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Star Wars: Dark Empire #1
Star Wars: Dark Empire I
The epic-length story that re-energized the Star Wars franchise is now available in a new edition, with a new cover by Magic the Gathering artist Mark Zug!
Join Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie as they battle the Empire's latest the gigantic, planet-destroying World Devastators! Six years after the Battle of Endor, the Empire has been reborn, guided by a mysterious new leader. With a price on their heads, our heroes are on the run. Han and Leia struggle to protect their unborn child from the bounty hunters and Imperial troops that dog their steps. But their greatest danger may lie in the troubled heart of a hero—as Luke succumbs to the lure of the dark side!
Join Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie as they battle the Empire's latest the gigantic, planet-destroying World Devastators! Six years after the Battle of Endor, the Empire has been reborn, guided by a mysterious new leader. With a price on their heads, our heroes are on the run. Han and Leia struggle to protect their unborn child from the bounty hunters and Imperial troops that dog their steps. But their greatest danger may lie in the troubled heart of a hero—as Luke succumbs to the lure of the dark side!
152 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1993
19 people are currently reading
1314 people want to read
About the author
Roy Thomas
4,479 books270 followersRoy Thomas was the FIRST Editor-in-Chief at Marvel--After Stan Lee stepped down from the position. Roy is a longtime comic book writer and editor. Thomas has written comics for Archie, Charlton, DC, Heroic Publishing, Marvel, and Topps over the years. Thomas currently edits the fanzine Alter Ego for Twomorrow's Publishing. He was Editor for Marvel comics from 1972-1974. He wrote for several titles at Marvel, such as Avengers, Thor, Invaders, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and notably Conan the Barbarian. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes — particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America — and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.
Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.
Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
January 14, 2019
1st question: George Lucas gave this his approval?
2nd question: *coming from the opening commentary in the trade paperback* Ok Kevin J. Anderson, how much money did they give you to praise this mess?
3rd question: Can somebody thank Disney for purging this bogus piece of crap of a story from the Star Wars Timeline?
As you can tell, I think this is a bad comic. But before we move on, let me give you some background.
If you read my review of Timothy Zahn's classic Star Wars Novel Heir to the Empire, I talked about how I didn't get much into the original Star Wars expanded Universe.
It was only after I read a couple of the newer novels and comics from the canon that I got interested in the older stories that are now considered "legends". I started with the stuff that related to the Old Republic Era because that's the part of the EU that I love the most to this day, with Drew Karpyshyn's Revan being my first experience with a legends novel (my first Star Wars novel I read that was not a novelization was James Luceno's Tarkin). Later on I got interested in checking out the Darth Bane Trilogy due to its setting and popularity, and Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy because of its importance to the franchise.
My interest in this comic was similar to my initial interest in the Thrawn Trilogy: I consider myself a passionate and hardcore Star Wars Fan so I saw the need to read this comic because of how influential it was to the franchise. I thought about waiting until I finished the Thrawn books but it probably would be fine because this comic started before the Zahn finished his trilogy anyway. While Heir to the Empire absolutely gets the distinction of truly starting the Star Wars Expanded Universe, some people forget how important this was too to the 90s revival of the Star Wars franchise. Much like Heir, Dark Empire was highly praised upon its release and ended up being a massive hit, paving the way for other well received comic series like John Ostrander's Legacy and John Jackson Miller's Knights of the Old Republic.
This comic shows how low our standards seemed to have been for Star Wars stories in the 90s. It's understandable due to the circumstances back then, but that doesn't mean they all hold up. While Heir to the Empire proves to still be a great book today, this one is more dated than the CGI from The Phantom Menace.
THE STORY: Heir to the Empire revived the Star Wars franchise in 1991 in the same way that The Force Awakens has done today. Seeing how successful the imperial remnant was in recapturing the attention of Star Wars fans everywhere, author Tom Veitch had another mind-blowing idea: how cool would it be if Luke Skywalker went to the Dark Side and the Emperor was reborn? Sure enough, the story got published in the form of this comic book series, and people were blown away by it.
Grand Admiral Thrawn has been defeated (spoiler from The Last Command, so thanks for giving away the ending before the Thrawn books were even done, Veitch). The imperial remnant is in retreat, and another victory for the New Republic is approaching as Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian lead an army against the imperial remnant in a stolen Star Destroyer.
But all the problems begin when Luke is sucked away by a force storm and transported to a dark and foreboding planet. Simultaneously, the New Republic is attacked by an Imperial army with malicious machine ship things, coming from the galactic core (turns out it will be a planet called Byss). The Republic is in danger, but things are not looking good for our heroes as Luke Skywalker himself succumbs to the dark influence of an old enemy.
THE BAD: Nearly everything that Timothy Zahn did right in Heir to the Empire, Tom Veitch does wrong with Dark Empire. This comic is a contrived mess.
The first thing that doesn't work is the art. First off, what is with this color palette??? It looks terrible! Everything is a collected splat of monochromatic greens, purples, yellows, and reds. I couldn't tell if artist Cam Kennedy wanted to go for some edgy noir art style or he was just high off his rear whenever he was working on this, but it doesn't look right. These panels do not look like Star Wars at all- it's more like what the galaxy would look like if I was tripping on acid.
Not only that, the character design is bad too, and most of the time the familiar cast does not even look close to their film counterparts. The backgrounds have too little detail to tell what you are looking at most of the time, and the action is underwhelming. Overall, it feels like the art is lazy and they tried to cover it up with a strange and out there color scheme. Maybe I would enjoy this if I was a star wars junkie in the 90s smoking some really strong pot, but because I'm a 21 year old man in the 2010s who doesn't drink or smoke, the visuals in this series just looks bad.
The writing the other big reason why this comic fails really hard. First, the narration. Just... no. Narration as a whole in comic books really bothers me. I thought it was annoying in the Kanan series, but this just takes the "show don't tell" concept to a whole new level. To me, comic books are a visual medium where the story should be able to be told through the pictures, with dialogue to support them. Through comics like this I am finding more and more truth to the overused phrase "A picture is worth 1000 words". Tom Veitch misses multiple opportunities for dramatic or even potentially hilarious moments by using narration to just TELL me what happened, instead of SHOW it. . Most importantly, narration is just distracting. When I'm reading a comic book, I want to look at the pictures and read the character dialogue. When there is a narration box it obscures the panel, and breaks the flow because the narration is constantly in my face.
The dialogue is also not very good. Most of the characters' lines are bland and forgettable, but sometimes it ends up being put together in very choppy conversations that result in some rather bad scene transition.
The characterization, especially coming off Timothy Zahn's novels, is atrocious. Most of the characters we know from the original trilogy are bland or botched. Lando has none of the charm and swagger he has in Empire Strikes Back or the energy he has in Return of the Jedi, and Chewie, R2D2, and C3PO are shadows of their adorable and charming movie counterparts. Palpatine went from a diabolical, creepy villain in Return off the Jedi to a campy and over the top parody of himself. I'm not against the idea of force storms in Star Wars but it doesn't work on a character like Palpatine. Maybe it's a more fitting power for another bad buy like Vitiate from SWTOR, but here it leaves you with the question of why Palpatine didn't just obliterate the rebel fleet in the movies with this power. And I thought Starkiller was overpowered...
It's sad to think that after all that supposed growth Luke Skywalker goes through in the Thrawn Trilogy, this is where he ends up. Luke is insultingly out of character in this comic, falling to the Dark Side for pretty weak reasons for a Jedi Master.
Now let's get to the rancor in the room and address the worst aspect of this comic by far: the plot. It is honestly one of the worst in the Star Wars universe that I have come across, right up there with The Force Unleashed Storyline. For me, the story is so bad because it is a slap in the face to the characters in the original trilogy and even the Thrawn books. Not only that, it is a incredibly blatant and poorly executed attempt to create a darker and edgier version of Return of the Jedi with less ewoks. Bringing back the emperor the way he did, Veitch totally put up a middle finger to the emotional and epic character arc of Darth Vader, making his sacrifice completely pointless.
The handling of Luke's dark side arc was laughably atrocious. Because of the lazy narration used to tell the scene, it felt horribly rushed and out of left field. Anakin's turn to the Dark Side in Revenge of the Sith feels DRAGGED OUT compared to this!! His reasons are pretty flimsy too, and go against the ideas of the dark side established in the films. But even then, the whole Luke being an apprentice to FREAKING PALPATINE is underplayed. Seriously, once it happens, Veitch hardly explores it. There's too few scenes that show the consequences of Luke being evil and being a danger to our heroes. Oh wait, there is, but through glossed over expository dialogue through Han and Leia. C'mon, Veitch, you have narration for telling us things that you should actually be showing! Also, it feels way to easy for Leia to bring him back to the light side. Overall, what makes the concept of Luke on the dark side in this comic so horrendous is that it has too little of an impact on the overall plot. You could just have Luke captured by Palpatine and the story would remain largely the same. The concept of Dark side Luke in Dark Empire is more like a headline you see on a trashy tabloid in the check out aisle at your local grocery store than a compelling continuation of the Star Wars saga after the Thrawn Books.
THE GOOD: For all the things that were done horribly, I found two redeeming qualities.
I think Tom Veitch did a fantastic job with the character of Han Solo. He is the one character in this mess that was actually entertaining and interesting, with some very good dialogue and one liners that I frequently laughed at. This Han Solo feels like the personality we saw in the original films, but growing as the saga continues with the EU. Most importantly, Tom Veitch nailed the biggest mistake that Timothy Zahn made with the character in Heir to the Empire- I legitimately felt the love he had for his wife. Even though Leia was bland in this book, Han made the relationship otherwise work pretty well. One of the biggest mistakes Heir to the Empire made was with Han and Leia, and how I didn't feel like they had any chemistry. Here, despite placing them in some dire situations, Veitch also gives them time to address their marriage and establish that they have progressed their romance from the films and the Thrawn novels. .
It was also interesting to see the ideas that would appear in other, much better Star Wars stories, originated here. Correct me if I'm wrong and some of this appears in Dark Force Rising or The Last Command, but this is the first time we see Nar Shadaa or the idea of a holocron. As over the top and campy it was, I feel Palpatine in this comic was part of the inspiration for Vitiate and some of the other immensely powerful force users in the Old Republic Era. Part of what makes the Old Republic feel so mythical is the immense power of the force on display in that era, and perhaps Tom Veitch writing the Tales of the Jedi series is what helped establish the unique and distinct feel of the ancient galaxy.
I was glad I read this once, but I definitely won't read it again and I'm not sure if I'm going to pick up Dark Empire's Sequels.
THE CONCLUSION: Final rating is 1 Star.
Dark Empire may be an integral part of Star Wars franchise history that was pretty impressive to fans in the early 90s, but age has not been kind to it. I was pleasantly surprised how much I ended up enjoying Heir to the Empire, but unfortunately Dark Empire was awful. The plot is contrived, the characterization is terrible, the writing is a hot mess, and the art looks like it was done for Star Wars nerds who trip on acid while watching the original trilogy.
If you're a hardcore Star Wars fan, I recommend checking this out just because it was important to keeping Star Wars going in the early 1990s. But for everyone else, this is a definite skip.
2nd question: *coming from the opening commentary in the trade paperback* Ok Kevin J. Anderson, how much money did they give you to praise this mess?
3rd question: Can somebody thank Disney for purging this bogus piece of crap of a story from the Star Wars Timeline?
As you can tell, I think this is a bad comic. But before we move on, let me give you some background.
If you read my review of Timothy Zahn's classic Star Wars Novel Heir to the Empire, I talked about how I didn't get much into the original Star Wars expanded Universe.
It was only after I read a couple of the newer novels and comics from the canon that I got interested in the older stories that are now considered "legends". I started with the stuff that related to the Old Republic Era because that's the part of the EU that I love the most to this day, with Drew Karpyshyn's Revan being my first experience with a legends novel (my first Star Wars novel I read that was not a novelization was James Luceno's Tarkin). Later on I got interested in checking out the Darth Bane Trilogy due to its setting and popularity, and Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy because of its importance to the franchise.
My interest in this comic was similar to my initial interest in the Thrawn Trilogy: I consider myself a passionate and hardcore Star Wars Fan so I saw the need to read this comic because of how influential it was to the franchise. I thought about waiting until I finished the Thrawn books but it probably would be fine because this comic started before the Zahn finished his trilogy anyway. While Heir to the Empire absolutely gets the distinction of truly starting the Star Wars Expanded Universe, some people forget how important this was too to the 90s revival of the Star Wars franchise. Much like Heir, Dark Empire was highly praised upon its release and ended up being a massive hit, paving the way for other well received comic series like John Ostrander's Legacy and John Jackson Miller's Knights of the Old Republic.
This comic shows how low our standards seemed to have been for Star Wars stories in the 90s. It's understandable due to the circumstances back then, but that doesn't mean they all hold up. While Heir to the Empire proves to still be a great book today, this one is more dated than the CGI from The Phantom Menace.
THE STORY: Heir to the Empire revived the Star Wars franchise in 1991 in the same way that The Force Awakens has done today. Seeing how successful the imperial remnant was in recapturing the attention of Star Wars fans everywhere, author Tom Veitch had another mind-blowing idea: how cool would it be if Luke Skywalker went to the Dark Side and the Emperor was reborn? Sure enough, the story got published in the form of this comic book series, and people were blown away by it.
Grand Admiral Thrawn has been defeated (spoiler from The Last Command, so thanks for giving away the ending before the Thrawn books were even done, Veitch). The imperial remnant is in retreat, and another victory for the New Republic is approaching as Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian lead an army against the imperial remnant in a stolen Star Destroyer.
But all the problems begin when Luke is sucked away by a force storm and transported to a dark and foreboding planet. Simultaneously, the New Republic is attacked by an Imperial army with malicious machine ship things, coming from the galactic core (turns out it will be a planet called Byss). The Republic is in danger, but things are not looking good for our heroes as Luke Skywalker himself succumbs to the dark influence of an old enemy.
THE BAD: Nearly everything that Timothy Zahn did right in Heir to the Empire, Tom Veitch does wrong with Dark Empire. This comic is a contrived mess.
The first thing that doesn't work is the art. First off, what is with this color palette??? It looks terrible! Everything is a collected splat of monochromatic greens, purples, yellows, and reds. I couldn't tell if artist Cam Kennedy wanted to go for some edgy noir art style or he was just high off his rear whenever he was working on this, but it doesn't look right. These panels do not look like Star Wars at all- it's more like what the galaxy would look like if I was tripping on acid.
Not only that, the character design is bad too, and most of the time the familiar cast does not even look close to their film counterparts. The backgrounds have too little detail to tell what you are looking at most of the time, and the action is underwhelming. Overall, it feels like the art is lazy and they tried to cover it up with a strange and out there color scheme. Maybe I would enjoy this if I was a star wars junkie in the 90s smoking some really strong pot, but because I'm a 21 year old man in the 2010s who doesn't drink or smoke, the visuals in this series just looks bad.
The writing the other big reason why this comic fails really hard. First, the narration. Just... no. Narration as a whole in comic books really bothers me. I thought it was annoying in the Kanan series, but this just takes the "show don't tell" concept to a whole new level. To me, comic books are a visual medium where the story should be able to be told through the pictures, with dialogue to support them. Through comics like this I am finding more and more truth to the overused phrase "A picture is worth 1000 words". Tom Veitch misses multiple opportunities for dramatic or even potentially hilarious moments by using narration to just TELL me what happened, instead of SHOW it. . Most importantly, narration is just distracting. When I'm reading a comic book, I want to look at the pictures and read the character dialogue. When there is a narration box it obscures the panel, and breaks the flow because the narration is constantly in my face.
The dialogue is also not very good. Most of the characters' lines are bland and forgettable, but sometimes it ends up being put together in very choppy conversations that result in some rather bad scene transition.
The characterization, especially coming off Timothy Zahn's novels, is atrocious. Most of the characters we know from the original trilogy are bland or botched. Lando has none of the charm and swagger he has in Empire Strikes Back or the energy he has in Return of the Jedi, and Chewie, R2D2, and C3PO are shadows of their adorable and charming movie counterparts. Palpatine went from a diabolical, creepy villain in Return off the Jedi to a campy and over the top parody of himself. I'm not against the idea of force storms in Star Wars but it doesn't work on a character like Palpatine. Maybe it's a more fitting power for another bad buy like Vitiate from SWTOR, but here it leaves you with the question of why Palpatine didn't just obliterate the rebel fleet in the movies with this power. And I thought Starkiller was overpowered...
It's sad to think that after all that supposed growth Luke Skywalker goes through in the Thrawn Trilogy, this is where he ends up. Luke is insultingly out of character in this comic, falling to the Dark Side for pretty weak reasons for a Jedi Master.
Now let's get to the rancor in the room and address the worst aspect of this comic by far: the plot. It is honestly one of the worst in the Star Wars universe that I have come across, right up there with The Force Unleashed Storyline. For me, the story is so bad because it is a slap in the face to the characters in the original trilogy and even the Thrawn books. Not only that, it is a incredibly blatant and poorly executed attempt to create a darker and edgier version of Return of the Jedi with less ewoks. Bringing back the emperor the way he did, Veitch totally put up a middle finger to the emotional and epic character arc of Darth Vader, making his sacrifice completely pointless.
The handling of Luke's dark side arc was laughably atrocious. Because of the lazy narration used to tell the scene, it felt horribly rushed and out of left field. Anakin's turn to the Dark Side in Revenge of the Sith feels DRAGGED OUT compared to this!! His reasons are pretty flimsy too, and go against the ideas of the dark side established in the films. But even then, the whole Luke being an apprentice to FREAKING PALPATINE is underplayed. Seriously, once it happens, Veitch hardly explores it. There's too few scenes that show the consequences of Luke being evil and being a danger to our heroes. Oh wait, there is, but through glossed over expository dialogue through Han and Leia. C'mon, Veitch, you have narration for telling us things that you should actually be showing! Also, it feels way to easy for Leia to bring him back to the light side. Overall, what makes the concept of Luke on the dark side in this comic so horrendous is that it has too little of an impact on the overall plot. You could just have Luke captured by Palpatine and the story would remain largely the same. The concept of Dark side Luke in Dark Empire is more like a headline you see on a trashy tabloid in the check out aisle at your local grocery store than a compelling continuation of the Star Wars saga after the Thrawn Books.
THE GOOD: For all the things that were done horribly, I found two redeeming qualities.
I think Tom Veitch did a fantastic job with the character of Han Solo. He is the one character in this mess that was actually entertaining and interesting, with some very good dialogue and one liners that I frequently laughed at. This Han Solo feels like the personality we saw in the original films, but growing as the saga continues with the EU. Most importantly, Tom Veitch nailed the biggest mistake that Timothy Zahn made with the character in Heir to the Empire- I legitimately felt the love he had for his wife. Even though Leia was bland in this book, Han made the relationship otherwise work pretty well. One of the biggest mistakes Heir to the Empire made was with Han and Leia, and how I didn't feel like they had any chemistry. Here, despite placing them in some dire situations, Veitch also gives them time to address their marriage and establish that they have progressed their romance from the films and the Thrawn novels. .
It was also interesting to see the ideas that would appear in other, much better Star Wars stories, originated here. Correct me if I'm wrong and some of this appears in Dark Force Rising or The Last Command, but this is the first time we see Nar Shadaa or the idea of a holocron. As over the top and campy it was, I feel Palpatine in this comic was part of the inspiration for Vitiate and some of the other immensely powerful force users in the Old Republic Era. Part of what makes the Old Republic feel so mythical is the immense power of the force on display in that era, and perhaps Tom Veitch writing the Tales of the Jedi series is what helped establish the unique and distinct feel of the ancient galaxy.
I was glad I read this once, but I definitely won't read it again and I'm not sure if I'm going to pick up Dark Empire's Sequels.
THE CONCLUSION: Final rating is 1 Star.
Dark Empire may be an integral part of Star Wars franchise history that was pretty impressive to fans in the early 90s, but age has not been kind to it. I was pleasantly surprised how much I ended up enjoying Heir to the Empire, but unfortunately Dark Empire was awful. The plot is contrived, the characterization is terrible, the writing is a hot mess, and the art looks like it was done for Star Wars nerds who trip on acid while watching the original trilogy.
If you're a hardcore Star Wars fan, I recommend checking this out just because it was important to keeping Star Wars going in the early 1990s. But for everyone else, this is a definite skip.
March 7, 2021
This was awesome and I recommend this as only a hardcore Star Wars nerd can.
The art and color scheme are stunning, the story is dark and mysterious, with the ambition on display here being absolutely brilliant.
Objectively speaking, the art and story are debatable qualitywise but the post script following the story itself turns this into a four for me.
The art and color scheme are stunning, the story is dark and mysterious, with the ambition on display here being absolutely brilliant.
Objectively speaking, the art and story are debatable qualitywise but the post script following the story itself turns this into a four for me.
January 11, 2016
I can see how long time fans would think this was great if there was nothing following the Return of the Jedi film, but this wasn't really that good. It was an okay read. The art was kinda wonky and psychedelic looking at times with the strange color use.
August 29, 2014
A fun way I found to read this story is to listen to various John William's Star Wars movie soundtrack songs as you read. I also imagined/heard Mark Hammill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher's voices as I read their characters dialogue in an attempt to connect the story in that way to the original trilogy of movies. Especially since this story takes place after Return of the Jedi. It was nice to think of this story as a MOVIE that could have come after Return of the Jedi, the movie as a fan I would have loved back in the 80's but never got.
This story made me think, looking back, that we should have gotten that movie continuing right after Return of the Jedi. I know there were reasons that didn't happen. But that's why this story I found so rewarding. Providing a glimpse of what could have happened to Luke, Han and Leia. I was very interested as I have a strong love for these characters, and the plot was believable to me.
This story made me think, looking back, that we should have gotten that movie continuing right after Return of the Jedi. I know there were reasons that didn't happen. But that's why this story I found so rewarding. Providing a glimpse of what could have happened to Luke, Han and Leia. I was very interested as I have a strong love for these characters, and the plot was believable to me.
May 22, 2014
I read this comic book series YEARS ago. I have the QVC Gold Embossed covers for each book in this mini-series. I loved the story then (and now). It delved more into the world of Stars Wars and the Dark Side. At that point in time the first 3 episodes (I, II, & III) were not made yet and Star War fans were eager for more of Luke Skywalker. The main focus is Luke turning to the Dark Side, but being saved by love from family and friends. Something poor Anakin turned away from as we later learned. I picked up Dark Empire I and II for $1.99 each. Now I do not have to put wear and tear on my paper copies, I can just read these stories on my Kindle Fire.
April 14, 2020
Oh man. This brings me back. It really does. Of all the Star Wars comics I was able to get my hands on in my youth at my local public library this one definitely stood out the most. Great plot devices were met by an equally great and highly idiosyncratic art style that seemingly reveled in its flexible application of single chromes that diffused within their respective spectrums. Amid these colorful expansions an incredibly true to form style of writing concerning both character and setting, this will remain a glowing watershed of yesteryear for not just yours truly but every Star Wars fan that remembers the good ol’ days before Disney pretty much ruined everything.
In fact it’s excellence is so palpable each turn of the page demands its praise. Strong world building with few exceptions, in the now sadly defunct canon, can rival Empire’s level of fidelity that feels nigh seamlessly grafted onto post Return era. The level of action never falters and any failures of plot (and to be fair there are some holes) can readily forgiven because its Star Wars. Remember, this isn’t science fiction this is space opera… for kids.
Anyways even when the rose tinted glasses are removed there’s still a delightful read here. And truly even more enjoyable (and equally tragic really) in an era in which the Star Wars brand has been pimped out by its very father only to be raped and degraded like a whore. After being milked for all her intellectual property related cash grabs, Dark Empire will firmly recall an era of thematic and personal purity for the Star Wars brand as we descend further and further into the Kali Yuga of our culturally malaised modern era.
In fact it’s excellence is so palpable each turn of the page demands its praise. Strong world building with few exceptions, in the now sadly defunct canon, can rival Empire’s level of fidelity that feels nigh seamlessly grafted onto post Return era. The level of action never falters and any failures of plot (and to be fair there are some holes) can readily forgiven because its Star Wars. Remember, this isn’t science fiction this is space opera… for kids.
Anyways even when the rose tinted glasses are removed there’s still a delightful read here. And truly even more enjoyable (and equally tragic really) in an era in which the Star Wars brand has been pimped out by its very father only to be raped and degraded like a whore. After being milked for all her intellectual property related cash grabs, Dark Empire will firmly recall an era of thematic and personal purity for the Star Wars brand as we descend further and further into the Kali Yuga of our culturally malaised modern era.
September 22, 2015
The Good: Other than adaptations of the movies themselves, I'm unfamiliar with the world of Star Wars comics. I've read countless Expanded Universe novels, but, I'm fairly new to the world of comics--other than daily newspaper strips, i.e., Garfield--in general. This is different than the style of comics I'm used to, but it was definitely enjoyable nonetheless. Fans of the films will definitely enjoy this. The artwork is so bright and colorful, it reminded me of the video games I used to play as a kid.
The Bad: Nothing really to complain about; I just won't give it five stars because I reserve that rating for outstanding works.
Conclusion: I need to find more Star Wars comics; this set was really good! Goodreads community: Any recommendations on other ones to try?
Score: 4/5
The Bad: Nothing really to complain about; I just won't give it five stars because I reserve that rating for outstanding works.
Conclusion: I need to find more Star Wars comics; this set was really good! Goodreads community: Any recommendations on other ones to try?
Score: 4/5
April 18, 2023
This was a bit of a tough read. The premise sounded awesome, but the execution felt very forced.
December 24, 2022
The illustrations might've been garbage, but the story was interesting. It's what Star Wars could've become if Disney hadn't done away with the Expanded Universe.
Alot of this just didn't work well together. It was difficult to see that this was how luke fell to the dark side. as a master, it shouldn't have been so easy. And we never really saw Leia trained, but she has SOOOOO much power and control that it doesn't make sense. The dialogue was dull and boring and the art work wasn't close at all to the movie counterparts.
H O T M E S S.com!
Hopefully Dark Empire 2 will be better.
Overall, 2.5 stars
Alot of this just didn't work well together. It was difficult to see that this was how luke fell to the dark side. as a master, it shouldn't have been so easy. And we never really saw Leia trained, but she has SOOOOO much power and control that it doesn't make sense. The dialogue was dull and boring and the art work wasn't close at all to the movie counterparts.
H O T M E S S.com!
Hopefully Dark Empire 2 will be better.
Overall, 2.5 stars
September 12, 2015
I can't say this is my favorite Star Wars book, but it is quite good. I particularly like the explanation of how the dark side was actually defeated in this instance!
July 13, 2024
Yeah this wasn't very good. In my research I was told this comic was worth the read before Jedi Academy Trilogy.
This is the comic with clone Palpatine. When people criticize The Rise of Skywalker for bringing back Palpatine defenders of the film will say "well Palpatine came back in Legends first". Yes, and its just as dumb here. It's just a lazy concept. Come up with something new. After The Thrawn Trilogy it's very disappointing to see Luke mischaracterized so badly.
Also Boba Fett was revived for seemingly no reason with no build up or fanfare. He's just there all of the sudden. Also pretty dumb
Finally the art was just awful. Ugly colors and characters that look nothing like their film counterparts. Not to mention the sorry excuse for lightsabers
This is the comic with clone Palpatine. When people criticize The Rise of Skywalker for bringing back Palpatine defenders of the film will say "well Palpatine came back in Legends first". Yes, and its just as dumb here. It's just a lazy concept. Come up with something new. After The Thrawn Trilogy it's very disappointing to see Luke mischaracterized so badly.
Also Boba Fett was revived for seemingly no reason with no build up or fanfare. He's just there all of the sudden. Also pretty dumb
Finally the art was just awful. Ugly colors and characters that look nothing like their film counterparts. Not to mention the sorry excuse for lightsabers
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2018
First read this years ago, and just completed a re-read. The art is interesting and there is nothing like it, visually speaking, in comics. I remember my jaw dropping to the floor at a key moment in, I think, the second or third issue. Well-conceived, well-written, and for anyone who wants to see 'Dark Luke' you get him here.
June 30, 2014
Now that Dark Horse Comic’s tenure with the Star Wars license is starting to wind down, I wanted to take some time to go back and reread some of the bigger, bolder titles that have seen release throughout the years. Like many longtime readers, I’m immeasurably bummed about the move of the comics from the Horse to the Mouse House of Marvel (I’m really not looking forward to the Vader/Wolvie crossover); and – in order to keep it real – I’m revisiting some of the yarns that made waves.
One of the first big breakthroughs was something called DARK EMPIRE. It went on to have a few sequels, but – for my tastes – I honestly didn’t much care for this tale even when it first hit the shelves. It isn’t that I disliked the idea of exploring an Emperor Palpatine resurrected in the days of the New Republic fumbling to establish a firm footing; it’s just that so much of Tom Veitch’s story felt like character retreads.
More after the break …
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last two paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
Essentially, the story that unfolds here is that the Empire isn’t quite as dead as our heroes – Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa-Solo, Han Solo, and more – long believed it to be. In fact, some lingering elements in the inner galaxies have gone a long way toward re-establishing their own union, putting the New Republic back on its heels and having to fight in smaller isolated conflicts once more. Naturally, this brings our gang back together, and they’re rushed to the front lines in order to give yet one more ‘New Hope’ street cred with faltering worlds.
Lo and behold, our young Skywalker – now a bit older – discovers that the Emperor (aka Darth Sidious) has been resurrected (in a sense). It would seem that his life essence has become a part of the living Dark Side – much like Obi-wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Anakin Skywalker have merged with the Light Side elements; all the former Palpatine need do is pull a younger version of himself out of a clone canister and – viola – new Emperor! Now, he’s using some massive new weapons known as ‘World Devastators’ to crush planets that won’t bend to his will.
Just as was the thematic undercurrent for the Luke Skywalker character in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and RETURN OF THE JEDI (and many, many Extended Universe tales since then), this new Emperor wants to turn our hero to the Dark Side. What makes this tale a bit different is that the Jedi seemingly does embrace it, though he admits to readers over and over again that he’s done so only to get closer to Palpatine so that he can inevitably defeat him. Leia, Han, and the others don’t see as clearly what Luke’s motivations are, so they spend the bulk of their time trying to contact the Jedi Master so they can ‘reclaim’ him for their side … and, so far as I can tell, that about wraps it up.
DARK EMPIRE is a worthy read, but it’s nothing that really smacks of originality or epicness (if you’ll pardon my creation of the word). The Emperor is the same – as are all of our regular players – so nothing new added to the mix pretty much leaves this tale tasting like something we’ve all had before. That in itself isn’t enough reason to resist the story’s obvious temptations – could it be that Luke won’t survive the Emperor’s machinations this time? – which is why I basically deem it worth a read but little else. Plus, DARK EMPIRE has a weird artistic template; it’s almost as if illustrator Cam Kennedy (who does terrific work) made some curious decision to color the worlds of George Lucas monochromatically, and, for the life of me, I can’t figure out how anyone thought that was a good idea. (???) One of the most enduring qualities of STAR WARS is how different the various worlds and machines and droids look from one to another, so casting so very many panels in as few color choices as possible makes no narrative much less commercial sense.
Heck, even the long-rumored dead Boba Fett shows up for what plays out like an almost obligator appearance, one meant to recapture the magic of the bounty hunters glory days instead of adding legitimacy to the web being spun here. I like Boba Fett. I get most fanboys like Boba Fett. But his appearance here? It just didn’t need to be.
RECOMMENDED. I’m smitten with most of the Dark Horse’s adventures from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away; still, there’s something about DARK EMPIRE that just underwhelmed me. There were a few moments of greatness – Luke’s commitment to kinda/sorta bringing the Force into balance; Leia’s love for family despite the obvious hardships; Han’s ribbing of his brother-in-law; etc. – but most of them underscore relationships already so firmly established that there was little new brought to the game. Otherwise, much of this tale flew on autopilot, and it was hardly as DARK as it could’ve been. Good – worth a read – but far from great.
One of the first big breakthroughs was something called DARK EMPIRE. It went on to have a few sequels, but – for my tastes – I honestly didn’t much care for this tale even when it first hit the shelves. It isn’t that I disliked the idea of exploring an Emperor Palpatine resurrected in the days of the New Republic fumbling to establish a firm footing; it’s just that so much of Tom Veitch’s story felt like character retreads.
More after the break …
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last two paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
Essentially, the story that unfolds here is that the Empire isn’t quite as dead as our heroes – Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa-Solo, Han Solo, and more – long believed it to be. In fact, some lingering elements in the inner galaxies have gone a long way toward re-establishing their own union, putting the New Republic back on its heels and having to fight in smaller isolated conflicts once more. Naturally, this brings our gang back together, and they’re rushed to the front lines in order to give yet one more ‘New Hope’ street cred with faltering worlds.
Lo and behold, our young Skywalker – now a bit older – discovers that the Emperor (aka Darth Sidious) has been resurrected (in a sense). It would seem that his life essence has become a part of the living Dark Side – much like Obi-wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Anakin Skywalker have merged with the Light Side elements; all the former Palpatine need do is pull a younger version of himself out of a clone canister and – viola – new Emperor! Now, he’s using some massive new weapons known as ‘World Devastators’ to crush planets that won’t bend to his will.
Just as was the thematic undercurrent for the Luke Skywalker character in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and RETURN OF THE JEDI (and many, many Extended Universe tales since then), this new Emperor wants to turn our hero to the Dark Side. What makes this tale a bit different is that the Jedi seemingly does embrace it, though he admits to readers over and over again that he’s done so only to get closer to Palpatine so that he can inevitably defeat him. Leia, Han, and the others don’t see as clearly what Luke’s motivations are, so they spend the bulk of their time trying to contact the Jedi Master so they can ‘reclaim’ him for their side … and, so far as I can tell, that about wraps it up.
DARK EMPIRE is a worthy read, but it’s nothing that really smacks of originality or epicness (if you’ll pardon my creation of the word). The Emperor is the same – as are all of our regular players – so nothing new added to the mix pretty much leaves this tale tasting like something we’ve all had before. That in itself isn’t enough reason to resist the story’s obvious temptations – could it be that Luke won’t survive the Emperor’s machinations this time? – which is why I basically deem it worth a read but little else. Plus, DARK EMPIRE has a weird artistic template; it’s almost as if illustrator Cam Kennedy (who does terrific work) made some curious decision to color the worlds of George Lucas monochromatically, and, for the life of me, I can’t figure out how anyone thought that was a good idea. (???) One of the most enduring qualities of STAR WARS is how different the various worlds and machines and droids look from one to another, so casting so very many panels in as few color choices as possible makes no narrative much less commercial sense.
Heck, even the long-rumored dead Boba Fett shows up for what plays out like an almost obligator appearance, one meant to recapture the magic of the bounty hunters glory days instead of adding legitimacy to the web being spun here. I like Boba Fett. I get most fanboys like Boba Fett. But his appearance here? It just didn’t need to be.
RECOMMENDED. I’m smitten with most of the Dark Horse’s adventures from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away; still, there’s something about DARK EMPIRE that just underwhelmed me. There were a few moments of greatness – Luke’s commitment to kinda/sorta bringing the Force into balance; Leia’s love for family despite the obvious hardships; Han’s ribbing of his brother-in-law; etc. – but most of them underscore relationships already so firmly established that there was little new brought to the game. Otherwise, much of this tale flew on autopilot, and it was hardly as DARK as it could’ve been. Good – worth a read – but far from great.
March 26, 2024
I mean, Dark Empire is bonkers, no doubt, but now that Rise of Skywalker is out there, this plot seems a lot more reasonable. Namely, we've got a cloned Palpatine leading a resurgent Empire out of the deep core. Luke inexplicably decides the best way to defeat Palpatine again is to...turn to the dark side?
A baffling plot twist, but Luke's already wearing a scary dark outfit, so the heel turn fits. Meanwhile, Han and Leia journey to Nar Shadaa to tangle with Boba Fett and meet Han's old buddies so they can get access to Byss to save Luke. On Mon Calamari, World Devastators (another sick superweapon, thanks Empire!) are obliterating the planet and the New Republic resistance. So, there are multiple fronts here and we zip between them frequently in a fast-paced plot. Cam Kennedy's detailed artwork helps keep it all surprisingly clear.
Again, Dark Empire is totally wild and weird and goofy, but this is the kind of Star Wars I grew up on before Disney neutered everything, encouraging bland, low-energy character interactions over bonkers plot twists and murder weapons. I'll take Dark Empire any day.
A baffling plot twist, but Luke's already wearing a scary dark outfit, so the heel turn fits. Meanwhile, Han and Leia journey to Nar Shadaa to tangle with Boba Fett and meet Han's old buddies so they can get access to Byss to save Luke. On Mon Calamari, World Devastators (another sick superweapon, thanks Empire!) are obliterating the planet and the New Republic resistance. So, there are multiple fronts here and we zip between them frequently in a fast-paced plot. Cam Kennedy's detailed artwork helps keep it all surprisingly clear.
Again, Dark Empire is totally wild and weird and goofy, but this is the kind of Star Wars I grew up on before Disney neutered everything, encouraging bland, low-energy character interactions over bonkers plot twists and murder weapons. I'll take Dark Empire any day.
January 5, 2020
I decided to read this after watching The Rise of Skywalker - which honestly, I didn't like. Maybe that's why I gave this such a high rating or maybe it really was that good. I loved the interaction between our three heroes - especially everything with Han and Leia because I will go down with that ship no matter what Disney does to it.
Are spoilers still a thing for a comic that's nearly 30 years old? Whatever I'm doing a spoiler cut anyways.
Are spoilers still a thing for a comic that's nearly 30 years old? Whatever I'm doing a spoiler cut anyways.
June 10, 2017
(3.5) The low rating isn't because of the story-line. That part was pretty good.
It was for the artwork. WHAT. THE. HECK. HAPPENED??
Like it was okay for the first half, then it slowly began to devolve into unrecognizable characters. I literally only recognized Mon Mothma. Like, what happened, Dark Horse? I don't read SW for Mothma.
The only reason I'm going to keep reading is because it's Star Wars. But the artwork is horrible and almost makes it not work it.
It was for the artwork. WHAT. THE. HECK. HAPPENED??
Like it was okay for the first half, then it slowly began to devolve into unrecognizable characters. I literally only recognized Mon Mothma. Like, what happened, Dark Horse? I don't read SW for Mothma.
The only reason I'm going to keep reading is because it's Star Wars. But the artwork is horrible and almost makes it not work it.
February 3, 2017
See my review of the other edition.
November 8, 2021
Better than I was expecting. The art didn't look right for all the characters (Leia looked more like how I pictured Lady Jessica in Dune AND Palatine's younger clone looked like DRACULA XD) but I did like the role Leia played and I liked that Anakin Solo's origins begin here. Looking forward to him being born, I love the Solo kids!
September 16, 2024
Great space fantasy graphic novel with some pretty sweet art (albeit a few weird renditions of beloved characters). Really grim and dark but still quite star wars-y. Maybe this is a nostalgia rating, but I quite enjoyed it. It also contains quite a few ideas that Disney borrowed later - Luke's dark side temptation, the Emperor's clones, Boba Fett returning, etc.
July 3, 2025
outside of the great covers, this is still pretty lame. I'd take it over the film adaptation any day, but still.
June 25, 2012
I began reading the Jedi Academy trilogy recently and ran across several references to the resurrected Emperor and to Luke Skywalker being turned to the Dark Side of the Force. A quick on-line search revealed that I had not missed any books in the EU sequence, but that the references were to a series of comics entitled Dark Empire. So I picked up this, the first volume of the collected series, to get caught up on the missing plot points.
I don't read comics on a regular basis now, but I did as a child and I still pick up the occasional graphic novel from time to time. So although I am not an expert, I do have some opinions on the genre. This seemed to me to be a relatively weak effort. A couple of observations:
- The plot is a bit hackneyed. Why is it that every Star Wars story seems to require the discovery of a new deadly Imperial technology that is worst than the last? Are "world devastators" really worse than the Death Star? Or Dark Troopers? Or [insert next terrible weapons project here]?
- Although Luke claims that he has a plan, it is never really clear why he allows himself to be swayed by the Dark Side. It seems like a convenient plot point and nothing more.
- The artwork is disappointing. The characters don't generally look like the actors in the films, especially Han and Leia, who take up a disproportionate portion of the plot.
- The authors seemed to be most interested in drawing huge battle scenes between Rebel and Imperial technologies, many of them newly formed out of the author's imaginations (e.g. the aforementioned world devastators). Maybe that is what they thought their audience wanted, but I found these illustrations boring, cluttered on the page and not very engaging.
Hopefully the sequels will be better - but I am not holding my breath.
I don't read comics on a regular basis now, but I did as a child and I still pick up the occasional graphic novel from time to time. So although I am not an expert, I do have some opinions on the genre. This seemed to me to be a relatively weak effort. A couple of observations:
- The plot is a bit hackneyed. Why is it that every Star Wars story seems to require the discovery of a new deadly Imperial technology that is worst than the last? Are "world devastators" really worse than the Death Star? Or Dark Troopers? Or [insert next terrible weapons project here]?
- Although Luke claims that he has a plan, it is never really clear why he allows himself to be swayed by the Dark Side. It seems like a convenient plot point and nothing more.
- The artwork is disappointing. The characters don't generally look like the actors in the films, especially Han and Leia, who take up a disproportionate portion of the plot.
- The authors seemed to be most interested in drawing huge battle scenes between Rebel and Imperial technologies, many of them newly formed out of the author's imaginations (e.g. the aforementioned world devastators). Maybe that is what they thought their audience wanted, but I found these illustrations boring, cluttered on the page and not very engaging.
Hopefully the sequels will be better - but I am not holding my breath.
December 7, 2023
Ok, it would be a long note. Before starting, I believe this is a must read book to know the source of many stupid ideas behind the sequel trilogy. Also, there is no way George Lucas confirmed this garbage, even if he was heavily drunk! I want to start with Luke turning to the dark side. Two powerful Jedi masters turned into the dark side in the Star Wars series: Count Dooku and Anakin. For Dooku, the main reason was justice. He saw the corrupted Senate, the people in pain, and the ignorant Jedi council. He wanted a new order to bring peace and justice to people, and Darth Plagueis and Palpatine used this rage to manipulate him. The final event was Qui-Gon Jinn’s death, who Dooku raised him like his own son and blamed the Jedi council for his death. For Anakin, it was more personal. He lost his mother because he wasn’t there to protect her, so he had this obsession of protecting Padme, the love of his life. The fear of losing Padme was the open door for Palpatine, but it wasn’t all. Anakin was a qualified general in the Clone Wars, but the Jedi council refused to trust him with a master rank and a seat at the council. Anakin even couldn’t share his fears with the Jedi masters, because their answer was expected: no attachment! Palpatine on the other side was an empathic friend who listened to him and did him a favor by assigning him as his representative at the Jedi council. Still, when Anakin discovered the truth about Palpatine, he reported it to the council. The final moment was when the blind egomaniac Mace Windu couldn’t read the room and insisted on killing Palpatine at the moment despite Anakin’s objection. Getting back to Luke, what was the convincing reason behind his decision other than the author’s interest in seeing him on the dark side? First, he is like there is no other way! Really convincing! Then he talks about using the opportunity to spy on the emperor and steal his plans. Dude, this is not a Cold War story. Finally, he talks about a need to know why his father turned into the dark side. It really didn’t need to join the dark side to know the obvious reasons.
Moving to the elephant in the room. The backbone of George Lucas’s Star Wars story was bringing back the balance to the force by the end of the classic trilogy, a.k.a., let the goddamn Palpatine die. If you are not satisfied with Darth Maul or Thrawn as your main villain, then create your own. The man was an emperor for more than 18 years, with an apprentice who could die any moment if separated from his life machine (don’t want to underrate Vader, only mentioning his brittle health status). It is reasonable if Palpatine had found/trained another apprentice, in stead of waiting 18 years for Luke to show up, the boy who he wasn’t aware of his existence before the New Hope. I mean, if you introduce a new Sith Lord, it could completely be justified. Bringing Palpatine back ruins George Lukas’s story. Luke’s storyline was kinda similar to his father. He lost his guardians, fought in the war against Palpatine, and won the fight against the Sith Lord’s apprentice. The difference was his reaction to all these similarities. While Anakin was full of rage and fear and didn’t hesitate a moment to kill Dooku, Luke had hope and believed his father was still alive inside Vader’s corpse. Anakin’s rage started an empire and Luke’s hope ended it. And by bringing back the emperor, you are like no matter what you do, you suck! And the way Palpatine is immortal is ridiculous. First, the explanation is he has clones. Then, he is like a devil that can possess any living thing and the clones are only corpses which doesn’t have to look like him! Luke tries to destroy all the clones while he is transferring from his old body to a new one to kill him, and wait a minute. If he possesses any living thing, he could possess Luke, as he mentions earlier, so Luke had to commit a suicide at the end if he could destroy all the clones (fortunately, he couldn’t). Also, this brings another question: when Vader threw Palpatine’s body away, it was him and Luke in the room. He died shortly, Luke was not possessed, and there was no living creature nearby. So, how did the emperor survived if he could be killed by preventing him from entering a new body?
Moving to Princess Leia. Tom Veitch needed another Jedi to save Luke (like Luke saving his father). The only possible character was Leia, but there were 2 problems: she didn’t have a lightsaber and she wasn’t trained. The lightsaber issue was solved quickly by a random Jedi asking forgiveness for her crimes (which was weird for 2 reasons: her crime was running away during the purge, which Yoda and Obi-Wan did it as well, and why should Leia, who lived in wealth as a princess the entire time, forgive her? I mean, if someone needs to apologize for those years, it’s definitely Leia). Anyway, the second issue was still there. She wasn’t trained. I wish it was told at the beginning of the book that Leia had been trained by Luke and was a Jedi master (the story happens 6 years after the Return of the Jedi, so it was enough time for training), but apparently the force decided to make an exception for Leia and we see her manipulates an imperial officer’s mind from the distance with no previous training. She shows Obi-Wan and Yoda level Jedi skills through the book, and again, with no training.
I don’t want to make this text longer, so will mention one more point. We are facing the world devastators, unstoppable war machines deadlier than a Death Star. Why nothing can stop them, no one knows because even a Death Star was destroyed successfully. Although the emperor had these unstoppable war machines, they stayed on a tiny moon for the entire book. They were destroying everything and the alliance couldn’t do anything, but watching, but apparently the moon was so big that it took the devastators the entire book timeline to destroy it, and they were stopped in the middle of their job. Also, the code Luke stole from Palpatine couldn’t stop the machines completely, but the code R2 wrote could do it, which I don’t know why R2 could not write it way sooner. And Palpatine needed Princess Leia’s child to finish the alliance, but his war machines were doing it at the moment without any problem, so the role of this unborn child did not fit in the story.
P.S. Boba Fett was seen in some pages, but he was so faint that any bounty hunter could replace him, and there was no need to bring the man back to life.
Moving to the elephant in the room. The backbone of George Lucas’s Star Wars story was bringing back the balance to the force by the end of the classic trilogy, a.k.a., let the goddamn Palpatine die. If you are not satisfied with Darth Maul or Thrawn as your main villain, then create your own. The man was an emperor for more than 18 years, with an apprentice who could die any moment if separated from his life machine (don’t want to underrate Vader, only mentioning his brittle health status). It is reasonable if Palpatine had found/trained another apprentice, in stead of waiting 18 years for Luke to show up, the boy who he wasn’t aware of his existence before the New Hope. I mean, if you introduce a new Sith Lord, it could completely be justified. Bringing Palpatine back ruins George Lukas’s story. Luke’s storyline was kinda similar to his father. He lost his guardians, fought in the war against Palpatine, and won the fight against the Sith Lord’s apprentice. The difference was his reaction to all these similarities. While Anakin was full of rage and fear and didn’t hesitate a moment to kill Dooku, Luke had hope and believed his father was still alive inside Vader’s corpse. Anakin’s rage started an empire and Luke’s hope ended it. And by bringing back the emperor, you are like no matter what you do, you suck! And the way Palpatine is immortal is ridiculous. First, the explanation is he has clones. Then, he is like a devil that can possess any living thing and the clones are only corpses which doesn’t have to look like him! Luke tries to destroy all the clones while he is transferring from his old body to a new one to kill him, and wait a minute. If he possesses any living thing, he could possess Luke, as he mentions earlier, so Luke had to commit a suicide at the end if he could destroy all the clones (fortunately, he couldn’t). Also, this brings another question: when Vader threw Palpatine’s body away, it was him and Luke in the room. He died shortly, Luke was not possessed, and there was no living creature nearby. So, how did the emperor survived if he could be killed by preventing him from entering a new body?
Moving to Princess Leia. Tom Veitch needed another Jedi to save Luke (like Luke saving his father). The only possible character was Leia, but there were 2 problems: she didn’t have a lightsaber and she wasn’t trained. The lightsaber issue was solved quickly by a random Jedi asking forgiveness for her crimes (which was weird for 2 reasons: her crime was running away during the purge, which Yoda and Obi-Wan did it as well, and why should Leia, who lived in wealth as a princess the entire time, forgive her? I mean, if someone needs to apologize for those years, it’s definitely Leia). Anyway, the second issue was still there. She wasn’t trained. I wish it was told at the beginning of the book that Leia had been trained by Luke and was a Jedi master (the story happens 6 years after the Return of the Jedi, so it was enough time for training), but apparently the force decided to make an exception for Leia and we see her manipulates an imperial officer’s mind from the distance with no previous training. She shows Obi-Wan and Yoda level Jedi skills through the book, and again, with no training.
I don’t want to make this text longer, so will mention one more point. We are facing the world devastators, unstoppable war machines deadlier than a Death Star. Why nothing can stop them, no one knows because even a Death Star was destroyed successfully. Although the emperor had these unstoppable war machines, they stayed on a tiny moon for the entire book. They were destroying everything and the alliance couldn’t do anything, but watching, but apparently the moon was so big that it took the devastators the entire book timeline to destroy it, and they were stopped in the middle of their job. Also, the code Luke stole from Palpatine couldn’t stop the machines completely, but the code R2 wrote could do it, which I don’t know why R2 could not write it way sooner. And Palpatine needed Princess Leia’s child to finish the alliance, but his war machines were doing it at the moment without any problem, so the role of this unborn child did not fit in the story.
P.S. Boba Fett was seen in some pages, but he was so faint that any bounty hunter could replace him, and there was no need to bring the man back to life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2014
Interesting from an anthropological point-of-view. The combination of speculation for Episode VII and the new Marvel comics led me to start looking back at old Dark Horse titles. When I was running a KOTOR RPG for my buddies in Ames, I devoured all of the Old Republic and Sith titles. I never really read more than a few post-ROTJ books. I suppose after reading the Zahn trilogy, most of the other titles were a disappointment. It was long after that until Episode I was announced.
I will say that this book hits all of the right notes, it is exciting and well-researched. It is a scary and logical progression of the storyline. Also, If Leia is a Jedi in the new films, I will be quite pleased.
I will say that this book hits all of the right notes, it is exciting and well-researched. It is a scary and logical progression of the storyline. Also, If Leia is a Jedi in the new films, I will be quite pleased.
November 21, 2017
I found my copy of this from when I was a kid and just read it again. It moves way too fast and the dialogue gets not that great at some points. But I dig the story enough. The best thing about it is the surreal water color inking and art. Just awesome looking psychedelic fever dream art. Whole scenes in neon blocks of color. Cam Kennedy also did some Rogue Trooper stuff that I dug. Other people seem to not dig the art. But it's mainly the folks that like garbage boring comics. This is full of big pulpy space battles and nebulous water colors flowing everywhere. Then it turns into some psychic vampire Hammer films thing at the end. Worth checking out if you kinda like Star Wars and don't take it too seriously.
February 4, 2015
I read and loved this series years ago in the classic Dark Horse comics. Have them all bagged and sealed. But I get to re-read them again on my Kindle Fire. Still very good. All of the old Star Wars characters we love and hate. Jedi action, storm troopers, Han, Leia and the whole gang.
January 2, 2016
This was so awesome. I have been meaning to read this for quite some time now. Glad I finally took the time to do so. I have an inkling that the new Star Wars film may be pulling from some of these concepts....
July 30, 2020
I'm not really a comic expert but...
I love the story.
The art is horrible (or, at least, not to my liking).
The writing is... not great, except for Han. (Has the writer seen Star Wars at all, or maybe just skipped to the Han scenes?)
I love the story.
The art is horrible (or, at least, not to my liking).
The writing is... not great, except for Han. (Has the writer seen Star Wars at all, or maybe just skipped to the Han scenes?)
January 19, 2020
Read this many years ago. Wanted to reread it after watching Rise of Skywalker.
This is a good story. Luke tastes the Dark Side. The Emperor returns. I enjoyed this.
This is a good story. Luke tastes the Dark Side. The Emperor returns. I enjoyed this.
October 14, 2023
It has been a few years since I last read this series. I still remember when it first came out - the first issue was 'awesome' (well, other than the artwork) and it went downhill from there. Interestingly enough, it was originally an important part of the books that were released as well, and the authors were expected to attempt to communicate to maintain some kind of continuity amongst the books. The character development is so-so. The action is pretty crazy. This storyline (and the next two in the series, Dark Empire II and Dark Empire: Empire's End) all take place between Timothy Zahn's original Thrawn trilogy and Kevin Anderson's Jedi Academy trilogy. Overall, I think it kinda works to have it sandwiched between the two sets of books released by Bantam.
I firmly believe that artwork can make or break a comic's story (or series). Good or great artwork can overcome a crappily-told story; however, horrible artwork can kill a story because it is so distracting and can pull the reader out of the narrative as a result. That is how I felt about the artwork in this story. There were moments were it was good; once or twice it was even borderline 'great.' However, most of the story it was distracting and not my cup of tea. I grant you that the first thirty-some issues of Marvel's first Star Wars run also had crappy artwork, but I think I would have preferred something along those lines than what was presented in this series.
This series did have some 'good/great moments' in it.
This story does have its own sets of issues, however. Continuity is probably the 'biggest' issue, to be honest.
I think I would rate this . . . 2.5 - 2.7 stars, rounded down to two stars. I would like to give it more, but the unbelievability of Luke turning to the Dark Side like he did really killed the story for me, that he was made out to be so arrogant and stupid and prideful and allowed himself to be caught. It was annoying. That, and the artwork. I "liked it," on the one hand, and I do appreciate what this series did for Star Wars (in conjunction with Timothy Zahn's books and other books that were written and released around this time), how it was like an injection into the arm of this Universe. Marvel's series was dying a slow, ugly death prior to this, and issue 107 was most definitely its last gasp (as they obviously had to wrap it up pretty quick). I still remember how the price for the first issue shot through the roof, it was so popular and hard to find. It can still be a bit on the high side, even today, but it was nuts how high the price went back when. I had bought the first three issues when they came out, but because of how 'stupid' the story went, I sold them and made quite a profit on them at the time. In any case, it was fun to revisit this old series that did so much to help revitalize the brand back in the early 90s. Not sure if or when I will ever reread this, but it was 'worth it' this time around.
I firmly believe that artwork can make or break a comic's story (or series). Good or great artwork can overcome a crappily-told story; however, horrible artwork can kill a story because it is so distracting and can pull the reader out of the narrative as a result. That is how I felt about the artwork in this story. There were moments were it was good; once or twice it was even borderline 'great.' However, most of the story it was distracting and not my cup of tea. I grant you that the first thirty-some issues of Marvel's first Star Wars run also had crappy artwork, but I think I would have preferred something along those lines than what was presented in this series.
This series did have some 'good/great moments' in it.
This story does have its own sets of issues, however. Continuity is probably the 'biggest' issue, to be honest.
I think I would rate this . . . 2.5 - 2.7 stars, rounded down to two stars. I would like to give it more, but the unbelievability of Luke turning to the Dark Side like he did really killed the story for me, that he was made out to be so arrogant and stupid and prideful and allowed himself to be caught. It was annoying. That, and the artwork. I "liked it," on the one hand, and I do appreciate what this series did for Star Wars (in conjunction with Timothy Zahn's books and other books that were written and released around this time), how it was like an injection into the arm of this Universe. Marvel's series was dying a slow, ugly death prior to this, and issue 107 was most definitely its last gasp (as they obviously had to wrap it up pretty quick). I still remember how the price for the first issue shot through the roof, it was so popular and hard to find. It can still be a bit on the high side, even today, but it was nuts how high the price went back when. I had bought the first three issues when they came out, but because of how 'stupid' the story went, I sold them and made quite a profit on them at the time. In any case, it was fun to revisit this old series that did so much to help revitalize the brand back in the early 90s. Not sure if or when I will ever reread this, but it was 'worth it' this time around.
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