Cap's Comics - Princess Leia #3

Princess Leia and Evaan continue their search for the scattered remnants of Alderaan.  In Princess Leia #3 her quest takes her to Sullust where a enclave of survivors have preserved themselves in an cloister.  But the leader of the survivors questions Leia's motives and her right to rule.  And the survivors may have a dark past.  The action comes to a head as the Empire finds Leia because of a mole in Leia's entourage.  Can Leia save her people and win their loyalty to her cause?

I have been pretty down on Mark Waid's story in the past, mostly wondering if it was exciting enough.  This issue to me was the best and likely is in my top five of the new Star Wars books.  The story is full of action and it moves at a nice brisk pace.  And R2-D2 gets a nice moment to shine on the page as he demonstrates his resourcefulness.  In short, R2-D2 finally gets something enjoyable to do (or as I would say at Welcome to Level Seven he got off the Bus).  And we get to linger on the conflict that the survivors have about Leia.  Is she somehow part of the Empire, she was a member of the Imperial Senate.  And bad things seem to follow her wherever she goes!  Yes, is Princess Leia really our leader?  We also get to contrast this with Evaan who has unquestionable loyalty to the crown, despite the fact she is not really a fan of the Princess.  So action and character combined with fitting art from Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson really created a strong issue to me.

As Princess Leia #3 ends she knows that the Empire has her in their sites.  And one cannot help but feel tense as we know who the traitor is.  Can Leia uncover the mole and save her people...next month?

Cap's Comics - Princess Leia #2

Mark Waid, Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson take Princess Leia and Evaan deeper into their mission to save the survivors of Alderaan in Princess Leia #2.  The duo travel to Naboo where a community of survivors have established themselves.  Leia attempts to work with an old friend, Lord Junni, in contacting the Alderaan cell.  The center of the Naboo community is a group of musicians who may not be fully informed of the latest Imperial news.  This is not helped by the fact that Junni's motivations may not be as pure as they seem.  The issue ends with a sense of dread for the reader as the next step in the Princess' journey may be even more hazardous.

I found Princess Leia #2 to be a fine issue.  The story and art seems consistent with what we would expect after the first issue.  And the story has a major Easter egg as Leia travels to the home world of her birth mother.  The setting of Naboo simply creates a familiar atmosphere for the pair, providing a backdrop we know for a new story with a new hero in Evaan.  I will argue that the title does give Waid an opportunity to showcase Leia the graceful leader.

Princess Leia is still not my favorite of the Star Wars Marvel comic line.  But I will still be picking up issue #3 to see how Leia stays a step in front of the Imps while preserving her people