Star Wars: Sana Starros - Family Matters

Star Wars: Sana Starros (2023-) #1–5

by Justina Ireland, Pere Pérez (Illustrator)

Breakout Star Wars character Sana Starros stars in her first ever series!

Sana Starros stars in her first ever series! Fresh off of a string of disappointments, Sana returns to her family’s ancestral home for some downtime. But family time is far from relaxing for a scoundrel and her family of ne’er-do-wells…especially when Stormtroopers attack during dinner! The Starros clan is on a collision course of a lifetime! But what mysteries from Sana’s past are coming home to roost? And whose party are they about to crash? It’s Sana, solo — and she has a bad feeling about this!

COLLECTING: Star Wars: Sana Starros (2023) 1-5

Genres: Star Wars, Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Marvel, Fantasy, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

Published September 12, 2023

About the author

Justina Ireland is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books including Dread Nation and its sequel Deathless Divide, the middle-grade novel Ophie's Ghosts, which won the Scott O'Dell award for historical fiction, and a number of Star Wars books including Flight of the Falcon: Lando’s Luck, Spark of the Resistance, A Test of Courage, Out of the Shadows, and Mission to Disaster. She is a former editor in chief of FIYAH Literary Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, for which she won a World Fantasy Award. She holds a BA in History from Georgia Southern and an MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University.

Reviews

[Matthew Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This was just very, very average. Not a necessary read by any means and nothing I’d recommend. Not mad that I read this one, I just feel indifferent.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sana Starros foi, junto com a Doutora Aphra um dos personagens originais surgidos nessa nova leva de quadrinhos de Star Wars que mais colaram e deram certo entre os leitores e, claro, comigo mesmo. Ela foi casada com Han Solo e teve um relacionamento com Aphra, e é uma das poucas personagens negras de Star Wars. Dito isso, seu quadrinho solo prometia. É, mas não cumpriu tanto assim, não. É mais um quadrinho qualquer com uma história qualquer. No caso, Sana Starros precisa lidar com sua família majoritariamente feminina enquanto uma tia sua foge, grávida, com um comandante do Império Estelar. Os desenhos são bons, competentes, o roteiro também é competente, mas a HQ não empolga a ponto de eu querer guardar ela comigo. Por isso, ela vai ser destinada para doação ou para revender em um sebo ou na internet. E acho que é somente isso que eu tenho pra dizer dela.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3-4 ABY

This graphic novel takes place after Sana Starros' rocky relationship with Doctor Aphra. Featuring her own side adventure in a five-issue miniseries, Sana Starros now makes her way to her home planet to see her family. She doesn't expect to see her twin brother, because he has fallen with the Empire and Sana sees their relationship as severed. Also unexpected is Sana's cousin, who is pregnant with twins. The husband? A highly controlling Empire officer. What could possibly go wrong in this situation?

It is fun that Sana has her own mini series. From the old novels to the new canon, Sana has been a key player, and it is nice to give her more action with the current storyline. The art is wonderful, and the story is more interesting than one might expect. I enjoy the flashbacks to her time with Aphra, and reading Doctor Aphra feels like a key component to understanding Sana's story fully. A much-appreicated and well-deserved installment!

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.
I had basically left the character of Sana Starros behind after her introduction in conjunction with Han Solo, because she went off with Doctor Aphra, who is one of the only Star Wars characters I don't like. But, I thought I might try this one off, seeing as she has stayed around and become popular enough to merit her own title.
Glad I did.
This comic collection is a fun ride involving Sana and her extended family, all of whom are smugglers or criminals for the most part. Encountering her twin brother as an Imperial sets up future stories, which I'd be open to.
If you are at all interested, check this one out.

[ambyr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the Starros family story engaging, but the comic as a whole felt overstuffed. I still don't understand the point of the "let's go kidnap a rancor!" plotline, and by the time Hondo Onaka showed up out of nowhere to do . . . nothing much, I was rolling my eyes. Yes, Sana is a spin-off of a spin-off, but have faith in her to carry her own story or don't write her at all.

Also, while I'm intrigued by the fact that the timeline more or less puts Sana's twin Phel as a classmate of Zare's sister Dhara at the Lothal Academy, I am baffled about why anyone not already living on Lothal would end up enrolled at the Lothal Academy, which is depicted elsewhere as quite the backwater. It felt like an excuse to drop a familiar name without really thinking things through.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sana gets her own series and its bland and generic. Author Justina Ireland brings some of her real world life experience to Sana's world and it doesn't really hit. The family drama seems forced and cliched. There wasn't anything that stood out here as new or interesting. It wasn't necessarily bad but it wasn't good either. Perez's art was very good though. Overall, another Star Wars book probably wasn't needed if there was no story to tell.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a 2.5 stars

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Wars: Sana Starros - Family Matters collects issues 1-5 of the Marvel Comics series written by Justina Ireland with art by Pere Pérez.

Set after the events of Hidden Empire and Doctor Aphra’s possession by the Spark Eternal, Sana Starros needs to reflect on her life and her past relationships. She returns to her grandmother’s ancestral home to reconnect with family. Once there, she finds her cousin is pregnant with twins and the father is an Imperial commander, all of which is part of a plan for her family to infiltrate Imperial forces and steal back a family heirloom.

I really enjoyed Sana having a tale outside of the Skywalker storyline and her extended family makes for interesting side characters. The problem here is the author tries cramming way too much into this series. Outside of the primary storyline, we also get a side adventure of Sana stealing a Rancor, Hondo Ohnaka randomly appearing to strip and steal TIE Interceptors, random bounty hunter encounters, and a whole storyline of Sana’s estranged brother who is now an Imperial officer. There is the potential for the Starros family to tell interesting heist adventures throughout the galaxy, and hopefully we can get some tighter stories in the future.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Following smuggler Sana Starros' upsetting break-up with Chelli Aphra (in 'Doctor Aphra: Ascendant' by Alyssa Wong) she seeks solace with her dysfunctional family. Sana then has to help rescue her cousin, who has married, fallen pregnant to and been kidnapped by a vicious Imperial officer.

When Marvel introduced Sana into the Disney canon they did so by having a cliffhanger in which she declared herself to be Han Solo's ex-wife (it turned out not to really be true) and I pretty much hated her from that moment. She was so cynically introduced to create online buzz and to try to add some unnecessary, never-before-seen, backstory to Han that I just couldn't engage with the character. She became a bit more interesting through her involvement with the Doctor Aphra series, but certainly not enough to make me think the character could ever warrant her own miniseries.
And yet here we are.

The actual story on offer here is, frankly, pretty bland for the most part and where it's not so bland, it is derivative instead.
The Starros women are so obviously meant to be archetypal capable badass women that they actually come across as a bit silly. The fact that every single one of them is a great fighter/great pilot/tech genius/deeply wise woman robs this book of any sense of them being realistic or engaging characters. It makes Sana seem more interesting by comparison because she at least isn't 100% certain of herself all the time.

I can't honestly say I hated this book (for example, I'd rather re-read it than sit and watch 'The Last Jedi' ever again) but I sincerely hope to God that Marvel don't decide to turn this miniseries into an ongoing series (although the ending suggests that's exactly what they've got planned).

* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. I admit I bought this book more out of curiosity, as I had heard Sana Starros' name mentioned as part of the Rebellion as support character in heists and as Doctor Aphra's ex-girlfriend The story is a fast-paced action action/heist movie style. The artwork fits the story.

If anyone thought their family was different, meet the Starros. When Sana thinks she is coming home for a bit of family comfort, she is thrust into a family feud with the Empire. Sana has survived in the Rebellion, Doctor Aphra, but can she survive her family?

It is a very enjoyable book. Now that I know more about Sana and her family, I want to see a lot more of the. I think they and their connections are a great edition to the Star Wars universe. Check for a throwback to a Star Wars Rebels episode as well. The book finishes with a varient covers gallery.

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cursory glance turned up a lot of people whose imaginations at best were really struggling with some of the black and queer aspects of this volume, and at worst were exhibiting some straight up casual bigotry. And I don’t really get most of it — scifi and contemporary Star Wars have shifted to look like the worlds people are capable and of imagining but none of this has been sudden. It’s also definitely not waving around an agenda (and I actually for a second thought it might!). This is a pretty typical heist narrative with the wrinkle being that the pregnant cousin is actually the insider with information to facilitate the heist. There’s parts that get unnecessarily confusing during flashbacks and with the eventual reveal of the datacube MacGuffin (pretty lost on me). But overall I liked the characters and felt their interplay to be sufficiently engaging. Again, anyone claiming “well the antagonist is just a white imperial man” must have missed all the elements around betrayal within the Starros clan involving Phel, but like…also it requires reading past the first issue so 🤷‍♂️.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I actually did. I've enjoyed Sana as a character in the other titles, so something focused entirely on her seemed to have potential. And a lot of the story is very good - the extended family is interesting, and there's a lot of action and intrigue. Maybe too much - there were lots of characters and competing plots and intrigues, and I had trouble keeping the various factions, fallback plans, and focuses straight, which led to a lack of investment in some characters. I think I was too far away from reading some of the previous adventures to remember the stories behind some of the characters, and the book on its own didn't do enough to impress their importance on me.
That being said, it has beautiful art and some thrilling moments, and all the pieces on their own are definitely enjoyable. It didn't quite come together as well as I would have hoped, but it's still worth the read, especially for people who are closer to Sana's previous adventures.

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even when she’s away from Han, Leia, and Dr. Aphra; Sana Starros can find plenty of trouble to get into. Especially when her family is involved. Sana finds herself hip deep in family matters which involve a bust, a bounty hunters, Imperial entanglements (and not just the ones most of the galaxy has to deal with), a birth, and plenty of action as one expects in a Star Wars story.

Sana is a delightful addition to Star Wars’s openly LGBTQIA+ characters and it’s great to see her get the spotlight. Her family is a lot of fun, showing another side of Sana herself. Not that the family friends weren’t quite interesting. Sana ended up spending a lot of time with Deva, fighting at her side and caught up in her schemes; involving a lot of action, intrigue, and banter which made me chortle.

All in all, this was a fun read. I’d definitely recommend picking it up.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll concede that Sana Starros is one of the more interesting to come out of the current run of Marvel Star Wars comics and I suppose a standalone mini-series like this was inevitable. This is an entirely independent story that doesn't tie directly to any of the ongoing plots in other books that have featured Sana (around this time, that's main Doctor Aphra).

It's an interesting little adventure centered around the Starros family. It's a clan that includes members working for the Empire and of course more independent operators like Sana. I appreciate that it's not like they're a family that is super awesome at everything and there are great story beats in this arc that keep things interesting from issue to issue.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed from the library, I've liked Sana from the main Star Wars run from ANH to ESB and her appearances in Doctor Aphra so I was hoping to enjoy it and it did a lot.

I liked Perez's work on Karla Pacheco's run on Spider-Woman and his work here is great too. I think I liked Ramos's colours on issue #1 more than in the remaining issues but they were still good.

I've only read the ASM BloodHunt mini series from Ireland that was fine so I didn't expect too much here but it was a a fun SW story. I'm definitely interested in reading more about the Starros family.

IIRC I think they turn up in the High Republic and as she's been a regular writer for that era it makes sense to have that link back. There's also a fun cameo by Hondo for this Clone Wars and Rebels fans.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfectly adequate Star Wars adventure starring Sana Starros and her family full of thieves. The story kicks off with Starros returning home after a bad breakup with Doctor Aphra. Required tie-in moment complete, Family Matters veers elsewhere from there: Starros's sister is pregnant and the husband is a jerk Imperial officer who has kidnapped the sister to make sure he gets the baby. Dark!

Somehow, though, Family Matters plays out this scenario in lighthearted adventure mode. Even when Starros's mean Imperial twin brother shows up on the scene, there's very little thinking/talking and a whole lot of quipping/punching. What's on the page looks good and is mostly fun, but if you were hoping for any sort of depth or world-building for Sana Starros, look elsewhere.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. I really liked this. Sana and her family are badass as hell and I loved them so much. Just a group of smart, and strong women kicking ass. Love it. The artwork was great and I loved that Sana resembled a young Lauryn Hill. I know that wasn't intentional but it was still cool. The plot is action packed and entertaining though I will say that my only complaint is that this comic just drops you into the action. It took a while for it to find its footing but it got better as it went on. I liked the way this ended and I can't wait for more.

[Noah Vance · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t do much for me tbh. The main line of comics introduced Sana as Han’s “ex-wife,” which was fun enough, but then she’d dip in and out. Then eventually she became the sidekick in Doctor Aphra’s second post-Empire run, where I think she was strongest as a curmudgeonly foil to Aphra’s nonsense.

I just don’t feel like there’s a lot here. Lots of High Republic references, and I enjoyed finally getting some Deva Lompop exploration. But yeah—this was a fizzle for me.

[Mayumi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma boa história com Sana Starros e sua família. Devo ter perdido alguma coisa no caminho, já que tem alguns personagens mencionados que eu não sabia que tiveram envolvimento com a Sana, mas nada que impedisse o entendimento da história. Uma história de ação, com muitas viagens entre planetas e planos levemente mirabolantes para terminar o trabalho. Não acho que teve grandes consequências, mas foi um bom divertimento.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Wars: Sana Starros - Family Matters.
Fun new character story arc.
#1 - Back to Basics - "Well, looks like we're doing this the hard way."
#2 - All in the Family - "Wait, we have an ION CANNON?!"
#3 - Good Times - "You Starroses sure have a knack for getting kidnapped."
#4 - Perfect Strangers - "I prefer to work SMARTER, not HARDER."
#5 - Facts of Life - "I knew this was going too well."

[Stephen Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing too exciting. The Starros clan are a hot mess. Too disorganised to be as efficient as they purport to be. The story is forgettable. A couple of the supporting characters (Deva and Lanitra) are fun and I’d like to see more of them. The cameo by a certain pirate at the end is bizarre and unnecessary.

[Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent comic mini-series about a popular comic side-character. The Starros family is really interesting, especially with their history being fleshed out in the High Republic. The dynamic between the imperial in the family was cool. Overall a fine series, but only one I would recommend to people who already like the character.

[Luana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Low stakes family adventure the type of which Star Wars should be putting out a lot more of, rather than their usual desperate "connect every bit of narrative tissue between movies" ploys. Sana is a cool lead, and her relatives are well-drawn in broad strokes.

Hope we get to see Deva eat someone on-page at some point!

[Iván Pedro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Empezó bien pero acabé decepcionado pues esperaba más de lo que estaba por venir. Toda la parte de la misión con el rancor me sobra por lo que el resto, con esa extensión extra hubiera estado mejor, sin duda. El dibujo está bastante bien, siempre hay alguna viñeta puntual, en especial las de página completa, que son sobresalientes.

[Andrew Kline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am wanting to do a re-read of some of the Marvel Star Wars comics soon. I am familiar with Sana, but I only remember bits and pieces of her character, but this is a solid comic even without any history. A dysfunctional family heist/rescue mission with lots of twists and improvisation. Good art and entertaining characters.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolute garbage. The entire volume is sexual propaganda for deviant and aberrant practices, and it's racist and sexist to boot - the only straight white male in the entire book is the cartoonish villain.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read each issue as it came out and realized I never reviewed the series. I really liked this! It was a fun little miniseries, and I enjoyed getting to know Sana's family. Surprised it didn't get more attention.

[Martijn Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected nothing going in to this and it turned out to be a fun stand alone family adventure. Would love to see more of Phel Starros past. The rest of the family will probably pop up again in an Aphra run.

[Spot · Rating 4 out of 5]

not perfect, but i enjoyed it. almost want to give it 5 stars just for how mad its making *some* people.....star wars is *political*, star wars is about *accepting all people*, and how, sometimes, yes, whites dudes are the villians. shock and horror...lol

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting choice for a spin off miniseries. It's a totally fine self-contained story that feels like it could have been been given more room to explore some of its underdeveloped aspects. Even a 6th issue would have been helpful and not at all unusual for a miniseries.