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Star Wars Legends Epic Collection #35
Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Rebellion, Vol. 1
When Death Star falls, what will happen next for the galaxy? Find out in this collection of tales set in the immediate aftermath of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope! Stinging from defeat, Darth Vader is consumed with tracking down the Force-strong young pilot who destroyed his battle station. What would it mean for the Empire if Vader and the evil Emperor Palpatine discover Luke Skywalker's identity? With the Rebellion emboldened, Princess Leia leads a stealth squadron, Han Solo and Chewbacca face off against the bounty hunter Boba Fett, and Luke and Wedge Antilles infiltrate an Imperial Destroyer. Witness the continuing adventures of everyone's favorite Star Wars heroes and villains!
COLLECTING: STAR WARS: EMPIRE 7, 14, 16-18; STAR WARS: VADER'S QUEST 1-4; STAR WARS (2013) 1-12
COLLECTING: STAR WARS: EMPIRE 7, 14, 16-18; STAR WARS: VADER'S QUEST 1-4; STAR WARS (2013) 1-12
504 pages, Paperback
Published June 21, 2016
54 people are currently reading
169 people want to read
About the author
John Wagner
1,287 books191 followersJohn Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since. He is best known for his work on 2000 AD, for which he created Judge Dredd. He is noted for his taut, violent thrillers and his black humour. Among his pseudonyms are The best known are John Howard, T.B. Grover, Mike Stott, Keef Ripley, Rick Clark and Brian Skuter. (Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 10, 2019
The Good: I love Star Wars in pretty much any form, and most of these comics were a blast! Seeing what happened in between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back made for great reading. The artwork was mostly excellent, and it was fun to see all these old issues collected together in one volume.
The Bad: Since the artwork styles varied from comic to comic, there was one or two that had poorly drawn graphics in my opinion. Also, a few scenes were bloody, and there was a profanity or two, which may make parents wary about handing this to young children.
Content Concerns:
Sex: A scene of flirting. 4/5
Nudity: Slight cleavage or midriff, at worst. 4/5
Language: A profanity or two, plus some name-calling. 4/5
Violence: Sci-fi action violence throughout, which is to be expected; some bloody scenes, which may surprise some people. 2/5
Drugs: Minor references to drinking, at worst. 4/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: Along with the violence, plenty of scenes or peril and scary characters, including Darth Vader.
Score: 4/5
The Bad: Since the artwork styles varied from comic to comic, there was one or two that had poorly drawn graphics in my opinion. Also, a few scenes were bloody, and there was a profanity or two, which may make parents wary about handing this to young children.
Content Concerns:
Sex: A scene of flirting. 4/5
Nudity: Slight cleavage or midriff, at worst. 4/5
Language: A profanity or two, plus some name-calling. 4/5
Violence: Sci-fi action violence throughout, which is to be expected; some bloody scenes, which may surprise some people. 2/5
Drugs: Minor references to drinking, at worst. 4/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: Along with the violence, plenty of scenes or peril and scary characters, including Darth Vader.
Score: 4/5
June 24, 2024
Star Wars comics as it should be, prior to the Dark Disney takeover. Excellent art with good stories regarding the movie characters.
January 27, 2018
I enjoyed reading this compilation of comics from when Dark Horse owned the license. It kind of reminded me of when Dark Horse would periodically choose specific comics from the original Marvel run and sort-of "improve upon them" by messing with some of the artwork while adding those Marvel stories to the "official canon" that Dark Horse was creating. The artwork was pretty hit-and-miss for me until the last twelve issues in the volume; that was pretty good AND consistently good the entire run of that series. Marvel clearly picked and chose amongst the Dark Horse series what it was going to compile and collect in this compilation, which is fine. It would still have been interesting to know why Marvel chose the specific stories in this compilation for this compilation and not other stories.
The various issues from Dark Horse's Empire series were pretty hit-and-miss for me in terms of the artwork, but I did enjoy the stories themselves.
The next story had to do with Vader's 'quest' to find out the name of the pilot who destroyed the Death Star.
I really enjoyed the "final" twelve issues of Dark Horse's license before it switched over to Marvel. The artwork was great; the storyline was entertaining; I wish they had been able to continue the series for another twelve issues or so
Overall, it was a fun read. A strong three stars, if not higher (but not higher than 3.5 and rounded down). I could see myself reading it again, sometime, in the future.
The various issues from Dark Horse's Empire series were pretty hit-and-miss for me in terms of the artwork, but I did enjoy the stories themselves.
The next story had to do with Vader's 'quest' to find out the name of the pilot who destroyed the Death Star.
I really enjoyed the "final" twelve issues of Dark Horse's license before it switched over to Marvel. The artwork was great; the storyline was entertaining; I wish they had been able to continue the series for another twelve issues or so
Overall, it was a fun read. A strong three stars, if not higher (but not higher than 3.5 and rounded down). I could see myself reading it again, sometime, in the future.
November 6, 2020
It’s been a long time time since I’ve read any Star Wars comics, and even longer since I’ve enjoyed any of them. Thankfully The Rebellion, vol.1 puts a stop to that trend and puts this franchise back in my good graces.
That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise though. When Dark Horse had the rights to Star Wars the vast majority of their publications were pretty good, especially towards the end of their run...and in this first collection, that’s on clear display.
Aside from the opening Vader issue from Empire, I’ll admit that the first 150-200 pages of The Rebellion is a bit hit or miss both with story and art work, but once the self titled Star Wars series by Brian Wood takes place, things get a whole lot better.I
Wood’s Star Wars, chronicling the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Yavin and the Rebel Alliance’s search for a new base, showcases just how great of a potential this franchise had...before Disney came in and took a steaming dump on it. Unlike the new “woke” agenda that many Star Wars writers now posses, Wood understood the complexity and greatness of Lucas’s vision and went with a story that made sense, looked good (thanks to the artists), and was overall a ton of fun to read, both in scope and in the things it explained.
That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise though. When Dark Horse had the rights to Star Wars the vast majority of their publications were pretty good, especially towards the end of their run...and in this first collection, that’s on clear display.
Aside from the opening Vader issue from Empire, I’ll admit that the first 150-200 pages of The Rebellion is a bit hit or miss both with story and art work, but once the self titled Star Wars series by Brian Wood takes place, things get a whole lot better.I
Wood’s Star Wars, chronicling the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Yavin and the Rebel Alliance’s search for a new base, showcases just how great of a potential this franchise had...before Disney came in and took a steaming dump on it. Unlike the new “woke” agenda that many Star Wars writers now posses, Wood understood the complexity and greatness of Lucas’s vision and went with a story that made sense, looked good (thanks to the artists), and was overall a ton of fun to read, both in scope and in the things it explained.
August 9, 2016
Public library copy.
I enjoyed these stories more than I thought I would. It was great to see a Cam Kennedy drawn story again featuring Boba Fett as I have not seen any new work from him since his old Punisher graphic novel and his other Star Wars work, which date all the way back to when Dark Horse first got the SW publishing license. I liked that I had an opportunity to finally read Dave Gibbons' multi-part Darth Vader story. And the Brian Wood tale was excellent and on par with the quality of work Marvel now publishes since the license left Dark Horse and landed back with Marvel AKA Disney. It's interesting how some aspects of the material contained herein got recycled into Jason Aaron's SW work and the film The Force Awakens.
I enjoyed these stories more than I thought I would. It was great to see a Cam Kennedy drawn story again featuring Boba Fett as I have not seen any new work from him since his old Punisher graphic novel and his other Star Wars work, which date all the way back to when Dark Horse first got the SW publishing license. I liked that I had an opportunity to finally read Dave Gibbons' multi-part Darth Vader story. And the Brian Wood tale was excellent and on par with the quality of work Marvel now publishes since the license left Dark Horse and landed back with Marvel AKA Disney. It's interesting how some aspects of the material contained herein got recycled into Jason Aaron's SW work and the film The Force Awakens.
February 3, 2020
A reminder of just how good Marvel's run of Star Wars comics has been.
The majority of this collection is taken up by the start of Dark Horse's 2013 series, titled simply "Star Wars" and marketed as a return to good, honest, bread-and-butter SW after years of series with increasingly tangential links to the movies.
A nice idea, but it's so damn slow. There's a lot of intrigue on spaceships that feels more like Battlestar Galactica and a lot of fiddling with made-up tech that feels more like Star Trek. Han spends most of the run crawling through a single action sequence. There's an interesting central mystery, but it's overextended and the reveal doesn't pay for your patience.
It doesn't help that Marvel's two 2015 flagship series (Star Wars again, and Darth Vader) were built on exactly the same premise and executed it much better. Those series (particularly under Kieron Gillen) built their drama as tragedy: we know where things end up (because anyone reading the book has presumably seen The Empire Strikes Back), so how do you use that to create dramatic irony?
This series, by contrast, levels empty threats (no, Leia isn't going to die) and gestures towards future developments without mining them for any sort of drama (oh look, it's Endor). Like a lot of late-period Legends stuff, it feels overly conscious of everything that's already been written, restrained from making any big swings.
The result is a high-profile relaunch that is long, drawn-out and inconsequential.
N.B. Worth mentioning the accompanying strips that open the collection. They're imperfect but a bit more interesting. "To the Last Man", in particular, offers an unusual take on the rank-and-file Imperial officers, exemplifying the Empire's internal rot through the story of one good soldier.
The majority of this collection is taken up by the start of Dark Horse's 2013 series, titled simply "Star Wars" and marketed as a return to good, honest, bread-and-butter SW after years of series with increasingly tangential links to the movies.
A nice idea, but it's so damn slow. There's a lot of intrigue on spaceships that feels more like Battlestar Galactica and a lot of fiddling with made-up tech that feels more like Star Trek. Han spends most of the run crawling through a single action sequence. There's an interesting central mystery, but it's overextended and the reveal doesn't pay for your patience.
It doesn't help that Marvel's two 2015 flagship series (Star Wars again, and Darth Vader) were built on exactly the same premise and executed it much better. Those series (particularly under Kieron Gillen) built their drama as tragedy: we know where things end up (because anyone reading the book has presumably seen The Empire Strikes Back), so how do you use that to create dramatic irony?
This series, by contrast, levels empty threats (no, Leia isn't going to die) and gestures towards future developments without mining them for any sort of drama (oh look, it's Endor). Like a lot of late-period Legends stuff, it feels overly conscious of everything that's already been written, restrained from making any big swings.
The result is a high-profile relaunch that is long, drawn-out and inconsequential.
N.B. Worth mentioning the accompanying strips that open the collection. They're imperfect but a bit more interesting. "To the Last Man", in particular, offers an unusual take on the rank-and-file Imperial officers, exemplifying the Empire's internal rot through the story of one good soldier.
December 12, 2023
Aqui começam as edições publicadas pela Marvel nos últimos anos, não tem mais aquelas loucuras da Dark Horse - que eram bem divertidas, diga-se de passagem -, há uma clara mudança na direção da franquia com o estilo Marvel de gibi.
As histórias aqui são logo depois da batalha de Yavin com a derrota imperial e a destruição da primeira Estrela da Morte. Claro, o Império não faz propaganda dessa derrota, então as primeiras histórias são sobre os soldados imperiais descobrindo que a coisa não é tão boa assim.
Tem uma história muito boa; Até o último homem; sobre um destacamento imperial que precisa enfrentar um exército de homens lagartos ou coisa assim em outro planeta e um dos soldados imperiais é corajoso, carismático, manja dos paranauê da guerra e faz toda a parada acontecer enquanto a burocracia militar dica com o cu na mão. É difícil admitir, mas dá vontade de torcer pelo rapaz, mas ele é do império, então... tem mais que se foder mesmo.
Tem algumas histórias sobre o Darth Vader se tornando líder de uma matilha de hienas e descobrindo que tem destruiu a Estrela da Morte foi um tal de Skywalker que, como todo mundo sabe quem são os Skywalkers do grande Casos de Família que é a história do Império, perde toda a carga dramática.
Depois tem uma história focada no Luke e na Leia e que vai dar origem ao Rogue Squadron dos video games, tem alguns bons momentos, mas ninguém vai acreditar no clima entre os irmãos porque não é um gibi do Mark Millar nem do Loebão do Ultimato.
No geral eu diria que é divertido, o maior problema é que, como se sabe o fim da história, a carga dramática vai por água abaixo.
As histórias aqui são logo depois da batalha de Yavin com a derrota imperial e a destruição da primeira Estrela da Morte. Claro, o Império não faz propaganda dessa derrota, então as primeiras histórias são sobre os soldados imperiais descobrindo que a coisa não é tão boa assim.
Tem uma história muito boa; Até o último homem; sobre um destacamento imperial que precisa enfrentar um exército de homens lagartos ou coisa assim em outro planeta e um dos soldados imperiais é corajoso, carismático, manja dos paranauê da guerra e faz toda a parada acontecer enquanto a burocracia militar dica com o cu na mão. É difícil admitir, mas dá vontade de torcer pelo rapaz, mas ele é do império, então... tem mais que se foder mesmo.
Tem algumas histórias sobre o Darth Vader se tornando líder de uma matilha de hienas e descobrindo que tem destruiu a Estrela da Morte foi um tal de Skywalker que, como todo mundo sabe quem são os Skywalkers do grande Casos de Família que é a história do Império, perde toda a carga dramática.
Depois tem uma história focada no Luke e na Leia e que vai dar origem ao Rogue Squadron dos video games, tem alguns bons momentos, mas ninguém vai acreditar no clima entre os irmãos porque não é um gibi do Mark Millar nem do Loebão do Ultimato.
No geral eu diria que é divertido, o maior problema é que, como se sabe o fim da história, a carga dramática vai por água abaixo.
October 9, 2023
The stories in this collection were wildly inconsistent, with the strongest couple of tales placed at the beginning of the book, and the collection growing weaker towards the end.
The tales about Luke and Vader shortly after the Battle of Yavin, and the stories told from the Empire's perspective were well-told, with some interesting windows into these characters' experiences. The best story in the collection is the one about the imperial officer trying to resist corruption and mismanagement in the Empire while also trying to save his men on the battlefield. If all the stories were this good, the book would've gotten 5 stars!
On the other hand, the last couple of stories had absurd amounts of bad dialogue, plot armor, and a disjointed plot that left me feeling like I was reading a bad fanfic. Time and time again, the Empire ambushes our protagonists, only for them to escape unharmed. The one time a character is dangerously injured, she should've been dead except for the enormous amounts of plot armor she has. Seriously, does the Empire know what an ambush is? Also, those damn star destroyers seem to go up in flames more easily than the Hindenburg. Characters blow them up with little effort. I'm starting to think you could just toss a lit match at a star destroyer and it would blast apart into smithereens.
The tales about Luke and Vader shortly after the Battle of Yavin, and the stories told from the Empire's perspective were well-told, with some interesting windows into these characters' experiences. The best story in the collection is the one about the imperial officer trying to resist corruption and mismanagement in the Empire while also trying to save his men on the battlefield. If all the stories were this good, the book would've gotten 5 stars!
On the other hand, the last couple of stories had absurd amounts of bad dialogue, plot armor, and a disjointed plot that left me feeling like I was reading a bad fanfic. Time and time again, the Empire ambushes our protagonists, only for them to escape unharmed. The one time a character is dangerously injured, she should've been dead except for the enormous amounts of plot armor she has. Seriously, does the Empire know what an ambush is? Also, those damn star destroyers seem to go up in flames more easily than the Hindenburg. Characters blow them up with little effort. I'm starting to think you could just toss a lit match at a star destroyer and it would blast apart into smithereens.
March 13, 2018
*3,5 stars.
The artwork is uneven, the drawing of the characters is particularly awful, their faces are so ungraceful.
A lot of the action happens in spatial ships with chases and fights and it's a bit too much for me to follow - there's just too much colors and movements for my eyes and brain to focus.
As for the story, I always love an expanding story on the movie franchise and new characters. I'm glad to see Leia being in charge with some independent storylines. As with the movies, I'm upset with the storyline of Vader being obsessed with Luke but not Leia. It just doesn't make any sense, ugh.
I'll probably check out the following volume anyway because I still have a nice time in Star Wars company!
The artwork is uneven, the drawing of the characters is particularly awful, their faces are so ungraceful.
A lot of the action happens in spatial ships with chases and fights and it's a bit too much for me to follow - there's just too much colors and movements for my eyes and brain to focus.
As for the story, I always love an expanding story on the movie franchise and new characters. I'm glad to see Leia being in charge with some independent storylines. As with the movies, I'm upset with the storyline of Vader being obsessed with Luke but not Leia. It just doesn't make any sense, ugh.
I'll probably check out the following volume anyway because I still have a nice time in Star Wars company!
February 4, 2022
Star wars Stories that make my eyes glaze over. 1.Uninteresting imperial Stories about unoriginal bad guys that have nothing compelling about them. 2. Fighter pilot Stories, they just don't grip me in comic or book form. 3. Stories about characters we know the journey and the end of that tell nothing new or compelling about the middle of the journey.
Suffice it to say, unfortunately nothing in this collection really gripped me and probably won't in the next. Especially when some of this stuff is done so much better in Canon Stories.
Also... Leia as part of an x-wing squadron...... why????
Suffice it to say, unfortunately nothing in this collection really gripped me and probably won't in the next. Especially when some of this stuff is done so much better in Canon Stories.
Also... Leia as part of an x-wing squadron...... why????
August 15, 2024
I really enjoyed the Empire issues in this, particularly the to the Last Man arc. The Vader's Quest series was probably my least favorite. Something about the artwork and the characters was a bit off to me. As for Star Wars (2013), I didn't hate these issues like some people do, but I also did not love them. I quite liked the artwork and overall plot, though I felt the characterization of Luke and Mon Mothma to be a bit weird.
December 15, 2025
This had solid artwork. The story is from when Dark Horse owned the rights. It is an okay story, with a lot of threads. However, it is also slow. This takes place in the aftermath of the Battle of Yavin, with the rebels seeking a new hiding place, and Darth Vader seeking the pilot who blew up the Death Star. Solo and Chewbacca are basically wasted on a side story that plays very little into the main plot.
November 30, 2020
The final Star Wars run by Dark Horse seems pretty intent on making Leia part of Rogue Squadron, for a bit, while she's at her best orchestrating as a leader from behind the front lines, in my opinion. The stories are still fun, though, and the issues of Empire are thoroughly enjoyable, especially when focusing on characters besides the big three.
Fantastic artwork and Star Wars adventure.
Fantastic artwork and Star Wars adventure.
March 9, 2018
Picks up right after episode IV. One good story line that gets you cheering for an imperial officer. But the main Star War (2013) storyline starts strong by ends poorly. Too many plot holes and irrational choices.
September 13, 2017
Very good but is slightly confusing and contains LOTS of blood.
November 7, 2017
It was okay, and I can see the new canon stories have borrowed some elements and improved upon it.
But the new stories are much better than this.
But the new stories are much better than this.
February 7, 2019
Interesting mix of stories. Some really good, some meh. But on the whole a fun volume.
May 6, 2020
I have a certain bias as I do love all things Star Wars! This was something I really enjoyed and it filled in an interesting timeline
dnf
August 18, 2020Lost interest in this volume. I love Star Wars but I wanted more focus on the classic characters. DNF 29% through the ebook.
May 31, 2025
Post Yavin 4 Story
Great read and beautiful artwork encompassing post Yavin 4 Rebellion. Preludes to the finding of Hoth Base. Looking forward to reading the next set.
Great read and beautiful artwork encompassing post Yavin 4 Rebellion. Preludes to the finding of Hoth Base. Looking forward to reading the next set.
December 16, 2016
This review originally appeared on "Garth's Blog": http://garthhamilton.blogspot.com/201...
“Epic” is an overstatement. While this graphic novel compilation is better than much of the Legends (read: older, non canon stories) material I’ve read, it falls short of the artwork, characterization, and continuity of the new canon stuff. That being said, I enjoyed reading these earlier conceptions about the events that went down immediately after the film Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope. And we get more Boba Fett. Who can argue with that?
The standout by far is In the Shadow of Yavin, an extended comic book series which offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the construction of the second Death Star, above the planet Endor.
And all the Ewoks said… “Yub nub!”
Also: See my post on why I'm reading the new canon Star Wars novels: http://garthhamilton.blogspot.com/201...
“Epic” is an overstatement. While this graphic novel compilation is better than much of the Legends (read: older, non canon stories) material I’ve read, it falls short of the artwork, characterization, and continuity of the new canon stuff. That being said, I enjoyed reading these earlier conceptions about the events that went down immediately after the film Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope. And we get more Boba Fett. Who can argue with that?
The standout by far is In the Shadow of Yavin, an extended comic book series which offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the construction of the second Death Star, above the planet Endor.
And all the Ewoks said… “Yub nub!”
Also: See my post on why I'm reading the new canon Star Wars novels: http://garthhamilton.blogspot.com/201...
September 4, 2016
So-so
When marvel/Disney took over star wars, remembering marvels first run, I was worried. While the titles they're doing now, are as good as dark horses, this series just isn't that interesting. The stories are kind of dull and slow, the art varies. If cal this for the star wars colorist completist only.
When marvel/Disney took over star wars, remembering marvels first run, I was worried. While the titles they're doing now, are as good as dark horses, this series just isn't that interesting. The stories are kind of dull and slow, the art varies. If cal this for the star wars colorist completist only.
August 31, 2016
I've liked it, some different stories after the destruction of the first death star and the struggle of Darth Vader dealing with his failure and the knowledge that it was his son that humilliated him.
October 7, 2025
Forget the Disney SW stuff ......this is the book to read.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews