was warned I needed to set my expectations lower.  And honestly some contributions to "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens" disappointed me, so I started the read with concern that this Marvel comic would let me down.

As the Battle of Endor end we meet a young couple, pilot Lieutenant Shara Bey and Commando Sergeant Kes Dameron.  The married couple finds themselves assigned separate missions as the Rebels seek to communicate a simple message to the Imperials after the destruction of the second death star, you lost.  Yet, the Imperials fail to understand their fate.  While the couple's missions are generally different, the two have a habit of finding each other in the heat of conflict.  The two also support key Rebel leaders including Princess Leia, General Han Solo, General Lando Calrissian, and Commander Luke Skywalker.  Readers are left with a tension as the couple struggle to find time for their future while staring at a conflict that appears to have no end.  The volume also includes the first issues of the classic Marvel Star Wars series and the more recent Princess Leia mini-series.

I read Star Wars: Shattered Empire in a collection, so I got to enjoy the story in one read instead of having to wait for the four separate installments.  I think I benefited from this, as I did not have to reacquaint myself with Bey and Dameron when a new issue hit my hand.  I am inclned to like Greg Rucka writing, and the writing generally met my expectations.  Though it may not have exceeded.  Overall this has been one of my favorite installments in "The Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens."  While the story does share with Aftermath the use of original characters, Rucka and his art team make new to me heroes work by having them interact with original trilogy heroes.  And of course, visuals help.  Since I have the art to set the background, I find that my mind allows me to be in the Star Wars universe without feeling a need to force itself to imagine and without the frustration of wondering if I got the image wrong.  My mind really struggles when it worries that I am not properly framing Star Wars. 

Star Wars: Shattered Empire was successful for me.  Rucka sets the tone that the war against the Empire was far from over after Return of the Jedi.  And I am pretty sure Han and Leia were leaning on each other in one scene.  While it was not the best Star Wars story I have ever read, it was very solid and helped prepare me for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Between Books - Smuggler's Run

I am totally excited about Star Wars: The Force Awakens!  But I am spoiler free, well except for what Disney wants me to know.  So I have made a pact to prepare for the movie by only knowing beforehand what has been officially released under the "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens" label.  And I was lucky enough to get my first installment from the library, because I generally do not buy Star Wars prose books since they are generally lacking.

Smuggler's Run: A Han Solo & Chewbacca Adventure by Greg Rucka starts in what we assume is the Force Awakens era.  A group of thieves consider how to get their hands on a fast ship and which one they would want.  An old man hears this conversation and spins a yarn about the Millenium Falcon literally days after the destruction of the Death Star at the Battle of Yavin.  Han Solo is pressed into service by the Rebels to retrieve a reconnaissance soldier from the Outer Rim.  Of course it cannot be easy as he is being chased by one of the finest officers in the Imperial Security Bureau.  Can Han and Chewy save this key rebel or will he be delivered into the hands of the Empire?

So I started here on my Star Wars: The Force Awakens quest because I am very familiar with Rucka's work in comics.  His Gotham Central run is gritty and classic.  His creator owned title Lazarus is smart, edgy and great science fiction.  And he had shown he could take a superhero into space with Cyclops.  But this is a categorized as a children's book by the library.  So Rucka's work has death and action, but it lacks our hero or villain diving into an overly excessive dark place.  And perhaps needing to be a short book of under 200 pages and having a strong author like Rucka helped it overcome issues I see in other Star Wars books.  Rucka is "faster more intense" with quick cuts like Star Wars is meant to be.  He does not have a lot of pages to work with so his story moves fast!  There is no time of Han or Chewy to contemplate their belly buttons!  And so it is fairly engaging despite being for young adults/mature kids.  I would have likely loved this in Junior High!  But it is all high-action, there is nothing deep here. 

This volume promises hints of what is to come in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  For me the biggest non-reveal is that Han and Chewbacca still live into the future.  But the trailers have already shown us they are home.  I do find it interesting that the story includes a beloved Marvel plot point, can Han pay off Jabba?  And I found it interesting that Imperial Center is out and the familiar Coruscant is being used instead.  Perhaps the new name given by the expanded universe is out.  Finally, and again I do not believe this spoils anything, there are still a few Clones in the Stormtrooper ranks.  I would say that I had an enjoyable brisk Star Wars adventure, though perhaps not a strong prequel.  Because honestly there are not many big reveals.   

Smuggler's Run: A Han Solo & Chewbacca Adventure by Greg Rucka is a fun and quick read.  And honestly, that helps it feel like Star Wars!  I definitely would suggest this to any pre-teens who are interested in science fiction and required reading for Star Wars fans preparing for a little film!