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Star Wars: Han Solo - Imperial Cadet #1-5
Star Wars: Han Solo - Imperial Cadet
Untold adventures of a young Han Solo! How does a thief, accustomed to the chaos of back-alley brawls, adjust to the order and discipline of the Imperial Navy? Not very well! And Han's dream of becoming a pilot is quickly grounded when he realizes he may not even survive basic training. After a wild sequence of events lands him in the brig overnight, Han is given one last shot at flight school. But will he be top gun - or will he crash and burn? And who is his mysterious rival, ripped from the pages of classic Star Wars comics? Plus: Han enters real combat for the first time, but will taking a little hard-earned R&R at a casino prove to be even more dangerous? Never tell him the odds.
COLLECTING: HAN SOLO: IMPERIAL CADET #1-7, STAR WARS: BECKETT #1
COLLECTING: HAN SOLO: IMPERIAL CADET #1-7, STAR WARS: BECKETT #1
160 pages, Paperback
First published May 14, 2019
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402 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
September 13, 2019
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
This collection takes place during the Solo movie. During that movie we see Han join the Empire but we never see his time as a cadet. This collection tells that story.
This collection surprised me as it was better than I expected it to be as I thought the movie was okay. I thought it captured the essence of Han perfectly. We all know him to be a person who flies by the seat of his pants but as also a person who has a good natured heart. We also get to see Han as a leader even though he never seeks it. As for the artwork it was good for the most part. I liked how the artwork concentrated more on the actor from the Solo movie but one could see traces of Harrison Ford in the character.
I haven't been a fan of Disney's one offs for this universe. They are a pure cash grab and have added nothing to the overall story line. This one didn't add anything to the story line but it was entertaining. After reading this I believe the movie about Han Solo might have been better off going with this type of story instead of the story they actually went with.
This collection takes place during the Solo movie. During that movie we see Han join the Empire but we never see his time as a cadet. This collection tells that story.
This collection surprised me as it was better than I expected it to be as I thought the movie was okay. I thought it captured the essence of Han perfectly. We all know him to be a person who flies by the seat of his pants but as also a person who has a good natured heart. We also get to see Han as a leader even though he never seeks it. As for the artwork it was good for the most part. I liked how the artwork concentrated more on the actor from the Solo movie but one could see traces of Harrison Ford in the character.
I haven't been a fan of Disney's one offs for this universe. They are a pure cash grab and have added nothing to the overall story line. This one didn't add anything to the story line but it was entertaining. After reading this I believe the movie about Han Solo might have been better off going with this type of story instead of the story they actually went with.
June 14, 2019
I really liked the Solo movie, and I was curious about Han's training at the Imperial academy. Unfortunately, this graphic novel is bland and shallow. It doesn't feel to me much like Star Wars or like Han Solo. Also, I found the artwork difficult to follow sometimes—hard to figure out what I'm supposed to focus on in very busy, cluttered panels.
November 18, 2019
Just about as straight up a 3 star review as possible. Enjoyable? Sure! Memorable? Ehhhh, not so much.
I guess the editorial staff at Marvel felt the same way as it ends with a "To Be Continued..." that obviously is never to be. Always sad to see that in comics.
Yeah not actually
I guess the editorial staff at Marvel felt the same way as it ends with a "To Be Continued..." that obviously is never to be. Always sad to see that in comics.
Yeah not actually
December 1, 2024
Instantly forgetable. Much like the movie it was fun but I won't remember anything that happened in it.
August 27, 2023
3.5 stars only because the Beckett story in this one was just okay. The Han Solo story was much better! I really wish they’d give Solo his own long running series. The biggest standout for this one hitting for me was the reintroduction to Valance, who was a phenomenal Legends character from the original Marvel series. Excited to see what they do with him for the future!
July 29, 2022
literally only read for valence it was very mid and the art style changed 1000 times
May 21, 2019
Not the greatest story Ive read on Solo but not the worst. Art was fun.
October 17, 2022
*4.25
spoilers for the Solo movie
I... wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did.
Like seriously, WOW. The friendship moments in this were so strong, and that's really all I'm here for.
This book follows Han directly after he enlists himself in the Empire, which I liked - I'm always down for some immediate continuance stories. And it is interesting to see how Han interacts with Imperial officials and his fellow cadets.
Lyttan and Tamu are just kinda there, and they don't have too much going on. But I quite liked Kanina and her relationship with Han. I liked how they both had someone they wanted to get back home to, and that ending was the cutest.
Quick side note: see, Qi'ra's mere existence is one of the things I don't like about the Solo movie. Han had a girlfriend as a teenager - yeah, fine, I'd expect that. But Han being so devoted to and in love with this girl that she defines a good portion of his adolescent life is just a bit much. Maybe it's that the Solo movie was supposed to have a sequel, so that's why the whole Han/Qi'ra plot thread feels unresolved. But I just cringe imagining Han and Kanina reuniting years later and asking him "So, did you ever find your Qi'ra?" and Han has to awkwardly explain everything that happened there. Ugh, maybe I'm being too hard on the Solo movie rn, but I'm bitter. Back to characters!
I liked the Imperial officer who was tough with Han but saw his potential. And oh my gosh - VALANCE. I didn't recognize him at first in his pre-Terminator state, but I was thrilled to see him. Valance is a bounty hunter from Star Wars: Target Vader and the Galaxy's Deadliest series - both of which came out after this book. But I read them all beforehand. Funnily enough, I read Target Valance just a week or two ago, which had a flashback Valance had - which is originally from this comic! So that was really cool. Honestly, the way I read both versions of that scene seemed like the best way - the scene from Target Valance, and then from this book. I really loved seeing that.
But yeah, I just really liked Valance in here. He's a jerk at first, but I ADORE the trope of "this character in our team sucks, oh no, they sacrificed themself on a mission? Well, even though we claim we don't like them and they don't like us, it looks like we'll have to take a risk and save them!" Seriously, all that stuff with Valance and the team near the end of the book was my favorite part.
As to other things in here - I get how this book is trying to establish Han's history as a flier. In here, he's a promising young recruit with an authority problem, which stems from his history occasionally flying back on Corellia. But he's already considered a prodigy by the Empire, so I guess it's either a lot of practice or he's a natural. And this is all fine, but I feel like it speaks to a greater issue with the Solo movie in general - it never should've existed. The mystery of Han's past is one of the appeals of his character. And now that this floodgate has opened, all of these weird things have to be written in to try and justify every quirk of his personality and every facet of his past.
I did like how this comic showed Han's rebelliousness and his heart of gold, but it just makes me think that I can't see how he gets to the point he does by ANH. He helps his friends and feels good about it, he does things for a greater cause... does everyone keep forgetting that he's distrusting and a bit jaded in ANH? This comic gets a pass because of the distance between it and ANH is about ten years - so it's fine that Han doesn't have the exact same mindset that he does by that point. Anyhow.
Also... look, I can't draw worth a damn at all, so I feel bad saying this - but I really didn't like the artwork in here. The artist just doesn't draw faces well. They always looked really bad to me. I feel like I would've full-blown loved this if I'd liked how everyone looked a bit more.
4.25/5 stars. This comic did a great job building off from the movie, and that last page was gold. Also, the friendships. My heart.
spoilers for the Solo movie
I... wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did.
Like seriously, WOW. The friendship moments in this were so strong, and that's really all I'm here for.
This book follows Han directly after he enlists himself in the Empire, which I liked - I'm always down for some immediate continuance stories. And it is interesting to see how Han interacts with Imperial officials and his fellow cadets.
Lyttan and Tamu are just kinda there, and they don't have too much going on. But I quite liked Kanina and her relationship with Han. I liked how they both had someone they wanted to get back home to, and that ending was the cutest.
Quick side note: see, Qi'ra's mere existence is one of the things I don't like about the Solo movie. Han had a girlfriend as a teenager - yeah, fine, I'd expect that. But Han being so devoted to and in love with this girl that she defines a good portion of his adolescent life is just a bit much. Maybe it's that the Solo movie was supposed to have a sequel, so that's why the whole Han/Qi'ra plot thread feels unresolved. But I just cringe imagining Han and Kanina reuniting years later and asking him "So, did you ever find your Qi'ra?" and Han has to awkwardly explain everything that happened there. Ugh, maybe I'm being too hard on the Solo movie rn, but I'm bitter. Back to characters!
I liked the Imperial officer who was tough with Han but saw his potential. And oh my gosh - VALANCE. I didn't recognize him at first in his pre-Terminator state, but I was thrilled to see him. Valance is a bounty hunter from Star Wars: Target Vader and the Galaxy's Deadliest series - both of which came out after this book. But I read them all beforehand. Funnily enough, I read Target Valance just a week or two ago, which had a flashback Valance had - which is originally from this comic! So that was really cool. Honestly, the way I read both versions of that scene seemed like the best way - the scene from Target Valance, and then from this book. I really loved seeing that.
But yeah, I just really liked Valance in here. He's a jerk at first, but I ADORE the trope of "this character in our team sucks, oh no, they sacrificed themself on a mission? Well, even though we claim we don't like them and they don't like us, it looks like we'll have to take a risk and save them!" Seriously, all that stuff with Valance and the team near the end of the book was my favorite part.
As to other things in here - I get how this book is trying to establish Han's history as a flier. In here, he's a promising young recruit with an authority problem, which stems from his history occasionally flying back on Corellia. But he's already considered a prodigy by the Empire, so I guess it's either a lot of practice or he's a natural. And this is all fine, but I feel like it speaks to a greater issue with the Solo movie in general - it never should've existed. The mystery of Han's past is one of the appeals of his character. And now that this floodgate has opened, all of these weird things have to be written in to try and justify every quirk of his personality and every facet of his past.
I did like how this comic showed Han's rebelliousness and his heart of gold, but it just makes me think that I can't see how he gets to the point he does by ANH. He helps his friends and feels good about it, he does things for a greater cause... does everyone keep forgetting that he's distrusting and a bit jaded in ANH? This comic gets a pass because of the distance between it and ANH is about ten years - so it's fine that Han doesn't have the exact same mindset that he does by that point. Anyhow.
Also... look, I can't draw worth a damn at all, so I feel bad saying this - but I really didn't like the artwork in here. The artist just doesn't draw faces well. They always looked really bad to me. I feel like I would've full-blown loved this if I'd liked how everyone looked a bit more.
4.25/5 stars. This comic did a great job building off from the movie, and that last page was gold. Also, the friendships. My heart.
April 23, 2023
Apenas um motivo me levou a adquirir esse quadrinho da linha Star Wars, que foi lançado tardiamente pela Panini Comics no Brasil: o escritor Robbie Thompson. Gosto muito do trabalho dele e essa não foi uma exceção. Uma aventura bastante divertida, sarapintada com os desenhos competentes de Leonard Kirk. Essa minissérie deveria ter sido lançada durante a exibição do filme solo de Han Solo (han, han, han?!), mas não foi sabe-se lá por que cargas d'água. Desfeito o erro, curti bastante saber mais do passado do personagem de Star Wars e seu passado como piloto do Império Interestelar, passando desde o alistamento, o duro treinamento e as maracutaias que Han Solo aprontou para chegar onde chegou. Existem muitos easter eggs de presente para os fãs da série e que deve agradar tanto a velhos adoradores de Star Wars como daqueles que foram fisgados há pouco. E olha, que isso é difícil em se tratando dos quadrinhos de navinhas de Star Wars. Thompson e Kirk fazem um ótimo trabalho aqui. O que puxa a nota para baixo é o especial sem pé e nem cabeça de Barrett incluído aqui... Desnecessário!
May 6, 2021
Svižná akční jednohubka. Dostal jsem vlastně víc, než jsem čekal.
Na druhou stranu... Imperial Cadet nepřinese lautr nic novýho a z námětu "Solo u Impéria" se dalo vymáčknout mnohem víc. Vedlejší postavy jsou nezajímavý křoví a trochu jsem doufal v morálně šedou zónu (zvlášť u mladých rekrutů). Ale ne, Impérium jsou prostě vždy a všude ti zlí. :(
Na druhou stranu... Imperial Cadet nepřinese lautr nic novýho a z námětu "Solo u Impéria" se dalo vymáčknout mnohem víc. Vedlejší postavy jsou nezajímavý křoví a trochu jsem doufal v morálně šedou zónu (zvlášť u mladých rekrutů). Ale ne, Impérium jsou prostě vždy a všude ti zlí. :(
August 28, 2019
A pretty solid story and artwork that is consistent, if not my favorite. I liked this story.
October 10, 2019
This is basically the Solo movie in comic form.
February 8, 2020
If you happen to be one of the few fans---like me---who actually really liked Ron Howard’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story”, you will most likely enjoy Robbie Thompson’s graphic novel “Han Solo: Imperial Cadet”. It merely expands on the few years that young Solo spent after fleeing Corellia and enlisting into the Imperial Navy, before he meets Beckett and joins his crew.
Solo wasn’t built to be a soldier. He’s irreverent, reckless, self-centered, and anti-authoritarian, which is what we love about him. Unfortunately, his superiors can’t stand him. They also can’t stand the fact that he’s a damn good pilot when he’s not blatantly disregarding orders or trying to go AWOL. Solo spends more time in the brig than anywhere in the Imperial Academy.
He’s okay with that. The brig just gives him time to think of new ways to escape and/or piss off his superiors.
This graphic novel is essentially “Stripes” set in the Star Wars universe. While I liked Alden Ehrenreich’s performance in “Solo”, I am having a lot of fun dream-casting the movie adaptation of this graphic novel with a young Bill Murray as Solo.
Solo wasn’t built to be a soldier. He’s irreverent, reckless, self-centered, and anti-authoritarian, which is what we love about him. Unfortunately, his superiors can’t stand him. They also can’t stand the fact that he’s a damn good pilot when he’s not blatantly disregarding orders or trying to go AWOL. Solo spends more time in the brig than anywhere in the Imperial Academy.
He’s okay with that. The brig just gives him time to think of new ways to escape and/or piss off his superiors.
This graphic novel is essentially “Stripes” set in the Star Wars universe. While I liked Alden Ehrenreich’s performance in “Solo”, I am having a lot of fun dream-casting the movie adaptation of this graphic novel with a young Bill Murray as Solo.
January 27, 2020
Here's the next from-comixology-end-of-year-sale star wars comic on my bucket list- I give you Han Solo- Imperial Cadet!
Let's get this out of the way first, I think Solo: A Star Wars Story is the most underrated Star Wars film ever made. Since I first saw it I always found it to be a solid, enjoyable film. Alden Ehrenreich is AMAZING as a young Han Solo, and I thought he nailed the character from the very first scene. For me, I had no trouble believing that this is what Han was like when he was younger, 10 years before we meet him as Harrison Ford in the Mos Eisley Cantina. I found the other characters to be quite enjoyable- Donald Glover's compelling young Lando, the awesomeness that is Chewbacca in the movie, and Paul Bettany's scene chewing villain Dryden Voss are the standouts for me.
Finally, John Powell's score doesn't get enough credit. It's by far the best star wars movie score since Revenge of the Sith in my eyes, and now that John Williams is done scoring Star Wars, I would 100% support Powell as a replacement.
And now, lets get to the comic. Is it an underrated gem like Solo the movie is? Well... no, but it's not bad either.
THE STORY: This is a bridge comic that takes place during the time-skip we see in the first act of Solo, between his enlistment with the Empire and the part where we see him in the Mimban war zone. It opens up with Han and Q'ira doing a heist while they're still on Corellia, followed by a few quick panels showing us their separation as seen in the movie and Han's subsequent recruitment. The bulk of this comic gives us some insight into what those years as a cadet were like for young Han.
THE BAD: This comic has a good deal of problems.
First, I wasn't a fan of the character art. Han Solo doesn't really look like han from Solo in this comic. I know we see them cut his hair, but the face looks off too. The other characters' faces don't look that great either.
Second, I just didn't really get much from this story. Cutting from Han's recruitment to the Empire immediately to the Mimban battlefield effectively conveyed that military life wasn't going to be what he expected, and to be honest, the comic doesn't even manage to convey that part. Granted, maybe it wasn't trying to do that, but it still doesn't manage to teach us anything new about Han Solo regardless.
Third, the other new characters introduced just weren't memorable. I don't remember even one of their names. They had the most basic and stereotypical backgrounds/singular traits. I wasn't really invested in any of them.
THE GOOD: There is one redeeming quality that actually manages to carry this comic all the way through: Han Solo himself.
Again, we didn't learn much about him, but like the movie, he's just so likeable and charismatic and fun that it works anyway. Solo itself didn't provide much insight into how Han became the selfish scoundrel in A New Hope, but Alden Ehrenreich was so charasmatic and fun to watch that he carried the movie anyway. This comic works the same way. Han's lines and his decisions work perfectly in making me want to see what happened to the end.
It also helps that the dogfight sequences were pretty good too. Yeah the characters didn't look great but the action was good enough.
THE CONCLUSION: Final rating is 3 stars.
Han Solo had a good enough characterization backed up by good enough action scenes that I was able to get through this one without much trouble. Unfortunately, it's also pretty forgettable, and I already remember pretty little of it despite reading it yesterday. It's better than Vader - Dark Visions, but not by much.
If you didn't care for Solo: A Star Wars Story, this comic isn't going to sway you; and even if you liked the film like I did, this isn't going to enrich the movie by any means. If you're a completionist this one isn't going to hurt, but otherwise there's plenty of other, better Star Wars comics that you could be reading instead.
Let's get this out of the way first, I think Solo: A Star Wars Story is the most underrated Star Wars film ever made. Since I first saw it I always found it to be a solid, enjoyable film. Alden Ehrenreich is AMAZING as a young Han Solo, and I thought he nailed the character from the very first scene. For me, I had no trouble believing that this is what Han was like when he was younger, 10 years before we meet him as Harrison Ford in the Mos Eisley Cantina. I found the other characters to be quite enjoyable- Donald Glover's compelling young Lando, the awesomeness that is Chewbacca in the movie, and Paul Bettany's scene chewing villain Dryden Voss are the standouts for me.
Finally, John Powell's score doesn't get enough credit. It's by far the best star wars movie score since Revenge of the Sith in my eyes, and now that John Williams is done scoring Star Wars, I would 100% support Powell as a replacement.
And now, lets get to the comic. Is it an underrated gem like Solo the movie is? Well... no, but it's not bad either.
THE STORY: This is a bridge comic that takes place during the time-skip we see in the first act of Solo, between his enlistment with the Empire and the part where we see him in the Mimban war zone. It opens up with Han and Q'ira doing a heist while they're still on Corellia, followed by a few quick panels showing us their separation as seen in the movie and Han's subsequent recruitment. The bulk of this comic gives us some insight into what those years as a cadet were like for young Han.
THE BAD: This comic has a good deal of problems.
First, I wasn't a fan of the character art. Han Solo doesn't really look like han from Solo in this comic. I know we see them cut his hair, but the face looks off too. The other characters' faces don't look that great either.
Second, I just didn't really get much from this story. Cutting from Han's recruitment to the Empire immediately to the Mimban battlefield effectively conveyed that military life wasn't going to be what he expected, and to be honest, the comic doesn't even manage to convey that part. Granted, maybe it wasn't trying to do that, but it still doesn't manage to teach us anything new about Han Solo regardless.
Third, the other new characters introduced just weren't memorable. I don't remember even one of their names. They had the most basic and stereotypical backgrounds/singular traits. I wasn't really invested in any of them.
THE GOOD: There is one redeeming quality that actually manages to carry this comic all the way through: Han Solo himself.
Again, we didn't learn much about him, but like the movie, he's just so likeable and charismatic and fun that it works anyway. Solo itself didn't provide much insight into how Han became the selfish scoundrel in A New Hope, but Alden Ehrenreich was so charasmatic and fun to watch that he carried the movie anyway. This comic works the same way. Han's lines and his decisions work perfectly in making me want to see what happened to the end.
It also helps that the dogfight sequences were pretty good too. Yeah the characters didn't look great but the action was good enough.
THE CONCLUSION: Final rating is 3 stars.
Han Solo had a good enough characterization backed up by good enough action scenes that I was able to get through this one without much trouble. Unfortunately, it's also pretty forgettable, and I already remember pretty little of it despite reading it yesterday. It's better than Vader - Dark Visions, but not by much.
If you didn't care for Solo: A Star Wars Story, this comic isn't going to sway you; and even if you liked the film like I did, this isn't going to enrich the movie by any means. If you're a completionist this one isn't going to hurt, but otherwise there's plenty of other, better Star Wars comics that you could be reading instead.
July 13, 2022
Leben eines Einzelgängers
Fazit: Für Kanon-Fans zu empfehlen, um die ganze Geschichte zu erleben. Kein Must-Have. Gesamt: 3/5
Inhalt: Der Comic "Han Solo. Kadett des Imperiums" von Robbie Thompson u.a. beschäftigt sich mit Han Solo und seiner Ausbildung bei der imperialen Flotte. Dieser tritt er (mehr zwangsweise als freiwillig) nach seiner Flucht aus der Armut von Corellia bei. Doch während andere von Ehrgeiz und Idealen getrieben werden, will er nur eins: Endlich zurück nach Corellia...
Bewertung: Die Comic-Adaption des Beginns von "Solo. A Star Wars Story" wartet mit einigen interessanten Charakteren und einem Einblick in die Ausbildung an einer Imperialen Akademie auf. Die bedeutendsten Figuren sind dabei Han und Valance. Han Solo wird überzeugend als Einzelgänger und Sturkopf dargestellt, der so gar nicht zur Disziplin in der Truppe passt. Dieser Eindruck wurde bereits in den Filmen geweckt und wird hier überzeugend verstärkt. Die Lücke, die der Film offen ließ, ist mit diesem Comic geschlossen worden. Nach Bausteinprinzip wird auch Valance in den Kanon eingeführt - in "Kadett des Imperiums" noch als selbstverliebter Rüpel. Damit wird dem Charakter Tiefe verliehen, da er nun eine hervorragende Basis zur Entwicklung hat. Der Schreibstil ist leicht verständlich und ansprechend. Das größte Manko bleibt die Spannungskurve, denn die verläuft eher horizontal. Es wird mehr darauf geachtet offene Lücken zu schließen, als eine spannende Geschichte zu erzählen.
Fazit: Für Kanon-Fans zu empfehlen, um die ganze Geschichte zu erleben. Kein Must-Have. Gesamt: 3/5
May 17, 2019
There was potential here—I think the movie SOLO should’ve focused more on Han’s time in the Empire, and was hoping to get a taste of that here—but this is mostly forgettable miniseries that, like a lot of Marvel’s Star Wars minis, feels more like an obligation than anything.
Which is too bad, because underneath the paper thin characters and the stakes-less plot, there are a couple moments here that I really liked. The 3rd issue, which takes place in a casino, is the only point in the series where the characters felt like actual people, and Thompson’s writing and dialogue touched on some of the nefarious undertones that make Han such a fun and reckless character. But that issue aside, this is as by-the-numbers a story as they come.
Nothing is really added to Han’s character, or even further developed the way Marjorie Liu’s excellent Han Solo miniseries did. The artwork is good, but not great. I like the layouts a lot, but the figure and environment detail is lacking, leaving some of the pages feeling kind of formless. Overall, this was just fine. Not bad, but entirely unremarkable.
Which is too bad, because underneath the paper thin characters and the stakes-less plot, there are a couple moments here that I really liked. The 3rd issue, which takes place in a casino, is the only point in the series where the characters felt like actual people, and Thompson’s writing and dialogue touched on some of the nefarious undertones that make Han such a fun and reckless character. But that issue aside, this is as by-the-numbers a story as they come.
Nothing is really added to Han’s character, or even further developed the way Marjorie Liu’s excellent Han Solo miniseries did. The artwork is good, but not great. I like the layouts a lot, but the figure and environment detail is lacking, leaving some of the pages feeling kind of formless. Overall, this was just fine. Not bad, but entirely unremarkable.
March 13, 2019
What exactly was the point of this mini-series?
We didn't learn anything new about the Empire or the war. We didn't learn anything new about Han's personality, skills, or motivations. The new characters were forgettable blips that won't ever be heard from again.
There are dozens of better Star Wars stories out there, and there are probably hundreds of better space/flight academy stories.
We didn't learn anything new about the Empire or the war. We didn't learn anything new about Han's personality, skills, or motivations. The new characters were forgettable blips that won't ever be heard from again.
There are dozens of better Star Wars stories out there, and there are probably hundreds of better space/flight academy stories.
April 20, 2023
I cannot believe I have been duped into reading another story about Beilert Valance, The Worst Star War.
The rest of it is actually really fun tho! I wish SOLO had been good enough to let us spend more time with Erenreich as Young Han. Feels like such a missed opportunity. A very fun performance unfortunately tied to a confused dud of a movie. I wish we could have had a trilogy of like, oceans eleven in space with young han and lando. Some of the current HAN SOLO AND CHEWBACCA run would totally have played as a movie or a miniseries thing.
The rest of it is actually really fun tho! I wish SOLO had been good enough to let us spend more time with Erenreich as Young Han. Feels like such a missed opportunity. A very fun performance unfortunately tied to a confused dud of a movie. I wish we could have had a trilogy of like, oceans eleven in space with young han and lando. Some of the current HAN SOLO AND CHEWBACCA run would totally have played as a movie or a miniseries thing.
July 28, 2023
6/10:
While this is fairly shallow, it does give us some neat insight into the Imperial Naval Academy and the time that Han Solo spent there as a soldier of the Empire. I think my favorite part of this 5-issue story however, is seeing the origins of Beilert Valance and how his rivalry with Han began.
Knowing more about Valance certainly has me excited to catch up on more of his recent appearances, and the future interactions between him and Han!
While this is fairly shallow, it does give us some neat insight into the Imperial Naval Academy and the time that Han Solo spent there as a soldier of the Empire. I think my favorite part of this 5-issue story however, is seeing the origins of Beilert Valance and how his rivalry with Han began.
Knowing more about Valance certainly has me excited to catch up on more of his recent appearances, and the future interactions between him and Han!
September 2, 2019
Han’s cadet days are about what you’d expect them to be—an excellent pilot who keeps getting himself into trouble, planning schemes and making them work with pure luck. The additional short story with Beckett and crew, featuring a run-in with Enfys Nest is a nice touch.
The artwork drove me crazy, especially in the first three issues. The action panels are very unclear and the style is overly wrought. The Beckett story and the inkers for the last two Han issues were better.
The artwork drove me crazy, especially in the first three issues. The action panels are very unclear and the style is overly wrought. The Beckett story and the inkers for the last two Han issues were better.
October 22, 2019
This was ever bit of ok, and mostly forgettable. I was excited because it was about the time Han spent in the Imperial Navy, but mostly it was about Han learning that other people are important and he is important to other people... a lesson that he continues to have to learn or push away for years to come.
January 18, 2020
Finally got a chance to finish this series. It was a fun adventure and made me really want to watch Solo again
September 14, 2020
Half of the first issue is a useless recap of the film and most of the new characters are one-dimensional cartoons.
November 22, 2020
This was fun.
September 28, 2021
4 stars
A fun, if sparse, story of Han's training days.
A fun, if sparse, story of Han's training days.
August 28, 2019
Good story about Han's initial time in the Imperial Academy, picking up right after he enlists on Corellia. I'm not sure this story needed to be told but it's good for what it does. Han's love of flying, his scrumrat background, his disregard for authority, and his tendency toward compassion are all woven in. His jocularity is turned up to 11 which is too much for me, personally. It took me a while to realize that fellow cadet Valance was *the* Valance from the original Marvel run way back when. Neat detail.
The trade includes the Beckett one shot which was meh.
The trade includes the Beckett one shot which was meh.
May 21, 2022
A good background story for Han Solo. It does bring in Valance, which is a new character to me.
February 5, 2023
The art was generally good, if kind of hard to follow during action sequences, but the story left a lot to be desired.
July 16, 2019
Pretty lame... this is the part of the story that gets skipped over in the recent Han Solo standalone movie. It seems like it would be fun to find out what Han was like when he was at the Empire's naval academy. The problem is that this just becomes another opportunity to underscore that Han is a rule-breaker with a heart of gold. If Han always chooses to act heroically and sometimes grouses about it - the character is robbed of all his danger.
In the original trilogy, Han's character had an arc. At first he was a scoundrel who only cared about himself. At the end of the first movie he chose to act heroically to save his friend Luke. In the second movie, Empire Strikes Back, he basically sacrificed his life - frozen in carbonite - because he was trying to protect the woman he loved, Leia. In the third movie, Return of the Jedi, all pretense of Han's selfishness is cast aside as he chooses to devote himself to the Rebel Alliance and support their cause. Han's character showed growth and became less interesting in the process.
As we learn more about young Han Solo in the new movie and the comic, this dynamic is amplified and accelerated. If Han behaved the way he did in this comic that means he was always a hero who would act selflessly to save his friends. This also means that all pretense about him being a dangerous smuggler who was mostly out for himself was pure bunkum. If these stories are true then Han was always a hero, and also a huge phony. All of his selfish talk was just pretense and he was always going to follow his true heroic nature.
These new stories are unpopular because they undermine the things we like about Han Solo. He is supposed to be a rogue, a scoundrel, mysterious and dangerous. In these new stories he's basically just another Luke Skywalker - a starry-eyed kid with a heart of gold, he just has a bit more of a problem with authority. Weak!
In the original trilogy, Han's character had an arc. At first he was a scoundrel who only cared about himself. At the end of the first movie he chose to act heroically to save his friend Luke. In the second movie, Empire Strikes Back, he basically sacrificed his life - frozen in carbonite - because he was trying to protect the woman he loved, Leia. In the third movie, Return of the Jedi, all pretense of Han's selfishness is cast aside as he chooses to devote himself to the Rebel Alliance and support their cause. Han's character showed growth and became less interesting in the process.
As we learn more about young Han Solo in the new movie and the comic, this dynamic is amplified and accelerated. If Han behaved the way he did in this comic that means he was always a hero who would act selflessly to save his friends. This also means that all pretense about him being a dangerous smuggler who was mostly out for himself was pure bunkum. If these stories are true then Han was always a hero, and also a huge phony. All of his selfish talk was just pretense and he was always going to follow his true heroic nature.
These new stories are unpopular because they undermine the things we like about Han Solo. He is supposed to be a rogue, a scoundrel, mysterious and dangerous. In these new stories he's basically just another Luke Skywalker - a starry-eyed kid with a heart of gold, he just has a bit more of a problem with authority. Weak!
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