Star Wars: Infinities - Return of the Jedi

Star Wars Infinities #3

by Adam Gallardo, Ryan Benjamin

In the topsy-turvy Infinities universe, a single, seemingly insignificant event can alter the fate of the galaxy. Continuing with the tradition begun in Star Wars: Infinities— A New Hope, we now give Return of the Jedi the Infinities treatment! When the plan to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt falls apart, Princess Leia, Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca embark on another rescue mission that puts them into direct conflict with Boba Fett. Meanwhile, Luke's late arrival on Dagobah ends with him being captured by Darth Vader and the Emperor, just as the second Death Star is about to go on-line! Will the return of the Jedi become the end of the Jedi? The surprising climax is as exciting as that of the film on which it is based, but different from anything Star Wars fans have seen before! Collecting the four-issue miniseries.

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

104 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 2004

About the author

Adam Gallardo is a writer who lives and works in Oregon. Mostly known for writing comics (Star Wars: Infinities -- Return of the Jedi, 100 Girls and Gear School volumes one & two), his debut YA novel, Zomburbia, is out now from Kensington. The sequel, Zombified, will be ublished in January 2015.

Reviews

[Ill D · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although it clearly starts with probably the best artwork and is most true to the spirit (initially at least) of the primary trilogy, by the end, Return of the Jedi Infinities is sadly the worst in this awfully hypothetical filmographically derived triumvirate. When a thermal detonator goes off unexpectedly far more than a simple flutter of a butterfly’s wings elsewhere drives this concoction of counter-factual awfulness.

Once more, things go at a breakneck speed and a properly bodied story is ran-over before it could have ever had the chance to develop. With the Jabba’s Palace extraction gone awry, Fett absconds with the still Carbonited Solo, C-3P0 dies in the blast, and most curiously Luke was just cold chilling in the desert all along.

What, what?

Yup, more boring action and abrogated plot progressions take us all the way from Dagobah, with its somewhat insignificant intertextual insert, toward the Forest Moon of Endor where finally Solo’s frozen ass is located. Blaster bolts follow further laser ridden scorchings and the story is set up for its inevitable final act.

I’m not gonna lie, the ending is quite possibly the most puke inducing any reader could ever find in a Star Wars comic. If you’re a true blue fan who fell in love the the un-bastardized original trilogy (with none of that CGI shit cluttering each and every frame) bring a barf bag. For the neophyte newbies who grew up with the prequels you’ll squeal with childish delight (I’m sure).

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following on from my reading of “Infinities: A New Hope”, I decided to try this one (first published in four parts in 2001). Using the same concept - “the events and players are very familiar but something isn’t quite right” - this opens with Princess Leia as Boush going to see Jabba but when the intergalactic gangster pushes C3P0 aside, he knocks the droids head off. Without Threepio to translate, Leia has to remove her mask, gets captured earlier and Boba Fett runs off with Han’s body still encased in carbonite. This was good fun and the characters worked well - Luke doesn’t get as much to do as I’d have liked and Han is left blind for the whole story (he’s been in the carbonite too long) and R2-D2 seems to get forgotten but Leia is wonderfully feisty. The story concept didn’t work quite as well for me as the New Hope one did (and the final page is odd, to say the least) but it moved at a good pace and looks spectacular (and I love the Ewoks attacking everyone in sight). Well worth a read if you’re a Star Wars fan.

[Mykhailo Gasyuk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Альтернативний сюжет 6-го Епізоду, де Джабу Хатта підривають разом із СіТріПіО, Ган сліпне, Бобу Фетта калічать (хоча тут незрозуміло, бо картинки були темні), Люк не встигає на смерть Йоди, а у фіналі Вейдера реморалізують, і він у всьому білому збирається допомогти героям шукати Імператора, який втік і не бабахнув разом із другою Зіркою Смерті. І знову всі інтрига зводиться до того, що батя Вейдер має двох дітей.

В цьому коміксі вже застосовували 3D-графіку для космічних баталій, і іноді кораблі виглядають надто плоскими. Персонажам теж не дуже пощастило, бо художник часом забував, що малює людей, і виходило щось страшненьке.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

An alternate take on Episode VI in which a single moment changes all the events that follow. Here Han isn't rescued from Jabba's Palace, Luke is captured by Darth Vader above Dagobah and Leia boards the second Death Star to confront the Emperor.

In case you weren't aware, these Infinities stories are more or less the Star Wars equivalent of Marvel's 'What If...?' line but, honestly, the question here is less 'what if?' and more 'why would you?'.
The changes presented here don't really tell us anything new about any of the characters and, more importantly, give us a narrative that is, in every way, objectively worse than the original plot of 'Return of the Jedi'.
Were we fixing plot holes or expanding on under-explored elements there'd be something worthwhile here and even the opportunity to do a totally over-the-top alternate take is missed (Ewoks killing the Emperor or something enjoyably bonkers like that).

So, ultimately; what if... Return of the Jedi wasn't as good this time around? And that's not even getting into the silly visual of Darth Vader wearing all-white armour now.
The only reason I haven't rated this lower is, white Vader aside, the art is actually pretty good all round.

* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 2 out of 5]

A intenção da coleção Star Wars: Infinitos é agir como as histórias do "O que aconteceria se...!", da Marvel: uma ação desencadeia várias ações que mudam o curso de uma narrativa como a conhecemos. Da série Star Wars saíram volumes modificando as histórias da trilogia original dos anos 70. Mas aí vem um problema. Parece que, conforme vamos avançando nos episódios de Star Wars, tanto a qualidade do roteiro como a da arte vai decaindo. Enquanto o primeiro volume é bem legal e o segundo é legazitcho, esse terceiro é bem MEH, bem qualquer coisa. Os desenhos então, são muito muito feios, com exceção às capas fotorrealistas do italiano Rodolfo Migliari. Na verdade parece que a Dark Horse e a Lucas Films investiram muito mais nas capas das edições dessa série do que no seu próprio conteúdo. Contudo, é interessante ver como algumas coisas dos filmes são modificadas por causa de uma mudança no escopo. Menos, claro, esse terceiro volume, que não tem pé e nem cabeça com a história que é contada no filme VII, o Retorno de Jedi. Se eu tivesse começado a comprar a série por esse encadernado, nunca teria comprado as demais.

[Luis Del Aguila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the three infinities that tell alternative stories, I liked this one the most, but I don't want to say that it is the best, just that it is more entertaining and with a better change of history, although the ending seems disappointing to me. But the disappointment is due to the fact that the fans of the original trilogy (in which I include myself), yearn for the story as it is seen in the movies and any change produces suspicion, that is my assumption. In the end, the strange thing is to see Han as a cyclops and Darth Vader in a white suit

[Steve Davala · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third in the "Infinities" line I've read. You know, the series kind of petered out after the 1st one for me. The New Hope was great, and since each series finished the Star Wars storyline I kind of held that one in the high light.

*spoilers* It was still enjoyable, but not Yoda droppin Death Stars awesome.

[Titan90 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounding up to 4 stars (this is a 3.5 to me), mostly due to the fact that there is very little that I felt could be altered in RotJ in the first place. But to their credit, they found the one tiny little detail and nailed it! It was well-written and illustrated, and that went a long way to help tell the story. A nice story, and a good alternate way of closing the Star Wars Trilogy.

[Malcolm Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic What If...? in the Star Wars franchise. The story changes from the moment Leia flourishes the thermal detonator in Jabba's Palace meaning our characters go to places at different times causing the story to continually unfold in a new and interesting way.
The artwork was mostly okay, with a couple of oddly drawn heroes here and there.

[Logan Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10:
This alternate reality is one that puts a very fun spin on my favorite film of all time: Return of the Jedi (1983), however, the artwork is truly abysmal and a reminder that not everyone who has worked in the comic book industry is talented. The best part was certainly the rescue of Anakin Skywalker by his children; something I’d love to see explored more in additional Legends content.

[Dennis Brock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was too close to the movie, I would have liked to see it diverge off more. I did like the ending with what happens to Vader. But I think they should have extended the story out more 1 more issue so we could see the new Redermed White Vader in action hunting down Palpatine. 2.5/5

[Hannah McManus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, this was by far my favourite of the Infinities. And I really wish there had been more than four issues??? I need more???

[Vicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was really hard to follow :(

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun alternate story, decent art.

[David Atwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thrilling and interesting, though the art in this one is a little inconsistent.

[devyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

ANAKIN ALIVE ERA AHHHH

[ISMOTU · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third alternate reality version of the classic trilogy turns on dropping of a thermal detonator and a droid being slapped too hard. Quite the different ending with opening up new possibilities.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ever so slightly better than meh.

[Olmota · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coole Sache auch wenn der eine Termaldetonator zu heftig war

[Jordan Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was cool just a WHAT IF for Star Wars

[Tamer Sadek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review for all three of the infinities comics. The stories were ok but the art was poor. I would agree, one for the die-hard Star Wars fans only.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

White armor Vader is so sauced up, it's insane

[Elwyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really should have been better. The story feels less structured or defined as the movie - one thing happens after another until the inconclusive end.

Cool story ideas get a page then aren't followed up on. eg So the Ewoks never ally with the Rebels and fight and eat both human factions.

[Jared · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Wars Legends Project #292

Background: Star Wars Infinities: Return of the Jedi, released in March 2004, collects the 4 issues originally published Nov 2003-Mar 2004. All 4 issues were written by Adam Gallardo with art by Ryan Benjamin. Gallardo also wrote a couple of stories for Star Wars Tales and Benjamin also drew the first 4 issues of Empire.

Infinities: Return of the Jedi covers the same time period as the film, but it is not canon and therefore has no bearing on the timeline. The main characters are Luke, Leia, Darth Vader, Lando, Chewbacca, Boba Fett, etc. The story takes place primarily on and around Tatooine and Endor.

Summary: What if . . . one careless misstep deactivated C-3PO before he could perform a critical function in Jabba's palace? Negotiations with Jabba the Hutt for the release of Han Solo break down, with catastrophic results for our heroes' plan to rescue him, and throwing into chaos their plans to rendezvous with the Rebel fleet on the eve of the most important battle in galactic history!

Review: This may be the weakest of the three Infinities alternate takes on the original Star Wars trilogy, if only because the hinge on which the new timeline turns is so relatively low-key and minor. It's not that big of an attention grabber . . . so Threepio stumbles at a key moment early in the film? So what? It's not exactly Luke Skywalker dying, right? But then, when you think about the role everyone's favorite fussy protocol droid plays in the movie, it becomes evident that things could actually turn out very differently indeed.

It's a fun idea to play around with, just like the first two. The results feel like they hew more closely to the film they were inspired by than some of the others, which is a shame, but I will say that the end of this story was the one that left me wanting an actual sequel. I don't want to give it away, but I'd love to see this one continued.

B-

[Jeff Lanter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bonkers. That is how I would describe the last Inifinities book. I have wanted to read this one for awhile because I love Infinities: A New Hope one and liked the Empire Strikes Back one pretty well too. Return of the Jedi starts with an interesting idea, what if the rescue attempt at Jabba's Palace failed? But it slowly gets crazier and crazier and the ending is just off the walls. If you take Star Wars canon seriously, then you will probably find this book irritating. Personally, I found it to be a entertaining at first and then it slowly morphed more towards a so bad/crazy it is good kind of way. The art is kind of hit or miss. The artist draws a good Leia and a competent Chewie and Lando, but his Han and Luke are not good. The book has interesting colors that are heavily computerized. On one hand, they're incredibly vibrant, but the textures themselves are just a little lacking. If you go into this book with the right mindset, I think you can find a surprising amount of enjoyment here. Just make sure to the read the earlier Infinities books which are much more interesting first.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An alternative look at the Return of the Jedi story line. It is quite en-lighting of how the Return of the Jedi story line could have changed with just even the smallest alteration, and this book is brilliant at displaying a different story line. A book with a twist that sends our favorite Star War Characters on new trajectories towards dire consequences and inforeseen futures. An example in this book the Ewoks attack both the Imperials and the Rebel forces, alternative to the film because in the film the Ewoks create an alliance to fight the Imperials. The script by Adam Gallardo is fabulous and anybody that likes an alternative story line will love this book. The First edition was printed in 2004, and ten years later the book is still much in demand with many students and teens, this book was the most popular book in our school during the years 2011, 2012, 2013. By the 2014 nearly everybody in our school as read the book. This book should be on the wish list on the any Star Wars fan....

[Christian Petrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final What If Star Wars series, and it tackles Return of Jedi. As with the previous this picks up from where the movies ended, not the previous Infinities story.

This time the change starts due to issues with rescuing Han from Jabba. Unlike the other two, this one shows not a complete change in events, but a shift in the time events took place and the consequences of them.

With the timing of events being off, the familiar scenes you remember have a slight twist to them. It still retains the quality of a What If story. The artwork on it is not distracting as well.

Overall the Infinities series has been a nice change up to the Star Wars Universe. A great to see what could have happen.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

While still very interesting, I did not enjoy Return of the Jedi Infinities as much as The Empire Strikes Back. The artwork was very strange in places depicting everyone with elongated faces and other odd features. At other times, the art was downright sloppy. The story was very interesting and presented some changes from the film with incredible potential, but fell short in other areas. Unfortunately, the greatest potential presented in the story comes in the very last pages and makes for a rather inconclusive ending. As there is no continuation beyond this that I know of, we won't get to see that potential play out.

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think of the three comic compilations, this one may be the so-so one. It was a quick read, and it was entertaining. However, it just did not feel as strong as the other two. However, the premise they use to set off the alternate events, the accidental explosion of the thermal detonator in Jabba's Palace, was a good one, and certainly something that could have happened. The ending, which I will not reveal, I have mixed feelings about. I still liked this book, and I think most hardcore Star Wars fans would enjoy it.

[Adam Sidaway · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, so this infinities version of ROTJ is not so good. The beginning is understandable as a differing factor to the original film but from then onwards it just becomes stupid. To me at least. The ending was horrible with an only slightly believable ending (more so than the A New Hope infinities comic) but the middle of the story or the main chunk i should say is weak. I liked that Boba Fett had a much larger role as he is my favourite character of the star wars universe but other than that, it didn't have much going for it. The ewoks weren't in it for very long. I was upset about this.