Between Books - Star Wars Poe Dameron: Black Squadron

My impression of comics writer Charles Soule is he is solid.  He writes good stories, but not really what I would call outstanding ones.  Though I have really enjoyed some of his runs, like She-Hulk.  But up until a few weeks ago I would have found him an odd mix for something in the Star Wars galaxy.  Soule's a superhero guy I would have proclaimed.  Then a few weeks ago I introduced myself to his Letter 44 independent title, which is a deep character story based within a science fiction world with a great twist.  So maybe his inclusion in the Marvel Star Wars properties was a better match than I imagined.

Star Wars Poe Dameron: Black Squadron by Charles Soule with art by Phil Noto appears to take pilot Poe Dameron up to the opening of Star Wars The Force Awakens.  General Leia Organa tasks Dameron with keeping vital information away from the First Order, by finding it first.  He is assigned finding Lor San Tekka who has information about the location of the General's missing brother Luke Skywalker.  To complete his task, Dameron recruits his own squadron made up of pilots that are more family than friends including Snap Wexley.  Dameron's search for Lor San Tekka takes his Black Squadron to isolated settlements and intergalactic prisons.  To make his task even more difficult, Dameron is challenged along the way by First Order intelligence officer Agent Terex and a mole within the Resistance relaying information about Black Squadron's objectives!

I really enjoyed Star Wars Poe Dameron: Black Squadron.  I found Soule's story to be solid and often riveting, especially on the prison planet!  And Noto's art is solid with me believing that Dameron, Wexley, L'ulo and others were the Resistance fighters we saw on the big screen.  In many ways this story is great because it gives Dameron and his team more screen time then they got in the movie.  So while readers may feel like they know Wexley from other books, this really gives us an insight to these personalities as we get to watch Dameron for example lead, including pilots much older than him, and scheme in order to achieve his mission.

If I was going to make one complaint I would ask this title be renamed Star Wars Poe Dameron and BB-8. I do love how in literary offerings that Dameron always calls out to BB-8 as Beebee-Ate!  It really feels like a great extension to the films with Dameron drawing out his name.  But again, fan favorite BB-8 is as much of a partner than any member of the squadron.  And while he may give too many thumbs up, he is fun, interesting and always engaging on the screen even if his panels are often only filled with beeps and clicks instead of narrative.  In many ways that is a tribute to Soule and Noto that wordless pages still feel weighty to the story!

I was nervous about Star Wars Poe Dameron: Black Squadron but now I am thrilled to know that more volumes of Poe Dameron's comic adventures are on their way, I had the impression this was a limited series.  I loved getting to see Dameron do more than sit in a cockpit but be a Resistance leader in action.  And Marvel gives Dameron the screen time fans hoped he could have.  For those who read across the entire Marvel library of titles, there are even connections to other titles that help show you the story at another moment!  Honestly, this is another fine contribution to the Marvel Star Wars library.

Between Books - The Art of Star Wars The Force Awakens

Yep, Disney fan makes me a Star Wars fan...actually I was that years before Disney bought LucasFilm.  After enjoying some of the other Disney and Marvel Art of books, I had to add The Art of Star Wars The Force Awakens to my Between Books collection.

The Art of Star Wars The Force Awakens by Phil Szostak guides readers through the development of Star Wars The Force Awakens.  The book is a visual guide to the creation of the film from pre-production, into filming and finally post-production.  Readers will discover a very different story as early versions of the film focused on Kira and Sam, not Rey and Finn, with Jedi Killer in the place of Kylo Ren.  While Szostak provides text that describes the formation of the film it is really the pictures that highlight the story of film production.  Readers can spend hours exploring the pictures, contemplating the ideas that did and did not become part of the finalized film.

The Art of Star Wars The Force Awakens is truly an enjoyable and fun read.  I read it twice.  One read was with the Between Kid, as we mostly focused on the pictures and discussed images and ideas that moved forward.  For my second read, I slowed down reading the text which really discussed how ideas evolved.  Readers come to understand how loose the production of a film can be.  LucasFilm unleashed a team of visual artists to create concepts, many of them strikingly beautiful but unused.  And these images helped to progress the story, not just Disney's and J.J. Abrams revisions to the original George Lucas script.  Many of the visuals are literally what if ideas, ones that would be fantastic to see in the future.  It also becomes clear how Ralph McQuarrie, the original Star Wars visual designer inspired a new generation of artists in both how they dreamed and how they copied much of his own work.

Star Wars fans need to read The Art of Star Wars The Force Awakens.  It is a fantastic look into film making and the creation of 2015's biggest film.  It is personally a must have for Disney/Star Wars fans who want to know more about how the new Star Wars films are created.

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: Lost Stars

I have been told several times that Star Wars: Lost Stars is the best of the "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens".  And ironically it was the last installment to hit the Between Books shelf.  The journey to this film has had its downs with few ups.  Would Star Wars: Lost Stars be the shining light in this literary preparation?

Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree are two youngsters from the Outer Rim planet of Jelucan with nothing in common including culture, history and societal stature.  But they do share a love of flying and a desire to join the Empire as members of the Navy.  The two bond over their hope to abandon their world to explore the galaxy and make it a better place under the Imperial banner.  The two are selected to join an Imperial academy and begin their journey as Imperial citizens.  Though their friendship begins to fracture under the strain of Imperial service.  Eventually, Thane will turn his back on the Empire and eventually become a Rebel after witnessing the horrors the Empire can bring to a world.  Ciena however driven by her personal honor remains in Imperial service despite her strong and evolving feelings for Thane.  The drama of their relationship plays out in the background of the original Star Wars trilogy, including Hoth and Endor, and beyond the movies.  Can the two survive to discover what their relationship can truly be?

I loved Star Wars: Lost Stars.  Honestly I think it helped that the story starts with human characters in a simple to describe world.  This gives the reader time to get to know the new characters as developed by Claudia Gray before they take bigger steps into the galaxy.  Basically, I felt like I knew Thane and Ciena before more complex worlds and aliens were introduced.  And I came to like and worry about them.  By the time they arrived at the academy I was invested and after they left their friends were my friends.  I found myself tense over simple things like school assignments.  Events like watching their roles in the Battle of Hoth made me worry about the potential damage to their relationship.  Really this book is driven by their relationship, and I really enjoyed it.

And as I talked this over with another fan it became clear to me that Thane and Ciena's relationship and growing love is more authentic than others in the universe including Padme and Anakin.  Thane and Ciena's relationship is based on respect, friendship and equality.  It is not wish fulfillment but a true growing evolving relationship that we should all aspire towards.  

Like all of the books in the "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens" small glimpses to the new movie are mentioned.  I am pretty sure I know where the crashed Star Destroyer from the trailer came from and even who commanded it.  And through our characters eyes we get to witness how the Rebellion responds to their victories and the Empire to their defeats.  While this book does not tell me about The First Order, it is made clear the Empire still had life to it.

Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray is a young adult book that adults will also enjoy.  For someone like me it shows events I know well from another lens.  Honestly, I now feel for some of those Imperials who died with the destruction of the Death Star since Gray shows us how many Imperials were simply people look those we know in our galaxy.  And my expectations of what I might see in Star Wars: The Force Awakens have been built with two powers struggling to command the galaxy on more equal footing.  But in the end, it is just a really good book.  It is the best of "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and best of all it is something we really need more of, a really good Star Wars book!

Between Books - Moving Target

The "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens" continues with a Princess Leia story.  After reading stories about Han Solo and Luke Skywalker written for kids I expected Leia's story to be my least favorite, because I liked the other two heroes more as a kid.  Would Leia's story excite me for the movie or would my low expectations be met?

Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure by Cecil Castellucci and Jason Fry finds Princess Leia in a dilemma.  Being a former Imperial Senator and a head of state, the Empire has put a high price on her head.  And she is determined to do something to save her love, Han Solo, from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt.  With the Rebels receiving plans of a new Death Star she must decided which crisis she will address.  She chooses the Rebellion andhelps plan a daring attack before the new Death Star can be brought online.  In this case it is determined that she would serve as a suitable distraction to keep the Empire from interfering with the converging of the Rebel fleet before they make an attack on the Imperial super weapon near Endor.  Leia and a rag tag group of rebels attempt to recruit resistance in a backwater area of the galaxy, knowing the whole time any volunteers would find themselves captured and likely killed.  While on the run from an Imperial pursuer, Leia balances duty and what is right.  

Moving Target is my absolute favorite of the three kids books to ready fans for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  It is much more action packed than the other two books, Luke spent a lot of time training.  And it is faster more intense as Leia and her team move from planet to planet.  Sometimes it is scary and definitely the story is tense.  We also get some great character development, which makes me want Princess Leia to be in a key Rebel position.  She is the leader we want and need.  She always exceeds our exceptions.  Her crew as a group works well, especially since story devices and tensions we expect are used successfully so we can understand their motives quickly.  

There are solid tie-ins to other books.  The use of a ship is Star Wars: Shattered Empire becomes quickly clear.  Honestly, it may spoil this plot a tiny bit.  Additionally, the story does a great job of serving as an introduction to Return of the Jedi for the three people who have not seen it yet.   Moving Target has Easter Eggs that fans will love.  And to get ready for the movie, the Epilogue makes it clear that new live-action hero Poe Dameron is dedicated and skilled though also rash.  

Moving Target by Castellucci and Fry is fast paced, action filled, and contains great character development.  Princess Leia is a leader the Rebellion needs.  Though written for kids, adults will also enjoy this installment. 

Between Books - The Weapon of a Jedi

It is less than a month to Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Betweenland is all excited.  So all things, okay many things, are keeping me on “The Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens” including Between Books.

The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure by Jason Fry is targeted at getting young people ready for the film.  The book starts with a Force Awakens era pilot hearing a story of Luke Skywalker as told by C-3PO.  The promised tale covers the first time Luke drew his lightsaber in battle.  The story flashes back to Luke, C-3PO and RD-D2 on a secret mission for the Rebellion after the Battle of Yavin.  Luke however is drawn by the force to abandon his mission and journey to the planet Devaron so he can become better acquainted with the Force.  Luke has to face off against Imperial and local threats while continuing his Jedi self-study.

The Weapon of a Jedi is clear, easy to read and a little dull.  Luke does face off against some threats.  But much of the action is Luke in some training scenes.  It is a good story for a 10 to 12 year old, I know I would have eaten it up.  Though I am concerned one can read the story to say if you get a strong hunch maybe you should abandon an important task.  Older readers will probably find their minds wandering.  I was frustrated that the illustrations by Phil Noto were misplaced and spoiled the coming twists at some portions.  I do not feel I really got much of a hint to the future movie.

The Weapon of a Jedi is a fine book for young readers set in the galaxy far far away. The book would acquaint people better with Luke and his relationship with the Force.  And young readers will have a better understanding of how he became a Jedi with some light action.  Older readers would likely prefer Heir to the Jedi instead.  

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 - Aftermath

I continue my quest to prepare for Star Wars: The Force Awakens with Aftermath by Chuck Wendig.  I started the book knowing this was official canon that also serves as part of “Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens”.  And I opened the book excitement to find out officially what happened to Han, Luke and Leia after the Battle of Endor.  But what I got was very different.

I have decided to write this synopsis from the window of a casual Star Wars fan.

On a world you don’t know in the Outer Rim, the Empire attempts to regroup after the loss of the Emperor, Darth Vader and the Death Star.  Wedge Antilles travels to this world in a scouting mission and stumbles into the Empire’s planning conference.  Imperials you don’t know capture the Rebel hero and dream of a Imperial tomorrow.  On the planet you don’t know, a Rebel, bounty hunter, former Imperial and streetwise kid, all of which you don’t know, struggle to make their way in the galaxy while also potentially sabotaging the Empire’s talks.  These heroes you don’t know are the only hope for Wedge’s freedom, a hero you might know.  Interspersed in this adventure are interludes from throughout the galaxy as people you mostly don’t know, but hey Han and Chewy show up, are forced to answer issues caused by the fracturing Empire and the rising New Republic.   One thing is made clear, the struggle you know is not yet over!  

I will continue to argue that Star Wars works best with a visual element.  And with all apologizes to Chuck Wendig who was given and job and did his job, Aftermath has this problem and more working against it.  First, Wendig puts us in a new world and uses aliens where we have to rely on either our imagination visual reference or the internet to create a picture of the mind.  But unlike an original science fiction novel our mind pushes for a visual reference for the mind’s eye.   Our minds know this galaxy and pushes to provide the right image instead of accepting imagination.  Second, Wendig is largely using original characters to this story, this trilogy wow really, so readers are left frustrated wanting to spend time with original trilogy characters who are largely absent.  And finally the plot is not what a casual Star Wars fan would want since it is really about this new group of heroes for which we have no context.  The blunt reality is Wendig’s book would be a good science fiction story.  But it fails in meeting the needs of causal and hard core Star Wars fans.  

What I really want to know is what happened after Return of the Jedi.   And Aftermath gives us a big picture.  The Empire is hurt but not eliminated.  And a power vacuum has been created with multiple voices trying to fill the void.  The Rebel Alliance is also in transition as they move from a guerilla underground movement to a legitimate authority in several planets and systems in the universe.  Both sides are scrambling to keep or take power.   In short there is enough contested territory that the war is far from over.  And so I can use this to enter the movie with the sense that a long struggle continued or even continues into the future.  The other aspect I take from the book is the ideas that were found in the Expanded Universe to be frank with a New Republic, Mon Montha as the key political leader, Wedge Antilles as a flying legend and Imperial Moffs and Admirals fighting to become key political players.  

Aftermath by Chuck Wendig is set to prepare me for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  In the end it was largely failed for me.  What could be a solid science fiction story is high jacked by the constraints of Star Wars.  And of course there is the slight problem that it does not even close to meet the expectations of casual and even hardcore fans.

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!