The powers that be are building up to something big in Marvel’s main Star Wars comic book, both in the literal and figurative senses. First of all, the Empire is currently underway on construction of the second Death Star. Secondly, we know that the highly anticipated Star Wars: Hidden Empire crossover event is coming up shortly, not to mention the Revelations one-shot that promises to shake up the Star Wars comic universe as it stands, perhaps pushing the storyline ever closer to the events of Return of the Jedi.
But for right now, Luke Skywalker is intent on following up on a message the Rebel Alliance received from a family of Imperial defectors who claimed to have information about a secret weapon (see above). Luke meets with General Hera Syndulla (always good to see her) and Commodore Grek about launching a mission to Coruscant to track down the missing family.
On Coruscant, the family itself has crash-landed in the planet’s seedy underworld, where they’re immediately pursued by local armed security forces. They split up, and the dad Jon Melton manages to set explosives in their derelict shuttle to intercept their pursuers. Meanwhile, Luke dons a black Imperial officer uniform– a rebel soldier tells him he looks good in black, which he takes under consideration for the future– and arrives at the city-planet, where he hunts for the family in the sewers. But there are more dangerous things down there than just the security forces– the family encounters vicious Corridor Ghouls (a Legends-era creature making its first canon appearance) and then accidentally, reflexively fires on the Imperial-outfitted Luke when he finds them. It should be no surprise that Luke is able to make the best of a bad situation, both skillfully dodging the blasts and then utilizing the Ghouls in a tense standoff against the security officers. Back at the rebel fleet, Skywalker spills the beans, relating the information he got from the family: Death Star II is indeed on the way.
Mon Mothma’s response is a characteristically positive and optimistic one, and we as readers know that before too long the rebels will have taken down the second Death Star just like they did with the first, but at the same time this is not good news for the galaxy at large. Writer Charles Soule, as always, has done a really good job of balancing cataclysmic dread with a mix of lighthearted adventure and solid character building. And I’m still getting used to Andres Genolet’s artwork as a relatively recent addition to this comic’s list of contributors, but I think tonally it works out in the end. It’s pretty neat to see Luke venture to Coruscant during its Imperial heyday, even if it’s just for one quick rescue operation, and I enjoyed his banter with both Hera and Mon Mothma at the briefings. That said, the cover for next month’s issue makes it look like Luke, Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca are attending some kind of fancy masquerade party, so I’m predicting a pretty swift change in tone. I’m sure it’s all part of the plan as we inch toward the covert infiltration of Jabba’s Palace on Tatooine.
Star Wars #28 is available now wherever comic books are sold.