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Star Wars: Empire #4
Star Wars: Empire, Vol. 4: The Heart of the Rebellion
She was the catalyst that helped to turn a rag-tag rebellion into the Rebel Alliance. She provided the impetus for the "Heroes of Yavin" in their attack on the Death Star. And she was the spark that ignited the flames of passion in one of the galaxy's most notorious rogues. "She," of course, is Princess Leia, the leader - and heart - of the Rebellion against Palpatine's galactic Empire. The four stories in this volume follow Leia from the weeks just before the events in A New Hope, to the time just before The Empire Strikes Back - from her first transforming experience with armed rebellion, to facing the ramifications of consequences of the destruction of her home planet, to the beginnings of true love.
152 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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January 14, 2021
Star Wars Legends Project #252
Background: The Heart of the Rebellion, released in April of 2005, collects issues 5, 6, and 20-22 of Empire (Feb-Mar 2003 and May-July 2004), plus the one-shot "A Valentine Story" from February of 2003. "Princess... Warrior" (#5-6) was written by Randy Stradley and drawn by Davide Fabbri. "A Little Piece of Home" (#20-21) was written by Ron Marz with art by Tomás Giorello. "Alone Together" (#22) was written by Welles Hartley and drawn by Adriana Melo. "A Valentine Story" was written by Judd Winick with art by Paul Chadwick. Hartley is also the pen name of Randy Stradley, who wrote dozens of issues of various Star Wars runs, including most of Dark Times. Fabbri is a frequent collaborator, in addition to drawing for a few dozen other issues. Marz has written over a dozen issues, about half for the Empire run. Giorello has done covers and interior art for a number of issues of both Empire and Republic and a few other things. Melo also did several issues for Empire and Chadwick actually wrote several issues (despite drawing here). Winick has no other Star Wars credits.
The Heart of the Rebellion has stories set a few days before and 6 months after the Battle of Yavin (and one perhaps much later). The main character is Princess Leia, but Darth Vader, Han, Luke, Chewie, and the rest all appear at various points. The stories take place on Ralltiir, a moon of Ryloth, Hoth, and various other places.
Summary: The Rebellion has many heroes, but Leia Organa is its heart. Here we see why that is, with a glimpse into events that shaped her as a leader, the risks she takes, the burdens she shoulders, and the people she leans on for friendship and support . . . and maybe something more.
Review: There's usually a lot of variation in quality in a volume with several stories by different authors, but I have to say I really enjoyed all of these. I guess I'll just take them briefly one at a time . . .
In "Princess... Warrior," we see Princess Leia undertaking one of the "mercy missions" she's apparently known for, but as a cover (of course) for supplying local Rebels. What I liked most about this story is that it really pays attention to how young Leia is, and addresses the fact that she comes from a "peaceful planet" with "no weapons" . . . and then shows a key moment in her transformation into the warrior that we see in the films. We see her confront the reality that she can't find a peaceful solution to every problem, really grapple with the cost of command in combat, and with how hard it is for her to order others to risk their lives instead of herself. It felt very faithful to the character, while showing a point in her development that we haven't seen before, and I thought it was great.
"A Little Piece of Home" is probably my least favorite of the stories, though it's still not bad. Looking for a new home for the Rebels, Leia visits some old friends, two brothers she grew up with, who survived the destruction of Alderaan because they were off-world on a private game preserve they own on an otherwise uninhabited moon. They want her to join them and get out of the current of major galactic events that have cost them so much, while she is hard-pressed to ask them to potentially sacrifice even more. And, of course, one of the brothers is her sort-of ex. The two of them end up stranded in a distant corner of the preserve, which is stocked with many dangerous critters, and have to fight their way back to safety on foot.
I liked the way the story puts Leia in an intense emotional situation where she has to deal with a lot of personal grief and tragedy while also confronting actual danger . . . but the actual concept for the story is pretty contrived, and the whole "Leia's ex-boyfriend" angle is meh.
In "Alone Together," Leia is supposed to be heading to an important diplomatic meeting, but a surprise attack by the Imperials scatters the Rebels and she ends up on the run with Han, Luke, Chewie, and a starry-eyed young Rebel recruit. This being a single issue, there's not a lot to this story, but what makes it fun is that the whole thing is told from the perspective of the young recruit, who provides an outsider perspective on the special bond between the classic Star Wars heroes . . . and there's a fun little episodic adventure romp, as well.
Finally, "A Valentine Story" turns up the heat on Han and Leia's will-they-won't-they romantic tension when they crash during what was supposed to be a routine supply run to the surface of Hoth. Not much happens in the story, it's mostly about exploring the relationship between these two characters, but they are very well written, and this really sets up the emotional landscape of the fight we see Han and Leia having during the first few minutes of The Empire Strikes Back.
A very solid collection of stories with a lot of variety, but all starring Princess Leia . . . I don't know what more you'd want.
A-
Background: The Heart of the Rebellion, released in April of 2005, collects issues 5, 6, and 20-22 of Empire (Feb-Mar 2003 and May-July 2004), plus the one-shot "A Valentine Story" from February of 2003. "Princess... Warrior" (#5-6) was written by Randy Stradley and drawn by Davide Fabbri. "A Little Piece of Home" (#20-21) was written by Ron Marz with art by Tomás Giorello. "Alone Together" (#22) was written by Welles Hartley and drawn by Adriana Melo. "A Valentine Story" was written by Judd Winick with art by Paul Chadwick. Hartley is also the pen name of Randy Stradley, who wrote dozens of issues of various Star Wars runs, including most of Dark Times. Fabbri is a frequent collaborator, in addition to drawing for a few dozen other issues. Marz has written over a dozen issues, about half for the Empire run. Giorello has done covers and interior art for a number of issues of both Empire and Republic and a few other things. Melo also did several issues for Empire and Chadwick actually wrote several issues (despite drawing here). Winick has no other Star Wars credits.
The Heart of the Rebellion has stories set a few days before and 6 months after the Battle of Yavin (and one perhaps much later). The main character is Princess Leia, but Darth Vader, Han, Luke, Chewie, and the rest all appear at various points. The stories take place on Ralltiir, a moon of Ryloth, Hoth, and various other places.
Summary: The Rebellion has many heroes, but Leia Organa is its heart. Here we see why that is, with a glimpse into events that shaped her as a leader, the risks she takes, the burdens she shoulders, and the people she leans on for friendship and support . . . and maybe something more.
Review: There's usually a lot of variation in quality in a volume with several stories by different authors, but I have to say I really enjoyed all of these. I guess I'll just take them briefly one at a time . . .
In "Princess... Warrior," we see Princess Leia undertaking one of the "mercy missions" she's apparently known for, but as a cover (of course) for supplying local Rebels. What I liked most about this story is that it really pays attention to how young Leia is, and addresses the fact that she comes from a "peaceful planet" with "no weapons" . . . and then shows a key moment in her transformation into the warrior that we see in the films. We see her confront the reality that she can't find a peaceful solution to every problem, really grapple with the cost of command in combat, and with how hard it is for her to order others to risk their lives instead of herself. It felt very faithful to the character, while showing a point in her development that we haven't seen before, and I thought it was great.
"A Little Piece of Home" is probably my least favorite of the stories, though it's still not bad. Looking for a new home for the Rebels, Leia visits some old friends, two brothers she grew up with, who survived the destruction of Alderaan because they were off-world on a private game preserve they own on an otherwise uninhabited moon. They want her to join them and get out of the current of major galactic events that have cost them so much, while she is hard-pressed to ask them to potentially sacrifice even more. And, of course, one of the brothers is her sort-of ex. The two of them end up stranded in a distant corner of the preserve, which is stocked with many dangerous critters, and have to fight their way back to safety on foot.
I liked the way the story puts Leia in an intense emotional situation where she has to deal with a lot of personal grief and tragedy while also confronting actual danger . . . but the actual concept for the story is pretty contrived, and the whole "Leia's ex-boyfriend" angle is meh.
In "Alone Together," Leia is supposed to be heading to an important diplomatic meeting, but a surprise attack by the Imperials scatters the Rebels and she ends up on the run with Han, Luke, Chewie, and a starry-eyed young Rebel recruit. This being a single issue, there's not a lot to this story, but what makes it fun is that the whole thing is told from the perspective of the young recruit, who provides an outsider perspective on the special bond between the classic Star Wars heroes . . . and there's a fun little episodic adventure romp, as well.
Finally, "A Valentine Story" turns up the heat on Han and Leia's will-they-won't-they romantic tension when they crash during what was supposed to be a routine supply run to the surface of Hoth. Not much happens in the story, it's mostly about exploring the relationship between these two characters, but they are very well written, and this really sets up the emotional landscape of the fight we see Han and Leia having during the first few minutes of The Empire Strikes Back.
A very solid collection of stories with a lot of variety, but all starring Princess Leia . . . I don't know what more you'd want.
A-
September 19, 2017
Princess Warrior - 3 stars
As far as I understand, this arc is the elaboration of a reference in the ANH radio play? It's not the best depiction of Leia out there but it's a pretty solid arc, building Leia's work in the period just before the movie. It sets up the Tantive 4 as a "blockade runner" and the boiling tension of diplomatic work as a Senator in a time when open conflict is already starting to manifest. It also features a minor but welcome humanized depiction of an Imperial officer, lingering on his suffering in a way that would never really happen in a time of open war or in a lesser book.
The art is good, with some very colorful environments, great ship depictions, and smoke and light used to good effect. The only problem is that the faces are ugly to the point of looking kind of melted and derpy. Leia is unrecognizable in a lot of these panels.
A Little Piece of Home - 2 stars
I'm not sure exactly what, but something really rubs me the wrong way about this one. I mean, I guess it's the aggressive romantic pressure from the skeevy ex-bf, mostly. But it also just doesn't have a lot of good stuff--the whole hunting trip thing is boring and Leia's arc is blah.
Alone Together - 4 stars
Another comic with a narrator, and again used to novel and interesting effect. Deena is an endearing character--you'd think ppl having crushes on the movie-star-looking heroes of the Rebellion would come up more often, in fact--and her voice makes this otherwise-trivial story something worth telling. As these narrated stories often do, it focuses attention not on the action but on character study and relationships in a really nice and wholesome way.
As far as I understand, this arc is the elaboration of a reference in the ANH radio play? It's not the best depiction of Leia out there but it's a pretty solid arc, building Leia's work in the period just before the movie. It sets up the Tantive 4 as a "blockade runner" and the boiling tension of diplomatic work as a Senator in a time when open conflict is already starting to manifest. It also features a minor but welcome humanized depiction of an Imperial officer, lingering on his suffering in a way that would never really happen in a time of open war or in a lesser book.
The art is good, with some very colorful environments, great ship depictions, and smoke and light used to good effect. The only problem is that the faces are ugly to the point of looking kind of melted and derpy. Leia is unrecognizable in a lot of these panels.
A Little Piece of Home - 2 stars
I'm not sure exactly what, but something really rubs me the wrong way about this one. I mean, I guess it's the aggressive romantic pressure from the skeevy ex-bf, mostly. But it also just doesn't have a lot of good stuff--the whole hunting trip thing is boring and Leia's arc is blah.
Alone Together - 4 stars
Another comic with a narrator, and again used to novel and interesting effect. Deena is an endearing character--you'd think ppl having crushes on the movie-star-looking heroes of the Rebellion would come up more often, in fact--and her voice makes this otherwise-trivial story something worth telling. As these narrated stories often do, it focuses attention not on the action but on character study and relationships in a really nice and wholesome way.
April 15, 2019
The Heart of the Rebellion features a handful of adequate Princess Leia stories where Her Highness learns hard lessons about being the leader of a rebellion. In one story, she must send troops into battle without accompanying them, learning that her presence would only distract. In another, her search for a new base for the Rebellion only brings the war to the doorstep of an old friend. These tales get the psychological drama right, but are generally just okay when it comes to compelling plots.
The final two stories in The Heart of the Rebellion feature plenty of Han/Leia bickering/courtship, although the first yarn holds up poorly in the light of modern feminism. If literal hearts appear above the head of a swooning female character when Han enters the room, you know you're in a bad place. The last tale is better mostly because it has a complete character arc for both Han and Leia. It's probably the best story of the bunch. I'm really hopeful that this Empire series will eventually include something more long-form, though.
The final two stories in The Heart of the Rebellion feature plenty of Han/Leia bickering/courtship, although the first yarn holds up poorly in the light of modern feminism. If literal hearts appear above the head of a swooning female character when Han enters the room, you know you're in a bad place. The last tale is better mostly because it has a complete character arc for both Han and Leia. It's probably the best story of the bunch. I'm really hopeful that this Empire series will eventually include something more long-form, though.
July 26, 2020
Re-read - pretty sure I read this in the library once upon a time.
Please note that this comic series is now part of Legends, and is no longer canon within the Star Wars expanded universe.
We have four quick tales in this volume based around Leia:
1) Leia, already a skilled diplomat, sees military action for the first time;
2) Leia tries to advance the Rebellion's cause and faces her part in Alderaan's destruction;
3) Mary Sue gets to hang out with our fab heroes;
4) Han and Leia argue and get closer.
The art of the last story in particular took me a while to warm up to and the cover art is a bit janky but, once again, I liked the mix of stories and art styles. I do note that every single story in this volume has at least undertones of Leia being desirable or a love interest ... I'll overlook this for now but I'm keen to see stories with her where this doesn't come up at all: no one expresses interest, no one pursues, nothing. On to the next volume!
Please note that this comic series is now part of Legends, and is no longer canon within the Star Wars expanded universe.
We have four quick tales in this volume based around Leia:
1) Leia, already a skilled diplomat, sees military action for the first time;
2) Leia tries to advance the Rebellion's cause and faces her part in Alderaan's destruction;
3) Mary Sue gets to hang out with our fab heroes;
4) Han and Leia argue and get closer.
The art of the last story in particular took me a while to warm up to and the cover art is a bit janky but, once again, I liked the mix of stories and art styles. I do note that every single story in this volume has at least undertones of Leia being desirable or a love interest ... I'll overlook this for now but I'm keen to see stories with her where this doesn't come up at all: no one expresses interest, no one pursues, nothing. On to the next volume!
May 19, 2024
This volume contains Leia-centric stories, which are for the most part enjoyable or offer some food for thought. But the dialogue is a little off, particularly the banter between Han and Leia (will any comic script writer ever get it right?) and some of the art was ridiculously sexist (female characters forced into silly positions).
August 30, 2013
Princess Leia as a rebel leader, what's not to love? Well it really all depends on who does the writing. I'm going to edit each of the four stories individually, it's fair that way and make a general rating for the graphic novel as a whole. Trust me, there's amazing in the book and then there's god awful as well, so bear with me.
"Princess... Warrior" Princess warrior, oh how nothing could be further from the truth, it should be called princess pathetic. I am deeply upset about how they portrayed Leia. It was the absolute worst portrayal of Leia I have ever seen. There WAS NOTHING that resonated the sassy, strong qualities that make Leia so awesome in Star Wars. This "Leia" is weak, a cry baby, and so freakin' melodramatic I had to torture my self into continuing to read. The story was crap, cheap action with a side of pathetic melodrama topped off with forced, unliklely imperial intervention. This story was bad. A sexy girl dies a meaningless death in support of the rebel alliance and it's made out to be a whole emotional scene just b/c she had a conversation with Leia and has tons of cleavage. This was a terrible story the end. 1 star
"A Little Piece of Home" Someone "special" always has to die it seems in a Star Wars graphic novel; the Clone Wars Series is notorious for this. Unfortunately the same thing goes in this tale of Leia meeting her old boyfriend. That sounds bad, but the story was actually pretty good. Leia acts like Leia (thank God). This story felt real in the sense, the good guys don't always win and everyone has their own opinions. A lot of the time it seems a lot of characters have the same opinion on issues in Star Wars, but a remorseful, independent opinion on the destruction of Alderaan was really cool. The character interaction between her and her ex-boyfriend was pretty good. It's really too bad he died, it didn't feel necessary, but that's just me. 4 stars
"Alone Together" I love this story, one of my favorites I've read. I don't find it very dense or deep, but the character interaction between Han and Leia is golden and priceless, like as good as the movies, and that's one of my highlights of the movies, so if a writer can pull it off and make it feel original, kudos to them, kudos to them. I really liked the artwork and had a blast reading the whole story. It was also fun seeing a girl have a crush on Han. 5 stars
"Breaking the Ice" When I saw the cover I was skeptic, Han and Leia cuddling in a blanket? What brought them there, so I read to if I'd buy it. It wasn't perfect but it was believable, Leia doesn't just jump into Han's arms. No, she's still the resistant and feisty Leia we know and love. I didn't like Han's whiny outburst but then again if your comrade was out on the cold maybe you'd get fussy... Nah, Han should be above to whining. It has it's good and "meh" parts but was overall enjoyable. 3 stars
Well it's a tough call. The average score is 3.25, rounded, it's 3. The third story is amazing but the first really just sucks. I guess I'll stick with 3 stars.
"Princess... Warrior" Princess warrior, oh how nothing could be further from the truth, it should be called princess pathetic. I am deeply upset about how they portrayed Leia. It was the absolute worst portrayal of Leia I have ever seen. There WAS NOTHING that resonated the sassy, strong qualities that make Leia so awesome in Star Wars. This "Leia" is weak, a cry baby, and so freakin' melodramatic I had to torture my self into continuing to read. The story was crap, cheap action with a side of pathetic melodrama topped off with forced, unliklely imperial intervention. This story was bad. A sexy girl dies a meaningless death in support of the rebel alliance and it's made out to be a whole emotional scene just b/c she had a conversation with Leia and has tons of cleavage. This was a terrible story the end. 1 star
"A Little Piece of Home" Someone "special" always has to die it seems in a Star Wars graphic novel; the Clone Wars Series is notorious for this. Unfortunately the same thing goes in this tale of Leia meeting her old boyfriend. That sounds bad, but the story was actually pretty good. Leia acts like Leia (thank God). This story felt real in the sense, the good guys don't always win and everyone has their own opinions. A lot of the time it seems a lot of characters have the same opinion on issues in Star Wars, but a remorseful, independent opinion on the destruction of Alderaan was really cool. The character interaction between her and her ex-boyfriend was pretty good. It's really too bad he died, it didn't feel necessary, but that's just me. 4 stars
"Alone Together" I love this story, one of my favorites I've read. I don't find it very dense or deep, but the character interaction between Han and Leia is golden and priceless, like as good as the movies, and that's one of my highlights of the movies, so if a writer can pull it off and make it feel original, kudos to them, kudos to them. I really liked the artwork and had a blast reading the whole story. It was also fun seeing a girl have a crush on Han. 5 stars
"Breaking the Ice" When I saw the cover I was skeptic, Han and Leia cuddling in a blanket? What brought them there, so I read to if I'd buy it. It wasn't perfect but it was believable, Leia doesn't just jump into Han's arms. No, she's still the resistant and feisty Leia we know and love. I didn't like Han's whiny outburst but then again if your comrade was out on the cold maybe you'd get fussy... Nah, Han should be above to whining. It has it's good and "meh" parts but was overall enjoyable. 3 stars
Well it's a tough call. The average score is 3.25, rounded, it's 3. The third story is amazing but the first really just sucks. I guess I'll stick with 3 stars.
August 5, 2011
If you are at all familiar with Star Wars, you probably know the name Princess Leia Organa. She definitely inspired many of the Rebellion to strive under difficult circumstances. She takes center stage in this volume of a great graphic novel series. She is highlighted in a series of four short stories included.
The focus of most of the tales highlights her growing feelings toward Han Solo, despite their many differences. While they would seem to spend most of their time arguing, it is clearly a mask as they try to hide their tree love.
The first of the tales has Chewie, Han, and Leia on the run after the Rebel fleet has been attacked by the Imperial navy. They are joined by a young new recruit for the Rebellion who has her eyes on Han, though she quickly realizes that she probably doesn't have a chance since he is already spoken for.
In another story, Leia, Chewie, and Han have agreed to fly a pair of much-needed ships down to the new Rebel base on Hoth, only to get caught up in a really nasty storm. Han and Leia crash in their ship with serious concerns about whether they can survive the cold. Since Chewie's ship went down first, they can only wonder if he is still alive.
A third story reunites Leia with a childhood beau while trying to help the Rebels find a new secret base. She arrives to find him and his brother on a swamp world that is seemingly uninhabitable. It turns out that the feelings between them have not totally faded, but will that be enough to keep them alive when things go terribly wrong on a pleasure safari through the wilderness?
The final story really focuses on the Rebel leader Leia has become. Set only a few weeks before the events in A New Hope, Leia is trying to run some medical supplies and weapons for the Rebels. After almost getting caught at the delivery point, she (along with her ship and crew) flee to a resort planet, where she finds some unexpected allies. But what will happen to paradise when the Empire turns up in force?
I have to admit that Princess Leia always held a special place in my heart. These stories do provide a fresh look at some aspects of her as a character that we have not yet seen. It is not easy to provide character development for a character that has been around for almost 25 years and exposure through a number of movies and books.
This was another page turner.
The focus of most of the tales highlights her growing feelings toward Han Solo, despite their many differences. While they would seem to spend most of their time arguing, it is clearly a mask as they try to hide their tree love.
The first of the tales has Chewie, Han, and Leia on the run after the Rebel fleet has been attacked by the Imperial navy. They are joined by a young new recruit for the Rebellion who has her eyes on Han, though she quickly realizes that she probably doesn't have a chance since he is already spoken for.
In another story, Leia, Chewie, and Han have agreed to fly a pair of much-needed ships down to the new Rebel base on Hoth, only to get caught up in a really nasty storm. Han and Leia crash in their ship with serious concerns about whether they can survive the cold. Since Chewie's ship went down first, they can only wonder if he is still alive.
A third story reunites Leia with a childhood beau while trying to help the Rebels find a new secret base. She arrives to find him and his brother on a swamp world that is seemingly uninhabitable. It turns out that the feelings between them have not totally faded, but will that be enough to keep them alive when things go terribly wrong on a pleasure safari through the wilderness?
The final story really focuses on the Rebel leader Leia has become. Set only a few weeks before the events in A New Hope, Leia is trying to run some medical supplies and weapons for the Rebels. After almost getting caught at the delivery point, she (along with her ship and crew) flee to a resort planet, where she finds some unexpected allies. But what will happen to paradise when the Empire turns up in force?
I have to admit that Princess Leia always held a special place in my heart. These stories do provide a fresh look at some aspects of her as a character that we have not yet seen. It is not easy to provide character development for a character that has been around for almost 25 years and exposure through a number of movies and books.
This was another page turner.
August 9, 2016
Quick reading fun for Star Wars and Princess/General Leia fans. This is older material from before and after "A New Hope," but I'm just now doing some catching up. This graphic novel contains four stories and the artwork is hit or miss regarding how much the characters look like the actors who played them. But the stories are action-packed with a teeny bit of character development outside of official canon. Great, light summer reading!
June 17, 2010
This was an OK volume of stories, but nothing really moved me. Some of the art was decent, but too cartoon-y for my personal taste. The last story had absolutely terrible art. Worse than the Tales of the Jedi Kevin J. Anderson comics.
May 20, 2010
A pretty good collection about Princess Leia. My favorite story was the last one with her and Han. Han let's Leia see the love he has for Chewie when he thinks the wookiee has crashed and needs his help. I guess I'm a sucker for a good love story.
July 24, 2011
Great look into the character of Princess Leia Organa. Shows a bit of her time before the battle of Yavin and a few snips from after that time. Even a slight glimps into the beginnings of her softening toward Han.
Well written story lines and nice illustrations.
Well written story lines and nice illustrations.
January 18, 2017
Leaia and her role in the rebellion, especially her reluctance to jump into the fray at first is brilliantly captured in this one off story. I think the most fascinating part about these books is just how much the odds were heavily against the Rebels.
October 21, 2020
Princess Leia has been a role model hero of mine since I was a little girl. To read a story where she is a jealous, sexy caricature of a woman made me want to throw the book out the window. Which is really too bad because the other stories were good, why that one was included is beyond me.
Read
July 5, 2010SW empire v.4
March 15, 2012
Has some good back story on everyone's favorite princess.
July 9, 2016
This was kind of all over the place. It was four different stories about Leia, all from different writers/artists. When the characterization was good, I enjoyed it, but it was very hit and miss.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews