Star Wars Invasion Vol. 2 - Rescues is Dark Horse’s latest installment in the New Jedi Order era—namely, the invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong.
When I flipped through the first trade paperback last year, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t particularly care for the NJO series from Del Rey—nineteen novels was spreading the story incredibly thin, for my taste—so it was all the more gratifying when the first volume of Invasion blew my socks off.
Writer Tom Taylor does a superb job of expanding the Star Wars mythos, deftly telling his own story in and around pre-established storylines by blending new characters with classic ones.
Dark Horse has been steering away from classic Star Wars characters lately; for the most part, their stories have been told, so it makes sense for them to break new ground in other eras. Invasion is a nice middle ground in that regard—while characters like Luke and the Solo clan are around, it’s the Galfridian family out front and center.
This arc features some heavy changes for all four the of Galfridians. Each member of the family has his/her own story, struggling for survival under the sudden alien onslaught. Finn’s path continues to mirror that of Luke, but I found it to be more poignant than obvious. As for the rest, well—I’ll let you read it for yourself. Good stuff.
Colin Wilson is still on art, and I’m diggin’ his stuff. His art has that lived-in feel without being too gritty, just like the original movies. He also makes some dynamic composition choices that I really enjoy—the panels arrangements are interesting, yet still easy to read. The only weak point is in his facial features; some are excellent, especially the way he shows familial resemblence with the Skywalkers & Solos, but occasionally you’ll get one that just doesn’t look quite right.
Still, looking back at his work on Rebellion it’s obvious Wilson is continuing to hone his skills. His monsters—okay, Yuuzhan Vong—are amazing, and combined with Wes Dzioba’s colors, the art is never boring. Warts and all, Wilson is one of my favorite artists on a Star Wars comic, and I wouldn’t break up the Taylor/Wilson team for anything.
Special mention goes out to Jo Chen, who provides some great covers for a great series. I’m looking forward to seeing where they take the next arc, already titled Revelations. Only problem for me is that Invasion has to take turns with Dark Times, so there’s a long wait. But take it from a guy who’s been waiting a year since the last trade: Worth It.
Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5
This review is for the trade paperback edition, collecting issues #1-6 of Star Wars: Invasion—Rescues, ISBN 9781595826305
