Star Wars #19

By Brian Wood, Carlos D’Anda & Gabe Eltaeb

The current Star Wars run is drawing ever closer to its finish and Wood has managed to deliver a solid issue, uniting Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie, as they head to Lotho Minor to rescue a childhood friend of Leia’s who has been doing deep cover operations for the Rebels. However, they’re not the only ones after Seren, because they’re the targets of a droid bounty hunter IG-88.

After the mixed arc that was the last series, it’s good to see Carlos D’Anda on board as artist for a book that looks and feels like a Star Wars title again. There are dogfights and fun to be had throughout the course of this issue and although it is relatively simple (rescue Seren and avoid getting killed by the Bounty Hunter) it’s straightforward and enjoyable enough to be worth picking up and with the concluding issue hitting shelves next month it’ll be interesting to see how Wood resolves the book. At this point, it looks likely that they’ll end it by discovering Hoth thus bridging the gap between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, but anything could happen in #20.

Whilst there are dogfights in this book, it’s brief and the focus is more on the character development. We learn what the affect of the previous arc has had on Leia and with only one issue to go this looks set to be the calm before the storm. Once again, although this title has not been a hundred per cent brilliant throughout its run, it remains an enjoyable main Star Wars book for fans and it’ll be sad to see it end.

Carlos D’Anda is on artistic duties and his pencils are amazing. We get the feel that this is definitely a Star Wars book and when working together with Gabe Eltaeb’s colours, the title looks better than ever. We get a superb attention to detail and the panels help illustrate what’s going on incredibly well. It’s good to see that the final Star Wars books are going to end on a high note and it really enhances the overall quality of the issue itself.

There are problems though. Don’t go in expecting a mind-blowing issue with the result feeling rather mundane from what one might expect. It isn’t the most plot heavy issue ever, feeling more like a set up and a character exploration before the storm really hits in the final issue, which is a shame because as the penultimate issue you’d expect things to be a little bigger than they were here. However, all looks likely to kick off and hopefully be resolved in #20 so it’s not entirely something that’s worth avoiding.

Wood also is able to introduce a new character fairly well as well and it’s a pity we’re only going to spend two issues with her. Seren is a character who you can get behind and you get to sympathize for her in her struggles against IG-88. Her fate is up for grabs in the finale, and how Wood handles her will be interesting to see indeed.

So whilst this book isn’t the greatest issue of Star Wars ever, it reminds us what we’re going to miss when this title ends with a solid installment that mostly entertains. Most people who have stuck with this run are probably going to pick up these last two anyway for a complete collection regardless of the review, but for those that remain undeceive Star Wars #19 is worth your time.