Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed #1

by W. Haden Blackman, Brian Ching (Illustrator), Bong Dazo (Illustrator)

From Book 1: Revealed here are the origins of Darth Vader's secret apprentice, Galen Marek- the deadly missions on which he was sent to track down and destroy Jedi, and the awesome decision he is forced to make that will, literally, change the way you look at the Star Wars saga! Scripted by the original video game's author, Haden Blackman!

Genres: Star Wars, Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Comic Book, Fiction, Video Games

104 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2008

About the author

W. Haden Blackman is a writer who has long worked in the Star Wars universe. He is also the project lead on the MMO Star Wars: Galaxies and the video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

Reviews

[Iset · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. No.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly close retelling of the Video game; nothing added, a surprising amount left out, but nothing vital to the story. Just not quite as enthralling when you're reading it than when you're playing it.

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

Enjoyed this comic book featuring Starkiller and Juno. Nice to see how the Alliance was first formed.

Can't wait to read Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2!!!!

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got to play the game a long time ago. This graphic novel of the Star Wars game translates well to comic book format. The drawings are done well, and its an almost word per word translation of the game. Besides that, I liked this story as an origin story as to how the rebellions against the Empire was started. Starkiller is one awesome Dark Jedi. I just wished that we got to see Darth Vader use the force like he does in Forced Unleashed in the original films.

[Timo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about umpteenth time and umpteenth publisher trying to make a success from Star Wars comics in Finland. At least this time everything seems to be better than in previous times: good paper stock, good print quality and what matters most, now story works and the art is decent.
I wish all the best for ReadMe with Star Wars.

Timo

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a very enjoyable and nicely crafted comic which explores the depths of the video game story. Highlighted by the exquisite artwork, this is a good read for Star Wars buffs like me. Examining a time period which was left untouched for many years, this provides a closer look into the extinction of the Jedi and the formation of the rebellion.

[Jedi Sunni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting story that probably needs to be read twice. There was an awful lot going on but I truly enjoyed it. This how the rebel alliance was born? Wow. The art work here is also incredible.

[Noah Soudrette · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story here isn't bad, but it feels very rushed and only hits on some of the major plot points of the story. However, this makes me want to read the novel. So, not bad for tie in.

[Matt Bhanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come on, it's Star Wars. Of course it's good.

[Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good background story about the key figures and events leading up to the formation of the Rebel Alliance.

[Katherine (Kat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this makes me want to replay the game!

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This adaptation works better than the book. Being restricted by a medium that relies on panels instead prose meant that the writer had to cut a lot of things and most of that would have been too repetitive anyway, as proven by the Sean Williams novel. The framing device was a brilliant decision. Any weaknesses here are copied over from the source material.

[Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this was a throwback to playing this game in my middle school / high school days. 10/10 need to play The Force Unleashed again and throw stormtroopers into walls lol

[Mark Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good nostalgic fun! Roll on part 2…

[Arturo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, we usually start reviews with the things we like but there are so little things I "dislike" about this that I shall start with them (minor minor minor spoilers in paragraphs 1, 4, 8)

The comic, although I thought it would be more abridged, does skip some important scenes from the story like the trials at the Jedi temple or the fight with Kazdan Paratus. And I think that's it. Let's start with everything I love about SWTFU.

For me, The Force Unleashed is the best story of the Star Wars universe. I love the movies (some more than others oc but I love all of them), I've watched all the cartoons, read many of the books/comics out there and played some of the videogames. And, with very few exceptions, I've really liked them (loved them in many cases). But there's nothing like TFU, not even the movies, the core of Star Wars.

The story of Galen Marek, of Juno Eclipse and Rahm Kota, the story of Proxy, the Rogue Shadow and the birth of the Rebel Alliance (yes the one true founder is Galen Marek and I recognise no other founder cough cough SWRebels...but I still love you) is the peak of the Star Wars saga. Our protagonist, Starkiller, is the embodiment of the Force, the perfect Gray Jedi, wielder of both the Dark and the Light side. He is the imperfect hero, the true heir of the true Anakin Skywalker.

I am afraid that, in the upcoming Episode VIII we'll get a gray Rey but not because I don't like gray jedis (they are my favorite but only when made well). I don't want a Jedi that plays with the dark side because labels doesn't apply to them, because they are "too good" to have power kept from them. This is not Galen's journey. His is the story of the Sith that learned that passion is strength, the dark jedi that understood that hate and fear are only but two of all the emotions, the gray Jedi that knew love and didn't fear it. The story of the man raised in darkness that reached out seeking the light.

But TFU is not only his story. Let's be clear, Starkiller is the protagonist and all the narrative revolves around him. However every character he meets, his allies and foes, his master and his victims, have a huge impact on the story. Juno and Kota are one of the best characters of SW and don't need much time to stand out, to let us know and love them. And Proxy, Galen's loyal (well depending how you look at it) droid is almost hand in hand with C3PO or R2D2.

And about the Dark Lord, the one and only, Darth Vader? Well, for me TFU shows us the more human version of the sith lord after he became Vader (not talking about his time as a Jedi). And I'm not saying that he is now nice, caring or compassionate. Not at all. He is the most human Vader because we can feel his fear, his cruelty, his ruthless manipulations... He is not depicted almost as a machine as he is in Episodes IV, V or VI. I love that Vader, the black breathing mask with empty black eyes. But while playing and reading TFU I felt like I could see through it as it wasn't there and see the terrifying sith lord beneath it. And I loved that as well.

Something else that makes TFU stand out from the EU is that we finally get to see the Force wielders power as (at least I think) it should have always been shown. As young Anakin said 'No one can kill a Jedi'. Well, it doesn't have to be so extreme, no one is invincible, but yes, this time Jedis and Sith are as above the normal people as I've always thought they should be. Of course I understand that is not so easy to show all this power in films but it was great to see it here.

And now, to conclude, some thoughts exclusively about the comic:
- I really liked that Galen changed his clothing through out the comic to match his evolution (that final mission with the jedi ceremonial robes I can't :') )
- To be honest, the comic adds little to the game, even the dialogues are exactly the same.

So if you are picking this one to know more about the story from the game don't be fooled, there is nothing for you here. But if you want to live the story again or for the first time and don't want to play the videogame (the Wii version please, make you a favor) then I have great news for you: the best Star Wars tale lies ahead.

Pd: However, as much as I love it, TFU should have been a stand-alone, no sequels, just this.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Blackman and co do a great job keeping this graphic novel within the canon of the overwhelmingly vast Star Wars universe (almost as vast as this opening sentence), ultimately the Force Unleashed reads too much like a video game script to provide any long term geek satisfaction.

The subtle lengths the writers go through to ensure that you've never heard of or will hear of this apprentice is an accomplishment on its own. I won't go into it for spoiler reasons but his existence is almost entirely contained in this sub 200 page should've-been-in-a-game-manual introduction to the Force Unleashed saga. Speaking of the apprentice, for my money, the Star Wars universe hasn't seen such a generic character since Cloud Car Driver. It's not that the young apprentice is one dimensional, rather his multiple dimensions skirt the lines between schizophrenic and existential masquerade party-goer.

But the book is not entirely bad. For fans of Lightsabers and Droids, and certainly the upcoming console game, Blackman's script is perfect for setting the stage for a movie/game license that has fallen so far away from its source material that it might as well be called something like... I don't know The War of Clones.

The brightside is that you could probably read this entire book while standing in line at the bookstore's coffee shop waiting for Mark to take 9 minutes to order the same thing he orders everyday. That is, if you can live with yourself: http://xkcd.com/294/

[Jery Schober · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and sad story about the seeds of the rebellion

It was well written with a lot of action and some great introspective moments. Starkiller remains a bit of a mystery, since most of the story is told from the POV of his droid, but enough is revealed through his actions to get a glimpse of the real man. I loved the inclusion of Bail Organa, and even Leia had a small role.
I didn't like that the pencillers changed throughout the book which led to a middle section with an inferior drawing style. The end was drawn marvellously again, with exceptional coloring.

What really bugged me about this sad story was the moment near the end where Starkiller is held back to kill the Emperor because that would mean that the dark side in him had won. Maybe, maybe not, but it would've saved the galaxy far away a lot of suffering. It didn't make sense (apart from a continuity point of view - you need the emperor alive for the movies) - Starkiller had already proven that he is able to deal with the dark side in him, he is not mastered by it. And suddenly he is not allowed to kill his enemy because Kota says so? Kota who repeatedly tried to kill the Emperor himself?

Apart from that, I enjoyed the starships, strange planets, the shipyard and a glimpse of the death star. The duels with light sabres and force wielding were exciting, and the tiny touch of romance didn't hurt either.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is obviously a tie in book this time with the game - I was offered a copy of it from a friend who some how ended up buying two copies of? Anyway I wasnt sure what I was letting myself in for - game novelisations I always thought were the weakest of the genre of novel tie in books simply because if nothing else they are aimed at different target markets. After all when you are playing a computer game you are not thinking about the back story of a character as you pound your enemy in to oblivion or think about how the interaction between the various antagonists reflect society they are trying to portray as you scream DIE DIE DIE at the monitor. Ok that is a little extreme but my limited experience has been rather disappointing in this area.

So you can imagine my surprise when I see that not only is there a story but it is a compelling and rather clever one - and having read a little about the star wars universe how well it fits in to the whole time line - so much so it feels like it is supposed to be there - an untold chapter as it were. So yes I really enjoyed the book, was more than a little surprised as its depth and quality and I will be looking for its sequel to see if it lives up to the standings as the first.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this graphic novel. It is not hard for me to dislike Star Wars stories, but this one had new concepts and a very nice addition to Darth Vader's history. It also added to the story by explaining how the rebel alliance started and Senator Organa's role in the resistance.

The book was so fun to read I burned through it minutes after I picked it up.

I loved the artwork as well. The artwork made force power usage like a comic book should as well as lightsaber scenes and action.

My complaints are that it seemed the hero of the story was a bit too strong to seem realistic in the Star Wars world. Any hero who can fight both Vader and Palpatine at the same time and hold his own is pushing the limits of too powerful to fit the world that has been created so far.

My other complaint is that this graphic novel could have been 10 times longer to cover the information thrown at you. The graphic novel is the cliff notes version of this story.

I am glad this book is on my shelf. I will reread this book as will my kids many more times.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an okay adaptation of the video game imo. It feels a bit rushed in places. Going from fight to fight to fight can get a little confusing at times. I'd definitely recommend playing the game before listening as it helped me to be able to remember scenes visually.

Favorite scenes: Starkiller fighting the exiled Jedi Masters. The one Master who's made an entire council out of junk was particularly strange and sad, while Shaak Ti & her apprentice were suitably badass. Davis' performance was definitely the high point for me. He does a good job bringing emotions to the characters in between the crazy background noises of lightsaber buzzing and animals hissing ect. His Kota voice was particularly good.

So overall I'd say this was a fun book but being that I don't think it's considered canon anymore I wouldn't rush out to buy it asap or put it on any top 10 lists. Wait and come at this story once you already have some other books/SW history under your belt.

[John H · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I was expecting this graphic novel to be a more definitive version of this story than it turned out to be. I played The Force Unleashed video game when it came out, and I was expecting the graphic novel to fill in some of the blanks of the story from the game. I don't feel that it did that as much as I was expecting. There are a lot of story threads that seem underdeveloped (like Starkiller's origin). Perhaps the novelization is the definitive story.

The artwork is a bit of a mixed bag. The colors are nice, and most of the human characters are drawn well. Darth Vader and stormtroopers look a little weird though. There's a tendency to show Vader with his head tilted down in an odd angle.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty typical Star Wars fare -- nothing groundbreaking, but definitely not boring. Changing the 'nature' of the Force is a bold move that creates some great effects, but also seems to cheapen Force weiders, somehow making them seem more like tyrants rather than cautious and conscientious Force users.

As for plot, that was decent, but there are some gaps that made it hard to follow. Also, the whole reason for Proxy and Juno to be telling the story in the first place seems weak (not compelling).

[Neville Ridley-smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hey, this was pretty good! And it confirms that Haden Blackman is a good Star Wars writer. The plot is suitably epic and brings a new wrinkle to the Vader, Palpatine, and how the rebellion got started. Fun new characters too. (In the foreword, it's made apparent that Lucas had a big hand in the initial conception of those characters - the story would have been much less without them.) Oh and good art too.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12360244

I haven't played the game, but I think I was able to pick where the boss battles would be in it. Quite interesting storyline, but could be fleshed out with more detail. The graphics/illustrations are quite good though.

[Malcolm Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the graphic novel of the game (I’ve not played it) which, presumably, has the streamlined version of the story (without all the running about looking for Easter eggs, getting stuck in rooms and dying a lot). Beautifully illustrated, this volume paves an interesting story as Starkiller finds himself double-crossed at almost every turn. The twist at the end is particularly good.

[Dennis Brock · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I played the video game and read the novelization, the story presented in this graphic novel felt somewhat rushed and way to short. However, the artwork was great! I liked the book much better but this graphic novel was good.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story with interesting characters and an interesting plot. I enjoyed reading the introduction which told the development of the story and how George Lucas made it better than it could ever have been. I enjoyed the action in the story and the different worlds and different characters.

[Nate Wohlford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book

[SamFyffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was ok but it didn't line up with the game.

[Paxton Holley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graphic novel version of the video game. A good Cliff's Notes version of the novelization. Read this in prep for Force Unleashed II.