STAR WARS #51 written Kieron Gillen, art by Salvador Larroca, colors by GURU-eFX, and letters by Clayton Cowles flies in as Gillen sets up an inescapable situation for the Rebellion fleet but lucky for our Rebels Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon are there just in time to help. Let’s dive in and see what happens.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!
STAR WARS #51 SPOILERS TOO!!
So, what happened?
Realizing Queen Trios betrayed them, the Rebels try to board her ship before she can leave while the mighty Darth Vader and the Empire wreck shop on the Rebellion fleet she sabotaged. Leia and her troops storm Queen Trios ship and chase her down to her escape pod. But, she manages to get away.
The Rebels can’t get their fighter bay doors open to defend themselves because Trios locked them and left with the passcodes. But since they are on a proximity lock, if a ship flies at them from the outside they will open up. And guess who just arrived on the scene: Han, Chewie, C3PO, and the Falcon. Well, Han takes a run at opening the doors with the Falcon only to get shot in the back by Vader. Can Han open the bay doors for the Rebels in time? Or, will Vader shoot him down first? Let’s find out.
When it hits your lips, it’s so GOOD
First, let’s commend Larroca and GURU-eFX for their excellent work. For example, when the Millennium Falcon gets hit and begins to spin, this art team does a fantastic job of making the reader feel like they’re spinning inside the ship with Han. The page is blurry exactly where it needs to be and clear in the most specific spots to make it seem so real. Art this good is truly hard to come by, very impressive work by Larroca and GURU-eFX!
Overall, the art was just so crispy, real, and truly fantastic. The colors of the laser fire were bright and made the pages pop. The faces of the characters resembled the actual characters from Star Wars, except for Luke. And, the issue wasn’t too heavy in dialogue. This was such an easy read and great to look at while doing it. Heck, the detail in Vader, from the shine of his helmet to his reflection in the ship windows, was so incredible. I can’t say enough good things about this art team.
Son of a Nutcracker
Queen Trios’ reason for selling out the Rebellion are real and accurate. She made a deal with the Empire to save her planet and compared her mission to Aldeeran. This showed the pure knowledge of Star Wars history Gillen needed to make Trios’ reasons valid and worthy of selling out the Rebellion, as well as, surely putting them all to death.
But, the overall story by Gillen is average at best. It just doesn’t have the allure as some of the other Star Wars stories, movies, shows, comics, or past issues. It’s not bad by any stretch. The issue kept my attention. But, the story didn’t do anything to up the meter or excitement for me. Granted, the issue picked up towards the end. However, a space battle between Han and Vader will do that!
Is this issue your boy blue?
Yup. Even though it wasn’t as exciting as I hoped, the plot still kept me entertained enough to see the issue through. It was the art that made this worth the price of admission. Beautifully drawn and realistic images are my cup of tea, and this issue had it in spades.
Is this series kind of a big deal?
Definitely! I’ve read this series off and on since issue 1. It’s had ups and downs, but the art has been consistently excellent and the stories never dip below average. The series stays pretty accurate for Star Wars fans and is a must buy for any fan to piece together some fantastic stories in between each movie (episode).
What did you guys think of STAR WARS #51? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @dispatchdcu
