Series: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Adaptation
Writer: Chuck Wendig
Artist: Luke Ross
Colors: Frank Martin
Publisher: Marvel
Summary from Comixology:
It’s true—all of it! The biggest movie of the year jumps from the big screen to the comic book page! It’s been three decades since the Rebel Alliance destroyed the Death Star and toppled the Galactic Empire…but now, on the remote planet of Jakku…there is a stirring in the Force. A young scavenger named Rey…a deserting stormtrooper named Finn…an ace pilot name Poe…and a dark apprentice named Kylo Ren…Their lives are about to collide as the awakening begins.
When I was a kid, my dad took me to a comic book shop in Nashville. It was an awesome store on Broadway that was full of old comics, records, collectibles, and all sorts of riff-raff. While I was digging through the long boxes (not really sure what I was doing), I happened upon a random copy of Marvel’s official comic adaptation of “Return of the Jedi.” I was so excited that I had bought a piece of the story with my own allowance. Come to think of it, that might have been my first comic book purchase. This was in my formative fanboy years of my love for Star Wars, and I read through that part of the story multiple times, just reliving the movie (which I could’ve easily just watched on VHS).
Personally, that is one thing that drew me to this book. It was like reliving that moment when I was eight digging through boxes, but I also enjoy what this book is. It allows the reader to view one of their favorite stories in a different medium. It lets you linger on an image, flip back and forth, and just absorb more than you would simply watching the film with a group of friends. Trust me, people get really annoyed when you skip back a few scenes to catch a piece of dialogue again. I did the same thing with the book adaptation. You just catch different things viewing a story from a different perspective.
All of that baggage aside, this book is solid in its own right. It’s written by Chuck Wendig, who previously penned Star Wars: Aftermath – a novel that was a part of the “Journey to The Force Awakens.” I wasn’t a huge fan of his brusque style in Aftermath. Don’t get me wrong, his writing is great, as was the story, it just wasn’t my particular taste. That being said, his ability to give a lot of information if very few words works out well in this book.
Since this is an adaptation it is basically the key moments of The Force Awakens, with minimal introductions by the writer. His main job is making sure the lines from the movie make a good transition from screen to panel, and it matches up perfectly. This particular issue starts with Poe on Jakku kneeling before Kylo Ren, and ends right before the heroes jump in the Millennium Falcon to escape the planet.
One thing that really stood out to me was Frank Martin’s color art. They are just so vibrant and really pop off the page. Luke Ross’ characters match their onscreen counterparts. It did seem that sometimes the artist paid more attention to the details in the environment and vehicles than he did the characters faces, which leads to some of the panels having simplistic caricatures, but overall he is spot on. Another thing I noticed is that Hux is depicted as a little more manly than Mr. Weasley portrays him, not that it matters either way, he just has a more intimidating presence under the hand of Luke Ross than in the film. Oh, and can we just talk about how awesome Esad Ribic’s cover is? Sweet Maker, that thing is pretty.
Like I said earlier, this book will appeal to fans of the film, Star Wars in general, and comic lovers. It is always fun to see something in a different art form, and this book didn’t feel like a cheap adaptation for a quick buck. They took their time, really found the meat of the story, and adapted it to a new medium. I give this book 4 and a half severed limbs out of 5. Make sure you head down to your shop and grab yours today!
Music Pairing: The Force Awakens Official Soundtrack
Or at least the first part of it.