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Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy Graphic Novels #2
Star Wars: Dark Force Rising
The Empire's still kicking, at least with one leg, when Grand Admiral Thrawn takes what's left of the imperial fleet and sets on a Sherman-like tear-ass. Target: the New Republic. This feeble force seems like a minor threat, but...there's a traitor in the New Republic's midst, which can not only spell catastrophe but also turn Luke and Leia to the Dark Side. (Based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Timothy Zahn.)
Edward Lee
Edward Lee
160 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 1998
12 people are currently reading
309 people want to read
About the author
Timothy Zahn
485 books8,584 followersTimothy Zahn attended Michigan State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in physics in 1973. He then moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and achieved an M.S. degree in physics in 1975. While he was pursuing a doctorate in physics, his adviser became ill and died. Zahn never completed the doctorate. In 1975 he had begun writing science fiction as a hobby, and he became a professional writer. He and his wife Anna live in Bandon, Oregon. They have a son, Corwin Zahn.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
January 26, 2022
I like the art in this one best of the Thrawn Trilogy.
July 18, 2020
Resuming all the bad qualities of the first, everyone’s favorite literary brainlet, Mike Baron continues to debase Timothy Zahn’s excellent vision of the second volume in the Thrawn Trilogy, Dark Force Rising. In order to match the corporate page count threshold, the inherent charm and humanity of the original becomes compressed. Much to the detriment of an otherwise thrilling novel (and arguably one of the best in the now defunct SW EU canon) abbreviation is the name of the game and the overall quality never arises above mere mediocrity.
While some sloughing off of content is boilerplate for any comic-novel adaptation, its simplifications are questionable at best and detrimental at worst. Motivations are shorn. Action is sped up. And no character ever gets a chance blossom into anything resembling proper character development due to the page count constrictions.
Already butchered at the drawing board step, everything was already wrong from the get go. Yet for all the intrinsic faults of Baron’s second adaptation, its foreshadowing of the faults of the then upcoming trilogy are instructive a harbinger as any. A few examples particularly stuck out at me.
First, the inclusion of politics should always be a no-no for a franchise… you know… for kids. Finding itself uncomfortably smooshed against an intrinsically juvenile vision, the political undermining herein is just as gunky and malfeased at it was in Episode I. While far better developed in the novelization (in which it works well) the systematic compression distorts an otherwise well-constructed plot device. In either case, Star Wars’ heroic vision in which ultimately the good guys always triumph and the bad guys always lose is a poor mismatch for the ethical gray areas of politicking.
Second, just like the second trilogy, the reconstructions of classic scenes of the original, while well meaning, just come across as cardboard redoes more than anything. Luke and Mara’s rescue of Talon Karrde replicate the Death Star escape in IV. And Leia’s community organizer activism with the Noghri reflects the Ewok alliance in VI. Again, just as the prequel trilogy distorts the charm and memorability of its sources the same errors happen here. For the movies it was the fault of evil George Lucas’ shitty screen writing. Here, the ever present compression of source content and abbreviations in all the worst places are to blame.
Whether a result of shoddy workman-ship or the author’s assumption that his audience had never read the novels themselves, the comic adaptation of Dark Force Rising proves Mike Baron to be a charlatan of the most contemptible degree.
While some sloughing off of content is boilerplate for any comic-novel adaptation, its simplifications are questionable at best and detrimental at worst. Motivations are shorn. Action is sped up. And no character ever gets a chance blossom into anything resembling proper character development due to the page count constrictions.
Already butchered at the drawing board step, everything was already wrong from the get go. Yet for all the intrinsic faults of Baron’s second adaptation, its foreshadowing of the faults of the then upcoming trilogy are instructive a harbinger as any. A few examples particularly stuck out at me.
First, the inclusion of politics should always be a no-no for a franchise… you know… for kids. Finding itself uncomfortably smooshed against an intrinsically juvenile vision, the political undermining herein is just as gunky and malfeased at it was in Episode I. While far better developed in the novelization (in which it works well) the systematic compression distorts an otherwise well-constructed plot device. In either case, Star Wars’ heroic vision in which ultimately the good guys always triumph and the bad guys always lose is a poor mismatch for the ethical gray areas of politicking.
Second, just like the second trilogy, the reconstructions of classic scenes of the original, while well meaning, just come across as cardboard redoes more than anything. Luke and Mara’s rescue of Talon Karrde replicate the Death Star escape in IV. And Leia’s community organizer activism with the Noghri reflects the Ewok alliance in VI. Again, just as the prequel trilogy distorts the charm and memorability of its sources the same errors happen here. For the movies it was the fault of evil George Lucas’ shitty screen writing. Here, the ever present compression of source content and abbreviations in all the worst places are to blame.
Whether a result of shoddy workman-ship or the author’s assumption that his audience had never read the novels themselves, the comic adaptation of Dark Force Rising proves Mike Baron to be a charlatan of the most contemptible degree.
January 17, 2019
What a beautifully illustrated comic. I've heard some people prefer the artistic style of the first graphic novel, but I much preferred the realistic look captured here. This added realism helped me become more engrossed in the adventures of Luke, Han, Leia, and all the other familiar and not-so-familiar faces in this adventurous story.
The plot builds from the first novel, and grows more complex as Thrawn weaves his strategy to conquer the galaxy in the wake of the Emperor's death in Return of the Jedi. For that reason, I would only recommend the graphic novel to readers who have already completed the main novel in its original format. This is also my reason for giving it 4 (rather than 5) stars; some scenes are difficult to grasp without having read the corresponding scene in the book. You'll get the gist of it no problem, but not well enough to fully appreciate such a well-celebrated story in the Star Wars universe. Other than that, it was a lot of fun to read and see the scenes brought to life in the artwork. It's a great companion to the book.
The plot builds from the first novel, and grows more complex as Thrawn weaves his strategy to conquer the galaxy in the wake of the Emperor's death in Return of the Jedi. For that reason, I would only recommend the graphic novel to readers who have already completed the main novel in its original format. This is also my reason for giving it 4 (rather than 5) stars; some scenes are difficult to grasp without having read the corresponding scene in the book. You'll get the gist of it no problem, but not well enough to fully appreciate such a well-celebrated story in the Star Wars universe. Other than that, it was a lot of fun to read and see the scenes brought to life in the artwork. It's a great companion to the book.
June 14, 2015
My feelings haven't changed much since the first arc, though I thought this was a little bit worse. I preferred the art from the first part better, especially the noghri and c'baoth. Story wise it was still pretty predictable and a little cheesy, enjoyable for what it is though =] 3.5/5
April 1, 2017
Like the adaptation of Heir to the Empire, there's a choppiness to the narrative that is likely a consequence of paring down a much richer story.
November 13, 2024
the drawings of the noghri are way better in this one
January 6, 2016
After seeing the latest Star Wars film, I was once again drawn to Timothy Zahn's The Thrawn Trilogy. But instead of re-reading it in its original format, I decided to give a try to the graphic novel editions.
Overall, the trilogy was a good read, even though it did not reach the quality of the novels. Many events were sped through a little bit too quickly and sometimes I suspect it might have been difficult to understand certain issues unless you had read the novels already. Nevertheless, for someone familiar with the story, these graphic novels were an excellent way to revisit the storyline without having to re-read the entire series for... I think the fourth time.
With graphic novels, I find that a lot of my enjoyment is dependent on the art. With this series, every graphic novel had a different artists and their styles and quality varied significantly. The first part had perhaps the shakiest art with the characters almost unrecognisable, while the second graphic novel had the best art by Terry Dodson (penciller) and Kevin Nowlan (inker) as well as Pamela Rambo (colorist). Their illustrations were a pleasure to behold. Unfortunately, the last graphic novel's quality was somewhere in the middle of the two other parts.
A minor annoyance was the lettering used in the entire series that required a lot of getting used to with letters U and H too easily confused with each other (mainly confusing U for an H). I didn't get used to them until the third part in the series.
Overall, the trilogy was a good read, even though it did not reach the quality of the novels. Many events were sped through a little bit too quickly and sometimes I suspect it might have been difficult to understand certain issues unless you had read the novels already. Nevertheless, for someone familiar with the story, these graphic novels were an excellent way to revisit the storyline without having to re-read the entire series for... I think the fourth time.
With graphic novels, I find that a lot of my enjoyment is dependent on the art. With this series, every graphic novel had a different artists and their styles and quality varied significantly. The first part had perhaps the shakiest art with the characters almost unrecognisable, while the second graphic novel had the best art by Terry Dodson (penciller) and Kevin Nowlan (inker) as well as Pamela Rambo (colorist). Their illustrations were a pleasure to behold. Unfortunately, the last graphic novel's quality was somewhere in the middle of the two other parts.
A minor annoyance was the lettering used in the entire series that required a lot of getting used to with letters U and H too easily confused with each other (mainly confusing U for an H). I didn't get used to them until the third part in the series.
July 24, 2011
I liked this much better than the Heir to the Empire comics. The illustrations were so much better and made the reading experience much more enjoyable. I still prefer the novels just for the extra information you receive in them, but these were still great.
A must read for Star Wars fans. Even if you've read the novel, this is a fun read just for the visual aspect. If you haven't read the Thrawn trilogy, you really should. Thrawn is quite the menacing foe. The comics don't show quite as much of his tactical intellegence, but they do a pretty good job of capturing it. I just find it suprising that Thrawn never challenged Vader or the Emperor. He could have given them a run for control of the Empire.
Even if you've read the novels, you should read the comic. If you haven't read the novels, I'd say read the comic first, then the novel. That way you have a basic outline, then you can get the meat of the story in the novel. :)
A must read for Star Wars fans. Even if you've read the novel, this is a fun read just for the visual aspect. If you haven't read the Thrawn trilogy, you really should. Thrawn is quite the menacing foe. The comics don't show quite as much of his tactical intellegence, but they do a pretty good job of capturing it. I just find it suprising that Thrawn never challenged Vader or the Emperor. He could have given them a run for control of the Empire.
Even if you've read the novels, you should read the comic. If you haven't read the novels, I'd say read the comic first, then the novel. That way you have a basic outline, then you can get the meat of the story in the novel. :)
February 22, 2016
The only issue I had with this adaptation, which was really good, was how it didn't give the characters' thoughts so well. So some of the intrigue of the politics, of Fel'ya's (sp?) thoughts, and of Mara's hatred of Luke were left out. Other than that, I really enjoyed this.
January 4, 2016
There's another Jedi (or dark Jedi) and is sided with the Grand Admiral Thrawn.
His name is Jorus C'baoth and his power rivals with Luke at this stage
His name is Jorus C'baoth and his power rivals with Luke at this stage
September 19, 2023
Not much of an improvement over "Heir to the Empire", the follow up entry in the "Thrawn Trilogy" remains just as choppy and haphazardly put together. Issues end on random notes instead of a genuine cliffhanger, and the narrative is simply all over the place. I imagine adapting a series of novels into comics poses issues with respect to brevity, but these comics are so hyper compressed they begin to lose any semblance of coherence.
The general plot to "Dark Force Rising" involves Thrawn attempting to hunt down intergalactic smuggler Talon Karrde, while fallen Jedi Master Jorus C'baoth seeks out Luke and Leia in hopes challenging for control of the rebirth of the Jedi Order. But interspersing these main plot points are several smaller missions by other characters that end up convoluting the whole series. I imagine the novel can take its time to flesh these things out, but here it verges on overcomplication. Dodson's artwork is really the main redeeming quality here, but overall there wasn't much to enjoy with "Dark Force Rising".
The general plot to "Dark Force Rising" involves Thrawn attempting to hunt down intergalactic smuggler Talon Karrde, while fallen Jedi Master Jorus C'baoth seeks out Luke and Leia in hopes challenging for control of the rebirth of the Jedi Order. But interspersing these main plot points are several smaller missions by other characters that end up convoluting the whole series. I imagine the novel can take its time to flesh these things out, but here it verges on overcomplication. Dodson's artwork is really the main redeeming quality here, but overall there wasn't much to enjoy with "Dark Force Rising".
February 12, 2024
I adored the books when I read them in the 90's, and I remembered them as the literal best Star Wars, neigh, the best fiction stories I had read in my entire life. However, unfortunately I had a very hard time getting through this series. A lot was removed because of course it had to be truncated for a graphic novel, but it really cut out so much, sometimes you feel completely lost between pages, and especially between books. I am so sad to only rate this as three stars, but I would be hard pressed to recommend this version, even to someone who loves comic books, and also doesn't have the time or desire to read the full novels. The story simply had almost 0 impact on me, and I literally remembered next to nothing about it going in. I really had hoped to relive an amazing childhood memory, and perhaps that is why it felt so flat.
May 23, 2025
The change in illustrators brought some improvements over the first installment. Luke’s lightsaber is correctly shown as green, the Noghri are appropriately scaled, and Leia’s pregnancy is finally acknowledged. The characters also bear a closer resemblance to their film counterparts, which adds a welcome layer of familiarity.
That said, the adaptation still falls short in several key areas. The choice to portray Mara Jade in exaggeratedly sexual poses is entirely unnecessary. The battle scenes have also become more visually chaotic, making them harder to follow. Most notably, Grand Admiral Thrawn remains disappointingly flat. His sharp intellect and magnetic presence from Zahn’s novels are largely lost in translation.
While there are some welcome course corrections, this adaptation still struggles to fully capture the brilliance of Zahn’s original story.
That said, the adaptation still falls short in several key areas. The choice to portray Mara Jade in exaggeratedly sexual poses is entirely unnecessary. The battle scenes have also become more visually chaotic, making them harder to follow. Most notably, Grand Admiral Thrawn remains disappointingly flat. His sharp intellect and magnetic presence from Zahn’s novels are largely lost in translation.
While there are some welcome course corrections, this adaptation still struggles to fully capture the brilliance of Zahn’s original story.
January 26, 2021
After how awful the art in the first HTTE comic adaptation was, I braced myself for this continuation of the story.
So I was pleasantly surprised to see that the artist had changed. I normally don't like when artists change mid-series, but this was a great choice. Everyone is less boxy. Thrawn's face is a bit long, yes, but in a more normal way. it's chiseled. Leia's hair looks right, and her face is much more Carrie-like. Han, Lando, Luke, and Mara all look fantastic.
Like real people.
I like seeing Wedge.
The background art is also great.
Seeing Luke in an Imperial uniform was sexy.
The Katana fleet is a bit meh to me, but I am also not a ship person.
So I was pleasantly surprised to see that the artist had changed. I normally don't like when artists change mid-series, but this was a great choice. Everyone is less boxy. Thrawn's face is a bit long, yes, but in a more normal way. it's chiseled. Leia's hair looks right, and her face is much more Carrie-like. Han, Lando, Luke, and Mara all look fantastic.
Like real people.
I like seeing Wedge.
The background art is also great.
Seeing Luke in an Imperial uniform was sexy.
The Katana fleet is a bit meh to me, but I am also not a ship person.
June 27, 2019
Comic adaptado a la segunda novela perteneciente a la trilogía de thrawn del autor Timothy Zahn en este comic la historia muy parecido a la novela los personajes están siendo perseguidos por el imperio y tienen que separarse para ir a planetas para lograr más aliados para la nueva República, se me hizo un poco lenta la historia en comparación a la primera entrega que es el heredero del imperio debe de ser que han incluido más personajes nuevos y al desarrollarlos toma gran parte de la historia, sólo casi al final del comic es que entramos en acción, el tema político tiene más campo en la historia de esta entrega.
May 29, 2023
I really got a bad feeling about this…
Likte den kanskje bedre enn den første? Huska ikke så mye fra boka, men karakterene hadde mer å gjøre her og liker paralellhandlingene. Tror jeg likte tegnestilen i den forrige bedre, er ikke så glad i at de skal etterligne karakterene fra filmene, selv om dette ikke er noe tilfelle av Star Wars 2014-sagaen, som var helt jævlig. Thrawn er kul, liker han, men hadde jo vært litt mer interessant om han hadde hatt mer interaksjon med heltene våre. Man må jo virkelig studere en fiende for å kjenne dem, må man ikke?
Likte den kanskje bedre enn den første? Huska ikke så mye fra boka, men karakterene hadde mer å gjøre her og liker paralellhandlingene. Tror jeg likte tegnestilen i den forrige bedre, er ikke så glad i at de skal etterligne karakterene fra filmene, selv om dette ikke er noe tilfelle av Star Wars 2014-sagaen, som var helt jævlig. Thrawn er kul, liker han, men hadde jo vært litt mer interessant om han hadde hatt mer interaksjon med heltene våre. Man må jo virkelig studere en fiende for å kjenne dem, må man ikke?
July 19, 2017
The second novel feels way stronger than Heir to the Empire, better plots, a clear understanding of Thrawn's goals and the Noghri act is one of my favorites of the trilogy.
Plus, the art by Terry Dodson is superior in any way and makes anything done by the previous team seem such a missed opportunity for such an important product.
So, in this case both my complaints from the past volume are cleared, and I can bestow the 5 stars to this one.
Plus, the art by Terry Dodson is superior in any way and makes anything done by the previous team seem such a missed opportunity for such an important product.
So, in this case both my complaints from the past volume are cleared, and I can bestow the 5 stars to this one.
March 10, 2024
Me encanta Star Wars, me fascina el Almirante Thrawn y todo lo que gire alrededor del personaje, el arte gráfico es excelente, pero QUÉ CONFUSO TODO. Los diálogos parecen mezclados, o la ilustraciones están mal montadas. Hay escenas que casi no se entienden, el sentido de los textos están para cualquier lado, en fin...
Sé que cuesta adaptar a comic algo tan complejo y bello como los libros de Timothy Zahn,
pero no lo hagan tan difícil, jajaja
Sé que cuesta adaptar a comic algo tan complejo y bello como los libros de Timothy Zahn,
pero no lo hagan tan difícil, jajaja
June 16, 2021
Not having read the book this is based on for a couple years, it was fun to go back and experience it again. The illustrations are pretty good. I especially like Leia and Mara’s costumes and how they aren’t really sexualized. Though Mara does have a habit of always standing with one hip cocked out that I’m not overly fond of.
September 17, 2022
Seconda riduzione a fumetti per Timothy Zahn e la sua trilogia.
La storia prosegue buona, molto articolata, con i protagonisti sparpagliati, ognuno con la sua ricerca o il suo compito da portare a termine. Kevin Nowlan ai disegni non sempre mi ha soddisfatto, ma qui ci riesce bene. Mike Baron buon adattatore del romanzo originale.
3 stelle e mezza.
La storia prosegue buona, molto articolata, con i protagonisti sparpagliati, ognuno con la sua ricerca o il suo compito da portare a termine. Kevin Nowlan ai disegni non sempre mi ha soddisfatto, ma qui ci riesce bene. Mike Baron buon adattatore del romanzo originale.
3 stelle e mezza.
July 26, 2022
Not much more to say than for the first entry in the series, alright adaptation of a good story, similar quirks with the drawing / condensing of the story, but otherwise good to see the interesting characters in action again.
March 2, 2024
It’s been awhile since I’ve read the books, so I had a hard time following the plot. An adaptation should be able to stand on its own, and unfortunately this did not do that. I liked most of the illustrations though.
February 6, 2017
Más confuso que el anterior, si cabe. El Dibujo es correcto, pero la historia un caos. Voy a por el tercero y último. Que la Fuerza me acompañe.
April 20, 2022
More great artwork to flesh out this second chapter of the Thrawn trilogy. This addition doesn’t quite flow as smoothly as Heir to the Empire, but a great read nonetheless!
April 17, 2023
More exciting adventures in the post Return of the Jedi era.
June 21, 2023
slow and longer than it needed to be. I loved the adventures and the ending was fun and action packed.
January 17, 2024
It was good
Read
July 2, 2025Leia gets some great stuff to do here. I think the truncation of the novel into comic form made this one a tougher read. Beautiful art but didn’t flow as well as Heir
December 29, 2020
4.5 stars
April 18, 2014
This is cheap, cheesy, and does not explore anything except using the same clichés of the mega-blast first trilogy, I mean, the second. Pastiches of the original formula... perhaps a "Hero with a Thousand Faces" (not this one), or Plato's cave allegory, or whatever juicy philosophical "Admirable New Worlds" Lucas studied. Anyway, in any terms this sequel doesn't have any of it. Dry as a popcorn hollywood special effects action fantasy blockbuster. Dry as Lucas is since the Ewoks, he became The baron. The rest of this space soap of crap are disciples as the writer of this work, of a looping process of imitating a pseudo-god that after creating a jewel with a gem stone team, became obsessed in controlling his democracy wanting to be emperor. As the program says... Bull... Salve Robot Chicken!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews