Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars Graphic Novelisations #3

by Miles Lane, Doug Wheatley

The official comics adaptation! The action of the Clone Wars comes to a dramatic conclusion, and events are put in place for A New Hope. Battles rage in space, armies clash on alien worlds, heroes become martyrs, and friends become enemies-all leading up to the biggest, longest, and most incredible lightsaber duel in Star Wars history!

This is the film that answers the questions, How did Anakin succumb to the dark side? What happened to Luke and Leia's mother? And why are there no Jedi around in the original Trilogy?

Artist Doug Wheatley (Star Wars: Empire volume two) brings a level of life and detail to the adaptation that rivals that of the films themselves. An epic graphic novel not to be missed!

Genres: Star Wars, Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Comic Book, Bande Dessinée, Fiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2004

Reviews

[Iset · Rating 2 out of 5]

Re-reading through my collection, I’m not even sure why I have this. It is worse than a straight retelling of the film because not only does it bring absolutely nothing new to the table, but it is also pared down to the max. As much as possible that could be cut has been cut, resulting in many sequences that would be unintelligible if you weren’t already familiar with the film. I’m not going to go in to my quibbles with the final prequel here, just this graphic novel adaptation, but it really adds nothing. It’s cut from my collection.

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ίσως είναι επειδή δεν είμαι συνηθισμένη στα κόμικς, ίσως επειδή είμαι κάπως προκατειλημμένη με το είδος, αλλά αυτό το βιβλίο δεν ήταν ιδιαίτερα ''ψυχαγωγικό''.
Σίγουρα είναι ένα πολύ γρήγορο ανάγνωσμα, και η εικονογράφηση ήταν απλά μοναδική αλλά δεν μπορώ να πω πως με συνεπήρε ως ιστορία. Έχω δει την ταινία πολλές φορές και κάθε φορά βγάζει ένα αποπνικτικό συναίσθημα, μια αίσθηση στεναχώριας, διότι όλοι μας ξέρουμε τι συμβαίνει στο τέλος από το πρώτο κι όλας λεπτό.
Παρόλα αυτά, η όλη σκοτεινιά της ταινίας, το όλο συναίσθημα, έλειπε από το κόμικ. Ίσως σε αυτό να ευθύνεται που δεν συμπεριλαμβάνονταν και η μουσική, η οποία κάνει το όλο αποτέλεσμα ακόμα πιο έντονο (Κάτι τέτοιες στιγμές θυμάμαι την δήλωση του Geogre Lucas, σύμφωνα με την οποία, οι ταινίες συνοδεύουν την μουσική. Όχι το αντίστροφο.).
Σαν σύνολο θα το χαρακτηρίσω μέτριο. Η ελληνική έκδοση είναι πολύ προσεγμένη, σκληρόδετη και οι σελίδες είναι γυαλιστερές, εύθραυστες και πανέμορφες.
Μάλλον το 3,5/5 του ταιριάζει περισσότερο.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVE this movie. I did not love this comic. The art was tough and I feel like they rushed this entire story. There were some big time moments that just felt small in this comic. Oh well. There will still always be the movie to enjoy!

[Graham Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Review from 2024)

Read this as a kid. Bit better than the Attack of the Clones comic although the artwork isn't as good and a lot of the story loses its impact without the score and special effects (i.e., Grievious is defeated way too easily). It was cool seeing an expanded Order 66 sequence.

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 1 out of 5]

What happened with the artwork in this adaptation?? It looks like they took some of the ugliest stills from the film, put them through a Photoshop comic filter, and added speech balloons. It's really bad.

Also bad is the way this graphic novel condenses the film. It's impossible to tell what happens to General Grievous, Yoda, and Anakin at key moments if you don't know the movie (which of course anyone who reads this book will, but that's no excuse for poor storytelling here). This is a disappointing adaptation that adds almost nothing of value to one of the most disappointing Star Wars films. Nothing to recommend here.

[Alayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le pongo más estrellas que a los otro dos tomos, porque, por lo que recuerdo, éste era más grande y tenía mejores gráficos que los demás (además de que la película es mi favorita de la trilogía nueva, ay)

[Judah Radd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best comic adaptation of a Star Wars movie, hands down.

Amazing art from Doug Wheatley and very well arranged and paneled.

Also, it has some scenes that didn’t make the original cut, and they definitely add to the connectivity of Star Wars. Really enjoyed this.

[Tony Romine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Revenge of the Sith is a the final installment of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. It takes place 3 years after the start of the Clone Wars that ended Attack of the Clones. The Separatists have a new, powerful droid general named Grievous who has kidnapped Palpatine (now Supreme Chancellor of the Republic thanks to the machinations of Jar Jar Binks) and the story begin with Obi-Wan and Anakin going to rescue him.

From the start, it's easy to see this is the best film of the trilogy, but it's still massively flawed in a lot of ways. The dialogue is still a giant cheese fest, the "romance" between Anakin and Padme stills plays a large part, and, once again, there are just no real likable characters here. Count Dooku is gone within the first 30 minutes and the "threat" he posed is replaced by General Grievous. Anakin's decent into the dark side is sped up quite quickly in this story and, as such, he is even more whiny and bland than normal. Obi-Wan gets a lot better role in this movie, but still doesn't quite live up the legendary status that he's achieved only 20 years after the events of this story.

This is the part of Star Wars history where Anakin finally turns to the dark side to eventually become Darth Vader, which you would think comes as a result of something big. By something big, I mean something more than Palpatine having a few extended monologues explaining to Anakin how the Dark Side is necessary and he should become a Sith. Instead we get exactly that. Sure there are a few moments of inner-turmoil that are vocally expressed by Anakin, but ultimately he is swayed because Palpatine tells him it's the only way Padme (who is pregnant now) can live otherwise she is doomed. It makes Anakin seem really dumb to believe this, but he does and thus becomes Darth Vader.

From there Order 66 is executed and the Jedis are wiped out and Obi-Wan Kenobi fights Anakin in a giant lava factory or something and leaves him limbless and burnt up inside it. Emperor Palpatine arrives and takes the barely alive body with him and Darth Vader gets his suit and the Death Star begins being built. It's an intense, welcome ending to this mess of a trilogy.

The graphic novel has the worst art of the adaptations, it goes for a very realistic painting syle, and it's actually quite jarring at times, but other than that the comic it serves it purpose well. It's worth a read, but it's not better than the movie.

[Nessa [October Tune] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3,5. If I had to choose, I think Revenge of the Sith is my favourite Prequel movie. But I cannot say this graphic novel was a worthy adaptation of the movie. It felt too short, too rushed at some points. While the Attack of the Clones GN was full of detail and even had some extra scenes put in there, this one had actual movie scenes missing, which was such a shame. I didn't really like the art style either, but that may be because I had recently read the AotC graphic novel, and I really liked that art style, which is completely different from this one. Such a shame.

[Will Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This comic version is only good because I've seen the movie twice and read Matthew Stover's novelization, so I was able to insert those scenes in between the panels. A lot of the humor and emotions were lost here, and the art was questionable at best. Order 66 is illustrated heartbreakingly well, which makes up for the rest of it, though!

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The graphic novel adaptation of George Lucas' third prequel movie.
The Clone Wars reaches its fiercest point but the end of the war is in sight. However, distrust between Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and the Jedi Council begins to drive a wedge between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

Episode III is (surely unarguably) the best of the prequels, but so much of its runtime is dedicated to showy CGI battles and flashy lightsaber duels that the quieter and, honestly, more interesting aspects of the story don't get much room to develop. That's not the case here since the long action sequences are reduced to a page of dynamic panels and more time is given to the exploration of the characters' thoughts and feelings. As a result, the tensions between Anakin and the other Jedi are much better represented here. This means that his eventual fall to the dark side (spoilers from 1980, by the way) feels a bit more organic and believable than it does in the film itself.
We also get to see more of Padme here than we really did in the movie, exploring her relationship with Anakin, her friendship with Obi-Wan and the beginnings of rebellion within the Senate.

Added to the fact that this feels like a better exploration of the story than the film itself is Doug Wheatley's incredible artwork. He has a real talent not only for paring action down to the key dynamic moments needed but also for showing genuine emotion on the character's faces. Some of the close-up images of Obi-Wan and Padme's heart-breaking reactions to Anakin's fall do more to tell the story than a full page of dialogue could.

Overall, probably a better telling of the story than the movie itself but still not quite as good as Matthew Stover's novelisation.

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

[Andy Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith by Miles Lane, Doug Wheatley
Complete four-volume comic adaptation

Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: Vol.1
“Good, Anakin, good! I knew you could do it! Kill him. KILL HIM NOW!” – Chancellor
..
Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: Vol.2
“NOTHING. It was a dream … like the ones I used to have about my mother just before she died.” – Anakin
..
Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: Vol.3
“YOU’RE A SITH LORD!” – Anakin
“I AM. But I am NOT your ENEMY, Anakin. I need your HELP to restore peace to the galaxy.” – Chancellor
..
Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: Vol.4
“The flaw of power is ARROGANCE” – Obi Wan
“YOU HESITATE – the flaw of COMPASSION!” – Anakin
..

[Jaime K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has things from the book that weren't in the movie but also missing scenes. Those in particular let me see how disjointed some of the story telling is.
It would have been nice to see Mace's Vapaad though.

The part was pretty realistic. At one point, Padme looked quite a bit older than Natalie Portman in the movie--and even 10 years Anakin's senior rather than 5 years.

It was decent. Nothing to write home about.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the last two adaptations, I was prepared for more confusing and rushed storytelling, but Lane is clearly much more proficient at writing comic scripts than Gilroy was. Sure, some things are cut and some scenes have even tweaked (and that's after you take the original screenplay into consideration) - but it's all done to make sure the story keeps flowing in this shorter medium. Bonus Quinlan Vos.

[Ben Kimsal · Rating 3 out of 5]

As comic adaptions go, I was not terribly impressed with this one. Pretty much went beat for beat with the film, but at a breakneck pace. the Obi-Wan-Grievous fight (which was already kind of lame in the movie) suffered in particular and was relegated to just a couple of panels.There were a few deleted scenes from the movie and aspects from the novelization that were included, so that was neat I guess.

[Elizabeth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always forget how crazy broody Annie was. That poor kid. I love the story line tho. this is the one I grew up watching in theatres. The journey of evil is always fun to see. They’re paved with good intentions and then somehow you lose your way. This was a lot shorter than clone wars. I was hoping for. A little bit more.

[Timo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muistoni ovat sulkeneet pois, että pidinkö Sithin Kostosta elokuvana vai en. Ilmeisesti en, koska en muista. Mutta jos se tätä sarjakuvan tasoa oli, niin en kauheasti muistitilaa sille viitsi varata.
Onneksi tässä oli mukana parit sarjat Star Wars - Empire lehdestä. Ne olivat hyviä ja toimivia. Ainakin tuohon elokuvan sarjakuva versioon verrattuna.

[KJo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty much just Revenge of the Sith the movie but in graphic novel form. There were some dialogue changes here and there, like Obi-Wan Kenobi doesn't say his iconic line, "I have the high ground!". There were a few small scenes added in or taken out as well, but nothing remotely drastic.

Overall, I'd recommend if you want to fly through Revenge of the Sith real quick.

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

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◆ #MagicalReadathon2019 // #WinterReadathon ◆
Chapter 4: reading prompt #5 - read a book that starts with the letter S, for Slytherin

[kleinerpanda_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wenn man einen Star Wars Filme Marathon machen und vorher nochmal einen kurzen Blick auf das Geschehen werfen möchte, reicht es.

Wenn man aber Hintergrundinfos bzw. irgendeine Art von Mehrwert erwartet, reicht es nicht.

[Claudia García · Rating 3 out of 5]

No sé por qué lo sigo intentando con los cómics.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good story telling. It has some simplified versions of fight sequences, but overall, not bad.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent comicbook of a beloved Star Wars movie

[Man-Dana Mohseni · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite Star Wars comics. 😍

[jaz · Rating 2 out of 5]

kinda ugly artwork

[Chuy Ruiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

They're alright. It's cool to see the movies turned into a graphic novel, but you can read it in less than an hour, so it ends up being choppier than the movie. Cool art though.

[Alam]

Read

[Laurence · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm, some moments look good but many do not. Also, doesn't really add much just one or two deleted scenes that are available online anyway (which would have been better included in the movie).

[devyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

listening to the lakes while reading this was a stupid idea i see now

[Devero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buona riduzione a fumetti del film; peccato solo che il film non fosse poi questa gran cosa, specialmente raffrontato alla trilogia originale.
2 stelle