Star Wars: Crimson Empire III: Empire Lost

Star Wars: Crimson Empire #3

by Mike Richardson, Randy Stradley (Editor), Paul Gulacy (Illustrator)

Kir Kanos, the last surviving member of Emperor Palpatine’s Royal Guard, is ready to settle a score with Luke Skywalker and those others whom he blames for the death of his Emperor. But standing in Kanos’s path is his former adversary and almost love interest Mirith Sinn. And both of them have become pawns in a secret plot by an Imperial cabal!

*The final chapter in the Crimson Empire saga!

Genres: Star Wars, Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fiction, Comic Book, Fantasy

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

Mike Richardson is an American publisher, writer, and Emmy-winning producer. In 1986, he founded Dark Horse Comics, an award-winning international publishing house located in Milwaukie, Oregon. Richardson is also the founder and President of the Things From Another World retail chain and president of Dark Horse Entertainment, which has developed and produced numerous projects for film and television based on Dark Horse properties or licensed properties.
In addition, he has written numerous graphic novels and comics series, including The Secret, Living with the Dead, and Cut as well as co-authoring two non-fiction books: Comics Between the Panels and Blast Off!.

Reviews

[Maria Dimitrova · Rating 5 out of 5]

And here's the end of Crimson Empire. I really enjoyed these stories.

I liked CE III a lot more than the previous ones especially the art. The third instalment was publish more than ten years after previous part and you can see how much the quality as gone up. Partially it's the change of style and partially the fact that it has more ties with the rest of the stories in the Legends timeline.

WARRNING: UNTAGGED SPOILERS


In this instalment we see the end of Kir Kanos as we know him. Unfortunately because of the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm we'll never see more of him. The story takes place a few years after the events of CE II and we can see how much Kanos has grown. He has finally opened his eyes and no longer searches blind vengeance for a man that never cared for anyone but himself. But that doesn't mean that there aren't people that want to use him as a symbol - after all everyone knows that he is the last Royal Guard and his oath to destroy those responsible for Palpatine's death. And while these people pretend that they want to restore the old Empire because of their loyalty to Palpatine, Kanos sees through the rhetoric to the true reason - greed and hunger for power. It's showing that he doesn't accept to work for Devian as a means to end Skywalker. In fact he even tries to warn the New Republic - it's a big change from the man that left at the end of CE II.

At the same time Mirith Sinn works as chief of security at the Royal Palace on Coruscant. Her connection with Kanos as well as her conflict regarding guarding the daughter of the man who murdered her husband make her seem suspicions in Skywalker's eyes. To Leia's credit she doesn't doubt Sinn. Sinn shows that her inner conflict doesn't prevent her from doing her job during an attempt on the Solo family. However a message from an old friend and known Imperial supporter addressed to Sinn combined with Kanos arrival on Coruscant make Luke even ore reluctant to trust her. The message is the first seed of the peace treaty between the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic that will take place in 5 years in-universe time. I always like to see these ties between the novels and comics cause they sometimes seem as if they're from different universes. Another such tie was Nom Anor's appearance and his work on Adumar.

Sinn and Kanos are sent to meet with the Empire's representative only to walk into an ambush by Devian's forces. Thanks to them Devians attempt to spark the hostilities between the New Republic and the Remnant while he wipes the Remnants forces fail. The final showdown between Devian and Kanos shows that the Guards had that reputation for a reason. I have to admit that I was a bit annoyed at Devian during that fight - he talked too much for someone trained by Vader. Arrogance was his undoing more that lack of skills.

In this volume we got to see a lot of our beloved characters including the Big Three (and not just for a panel or two) which is always a bonus for me. Also I got to enjoy the presence of the Solo children and the fact that they were behaving like children. Those who have read the Young Jedi Knights and the Junior Jedi Knight series know that they are often portrayed in a way that makes them seem older than their age.

In the end it was a good place to stop with the series with all (almost) loose ends tied neatly. I'm disappointed that Sinn and Kanos didn't end together but I can live with that.

[Callum Shephard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nine times out of ten, the last work in a trilogy is typically going to be the weakest one. There are exceptions, of course, in some planned works or multi-arc series which were designed to span several productions from the get-go. However, when it deals with stories in an episodic basis, the finale tends to be the one left with the most baggage. Creators by the end can feel burned out, the crew behind them lacks the spark of the first parts, and it needs to stand on its own while also neatly finishing up all that came before it. Sometimes a break, or even a delay, can help offset this, but in the case of Crimson Empire, it seemed to seriously hurt the work. While the first issue of this saga was released in 1998, Empire Lost hit shelves in 2011, long after it was thought that the comic would serve as a simple duology. More than a few fans were elated at this news, until it had become clear something had gone a bit wrong with the series.

As not to mince words here, this one is bad. Even separating it from the successes of the first two volumes, the third story is a complete mess of poor narrative choices, abrupt changes and poor art. While you can see some of the stylistic touches of the creative team at work, the many strengths of past books have faded and a multitude of new problems have arisen in their place. As such, it means this tale ends on a down note, and without the engaging ideas and strong characterisation that made it so great a story in the first place.

Yes, this might be giving the game away at the start, but this really is a bad story.

Synopsis

The year is 14 ABY, and the long war between the New Republic and remaining Imperial leaders has slowly swung in the favour of the new power. Despite reinforcements, new weapons and even the benefit of their greatest minds in new wars, the Empire has ultimately lost the conflict. This is what Gilad Pellaeon tells the Imperial Council. As the former right hand of Grand Admiral Thrawn and one of their most decorated veterans, his voice carries great weight within the few systems they still hold under their control. A few are starting to acknowledge this grim reality, but not all.

Still acting under the guise of a bounty hunter, Kir Kanos makes his living collecting the heads of the galaxy's scum. Despite being the last living member of the Emperor's Guard, he shows little interest in the fate of the Empire, or the events playing out as they sue for peace. Yet, others do, and he is soon brought before them. A fanatical group seeking to restore the Empire that Palpatine founded is ready to act, and offers him a position of power among them in return for his support.

The Good

Now, despite that opening, there are a number of good points present in the story. Some are major and minor, but they serve as solid points to where you could see how this could have been a much more effective tale. The first among them is the very setting itself. Kanos' story began with Palpatine's final death, and his rampage against those who betrayed them. This truly was the beginning of the end for the Galactic Empire, and for him to play a role in relation to the Pellaeon–Gavrisom Treaty makes sense. While he would obviously be in the background as always, it makes for a natural end to his story and would allow him the chance to have a hand in a major event before departing for good.



Equally, having Kanos in a dispassionate position was a natural progression for his character. Despite the comments against it in Council of Blood, Kanos' desire to continue had been waning for some time. His major foe was dead, a multitude of those who had betrayed and turned against Palpatine were gone, and the Empire he served was gone. It might not even have fully existed. So, to have him semi-directionless only to be offered a final chance to restore Palpatine's Empire served as a good idea for a narrative drive. After all, Kanos has continually worked alone or with allies of convenience, never with others who openly shared his goal. It was an interesting premise to be sure, and it served as a good basis for character moments.

What's more, the actual group opposing the current regime was a resistance. They were working with outdated Clone Wars era ships, operating from the shadows and making use of whatever they had on hand. Many of these were those who had operated from the shadows under Palpatine or had been skilled enough in espionage to initiate this operation without being observed. As such, it twisted the typical dynamic by making the Imperials effectively the Rebellion, and requiring them to enact many of the same tactics as before. It's hardly a 1-to-1 comparison, of course, as the Imperials prove to be infinitely more ruthless and hierarchical in their actions, but they nevertheless are operating from a position of lesser strength.

The comic also tries to capitalize on the direction Council of Blood took by featuring more politics in places. This is most obvious given the subject matter, but we see far more of both sides than would normally be permitted. This certainly benefits the Empire, as the moments where they are finally coming to terms with their loss are some of the best in the story. This means that the weight behind these actions is much more evident than it would be otherwise. It's not quite the politics and power plays as before, but by showing a B-lister like Pellaeon among them helps to bring home the immensity of the actions at work here. Plus, this isn't the only case where this happens. We also see the final appearance of Vima-Da-Boda in the story with the Jedi Academy. It's a brief moment, but it's enough to show her speaking normally and suggesting her mind had healed. It's enough to give her something of a happy ending after so many decades of trauma.

So, what went wrong?

The Bad

Let's go with the big one first: Crimson Empire was its own entity right from the start. While it wasn't averse to using other characters, these tended to be B-listers or figures who had yet to become wholly prominent within the setting. Suddenly that's dropped here, as we have Luke, Leia and Han playing parts within the story at each turn. While Leia would make some sense given her position within the New Republic, the other two choices are incredibly superfluous, and seem to have been added purely for the sake of adding them. Han barely appears at all and does nothing of note, while Luke's presence here is somewhat justifiable due to his skills, it's still a hell of a stretch. For one thing, it's a role most Jedi could have carried out without too much trouble, and atop of this then you also have the fact that it abruptly closes out one story element. Really, he does that, and then departs from the tale entirely.



The problem of people showing up and then departing again is a major issue within the story, as it keeps happening. Believe it or not, but Boba Fett shows up for all of three pages, and then disappears from the story. Nom Anor suffers from the exact same problem, as despite a quite engaging minor role in the past volume, he shows up in this one, rages at a subordinate, and then buggers off. Really, that's it, the best character of the Yuuzhan Vong and he acts like Skeletor before disappearing for good. This could go on for the entire review given how many characters show up and disappear, but the point is that the narrative is bloated and unwieldy.

More frustratingly still, in order to add in so many new major figures, the comic has lost focus here. Kanos and Mirith Sinn seem like side characters within their own story, and despite the fact they play a major part in the finale, the efforts to flesh them out are horribly rushed. This is most evident when it comes to how Sinn is suddenly serving as a bodyguard to the Solo family (quite the downgrade from her previous role as a ranking commander), and doesn't get involved properly until halfway through the story. Kanos suddenly goes through a massive mood swing himself, and has a monologue where he opposes his entire standing up to this point. It's such a massive turn that, even giving it the benefit of the doubt and accounting for the years which have passed, it just rings hollow. Worse still though, Tav Kennede is a complete no-show while the D'Astas are simply treated as a means to an end.

Yet, what is truly aggravating are the villains here. As with the past installment of this tale, no one present even begins to live up to Carnor Jax's villainy, and each is easily forgettable. The problem is that, rather than going in an entirely new direction, the writers are clearly trying to create parallels between them via the new main figure, Ennix Devian. This is a poor man's Jax if ever there was one, from the scarred features to his actions. While Jax was a gloriously traditional villain who still had some smarts, Devian is someone who treats Peter Anspach's Evil Orderlord List as if they were rules to live by. This is cemented when he ends up killing one of his own men for the pettiest of reasons, and the story tries to build him up by claiming Vader personally trained him as an assassin.



The actual plan upheld by Devian's faction manages to be both needlessly elaborate while also childishly simplistic at once. A major element within this is the simple requirement for things to continually fall into place, as it needs his troops to continually risk being found out while raiding enemy installations. Then, at the end, much of it requires both governments to fall for a massive decoy effort, ignore a huge fleet bombing an Imperial world, and to openly ignore several destroyed ships. There are dumb evil plans, and then there are these guys.

So, finally, we have the art. A major point of praise throughout the past two books was the artwork, which remains a fine example of the time even today. It's atmospheric, detailed and worked well in both scenes of action and drama. In this case though, someone seriously dropped the ball. Everything has taken on an oddly oily appearance, and details seem to be bizarrely exaggerated. It's that quality of being too human, where they push into uncanny valley territory, and they end up looking like a surrealist creation rather than a person. Even without this though, panels suffer from disjointed fight sequences and sudden actions which are difficult to follow, along with some truly poor foreshortening on many individuals. Given Paul Gulacy's work both prior to and following this, it's difficult to pin down just how in the hell things went so wrong.

The Verdict

What else can I say here? There's really little to nothing of value in this one. There's no way to avoid this fact in any way, and it's a damning end to what was otherwise a brilliant series. Unless you're a devoted completionist, I'd recommend picking up trade paperbacks of only the first two volumes and then leaving it there. The story is honestly stronger with this segment left out, as Kanos' eventual fate is still left in question even with this portion intended to wrap things up. It's usually cheaper these days, as well.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect ending to the series. Great book. I like that they worked in heroes from the original trilogy into the story as well. All the mysterious figures were revealed.

[Tibbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the seventh comic series on my read-through of all the Star Wars legends books and comics.

I suppose this one is technically better written than Crimson Empire II, and I appreciated that it tied in with the wider New Republic, including Luke, Han, Leia, and Pellaeon, but this has neither the pure testosterone of the first Crimson Empire or the interesting (if poorly implemented) ideas of Crimson Empire II. As with the last entry, I just finished reading it and I can barely remember anything about it.

The art has taken a downgrade. The artist, even over a decade later, STILL struggles with faces and perspective. The colors look washed out with none of the vibrancy of Crimson Empire II, and the lines are overly thin, to the point that they look jarring. A lot of the action poses look good, but every other aspect looks quite poor.

The plot is technically better written than Crimson Empire II, but there's little energy or creativity to it. Oh gee, another wannabe dictator wants to take control the empire and he's using a never-been-seen weapon. He likes murdering people for fun. And he's got an eyepatch, because of course he does. Mirith Sinn looks ridiculous and out-of-place as the head of Leia's security, wearing a skintight latex bodysuit. I'm shocked Luke didn't comment on how she's a carbon copy of Mara Jade.

There's the beginning of an interesting idea, with Kir Kanos questioning the foundations of his beliefs and his dedication to the empire, but, in the end, the plot still revolves around him fighting and killing a guy who wronged him. And they don't even explore his relationship with Mirith Sinn beyond a very cursory level.

This is not unreadable, but I just don't care anymore. What a waste. 4.5/10.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent enough comic overall, especially how it portrays the different factions that remain of the Empire turning on each other. However, it has a bade case of oversexualing some of it's female characters - especially when it happens to a literally dead woman.

[Maegen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this comic series overall. The action was exctiting, I liked the plots, NOM ANOR, the hints of romance, and the connections to other Legends stuff was fun. The women were drawn a bit weird at times, but that is really my only complaint.

[Christopher Lutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best one of the three

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent conclusion to the crimson empire trilogy. This is an excellent comic to tie together the post endor EU, the essential guide to warfare and the prequels. Love it

[Jamieson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crimson Empire III has a bit a rocky history. Originally planned for a 2000 release (and mentioned in the author bios at the end of Crimson Empire II), it ended up cancelled before being revived and published in 2011. The story revolves around an imperial warlord attempting to revive the Empire. However, the enemy in question is amoral, bloodthirsty, and quite possibly a bit insane. Into this are thrown Kir Kanos, Mirith Sinn as well as are favorite Star Wars heroes. It's a decent story and wraps up the arcs for the Crimson Empire leads. While the story is decent, the art isn't nearly as good as the previous two, with at least one panel featuring the Solo children feeling a bit cartoonish. That said, the art isn't bad (save for a few panels), just I liked the art in the previous two stories better. A nice wrap-up to the Crimson Empire Saga and a nice Star Wars story too.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

Star Wars Crimson Empire III - Empire Lost is the final volume in this series. Each of the volumes gives a lot for the money - intricately drawn scenes, beautiful full color, and a mature plot featuring the Star Wars universe. The idea to use Palpatine's last guard as a main character was an intriguing one and the author/artist did create an interesting story with a solid ending.

This volume features quite a bit of Leia, Luke, and Han (as well as the Solo children). But the heart of the story (and story arc) is not so subtly outlined in the title of volume III - it's about Kir Kanos recognizing that the Empire he knew is truly gone and just a shadow of itself - an empire lost.

My overall thought is that the empire lackeys/goons were just a bit too over the top in their mustachio twirling evilness. I think it is at the point that one of the empire heads kills one of his subordinates to prove that he's evil that I had to roll my eyes at the cliche. There's evil - and then there's "cut off my foot and cripple myself to prove I'm evil."

The art was solid though a bit blocky and square. Normally that wouldn't be distracting but when dealing with recognizable real-life characters, it was a bit problematic. Side characters lost the distinctive elaborate and unique costume design of the Star Wars world - one especially looking more like a 1940s screen siren.

So in all, solid as are all Star Wars spin off graphic novels but not quite the satisfying read I would have hoped. All the same, I have no problem recommending it to Star Wars fans, either.

[Jaime K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is just barely 3 stars. 2.5 definitely. Maybe 2. I'm giving it a 3 for pity's sake.

The art in this is fairly awful. The people are drawn all sorts of odd and very angular. The Solo children look like something from a MAD magazine.

The script is mediocre. The worst part about it is how out of character people are. Luke gets all uppity about Mirith and calls her out for near-treason before he even senses her. Ackbar calls someone a young guppy for being enthusiastic--and Han echoes the sentiment. Leia cries over Luke's death but she didn't feel him die and even she must know she'd feel that.

Nom Anor is mentioned and makes an appearance but for no real reason I can see. His role made much more sense in the first Crimson Empire book.
At least two characters call Leia "ma'am," which is odd for me.

Mirith seeks out Kir Kanos. Kanos retracts on his earlier statement about going after the Skywalkers.
Boba Fett brings Kanos to Pellaeon who wants a truce with the New Republic, but maybe not.
Luke is visited by Vima-da-Boda which is interesting but also absolutely random. She warns them about a man named Devian, who is double-crossing both the Empire and the NR.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be upfront about it. Kir Kanos and Mirith Sinn are not the most complex characters you'll meet in space opera. Truth to be told there is something that I liked, and still like, about Kanos over the course of three TPBs.

He is a honest and honorable man. By the time we reach the halfway point (or so) of this installment Kanos' goals have changed. Hell, he may not even know what he wants for an end game. He just has finally realized that the Empire he served is truly gone, and cannot be restored. And, that those who seek to restore it do not meet his standards for who should run an Empire.

Overall this series (I am pretty certain this will be the last installment) has given readers a glimpse into what makes up a member of the Crimson Guard (because we never saw them do anything in the movies). Paul Gulacy's art remains solid, and his action choreography is fine after three decades in the business (give or take a decade or two).

[Christopher Tang · Rating 2 out of 5]

A review with spoilers and no synopsis:

I enjoyed the first Crimson Empire and missed the second. Then I saw this in the library. While it is a good story overall, I felt that the driving passion of revenge felt much weaker in this volume and less personal. Perhaps because I missed volume II I did not really buy into the relationship between Kir Kanos and Mirith Sinn. Overall, I'm happy to stick with the first volume that I own and return this to the library.

[Andrew Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A satisfying conclusion

The third chapter of this series leads Kir to question his previous loyalties and help those who killed his Emperor.

[Eulercauchy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad, bad, bad. Story was bad, art was awful. I've never seen a comic with so many wall eyed characters.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story's nearly as fun as the first, if a little rushed. You'll have to overlook some erratic art.

[Cristhian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mi parecer, la mejor de las 3 partes que integran la trilogía de Kanos, le da un farewell adecuado al personaje que era leal al imperio de Palpatine sin dejar de ser "bueno".

[Ariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

this volume was better than the others but I didn't loved it. It was just ok.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved that inclusion of Luke, Leia and Han into this storyline.