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Star Wars: Poe Dameron (collected editions)
Star Wars: Poe Dameron, Vol. 3: Legend Lost
Collecting Star Wars: Poe Dameron #7, 14-19.
It's a sad day for Poe Dameron and the Resistance, as they mourn the loss of a fallen comrade. But their fight is far from over - the First Order must be stopped! And Captain Phasma knows just how to get Terex to toe the line. Follow the continuing the adventures of the galaxy's greatest pilot!
It's a sad day for Poe Dameron and the Resistance, as they mourn the loss of a fallen comrade. But their fight is far from over - the First Order must be stopped! And Captain Phasma knows just how to get Terex to toe the line. Follow the continuing the adventures of the galaxy's greatest pilot!
159 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 14, 2017
41 people are currently reading
660 people want to read
About the author
Charles Soule
1,519 books1,688 followersCharles Soule is a #1 New York Times-bestselling novelist, comics author, screenwriter, musician, and lapsed attorney. He has written some of the most prominent stories of the last decade for Marvel, DC and Lucasfilm in addition to his own work, such as his comics Curse Words, Letter 44 and Undiscovered Country, and his original novels Light of the Jedi, The Endless Vessel, The Oracle Year and Anyone. He lives in New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
January 26, 2018
Angel Unzueta steps in as the artist and his character likenesses are fantastic. He really captures the look and feel of the movies. I didn't find the stories here quite as gripping, but I'm loving (even if it's not that much) seeing what was happening in the lead up to Force Awakens. The movies have left this 30+ year gaping hole and seem to have no desire to explain what happened to the New Republic and the rise of the First Order. So I'm glad to be getting some of that information. While I feel we should at least get broad strokes from the movies, I've starved for information and will take it wherever I can get it at this point.
April 3, 2018
With Legend Lost, it feels like the Poe-centric series is finally flying high. Or to put it even more plainly - I started reading it after working a 12-hour shift (and also being awake over 17 hours) and I burned through over half of this book late in the evening. Compared to the two previous volumes the connected stories presented in Vol. 3 seemed more action-oriented and interesting.
An intriguing new character is introduced (the dubious but possibly well-meaning alien journalist Suralinda Javos, an old classmate friend of Poe's); insufferable villain Terex is reigned in to be more bearable, as fierce villainess Commander Malarus takes over as the First Order's 'big bad'; and Black Squadron is given more character-shading with some back-story provided for X-wing ace Jess Pava.
An intriguing new character is introduced (the dubious but possibly well-meaning alien journalist Suralinda Javos, an old classmate friend of Poe's); insufferable villain Terex is reigned in to be more bearable, as fierce villainess Commander Malarus takes over as the First Order's 'big bad'; and Black Squadron is given more character-shading with some back-story provided for X-wing ace Jess Pava.
February 27, 2023
I continue burning through this at a fast pace (thank you Libby App!), it's hard to show aeronautical derring do on a static comics page but these issues do a decent job and also help flesh out Poe and his squadmates' characters.
Do I still recommend, Poe?
Do I still recommend, Poe?
March 6, 2021
Tož z dlouhodobého hlediska je Dameron jednoznačně nejslabší Star Wars sérií. První důvod je, že to píše Charles Soule což ti z vás kteří mě pozorujete delší dobu víte, že já ho fakt nemůžu. Druhý je v celku prostý, řeší se tu smrt několika postav, jenže a to je zásadní, mě jsou ukradené, tudíž linka o oplakávání padlých druhů na mě nefunguje. Soule měl 2 volume na rozvinout obří ansábl postav abych k nim měl nějaký vztah jenže to se nestalo a tak se v nich i víceméně ztrácím. Krom Poea samotného mě nikdo nezajímá a i ten až na pár hlášek je spíš nudný.
Ani tak nemám problém s generickou řadou, ale je tak průhledně až dětinsky napsaná, že mi to nedá.
Co mě překvapilo byla změna kreslíře. Myslel jsem, že Notto u téhle série nemá co dělat ale šeredně jsem se zmýlil a chtěl bych jej tu vidět radši než Unzuetu.
Ani tak nemám problém s generickou řadou, ale je tak průhledně až dětinsky napsaná, že mi to nedá.
Co mě překvapilo byla změna kreslíře. Myslel jsem, že Notto u téhle série nemá co dělat ale šeredně jsem se zmýlil a chtěl bych jej tu vidět radši než Unzuetu.
February 18, 2018
The best installment so far. I love the Black Squadron action here.
March 16, 2018
This was kinda boring....okay read.
January 16, 2020
"Maybe you are the best pilot in the galaxy. But that's not all I see in you. I think you are one of those rare beings that help other people fight. Who will inspire, and give hope when all seems lost, and convince our people to keep going when they don't think they can. No one person can win a war. It's not about you, it's not about me. No... it's about us."
Wow.
Just, wow.
I was not expecting for this volume to make me feel so much. And boy did I felt.
"We're not just flesh and bone. Not just stuff. We're more. We're luminous."
We start pretty much immediately after where we were left off the last volume and we get a chance to see the repercussions of everything that went down.
Terex's story arc broke my heart.
I really like how they have been handling his character and just seeing what the First Order did... it made my blood run cold. It's not that it's the first time I see what they are capable of, no, but this particular thing is just... too much.
And the other storylines... by the end I was silently crying a bit.
"... war is a story. Well... no. At first, it's two stories, being told side by side. And the, when someone wins... it's only one."
_________________
After how much I enjoyed the last volume I'm pretty excited to see what this one entails.
Most of all, I'm excited to get caught up with TFA and how Poe gets back to D'Qar, which I'm pretty sure happens in the comics... or at least I strongly hope it appears here.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be fun and that's the most important thing.
Wow.
Just, wow.
I was not expecting for this volume to make me feel so much. And boy did I felt.
"We're not just flesh and bone. Not just stuff. We're more. We're luminous."
We start pretty much immediately after where we were left off the last volume and we get a chance to see the repercussions of everything that went down.
Terex's story arc broke my heart.
I really like how they have been handling his character and just seeing what the First Order did... it made my blood run cold. It's not that it's the first time I see what they are capable of, no, but this particular thing is just... too much.
And the other storylines... by the end I was silently crying a bit.
"... war is a story. Well... no. At first, it's two stories, being told side by side. And the, when someone wins... it's only one."
_________________
After how much I enjoyed the last volume I'm pretty excited to see what this one entails.
Most of all, I'm excited to get caught up with TFA and how Poe gets back to D'Qar, which I'm pretty sure happens in the comics... or at least I strongly hope it appears here.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be fun and that's the most important thing.
January 27, 2020
Buen desenlace de los últimos acontecimientos del "Escuadrón Negro". Debido a la defección de uno de los miembros de la resistencia, Oddy, y luego de los respectivos funerales de uno de los pilotos del Escuadrón L'Ulo, la general Organa encarga a Poe nuevas misiones. Suralinda Javos, una reportera que reclutó Poe es encargada de su primera misión aunque con bastante suspicacia de parte de la misma general y de sus acompañantes. El objetivo es visibilizar la crueldad y los malos actos de la "Nueva Orden" pues la Galaxia aún no los conoce del todo y muchos los protegen. Como siempre Terex, esta vez controlado por la Comandante Malarus, serán los rivales a vencer.
January 30, 2018
The third volume of the Poe Dameron series is not as good as the previous book, but it's still not as terrible as almost every other current Star Wars graphic novel series. The problem with this story is a problem with the growing weight of the Star Wars franchise itself: too much sameness. Every new character is starting to feel like nothing more than some minor variation on a previous character. This mythology needs something new (and, unfortunately, it doesn't need the ways that The Last Jedi thought it was new).
Probably related to this problem, I can't clearly remember anything from the previous volumes. I vaguely remember Terex, but he also feels like a bad guy in the Vader series. Or am I misremembering? Who knows. It barely matters. Poe and his friends fly around on missions and shoot stuff and they always win. More troubling is the fact that I have no idea who the "legend" is in the title, "Legend Lost."
General Organa doesn't feel like a character who has lived through a rebellion already. Is it really a new concept to her that the Resistance needs to show the galaxy its personality, and also show how evil the First Order is? Whatever the case, we now know from The Last Jedi that everyone in the galaxy couldn't care less about the Resistance, which takes the urgency out of a lot of this story. Angel Unzueta's art for Leia looks pretty good, though, if a bit repetitive. Few artists have been able to make Leia look anything like herself in graphic novel form.
If this book weren't free from the Public Library, and if it took more than 45 minutes to read, I'd be grumpy. But as it is, it's an okay diversion, though not recommended to anyone except my fellow obsessive-compulsive Star Wars readers.
Probably related to this problem, I can't clearly remember anything from the previous volumes. I vaguely remember Terex, but he also feels like a bad guy in the Vader series. Or am I misremembering? Who knows. It barely matters. Poe and his friends fly around on missions and shoot stuff and they always win. More troubling is the fact that I have no idea who the "legend" is in the title, "Legend Lost."
General Organa doesn't feel like a character who has lived through a rebellion already. Is it really a new concept to her that the Resistance needs to show the galaxy its personality, and also show how evil the First Order is? Whatever the case, we now know from The Last Jedi that everyone in the galaxy couldn't care less about the Resistance, which takes the urgency out of a lot of this story. Angel Unzueta's art for Leia looks pretty good, though, if a bit repetitive. Few artists have been able to make Leia look anything like herself in graphic novel form.
If this book weren't free from the Public Library, and if it took more than 45 minutes to read, I'd be grumpy. But as it is, it's an okay diversion, though not recommended to anyone except my fellow obsessive-compulsive Star Wars readers.
November 19, 2017
Oddly's story is tied up, and I love the new edition to the team. We also learn more about the other members, so good installment.
January 5, 2018
still bad but i love oscar Issac's face
November 9, 2020
In this third volume of Marvel Comics’ Star Wars series Poe Dameron, “Legend Lost”: Poe is reunited with an old friend, Suralinda Javos, a journalist looking to uncover the truth of the First Order; a Black Squadron mission to retrieve a fuel freighter ends in a showdown with a First Order destroyer, and the First Order gets an ass-whoopin’ by Poe; Agent Terex has become the very thing that he loathed: a slave to the First Order; Poe and Snap search for the Resistance traitor Oddy Muva, who has been captured by the First Order, but he may be able to work a secret deal with Terex…
Writer Charles Soule kicks it up a notch in this third volume, but it is Angel Unzueta’s amazing artwork that elevates this series to greatness. I’ve definitely been won over to this series, which is definitely getting better with every issue.
Writer Charles Soule kicks it up a notch in this third volume, but it is Angel Unzueta’s amazing artwork that elevates this series to greatness. I’ve definitely been won over to this series, which is definitely getting better with every issue.
June 8, 2023
You have to wonder how the Resistance can continue to get ahead of the First Order time and time again and you’d have to think eventually the cat and mouse game would get old. Well, they just find a way, and it continues to stay fresh and exciting, at least through this volume. Beautiful story wrapped up with Oddy and I’m looking forward to more of what we find in store for the Suralinda Javos and Terex specifically!
December 18, 2017
Not as engaging a story, but still love me some Poe.
December 5, 2017
Oh boy, what a disappointment. The first two Poe Dameron comic collections were excellent in every way, this one was not. It seemed rushed. The art was awkward, as if they simply took screen shots of the main characters and used cartooning-software to turn them into comic book style. There were multiple mistakes drawn in (for example, in two different frames Poe's X-wing was the standard blue and silver rather than his black and orange). This last one might seem petty, but, honestly, it's a graphic novel! The graphics matter! The plot was also very...convenient? I guess that's the word.
Hopefully they fix this comic for the next issues.
Hopefully they fix this comic for the next issues.
December 21, 2023
I blew through all of the remaining Poe Dameron issues in a single reading spree, so I’ll just write one review for all of it: it’s a very solid series, fleshing out Poe and his hotshot team of pilots, Black Squadron. This is the best sort of tie-in, providing additional in-between adventures which add depth to a set of supporting characters who we never even get to know in the movies: I now have so many feelings about poor Jessika Pava and her bad luck with droids, or Snap and Karé Kun’s romance, or even a little droid romance for BB-8 (my! heart!!!).
It delves into fun heists and action, plucky rebels, betrayal, and also Poe learning to set aside his ego and learn to sacrifice for the good of the mission. Plus: a really great ongoing villain in the form of Agent Terex; he’s so closely-tied to Poe and Lor San Tekka in my mind now that it’s bizarre that he doesn’t actually exist in the films.
It delves into fun heists and action, plucky rebels, betrayal, and also Poe learning to set aside his ego and learn to sacrifice for the good of the mission. Plus: a really great ongoing villain in the form of Agent Terex; he’s so closely-tied to Poe and Lor San Tekka in my mind now that it’s bizarre that he doesn’t actually exist in the films.
December 30, 2017
In this third volume of the ongoing Poe Dameron series, we get to learn a little more about the members of Black Squadron. I like how their backstories are gradually being revealed. There's also a new journalist character that adds an interesting dynamic, a different perspective in the Star Wars universe. Terex's story over this series is also been a roller coaster. It seems like Marvel is using these original characters to show change and development, since they can't reveal much of the characters still being featured in the movies. We do get to see a little more of Leia in this one. I love seeing her as a mother figure.
I give this volume a 4.5/5. It's another great entry in the Poe Dameron series.
I give this volume a 4.5/5. It's another great entry in the Poe Dameron series.
January 12, 2018
3rd in the series, this follows Poe's missions with Black Squadron. I liked all the new aliens and questionable allies in this book, but for some reason the missions just felt flat to me.
Terex, the previous bad guy, is not really a big part in this. When you hope he does something at the end it is really a small thing. The bad lady in this, you learn her name way later, it was like they needed a bad guy but just threw her in there.
Why not Phasma?
So I still enjoyed it, but it never went anywhere. The original plot of tracking down Lor San Tekka never happened in this. I was hoping everything was leading to that point...
Terex, the previous bad guy, is not really a big part in this. When you hope he does something at the end it is really a small thing. The bad lady in this, you learn her name way later, it was like they needed a bad guy but just threw her in there.
Why not Phasma?
So I still enjoyed it, but it never went anywhere. The original plot of tracking down Lor San Tekka never happened in this. I was hoping everything was leading to that point...
July 7, 2020
I didn’t think this story was as good as previous volumes, but I still really enjoyed reading this. The banter between Black Squadron is perfect and adds some much needed humor. There’s a pun here that is so perfect I screamed. Snap constantly telling Poe he doesn’t have magical powers and then stuff magically happening for them was comedic gold!! The artwork is still fabulous and really captures the characters likeness. I love that we get to learn more about the other members of Black Squadron, especially the glimpses into Jessika’s history.
December 23, 2017
3.5 stars. Enjoyable, and we get to see individual members of Black Squadron being more than just helmets in cockpits. The story picks up shortly after the end of the previous volume; the squadron must deal with the fallout from their last mission, while Leia must deal with more mundane and vital matters of keeping the Resistance fuelled and fed.
August 7, 2019
"And, I'm sorry to say, probably sooner than we'd like... I'll be luminous."
Every time I see our beautiful Space Mom immortalised in these comics, my heart goes pitter patter. Here she is, forever grumbling about Han and grounding her adoptive Space Son and that makes me happy.
Every time I see our beautiful Space Mom immortalised in these comics, my heart goes pitter patter. Here she is, forever grumbling about Han and grounding her adoptive Space Son and that makes me happy.
March 11, 2018
An enjoyable continuation from volumes 1&2. The banter between the members of Black Squadron makes it what it is.
December 28, 2019
This is the Poe We Know
The creative team feels settled in by this volume. Loved the various plots and can’t wait to see what happens next!
The creative team feels settled in by this volume. Loved the various plots and can’t wait to see what happens next!
April 18, 2020
Started slow but got better. I'm enjoying this run of Poe Dameron comics and as a result, slowly warming up to Age of Resistance Star Wars.
September 10, 2020
The art still rocks, but this arc didn't feel as unified as the previous two. However, there are good character moments for Poe and Leia here, knowing how they'll be developed in the films.
June 21, 2025
The art wasn’t as good as the previous volumes, but the stories were.
February 26, 2018
I really liked the snippets of backstory we got in this volume. And the development of the situation the resistance is in. As always I'm loving getting more Poe :)
January 3, 2018
Happy New Year! Lets start off the 2018 review year on a positive note with volume 3 of Marvel's Poe Dameron series, written by Charles Soule.
Looking back, the Poe Dameron series until this point, as a whole it has not been the best effort in the canon comics. While I enjoyed the first volume, "Black Squadron" enough to give it a 4 star rating, it is more in the 3.5 range due to its thin story and eh artwork. Despite having a great time with the characters and dialogue, 4 stars may have been too high. The second volume, "The Gathering Storm" was aggressively mediocre. I'm one of those more forgiving reviewers so I gave it a 3 stars, even though its more like a 2.5. Aside from the new backstory and development of the series' primary antagonist Agent Terrex, the second volume had nothing to offer- with a boring story, the same eh artwork, and almost nothing with the pilots (which is a big reason why I enjoyed the first volume). Poe Dameron's character came off as very flat and dull, and I found Gathering Storm to be a big slog.
So going into volume 3, I didn't expect that much. However, I was pleasantly surprised with what I got: a vast improvement over what has come before. Everything that made the first volume work is here, plus more. Most of what didn't work in the 2nd volume is either gone or fixed to my liking. If Legend Lost doesn't make my top 5 or top 10 best TPB story arcs in the star wars canon, it would definitely be an honorable mention.
While this trade paperback also includes the stand alone 7th issue of Poe Dameron, I'm skipping talking about that one because I already reviewed it separately. I'll be focusing on issues 14-19 here.
THE STORY:
The resistance has taken a hit: veteran pilot L'ulo L'ampar, a Duros who flew an A-wing for Black Squadron, has been killed. However, there isn't much time to mourn his death: the the resistance continues to face all sorts of problems, be it dwindling resources or the looming villainy of the First Order.
Much like the first volume, Legend Lost is actually a compilation of two story arcs: the first three issues are for Legend Lost, and the second three issues are for another story arc called "War Stories".
The plot concerns three missions: one, to recover a fuel carrier from one of the only contacts the resistance has left. "Legend Lost" covers this one.
The second is to get some footage that puts dirt on the First Order to rally support for the Resistance. The third involves tracking down the traitorous Oddy Muva. These two are covered in "War Stories"
All three missions tie in nicely together to provide a fun, action packed Resistance vs. First Order romp that honestly, this series should have focused on from the start.
THE BAD:
If there is any significant problem with this comic, it is that it has deviated from the primary story that the first volume established: finding Lor San Tekka. The first volume intended to set up the opening scene in The Force Awakens, and just like Gathering Storm, Legend Lost goes on side adventures that don't relate to finding him. While I'm actually happy that this volume did something more interesting, it will probably be an issue for some because it seems like another pointless detour. For me, I think that seeing the early skirmishes between the resistance and the first order is more interesting and still does a decent job building up to the pivotal moments from The Force Awakens that ignite the greater conflict.
The only other problem I can think of is that the efforts by this volume to make us feel for the loss of L'ulo feels very forced. L'ulo was a character ]introduced in Greg Rucka's Shattered Empire, which came out in TPB well before the Poe Dameron comic series even started. While it is a nice connective nod to previous works to see L'ulo get a bigger role in this series, the character hasn't been developed enough in the current canon for me to feel bad for him. While the funeral at the beginning was fine and the characters' sadness in-story was convincing, the constant reminders throughout the comic about L'ulo's passing just felt like it was trying too hard to get pixar-style tears out of its readers.
THE GOOD: I've been up and down on the Poe Dameron series so far, but as of this volume, I'm on the up side.
The first and biggest improvement this comic has made is the artwork. Wow, does it look so much better than it used too. Bringing back Angel Unzueta from issue #7 was a perfect idea, and I don't see why they didn't do it sooner. While the artwork in the previous volumes wasn't terrible, I was never a big fan of Phil Noto's style. Unzueta makes everything better here in terms of visuals, from the much more expressive characters to the more exciting action. Hopefully Unzueta gets to stay on board for the 4th volume as well.
The villains were pretty well done here. Agent Terrex continues to be developed in an interesting way, while newcomer Commander Malaurus captures that same mix of fun and intimidating that Terrex did when we first met him. I also think that the writing did a good job making the villains pretty effective and threatening. All to often in these comics the empire comes off as a bunch of bumbling idiots and not that threatening, even in the phenomenal Lando series. Here though, Soule manages to make the first order a fantastic threat: the heroes are not just able to wade into massively outnumbered odds and come out unscathed. Their skills are constantly tested, and whatever victories they achieve come only after what feels like a taxing challenge or a significant cost.
The characters are also excellent. Poe Dameron's characterization returns to form- gone is the blandjob from Gathering Storm, and back in its place is the charming badass from Black Squadron- just how he should be. If Black Squadron's Poe is a perfect fit with what he was like in Force Awakens, Legend Lost's Poe Dameron perfectly captures what Poe was like in TFA, but some of the more complex well-roundedness that was offered by The Last Jedi is present too.
Snap Wexley and Kare Kun continue to be a great pair of characters, but I was impressed by how well Jess Pava was developed. We get some welcome backstory on her, but the presentation was surprisingly effective: instead of the usual expository dialogue that is usually used in comics I have read, with soule instead relying on some impressive visual storytelling.
Suralinda Javos, introduced in Poe Dameron #7, gets a big presence in this volume, and I liked it alot. While I enjoyed Javos enough from her introduction in the one-shot issue 7, her character is effectively developed and very fun in this volume. She's clever, unpredictable, and likeable all at the same time. I found her easy to root for the entire time, and she's right up there with Terrex and Dr. Aphra as some of the best new characters the comics have introduced. Even Oddy Muva, who's character arc I though was pretty badly done in Gathering Storm, is handled quite well in Legend Lost. I found his motivations much clearer, and as a whole I found the character quite a bit more sympathetic and interesting.
All of the character work so great because of the wonderful dialogue. Charles Soule has created two miniseries in the canon and is currently working on two on going star wars comics right now, and I'm totally fine with it. Even if his stories don't always hit the mark, his dialogue for the most part, is consistently quite good. It's one of the reasons I found Lando to be so phenomenal, its one of the redeeming qualities of Obi-wan and Anakin, and its a big reason why I enjoyed Black Squadron as much as I did. While I haven't read his Darth Vader run yet, Legend Lost is easily among the good.
THE CONCLUSION: A very nice surprise to start off the new year, Legend Lost is the best I have read from Soule since Lando. The story is enjoyable, the characters are fantastic, the dialogue is fun, and the artwork is beautiful to look at. From what I hear, the next volume brings the focus back on finding Lor San Tekka, and I can't be more excited. While the previous two story arcs I still have problems with, this one won me over. For those that miss the X-wing series from legends, I think this volume has cemented the Poe Dameron Comic series as a solid canon alternative. Looks like the third time's a charm.
Looking back, the Poe Dameron series until this point, as a whole it has not been the best effort in the canon comics. While I enjoyed the first volume, "Black Squadron" enough to give it a 4 star rating, it is more in the 3.5 range due to its thin story and eh artwork. Despite having a great time with the characters and dialogue, 4 stars may have been too high. The second volume, "The Gathering Storm" was aggressively mediocre. I'm one of those more forgiving reviewers so I gave it a 3 stars, even though its more like a 2.5. Aside from the new backstory and development of the series' primary antagonist Agent Terrex, the second volume had nothing to offer- with a boring story, the same eh artwork, and almost nothing with the pilots (which is a big reason why I enjoyed the first volume). Poe Dameron's character came off as very flat and dull, and I found Gathering Storm to be a big slog.
So going into volume 3, I didn't expect that much. However, I was pleasantly surprised with what I got: a vast improvement over what has come before. Everything that made the first volume work is here, plus more. Most of what didn't work in the 2nd volume is either gone or fixed to my liking. If Legend Lost doesn't make my top 5 or top 10 best TPB story arcs in the star wars canon, it would definitely be an honorable mention.
While this trade paperback also includes the stand alone 7th issue of Poe Dameron, I'm skipping talking about that one because I already reviewed it separately. I'll be focusing on issues 14-19 here.
THE STORY:
The resistance has taken a hit: veteran pilot L'ulo L'ampar, a Duros who flew an A-wing for Black Squadron, has been killed. However, there isn't much time to mourn his death: the the resistance continues to face all sorts of problems, be it dwindling resources or the looming villainy of the First Order.
Much like the first volume, Legend Lost is actually a compilation of two story arcs: the first three issues are for Legend Lost, and the second three issues are for another story arc called "War Stories".
The plot concerns three missions: one, to recover a fuel carrier from one of the only contacts the resistance has left. "Legend Lost" covers this one.
The second is to get some footage that puts dirt on the First Order to rally support for the Resistance. The third involves tracking down the traitorous Oddy Muva. These two are covered in "War Stories"
All three missions tie in nicely together to provide a fun, action packed Resistance vs. First Order romp that honestly, this series should have focused on from the start.
THE BAD:
If there is any significant problem with this comic, it is that it has deviated from the primary story that the first volume established: finding Lor San Tekka. The first volume intended to set up the opening scene in The Force Awakens, and just like Gathering Storm, Legend Lost goes on side adventures that don't relate to finding him. While I'm actually happy that this volume did something more interesting, it will probably be an issue for some because it seems like another pointless detour. For me, I think that seeing the early skirmishes between the resistance and the first order is more interesting and still does a decent job building up to the pivotal moments from The Force Awakens that ignite the greater conflict.
The only other problem I can think of is that the efforts by this volume to make us feel for the loss of L'ulo feels very forced. L'ulo was a character ]introduced in Greg Rucka's Shattered Empire, which came out in TPB well before the Poe Dameron comic series even started. While it is a nice connective nod to previous works to see L'ulo get a bigger role in this series, the character hasn't been developed enough in the current canon for me to feel bad for him. While the funeral at the beginning was fine and the characters' sadness in-story was convincing, the constant reminders throughout the comic about L'ulo's passing just felt like it was trying too hard to get pixar-style tears out of its readers.
THE GOOD: I've been up and down on the Poe Dameron series so far, but as of this volume, I'm on the up side.
The first and biggest improvement this comic has made is the artwork. Wow, does it look so much better than it used too. Bringing back Angel Unzueta from issue #7 was a perfect idea, and I don't see why they didn't do it sooner. While the artwork in the previous volumes wasn't terrible, I was never a big fan of Phil Noto's style. Unzueta makes everything better here in terms of visuals, from the much more expressive characters to the more exciting action. Hopefully Unzueta gets to stay on board for the 4th volume as well.
The villains were pretty well done here. Agent Terrex continues to be developed in an interesting way, while newcomer Commander Malaurus captures that same mix of fun and intimidating that Terrex did when we first met him. I also think that the writing did a good job making the villains pretty effective and threatening. All to often in these comics the empire comes off as a bunch of bumbling idiots and not that threatening, even in the phenomenal Lando series. Here though, Soule manages to make the first order a fantastic threat: the heroes are not just able to wade into massively outnumbered odds and come out unscathed. Their skills are constantly tested, and whatever victories they achieve come only after what feels like a taxing challenge or a significant cost.
The characters are also excellent. Poe Dameron's characterization returns to form- gone is the blandjob from Gathering Storm, and back in its place is the charming badass from Black Squadron- just how he should be. If Black Squadron's Poe is a perfect fit with what he was like in Force Awakens, Legend Lost's Poe Dameron perfectly captures what Poe was like in TFA, but some of the more complex well-roundedness that was offered by The Last Jedi is present too.
Snap Wexley and Kare Kun continue to be a great pair of characters, but I was impressed by how well Jess Pava was developed. We get some welcome backstory on her, but the presentation was surprisingly effective: instead of the usual expository dialogue that is usually used in comics I have read, with soule instead relying on some impressive visual storytelling.
Suralinda Javos, introduced in Poe Dameron #7, gets a big presence in this volume, and I liked it alot. While I enjoyed Javos enough from her introduction in the one-shot issue 7, her character is effectively developed and very fun in this volume. She's clever, unpredictable, and likeable all at the same time. I found her easy to root for the entire time, and she's right up there with Terrex and Dr. Aphra as some of the best new characters the comics have introduced. Even Oddy Muva, who's character arc I though was pretty badly done in Gathering Storm, is handled quite well in Legend Lost. I found his motivations much clearer, and as a whole I found the character quite a bit more sympathetic and interesting.
All of the character work so great because of the wonderful dialogue. Charles Soule has created two miniseries in the canon and is currently working on two on going star wars comics right now, and I'm totally fine with it. Even if his stories don't always hit the mark, his dialogue for the most part, is consistently quite good. It's one of the reasons I found Lando to be so phenomenal, its one of the redeeming qualities of Obi-wan and Anakin, and its a big reason why I enjoyed Black Squadron as much as I did. While I haven't read his Darth Vader run yet, Legend Lost is easily among the good.
THE CONCLUSION: A very nice surprise to start off the new year, Legend Lost is the best I have read from Soule since Lando. The story is enjoyable, the characters are fantastic, the dialogue is fun, and the artwork is beautiful to look at. From what I hear, the next volume brings the focus back on finding Lor San Tekka, and I can't be more excited. While the previous two story arcs I still have problems with, this one won me over. For those that miss the X-wing series from legends, I think this volume has cemented the Poe Dameron Comic series as a solid canon alternative. Looks like the third time's a charm.
April 5, 2018
30-34 ABY
This third volume of the Poe Dameron collection consists of issues 7 and 14-19. #7 has more of a side story feel to it where Poe is on leave and meets up with an old friend who happens to be a journalist. Of course, being a journalist, she is always fishing for information and a big story, whether the First order or the Resistance is the source. When a sneaky journalism mission ends up showing the darker side of news media, the Resistance gains a new member. While this issue doesn't really fit with the earlier volumes, it works in this volume since Suralinda Javos becomes a highlighted secondary character in the forthcoming issues. Issues 14-19 deal with Poe and Black Squadrons quest to find Oddy Muva, a once member of Black Squadron who betrayed his men to keep his wife safe. Now Black Squadron aims to find him before the First Order does. Meanwhile, Terex has been taken by Phasma who implants a mind control device on his head to have him obey any orders and skiff through any information he has learned that he can share about the Resistance to the First Order. While half of Black Squadron aims to find Oddy, the other half, taking Suralinda the journalist along, aim to get footage on how the First Order treats the beings of new planets they aim to conquer. With such footage, the Resistance can spark a new hope (eyyy) in the citizens of the galaxy.
Once again, beautiful art, as always. I felt that the story was crafted even better than the first two volumes. The story was more centered on the needs of the Resistance, through the eyes of Poe and Black Squadron of course, which was an interesting diversion from the first two story arcs. We get to know a bit more about the individuals of Black Squadron, adding more depth to the characters, as well as being introduced to Suralinda, a prospective potential secondary character of some import in the future. Overall, an excellent edition to the Poe Dameron comics.
This third volume of the Poe Dameron collection consists of issues 7 and 14-19. #7 has more of a side story feel to it where Poe is on leave and meets up with an old friend who happens to be a journalist. Of course, being a journalist, she is always fishing for information and a big story, whether the First order or the Resistance is the source. When a sneaky journalism mission ends up showing the darker side of news media, the Resistance gains a new member. While this issue doesn't really fit with the earlier volumes, it works in this volume since Suralinda Javos becomes a highlighted secondary character in the forthcoming issues. Issues 14-19 deal with Poe and Black Squadrons quest to find Oddy Muva, a once member of Black Squadron who betrayed his men to keep his wife safe. Now Black Squadron aims to find him before the First Order does. Meanwhile, Terex has been taken by Phasma who implants a mind control device on his head to have him obey any orders and skiff through any information he has learned that he can share about the Resistance to the First Order. While half of Black Squadron aims to find Oddy, the other half, taking Suralinda the journalist along, aim to get footage on how the First Order treats the beings of new planets they aim to conquer. With such footage, the Resistance can spark a new hope (eyyy) in the citizens of the galaxy.
Once again, beautiful art, as always. I felt that the story was crafted even better than the first two volumes. The story was more centered on the needs of the Resistance, through the eyes of Poe and Black Squadron of course, which was an interesting diversion from the first two story arcs. We get to know a bit more about the individuals of Black Squadron, adding more depth to the characters, as well as being introduced to Suralinda, a prospective potential secondary character of some import in the future. Overall, an excellent edition to the Poe Dameron comics.
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