Wayland is a once-fertile world transformed by alien biotechnology into a monstrous living nightmare. The planet was the scene of Kol Skywalker's worst failure and his son Cade's first brush with death. Now Cade and his friends have been lured back to Wayland, where a deadly secret festers - and a life-changing decision waits for Cade. Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a chance for peace erupts into a three-way battle between the Jedi, the Sith, and Roan Fel's Imperial Knights
John Ostrander is an American writer of comic books. He is best known for his work on Suicide Squad, Grimjack and Star Wars: Legacy, series he helped create.
Originally an actor in a Chicago theatre company, Ostrander moved into writing comics in 1983. His first published works were stories about the character "Sargon, Mistress of War", who appeared the First Comics series Warp!, based on a series of plays by that same Chicago theatre company. He is co-creator of the character Grimjack with Timothy Truman, who originally appeared in a back up story in the First Comics title, Starslayer, before going on to appear in his own book, again published by First Comics in the mid 1980s. First Comics ceased publication in 1991, by which time Ostrander was already doing work for other comics companies (his first scripts for DC Comics were published in 1986).
Prior to his career in comic books, Ostrander studied theology with the intent of becoming a Catholic priest, but now describes himself as an agnostic. His in-depth explorations of morality were later used in his work writing The Spectre, a DC Comics series about the manifestation of the wrath of God. His focus on the character's human aspect, a dead police detective from the 1930s named Jim Corrigan, and his exploration of moral and theological themes brought new life to a character often thought of as impossible to write. He has also worked on Firestorm, Justice League, Martian Manhunter, Manhunter, Suicide Squad, and Wasteland for DC.
Rav prays on Cade and his crews greed by offering them a highly well paying easy job. The Sith are uncertain of Darth Krayt's fate and they prepare for what happens if their Lord is dead. The Jedi and Roan Fel are preparing to meet in order to form an alliance, but the information of their meeting has leaked and the Empire plans to end Fel's threat.
Monster was an interesting volume as Cade finally shows some growth. Cade also stops screwing over Deliah Blue and admits how much she means to him. Jariah Syn demonstrates how much her learned from the Yuuzan Vong who taught him, which is impressive. I'm excited to see what's coming next. The interaction between the Jedi and Imperials is interesting. The Imperials are a complex bunch who are quite similar to the Jedi during The Clone Wars with the exception that they follow an Emperor. I really like the direction the story is moving and I expect the next two volumes will be intense.
It’s nearing the climax of John Ostrander and Jan Duursema’s graphic novel series Star Wars Legacy in Volume 9, “Monster”.
The alleged death of Darth Krayt has left a power vacuum within the Sith-led Empire. Deposed Emperor Roan Fel has joined forces with the Galactic Alliance, under the leadership of Admiral Gar Stazi. Despite bad memories of his childhood there, Cade Skywalker knows that he must return to planet Wayland, a once-lush paradise that was virtually destroyed during the Yuuzhan Vong War. Meanwhile, on Coruscant, the in-fighting and secret resentments among the Moffs are creating more instability in an already unstable climate. When his girlfriend, Blue, is taken by Darth Maladi, Cade must finally make the choice between the Dark Side and the Light.
Despite the fact that I think Cade is a douche-bag, I have actually grown to like this series, and I am excited to read the last two installments of the series as another War builds among the Stars.
Divided Loyalties: I've got very little to say about this one, though that's not to say it's bad! This issue is another solid Stazi/Galactic Alliance story that works rather well on its own. It's interesting how autonomous this overarching subplot has become. My only problem, if any, is that maybe the penciller and colorist don't work superbly well together. Both are very talented at their job, but characters like Stazi look off in a few panels. Maybe it's just habit.
Monster: Perhaps my favorite arc since the very first one. Emphasis on favorite: Sadly, you can feel the stress caused by Legacy's premature cancellation emanate from the page. Some scenes take place completely out of the blue (Jariah and Heartstriker), other developments seem rushed or odd in their repercussions. Cade's arc of constant wavering simply seems lopsided now that John & Jan have no more leeway. I blame Tatooine for taking up so much time without accomplishing much in return. So, while I count Monster among my favorites, it's not really the solid narrative it could have been, and should have received at least another issue.
Oh, but it is a favorite. The Cade story simply hasn't been this fun for the last 20-25 issues. Cade, Blue, and Syn all get something to do, or at least something to say. There's this theme of fear pervading this entire storyline. Who really is a monster, how did they become one, and why? It's a type of, sure, """edgy""" storytelling, but one this franchise hasn't properly indulged in in some time. Plus, how could I reject it when the art is this sharp? The team has never quite produced such an atmospherically rich work before. Touches like the stark shadows help to sell the story. Moreover, that final issue in particular gets quite experimental in terms of paneling: a rare positive to my hypothesized time pressure issue?
Bringing in a renegade Yuuzhan Vong antagonist is another masterstroke. Finally, the post-NJO storyline The Unifying Force promised. Zenoc Quah is just such a delightfully crazy villain, and runs circles around Invasion's boring orc designs. Meanwhile, Darth Maladi has always been my favorite One Sith, and this story makes great use of her too. She's a simulacrum of Legacy's approach to setting, a character that merges many different influences while only being able to exist right here and now.
I'm looking forward to seeing what else J&J can accomplish late in this comic's game.
A very strong issue that leaves almost all the way paved for the finale of the story. Good narrative, good art, and an interesting growth of Cade's character, side to side with a nice insight on his (and his father's) past. Not the most brilliant volume in the series, but one of the most cohesive and competent I've read so far, despite some lack of interest on the side of Sith's imperial schemes. It leaves with burning desire to read the next one, and that is always good.
Another banger installment of Legacy featuring one of the best character payoffs of the entire series and a pretty cool connection to the Yuuzhan Vong war covered in the "New Jedi Order" series of novels, which I look forward to eventually reading.
The planet Wayland is likely familiar to most fans of Star Wars, particularly those who have read into the Expanded Universe. After being devastate by Vong technology, Kol Skywalker (Cade's dad and Jedi) hoped to use the newly resettled Vong to work in adapting thing biotechnology to rehabilitate the planet. Unfortunately, the Sith were willing to use those attempt to morph the planet into a nighmare that exemplified the full nightmare imagery of the Vong technology. The planet has pretty much been abandoned ever sense.
Cade and his friends Syn and Blue join him on a trip to Wayland on a job. The planet is filled with bad memories for Cade, who sees it as his father's biggest failure. The team arrives to find another Jedi named Fiona Ti who had been hiding on the planet and surviving, having adapted the ability to mold the Vong technology in order to protect herself. She arrives just in time to save Sy from an attack by a local Vong who has gone mad with the help of a Sith Lady. Unfortunately, Cade and Deliah are captured.
The Sith Lady is none other than Darth Maladi, the mysterious female assistant to Emperor Darth Krayt who always seem to lurk in the background. Rather than brute strength and physical ability, her powers seemed to always lie within the science and Sith magic, and that is exactly what has brought her to Wayland.
Darth Maladi hopes to use Cade's Force healing abilities and his feelings for Deliah to see how far his abilities can go when connected to the Dark Side. She hopes to use it to strengthen the One Sith, the modern evolution of the Sith society that sees the Sith as a group of warriors working together rather than as an indvidual. This is particularly important in light of the fact that no one is really sure about Emperor Darth Krayt's status.
As all of this is going on, the Sith Empire, the Galactic Alliance, and the Galactic Empire find themselves in a bizarre twist of traps in the form of a shared battle in the hopes of gaining the upperhand and ruling the galaxy. The result is an epic fight that would do Return of the Jedi proud.
The pace of the series is definitely picking up and the vast set of characters that has been constructed over the series is really getting all sorts of screen time. Each person has a role to play. The next volume is the final one in the story arc, and I can't wait to read it and find out how it all turns out.
As an aside, I think this would have made a really awesome season on a television show!
This is book 9 of the series so I’m a little restricted as to how much plot I can cover without going into spoiler territory. This volume is a collection of issues 42-46 of the comic series and features two story arcs: Divided Loyalties, which was a single issue story, and Monster which was a four issue story. In Divided Loyalties, leader of the Alliance Admiral Gar Stazi again sees about forming an alliance with the Empire not controlled by the Sith but a potential disaster lurks as a traitor makes a move on his life. This was a very satisfying and exciting continuation of the plight of the planet Dac and just how tentative the continued survival of the Alliance is. Beautifully illustrated and greatly told. These occasional jumps away from the main storyline can be at times a little off-putting but they always work at giving a little more perspective as to what is going on in the wider galaxy. The main story, Monster, sees Cade taking a job that takes him back to the planet Wayland, the planet where his father had had the first success in reversing the plagues caused by the Yuuzhan Vong during the war but also where this success also went terribly wrong. Of course, things go terribly wrong when they land on the stricken planet. Meanwhile, mirroring Gar Starzi’s efforts in forming an alliance, Emperor Roan Fel and his Imperial Knights meet up with the remnants of the Jedi order to broker peace. Naturally the Sith see this as an opportunity to wipe out all their enemies in one go. There’s a lot going on in this story, even though it’s not the end of the series, it has the feeling of being a culmination of a lot that has been set up previously. Some characters in the Empire who have had limited story time, have far more significant scenes here. Cade and his friends’ plight on the planet Wayland are at their most intense and the action set pieces in space among the ships and on the ground were really exciting. It was also great seeing a bit more of Darth Maladi, who hasn’t had much attention before. Brilliantly illustrated and with a real kicker of a twist at the end.
Despite this miraculous save, Cade chooses to continue his path down the Douchbag side of the Force. Why the Light and Dark sides seem so eager to win him over, I will never understand. Guys, guys, it's okay. Don't fight over Cade. I know he has the Skywalker name, but trust me: you really REALLY don't want him. Ugh. x_x
No, Cade. You're no one's worst nightmare; someone's food poisoning from rotten eggs, perhaps. ["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>
Touching on readers' memories of the attrocities of the Yuzzhan Vong wars and Cade's memories of his youth as a Jedi padawan, this is the most emotionally frought collection of this series yet. Blue's (and Cade's own) life is at stake since she has been infected with an alien virus by the master poisoner of the Sith, Darth Maladi, and only Cade's Force abilities can possibly save her. The authors are being a bit predictable in their storytelling, since Cade must clearly use his healing abilities through the light side of the Force (something that he was not convinced until now was possible) and turn away from the dark side, but I rather liked how even after he has made the right choice Cade turns around and retains his independence between both the light and dark sides of the Force. If nothing else, Cade is not like any Skywalker before him!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
All right these Star Wars TPBs are a slight guilty pleasure, but 1) I have almost always enjoyed John Ostrander's writing and 2) I'm surprised that Lucasfilm lets him write the stories that he does. This is the next to last installment in Ostrander's series, and in some aspects this marks the end of Cade Skywalker's hero's journey. Like his ancestor of 138 years previous Cade has made the journey but his is quite different. His Jedi father killed, Cade has been a pirate, smuggler, and drug addict. Now he has to reach inside himself, decide how to use the Force, select light or dark side (and he does choose) to save his friends and possibly a planet. A new ally is introduced. The final battle between Jedi, Sith, Empire and Alliance for the galaxy is nearly at hand.
This volume fills in a bit of back story when Cade and co. return to Wayland, exploring the lasting impact of the Vong on the galaxy, while also furthering a variety of other stories, focusing on a meeting between the Jedi, Fel's Imperials, and the Galactic Alliance. The central story on Wayland doesn't do a whole lot, but there is a lot of foundation laid throughout the book, and the climactic scene has lots of ramifications. There are some interesting concepts here, such as the Hutt spa, and the Vong's history. It doesn't stand alone very well, but when you get to Volume 9 of a series, you can't really expect that.
This was a good story with a great moral, but it couldn't hold my attention with a lot. Granted, it was cool to see how different individuals could become unlikely allies.
It's unfortunate that we don't get as much from Roan Fel's direct story as was initially teased at. Cade and others head separately to Wayland, for a variety of reasons. It's interesting to see the Vongforming there and how beautiful it was before the Sith sabotage.
Cade Skywalker est engagé pour aller faire un travail sur une planète qui a été le plus grand échec de son père. C'est sur cette planète que Cade fera face une fois pour de bon à son destin et qu'il l'embrassera pleinement.
La première moitié de cette bande dessinée était vraiment ennuyante. Elle a été sauvée par une fin vraiment excitante et remplie d'action et qui fait avancer enfin l'histoire. Il reste maintenant deux tomes à la série avant que le personnage principal ne soit sur un descendant de la famille Solo.
The excitement and tension in this book is almost to the boiling point. All across the galaxy, forces are preparing for war, and yet all the way off in the little corner of the galaxy is Cade, still struggling to make a decision between light and dark. Yet again, I'm surprised how well written another one of Cade's challenge moments is. There's so many of them in this series, you'd think they'd get monotonous, but Ostrander keeps Cade growing, where he's thinking of a way to balance the Light and Dark Side, while Jedi and Sith tell him how wrong he is, and I absolutely love that.
In Monster, Legacy hits the high notes of the previous volumes. Not only does this story arc go to some dark places, but there are developments in characters and in the overall plot which I shall not spoil. I really liked how everything was handled and there was one particular character moment that was touching. Perhaps best of all, the plot twist at the end I did not see coming at all and so now I'm itching to read the next volume!
This series is very rewarding. I care about the characters, the story is good, and the art is consistently captivating and detailed.
Still awesome a decade later.
One of the best entries in the series, I think. Cade comes through, but is still Cade. I usually get a little tired of the Admiral Stazi stuff, but not this time.
"Divided Loyalties" gave an interesting look into how different factions of force users view their roles in relation to the force. In this case none of them are Sith either.
The "Monster" story line visually brought to life elements from the New Jedi Order Series that I read so long ago. It was good to see Cade finally realize the person that has always stood by him.
Cade revisits an old planet and comes across the Sith. Meanwhile, the politics are heating up as everybody thinks the Sith are leaderless, and therefore, beatable. A decent enough story, and looks again at the struggle inside of Cade between the dark and light side. A good read.
Action packed comic. Cade Skywalker must decide where his fate lies. The Jedi and Emperor Fel have formed an alliance against the Sith. A lot is going on. Can't wait for the next one.
The series is still going strong. There are two important reveals in this volume, one of which is the cliffhanger ending. There is also more scenes from the Sith treachery that started the war.