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Star
Wars Tales #7 Review by Toryn
Farr |
As usual, we start the issue with
another sick little one-page cartoon in which Editor Dave Land explains some aspect of the
Star Wars universe to us. This time it's Baby Darth Maul Goes to the Dentist! featuring
baby Darth Maul and artist Lucas Marangon. Never have the words "you may feel a bit
of discomfort" prompted such a strong response.
The Cover: What can I say? The photo cover is downright ugly with its combination of olive drab and bright orange. The art cover, while technically good, is just a picture of Boba Fett .. a dream-boat to some, a galactic-size bore to others.
An Aside: It occurs to me that I never mention the lettering (except for the occasional typo) and perhaps that's the greatest compliment to Steve Dutro, Jason Hvam, Vickie Williams, and the others who do the lion's share of work on the Star Wars comics. If readers notice the lettering it's usually because something's wrong. The letterers are the true unsung heroes of comics. Keep up the good work, guys and gals!
Single Cell |
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| Script:
Pencils: Inks: Colors: Letters: |
Haden Blackman Jan Duursema Ray Kryssing Dave McCaig Steve Dutro |
Nym, a tentacle-headed Feeorin, is locked up in a Trade Federation jail with an unknown Neimoidian to whom he tells his tale of woe. As a pirate he had made 33 raids against the Federation with his two partners. The last deal went sour, and he was caught. In the last frame of the story there's a twist which I won't give away ... at least, I think it's a twist. As with many other "stories" in Dark Horse's repertoire, this is more a vignette, or perhaps the first act of a longer tale.
To make up for its lack of plot and its total insignificance to the greater
Star Wars universe (unless you happen to have played the new Starfighter game), this story needed to have outstanding visuals. Sad to say, despite the talented Jan Duursema's pencils, the art did nothing for me. The ubiquitous dark shadows and Dave McCaig's muted colors give this piece a claustrophobic feel. There's nothing terribly wrong with this one (other than a typo -- is the torturer named "Bavo" or "Bravo"?), but it didn't light my fire. I'll give it a B-.Nerf Herder |
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| Script:
Pencils: Inks: Colors: Letters: |
Phil Amara Francisco Hererra Howard M. Shum Michelle Madsen Steve Dutro |
I groaned when I saw the first page of this and realized it was yet another Tatooine humor tale. Yet it grew on me, and I really began to enjoy it. That is, until the cornball sexism of the last page burst my bubble. Farm boy nerf herder Domo Jones longs for adventure. When he overhears an Imperial arms deal go down, he decides to make his stand for the rebel cause, and uses his knowledge of local fauna to win the day.
Everything about Domo amused me, from his silly hairdo to his incompetence with girls to the oh-so-determined set of his jaw. I can't say enough good things about the art - though the style wouldn't work for a serious story, for this it was perfect. The colors appealed to me as well, especially the blended backgrounds. However, I couldn't figure out why the Twi'lek turned blue in one panel...
If it weren't for that moment at the end where the girl goes all "ooh, you big strong man how did you do that let me kiss you" I might have given this an A. As it stands, it rates a
B+.Jedi Chef (or Pizza Hutt) |
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Art: Letters: |
Randy Stradley Francisco Ruiz Velasco Studio F & Jason Hvam |
I was already predisposed to like this one because it features two Jedi Council members, Plo Koon and Micah Giiett (they spell it Giiet for some reason). The plot is completely silly, but fun. Micah has talked Plo into helping him win a wager on Ord Mantell in order to free his friend, a chef named Slabba Drewl whose bad luck landed him in Corpo the Hutt's dungeon. The bet involves a cook off between the Jedi and a famous kitchen droid. can you say, "Ginsu Lightsabers," boys and girls?
The art for this one is strange, to say the least. It's dull and blurred, as though it has all been subjected to a wash of watercolor gray. However, it works well enough in this context. The piece made me smile, so I'll give it an A.
Outbid But Never Outgunned |
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Pencils: Inks: Colors: Letters: |
Beau Smith Mike Deodato, Jr. Neil Nelson Dave McCaig Steve Dutro |
Oh, boy, Boba Fett fans -- here he is! The reason you bought this comic with the great big green suit of armor on the cover!
Too bad the story's so stupid.
I can't spoil the "surprise" ending for you (although you can see it coming for pages), but let me just say ... BOGUS! Give me a break! How many different back-stories does this guy have now? Oh, wait ... maybe there are several Boba Fetts (and let's not forget Jodo Kast), all clones, running around the galaxy. That might explain not only Fett's schizophrenic behavior in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, but also his multitude of mutually contradictory histories and his seeming ability to be everywhere at once.
The story seems to be trying to take itself seriously, yet it revolves around a city called "Bidamount" where everything is bought and sold on a system called "ePort" and where a bad guy named "Pizztov" holds a box with an item that is key to Boba Fett's past.
The story's saving grace is the artwork -- this is a true feast for the eyes. Dave McCaig manages to get away from his usual dull palette in places, and the drawing and layout are truly dynamic. There is very good use of shadow and silhouette throughout. Fett is portrayed very well indeed, and the curvy "pistol packin' mama" Sistas (Sisters?) is drawn in the best tradition of comic book hero chicks. However, when she calls Fett "Bo" I just want to yak. Also, I must take exception to Boba Fett calling the bad guy "not the brightest lightsaber in the sheath." Since when do they use sheaths?
For the art I give this one an A+. For the story, especially the ending, I give it a D. My grade averages to a
B-.Force Fiction |
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| Script:
Art: Colors: Letters: |
Kevin Rubio Lucas Marangon Michelle Madsen Steve Dutro |
I imagine quite a few readers have not seen the darkly hilarious movie Pulp Fiction. For you, this story will still be amusing. But if you've actually seen the film, this story might well cause you to pee your pants from laughing. (Not that I can recommend Pulp Fiction, with its wealth of profanity and gore, to our younger or more sensitive readers.)
Mace Windu and Yoda are having a meal at the Big Boy on Coruscant when a pair of robbers bursts in. I can just hear Sam Jackson as Jules Winnfield saying, "You see, you've caught my friend and I in a transitional period." There are so many great lines in this story, I can't quote them all, but here's one example -- Yoda, regarding Anakin's midi-chlorian count: "... he's got more 'whos' in his 'whoville' than any of us ..."
The art is a perfect match for the zany tone of the story. Buzz Lightyear sits in one of the restaurant booths, and Yoda is perched in a kiddie booster seat. Kevin Rubio even manages to insert a serious moment at the end that left me feeling quite moved. What a great tale! This one gets an
A+.One interesting note: In previous issues I expressed confusion that Yoda had a yellow lightsaber in one tale and a purple one in another. In this story he's sporting both.
***
On balance, this one gets an
A- overall. Every one of these pieces is humorous (intentional or not).Discuss this article on the Echo Station message boards.
(Toryn Farr knew everything about
Star Wars back in 1977 thanks to Starlog Magazine. She's been trying to keep her
know-it-all reputation ever since. During the 90 minutes per day her preschooler is
napping, Toryn attempts to run an internet design business and write fantasy fiction.)