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Star Wars Omnibus #10
Star Wars Omnibus: Menace Revealed
This is Dark Horse's largest omnibus of never-before-collected and out-of-print Star Wars stories. Included here are one-shot adventures, short story arcs, specialty issues, and early Dark Horse Extra comic strips! All of these tales take place after Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and lead up to Episode II: Attack of the Clones. In Jedi Quest, Anakin Skywalker will work to overcome his fears while on a mission to protect a freighter from pirates. Starfighter: Crossbones pits pirate against pirate, featuring the intimidating Captain Nym. Included in this volume are The Hunt for Aurra Sing and The Bounty Hunters: Aurra Sing, plus many more stories which have not seen print in nearly a decade!
476 pages, Paperback
First published August 12, 2009
8 people are currently reading
269 people want to read
About the author
Timothy Truman
533 books59 followersTimothy Truman is an American writer, artist and musician. He is best known for his stories and Wild West-style comic book art, and in particular, for his work on Grimjack (with John Ostrander), Scout, and the reinvention of Jonah Hex, with Joe R. Lansdale. Truman is currently writing Conan and is an instructor at the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design.
Truman's first professional comics work was Grimjack with writer John Ostrander, for the independent comics company First Comics. Grimjack first appeared in Starslayer #10 in November 1983, before moving to his own series after issue #18 in 1984, and continued for 81 issues. Along with being a fan favorite and often imitated character, Grimjack almost single-handedly defined the "grim and gritty" action comic character archetype.
Truman has been continuously creative for more than 20 years, displaying his pulp sensitivities in his writing. In 1985, he created Scout, which was followed by Scout: War Shaman, a futuristic western. A year later, he relaunched the Hillman characters Airboy and The Heap for Eclipse Comics. He also developed The Prowler, a Shadow type character, and adapted The Spider for Eclipse. In 1991, at DC Comics he created Hawkworld, a reinvention of Hawkman. With author Joe R. Lansdale, he reinterpreted Jonah Hex as a horror western. In it, their creation of villain Edgar Autumn elicited a complaint from musician Edgar Winter. With his son, Benjamin Truman, he created A Man Named Hawken.
Truman was chosen by Dark Horse Comics to illustrate a newly completed Tarzan novel and wrote a story arc for the comic book. He also wrote virtually the entire run of Turok: Dinosaur Hunter for Valiant Comics, after David Michelinie launched the book with its first three-issue story arc and subsequently departed the series. For the defunct SF imprint of DC, Helix, he created The Black Lamb. He also worked on a typical pulp adventure Guns of the Dragon, featuring Enemy Ace and Bat Lash; and wrote Star Wars at Dark Horse Comics. While at Dark Horse Comics, he took over the writing of Conan from Kurt Busiek in 2006, and after that series ended he started Conan The Cimmerian.
Truman's startling work, Simon Girty, Renegade was a two-volume black and white graphic novel that translated the horrors and triumphs of the American settler's western frontier in a fresh, interesting light. In bold, black and white use of positive and negative space, Truman appealed to both young and old audiences in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. It was especially important for West Virginians that had been struggling against novelist Zane Grey's portrayal of Lewis Wetzel in an overly romanticized, florid light. Truman himself is an avid historian who dislikes nothing more than to see a drawing of a war using the wrong weaponry, and the second volume of his two-volume series on Simon Girty was devoted to the errors caught in his first volume.
Tecumseh! a graphic novel based on the West Virginia Outdoor Theater, is a colored graphic novel that shows the play from beginning to end. It renewed interest in the warrior in Appalachia. When asked why he used "Tecumseh" instead of "Tecumtheh" he explained he didn't want to explain to the mainstream audience the variance in spelling — the movement on pronunciation began with General William Tecumseh Sherman who came from a family that wanted to commemorate the warrior, but felt the lisping "Tecumtheh" would be unmanly.
Truman's first professional comics work was Grimjack with writer John Ostrander, for the independent comics company First Comics. Grimjack first appeared in Starslayer #10 in November 1983, before moving to his own series after issue #18 in 1984, and continued for 81 issues. Along with being a fan favorite and often imitated character, Grimjack almost single-handedly defined the "grim and gritty" action comic character archetype.
Truman has been continuously creative for more than 20 years, displaying his pulp sensitivities in his writing. In 1985, he created Scout, which was followed by Scout: War Shaman, a futuristic western. A year later, he relaunched the Hillman characters Airboy and The Heap for Eclipse Comics. He also developed The Prowler, a Shadow type character, and adapted The Spider for Eclipse. In 1991, at DC Comics he created Hawkworld, a reinvention of Hawkman. With author Joe R. Lansdale, he reinterpreted Jonah Hex as a horror western. In it, their creation of villain Edgar Autumn elicited a complaint from musician Edgar Winter. With his son, Benjamin Truman, he created A Man Named Hawken.
Truman was chosen by Dark Horse Comics to illustrate a newly completed Tarzan novel and wrote a story arc for the comic book. He also wrote virtually the entire run of Turok: Dinosaur Hunter for Valiant Comics, after David Michelinie launched the book with its first three-issue story arc and subsequently departed the series. For the defunct SF imprint of DC, Helix, he created The Black Lamb. He also worked on a typical pulp adventure Guns of the Dragon, featuring Enemy Ace and Bat Lash; and wrote Star Wars at Dark Horse Comics. While at Dark Horse Comics, he took over the writing of Conan from Kurt Busiek in 2006, and after that series ended he started Conan The Cimmerian.
Truman's startling work, Simon Girty, Renegade was a two-volume black and white graphic novel that translated the horrors and triumphs of the American settler's western frontier in a fresh, interesting light. In bold, black and white use of positive and negative space, Truman appealed to both young and old audiences in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. It was especially important for West Virginians that had been struggling against novelist Zane Grey's portrayal of Lewis Wetzel in an overly romanticized, florid light. Truman himself is an avid historian who dislikes nothing more than to see a drawing of a war using the wrong weaponry, and the second volume of his two-volume series on Simon Girty was devoted to the errors caught in his first volume.
Tecumseh! a graphic novel based on the West Virginia Outdoor Theater, is a colored graphic novel that shows the play from beginning to end. It renewed interest in the warrior in Appalachia. When asked why he used "Tecumseh" instead of "Tecumtheh" he explained he didn't want to explain to the mainstream audience the variance in spelling — the movement on pronunciation began with General William Tecumseh Sherman who came from a family that wanted to commemorate the warrior, but felt the lisping "Tecumtheh" would be unmanly.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 19, 2015
Good, except for the half-dozen or so 'comics' that were nothing more than toy advertisements. Er, blatant toy advertisements. Um, more toy advertisement than usual.
April 21, 2021
Poslední u nás vydaný Star Wars omnibus od Dark Horse se povedl. Tak jako jiné omnibusy i Zjevná hrozba obsahuje celou škálu příběhů rozličných délek i kvalit, ale ve výsledku po dočtení všech těch povídek přetrvává dobrý pocit. Stejně jako v předchozích omnibusech je většina příběhů bohůmžel snadno zapomenutelná, ale při čtení dokáží pobavit.
Vesmírná havárie je krátký “pohádkový” příběh s mangovou kresbou. Ohnivé srdce je super krátké, ale zajímavé a tak nějak meditativní. Hon na Aurru Sing má pěknou kresbu a už název výstižně shrnuje obsah. Jediovský úkol má místy nezvyklou až divnou kresbu postav, ale dá se na ni zvyknout. Příběh je docela dobrý.
Hrozně moc mě potěšil Jango Fett. Má fajn příběh a hlavně skvělou výtvarnou stránku. Je to kombinace kresby a malby štětcem. Nejsem si jistý, jaká technika byla použitá, ale vypadá to dobře. Škoda, že tohle nemohlo být mnohem delší. Na Jango Fetta navazuje příběh s názvem Zam Wesell, což je jméno nájemné lovkyně z Epizody II. Už to sice není malované a kresba je mainstreamová, ale pořád to má dobrý příběh. Tohle se povedlo.
Nájemní lovci: Aurra Sing je dalším skvěle kresleným příběhem. Scénář není nic extra, odehrává se na světech proslavených v původní trilogii a konec je opravdu nečekaný. Otrávený měsíc je ošklivě nakreslený kraťas. Celkově jsem z něj měl pocit jako z komiksu na krabičce zubní pasty Tuti Fruti. Starfighter: Zkřížené hnáty je pěkně nakreslená povídka o bitvě dvou pirátů na vodním světě. Je to docela zábavné, není těžké se s jedním z nich ztotožnit a tak to docela rychle uteče.
Knihu uzavírají krátké komiksy, které byly zřejmě jako příloha k Star Wars hračkám. To tak nějak vysvětluje i poměrně hloupé obdélníky vypravěče. O scénáři se u nich snad ani nedá mluvit. Pěknou kresbou a dobrým rozfázováním ukazují bitvu nebo souboj těch kterých postav nebo strojů. Samá překvapení je vesmírná přestřelka mezi Obi-Wanem a Jango Fettem. Nejvzácnější zbraň je převyprávění souboje Hraběte Dooku s Jediema z Epizody II. Opakování, matka moudrosti je souboj Obi-Wana a Anakina s nějakými roboty a Válečné stroje zase ukazují transportéry armády klonů.
Vesmírná havárie je krátký “pohádkový” příběh s mangovou kresbou. Ohnivé srdce je super krátké, ale zajímavé a tak nějak meditativní. Hon na Aurru Sing má pěknou kresbu a už název výstižně shrnuje obsah. Jediovský úkol má místy nezvyklou až divnou kresbu postav, ale dá se na ni zvyknout. Příběh je docela dobrý.
Hrozně moc mě potěšil Jango Fett. Má fajn příběh a hlavně skvělou výtvarnou stránku. Je to kombinace kresby a malby štětcem. Nejsem si jistý, jaká technika byla použitá, ale vypadá to dobře. Škoda, že tohle nemohlo být mnohem delší. Na Jango Fetta navazuje příběh s názvem Zam Wesell, což je jméno nájemné lovkyně z Epizody II. Už to sice není malované a kresba je mainstreamová, ale pořád to má dobrý příběh. Tohle se povedlo.
Nájemní lovci: Aurra Sing je dalším skvěle kresleným příběhem. Scénář není nic extra, odehrává se na světech proslavených v původní trilogii a konec je opravdu nečekaný. Otrávený měsíc je ošklivě nakreslený kraťas. Celkově jsem z něj měl pocit jako z komiksu na krabičce zubní pasty Tuti Fruti. Starfighter: Zkřížené hnáty je pěkně nakreslená povídka o bitvě dvou pirátů na vodním světě. Je to docela zábavné, není těžké se s jedním z nich ztotožnit a tak to docela rychle uteče.
Knihu uzavírají krátké komiksy, které byly zřejmě jako příloha k Star Wars hračkám. To tak nějak vysvětluje i poměrně hloupé obdélníky vypravěče. O scénáři se u nich snad ani nedá mluvit. Pěknou kresbou a dobrým rozfázováním ukazují bitvu nebo souboj těch kterých postav nebo strojů. Samá překvapení je vesmírná přestřelka mezi Obi-Wanem a Jango Fettem. Nejvzácnější zbraň je převyprávění souboje Hraběte Dooku s Jediema z Epizody II. Opakování, matka moudrosti je souboj Obi-Wana a Anakina s nějakými roboty a Válečné stroje zase ukazují transportéry armády klonů.
May 1, 2023
There are some really good stories in this collection. They're evened out with a handful of mini-comics that were issued with some action figures (complete with the whole "With your action figures and your imagination, you can take the story anywhere!" narrative blurb at the end), but those good stories are worth an extra bump.
July 6, 2017
The Star Wars: Menaced Revealed Omnibus from Dark Horse collects various storylines and one-shot comics from different Star Wars series. These are some of the rarest, uncollected comics that take place between the Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.
The first comic is from Dark Horse's Star Wars comic series (later retitled Republic). "Starcrash" is a one off story about a Jedi crash landing on a planet that is in the process of a hostile takeover by an alien species and their battle droids. He lost his lightsaber in the crash, but is determined to help out the princess he meet in getting rid of the threat. It's terrible. It's a fantasy story disguised as a Star Wars comic and it's so terribly written. There are whole plot points skipped over in favor of just getting to the climactic fight scene and all of it is underwhelming at best. You can skip it.
"Heart of Fire" is a quick, 3 page comic featuring Quinlan Vos, the Jedi who is suffering from amnesia and trying to get his Padawan back. Here he encounters a young girl who gives him a trinket that the Padawan had given her a long time ago. It's a simple little scene really, not very necessary for Vos's backstory, but shows just how important the Padawan was to him.
This is followed by the four issue storyarc from Star Wars called "The Hunt for Aurra Sing". Aurra Sing is a bounty hunter who has an almost serial killerish quest to kill all the Jedi. She makes her way to Coruscant and kills several Jedi outside their Temple. After she flees, the Jedi Council sends three members to hunt her down and stop her. It's quite action packed, some great lightsaber fights here, but it really suffers because of a bad ending. Aurra is an excellent villain though and I look forward to seeing her more.
JEDI QUEST is a four issue miniseries that finally has us seeing Anakin post-Episode One. He is 4 years older here, a Jedi in training and ready to assemble his lightsaber. After gathering the crystals he needs, Obi-Wan and him are assigned to escort a freighter to prevent it being intercepted by slave traders looking to kidnap potential slaves. This happens of course and Anakin finds himself working in a spice mine while Obi-Wan works to save him. It's an excellent story, Anakin is the real star here as we see his character develop into the Jedi Knight he'll become in Attack of the Clones. The artwork is okay, almost anime style really.
Two one shots follow this, JANGO FETT and ZAM WESSELL. Jango is hired to steal a piece of stolen art and when he track it down, it turns out to be a sacred idol that Zam (a female bounty hunter Jango is familiar with and would eventually be part of the dumb chain of assassins who are hired to kill Amidala at the beginning of Episode 2) has also been hired to collect. They soon find out this idol is to be used to destroy Coruscant, so Zam and Jango decide to prevent this from happening. I make no qualms about my dislike of Jango Fett, he's supposed to be this tough badass, but seems to always have this soft spot to really not be the villain he's supposed to be and we see a lot of that in Zam's one shot (the second half of the story). These comics are okay though, the first one is considerably better than the first and the two leads have very good chemistry with each other.
THE BOUNTY HUNTERS: AURRA SING is rather silly, I think. Aurra is hired to kill a fallen Jedi master, but the catch is that the master looks like two other similar people and they are all on three seperate planets, each of them representing an element like water, fire, or air. What should be a simple showcase of her skills as a bounty hunter is dumbed down by a lame premise. It's enjoyable enough though. This followed by a small 6 page story "Poison Moon" that finds Obi-Wan and Anakin investigating a ship whose crew is dead with only the pilot surviving. It's a quick little tale that gives us a glimpse into Anakin's time as a Padawant to Obi-Wan.
One of the many popular Star Wars videogames around the prequel era was STARFIGHTER. Included in this omnibus is the three issue miniseries that ties in that game called STARFIGHTER: CROSSBONES. It is about a pirate captain named Nym who is hunting his nemesis. I need to be honest and say I've never played the game, don't know anything about these characters and reading about them didn't spark any interest really to find out more. I was kind of confused about the entire plot of this miniseries because of this, I had no bearing of who these characters were or their relation to the Prequel stories. I eventually researched this and found out, but that didn't really do much to add to my enjoyment. Feels sort of out of place in this omnibus.
The collection is concluded with four very short comics that came free with certain toys that were released when ATTACK OF THE CLONES came out. They aren't exactly the most memorable or well written comics, but I really liked them. I think they provide some decent context for some of the things you end up seeing in the movies and the artwork in them is pretty well done.
All in all though, this omnibus is quite a mixed bag in terms of quality of the material included. I can't say that many of the stories provide a lot of context about some of the stuff we see in Episode 2, but they also aren't the worst (well one is the worst, skip the opening comic, it's awful) and are fun enough for any Star Wars fan to enjoy. Recommended.
The first comic is from Dark Horse's Star Wars comic series (later retitled Republic). "Starcrash" is a one off story about a Jedi crash landing on a planet that is in the process of a hostile takeover by an alien species and their battle droids. He lost his lightsaber in the crash, but is determined to help out the princess he meet in getting rid of the threat. It's terrible. It's a fantasy story disguised as a Star Wars comic and it's so terribly written. There are whole plot points skipped over in favor of just getting to the climactic fight scene and all of it is underwhelming at best. You can skip it.
"Heart of Fire" is a quick, 3 page comic featuring Quinlan Vos, the Jedi who is suffering from amnesia and trying to get his Padawan back. Here he encounters a young girl who gives him a trinket that the Padawan had given her a long time ago. It's a simple little scene really, not very necessary for Vos's backstory, but shows just how important the Padawan was to him.
This is followed by the four issue storyarc from Star Wars called "The Hunt for Aurra Sing". Aurra Sing is a bounty hunter who has an almost serial killerish quest to kill all the Jedi. She makes her way to Coruscant and kills several Jedi outside their Temple. After she flees, the Jedi Council sends three members to hunt her down and stop her. It's quite action packed, some great lightsaber fights here, but it really suffers because of a bad ending. Aurra is an excellent villain though and I look forward to seeing her more.
JEDI QUEST is a four issue miniseries that finally has us seeing Anakin post-Episode One. He is 4 years older here, a Jedi in training and ready to assemble his lightsaber. After gathering the crystals he needs, Obi-Wan and him are assigned to escort a freighter to prevent it being intercepted by slave traders looking to kidnap potential slaves. This happens of course and Anakin finds himself working in a spice mine while Obi-Wan works to save him. It's an excellent story, Anakin is the real star here as we see his character develop into the Jedi Knight he'll become in Attack of the Clones. The artwork is okay, almost anime style really.
Two one shots follow this, JANGO FETT and ZAM WESSELL. Jango is hired to steal a piece of stolen art and when he track it down, it turns out to be a sacred idol that Zam (a female bounty hunter Jango is familiar with and would eventually be part of the dumb chain of assassins who are hired to kill Amidala at the beginning of Episode 2) has also been hired to collect. They soon find out this idol is to be used to destroy Coruscant, so Zam and Jango decide to prevent this from happening. I make no qualms about my dislike of Jango Fett, he's supposed to be this tough badass, but seems to always have this soft spot to really not be the villain he's supposed to be and we see a lot of that in Zam's one shot (the second half of the story). These comics are okay though, the first one is considerably better than the first and the two leads have very good chemistry with each other.
THE BOUNTY HUNTERS: AURRA SING is rather silly, I think. Aurra is hired to kill a fallen Jedi master, but the catch is that the master looks like two other similar people and they are all on three seperate planets, each of them representing an element like water, fire, or air. What should be a simple showcase of her skills as a bounty hunter is dumbed down by a lame premise. It's enjoyable enough though. This followed by a small 6 page story "Poison Moon" that finds Obi-Wan and Anakin investigating a ship whose crew is dead with only the pilot surviving. It's a quick little tale that gives us a glimpse into Anakin's time as a Padawant to Obi-Wan.
One of the many popular Star Wars videogames around the prequel era was STARFIGHTER. Included in this omnibus is the three issue miniseries that ties in that game called STARFIGHTER: CROSSBONES. It is about a pirate captain named Nym who is hunting his nemesis. I need to be honest and say I've never played the game, don't know anything about these characters and reading about them didn't spark any interest really to find out more. I was kind of confused about the entire plot of this miniseries because of this, I had no bearing of who these characters were or their relation to the Prequel stories. I eventually researched this and found out, but that didn't really do much to add to my enjoyment. Feels sort of out of place in this omnibus.
The collection is concluded with four very short comics that came free with certain toys that were released when ATTACK OF THE CLONES came out. They aren't exactly the most memorable or well written comics, but I really liked them. I think they provide some decent context for some of the things you end up seeing in the movies and the artwork in them is pretty well done.
All in all though, this omnibus is quite a mixed bag in terms of quality of the material included. I can't say that many of the stories provide a lot of context about some of the stuff we see in Episode 2, but they also aren't the worst (well one is the worst, skip the opening comic, it's awful) and are fun enough for any Star Wars fan to enjoy. Recommended.
April 17, 2021
Did not enjoy the writing and art direction across the board here.
July 31, 2024
This is a big mixed bag. I read around this originally, I decided there was nothing here too crucial that I would miss, so I skipped it. For completion’s sake, I later regretted that choice. Eh… I think I made the right call the first time.
Not that all of this is bad. In fact, I’d say my all-time favorite one-shot might be in here, one of the best (mostly) self-contained stories in Star Wars comics thus far in my opinion. It just also unfortunately contains some of the most dull material the Prequel Era has offered to date.
Republic #27 is much more the latter than the former. This issue takes the concept of a Jedi “Knight” and makes it far more literal, going so far as to have a princess fill the role of a damsel in distress… which, okay, now I realize that Star Wars began with that very premise, but look… it’s castles and ponytails and trite contrivances. Most of all, it’s utterly uninteresting.
“Heart of Fire” is amazing, because it’s just a snippet of Ostranderness. It’s a short, measly three pages, but relative to its intentions, I thought it was very well-done and heartfelt (no pun intended). [Addendum: It’s also incredibly stupid that this is placed before the next arc. Thanks for the spoiler I guess, why did they do this??]
“The Hunt for Aurra Sing” is fun, it’s not overly deep or insightful, but it’s fun seeing a Jedi manhunt. Although I read issues later than this already, and Hett becoming The Dark Woman's apprentice seems like a bad idea to me. And I don't recall it being of any importance later. But oh well.
“Jedi Quest” is nice to have! I didn’t know this existed, I’ve read Books #0-3 of that series back a long time ago and loved them. I reread a couple of them more recently, even, just a few years back, and I think they still hold up for what they are. This is nicely (mostly) self-contained, so you don’t have to keep going, bogged down in lore and extra continuity. But at the same time, it shows the origins of the single most important lightsaber that was ever built in the history of the Jedi Order being built. It’s super important and opens up a whole new side of the EU through those old Schoolastic books, but it also works fine if you’re not planning on such a deep dive (also, I find it fun that both Jedi Apprentice and Jedi Quest begin with comic minis; of the two, this is the better one).
Then we come to a sort of trilogy of one-shots, though one is completely disconnected save for being about a bounty hunter. The first is Jango Fett, and this is one of my favorite one-shots or even single issues at large that I’ve ever read, with some absolutely spectacular art that was blowing me away. I loved this and it just turned me into a big Jango Fett fan. I like him more than Boba at this juncture. I’m not saying this issue is a super deep story or anything, but it lasers in on this one man, a father, who wants nothing more than to spend time with his son, but he only knows one way of providing for them. It’s a great little exploration of a complicated, largely unexplored figure, and it also gives us context for his relationship with Zam. I actually quite like the two of them together, and I found myself shockingly cheering for a romance I know will never come to pass. But them having a relationship prior to their attempt on Padmé’s life makes her death much more tragic, and it feels less corny too (recontextualizing it into a partnership rather than Jango subcontracting yet another bounty hunter). And while her one-shot, a sequel to Jango’s, did not move me in the same way, it was still a great read getting to see these two characters together that I never expected to give a crap about. As for their adventure itself, the plot is a typical Lara Drake and the Idol of Planet X type of quest that becomes a there-and-back-again, but it’s always entertaining even if it isn’t necessarily original.
Aurra Sing’s one-shot I’d read before, and it’s good, but I’m just not as sold on her character as a lot of other people seem to be. I like her more than I used to, but I think I need to care about The Dark Woman more than I do in order to care about Sing.
And then this “Starfighter: Crossbones” micro-series is just abysmal. This is up there with some of my least favorite comics I’ve ever tried to read, it’s terrible. I have nothing to report along the lines of redeeming qualities. 404. No results found.
The rest of these little kids micro-issues are fine and inoffensive but offer nothing to an adult reader.
So some good, some meh, some really bad, and some spectacular. I don’t think it’s worth a hefty price tag, but if you can find some of this for cheap or around retail, it might be worthwhile.
Not that all of this is bad. In fact, I’d say my all-time favorite one-shot might be in here, one of the best (mostly) self-contained stories in Star Wars comics thus far in my opinion. It just also unfortunately contains some of the most dull material the Prequel Era has offered to date.
Republic #27 is much more the latter than the former. This issue takes the concept of a Jedi “Knight” and makes it far more literal, going so far as to have a princess fill the role of a damsel in distress… which, okay, now I realize that Star Wars began with that very premise, but look… it’s castles and ponytails and trite contrivances. Most of all, it’s utterly uninteresting.
“Heart of Fire” is amazing, because it’s just a snippet of Ostranderness. It’s a short, measly three pages, but relative to its intentions, I thought it was very well-done and heartfelt (no pun intended). [Addendum: It’s also incredibly stupid that this is placed before the next arc. Thanks for the spoiler I guess, why did they do this??]
“The Hunt for Aurra Sing” is fun, it’s not overly deep or insightful, but it’s fun seeing a Jedi manhunt. Although I read issues later than this already, and Hett becoming The Dark Woman's apprentice seems like a bad idea to me. And I don't recall it being of any importance later. But oh well.
“Jedi Quest” is nice to have! I didn’t know this existed, I’ve read Books #0-3 of that series back a long time ago and loved them. I reread a couple of them more recently, even, just a few years back, and I think they still hold up for what they are. This is nicely (mostly) self-contained, so you don’t have to keep going, bogged down in lore and extra continuity. But at the same time, it shows the origins of the single most important lightsaber that was ever built in the history of the Jedi Order being built. It’s super important and opens up a whole new side of the EU through those old Schoolastic books, but it also works fine if you’re not planning on such a deep dive (also, I find it fun that both Jedi Apprentice and Jedi Quest begin with comic minis; of the two, this is the better one).
Then we come to a sort of trilogy of one-shots, though one is completely disconnected save for being about a bounty hunter. The first is Jango Fett, and this is one of my favorite one-shots or even single issues at large that I’ve ever read, with some absolutely spectacular art that was blowing me away. I loved this and it just turned me into a big Jango Fett fan. I like him more than Boba at this juncture. I’m not saying this issue is a super deep story or anything, but it lasers in on this one man, a father, who wants nothing more than to spend time with his son, but he only knows one way of providing for them. It’s a great little exploration of a complicated, largely unexplored figure, and it also gives us context for his relationship with Zam. I actually quite like the two of them together, and I found myself shockingly cheering for a romance I know will never come to pass. But them having a relationship prior to their attempt on Padmé’s life makes her death much more tragic, and it feels less corny too (recontextualizing it into a partnership rather than Jango subcontracting yet another bounty hunter). And while her one-shot, a sequel to Jango’s, did not move me in the same way, it was still a great read getting to see these two characters together that I never expected to give a crap about. As for their adventure itself, the plot is a typical Lara Drake and the Idol of Planet X type of quest that becomes a there-and-back-again, but it’s always entertaining even if it isn’t necessarily original.
Aurra Sing’s one-shot I’d read before, and it’s good, but I’m just not as sold on her character as a lot of other people seem to be. I like her more than I used to, but I think I need to care about The Dark Woman more than I do in order to care about Sing.
And then this “Starfighter: Crossbones” micro-series is just abysmal. This is up there with some of my least favorite comics I’ve ever tried to read, it’s terrible. I have nothing to report along the lines of redeeming qualities. 404. No results found.
The rest of these little kids micro-issues are fine and inoffensive but offer nothing to an adult reader.
So some good, some meh, some really bad, and some spectacular. I don’t think it’s worth a hefty price tag, but if you can find some of this for cheap or around retail, it might be worthwhile.
December 24, 2016
Star Wars Legends Project #97
Background: Menace Revealed, released in July 2009, collected several stand-alone short runs and one-offs from the time between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones (two very brief stories take place during Clones). This is a review of the storylines not collected elsewhere. I will review the other series separately in connection with their trade paperbacks, and link to those reviews below.
Republic: Starcrash (1 issue, February 2001) was written by Doug Petrie with art pencilled by Randy Green. Petrie also wrote an episode of The Clone Wars TV series. He is best known for his work on the shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Daredevil, plus several other popular shows. Green hasn't done any other Star Wars work, and most of his other work has been for Marvel, particularly X-Men.
Jedi Quest (4 issues, September - December 2001) was written by Ryder Windham with art by Pop Mhan. Windham, of course, has contributed prolifically to the Star Wars EU, with dozens of publications to his name (mostly YA). Mhan has an extremely diverse resume, but this is his only Star Wars comic.
Starfighter: Crossbones (3 issues, January - March 2002) was written by Haden Blackman and drawn by Ramón F. Bachs. Blackman was a long-time employee of LucasArts who, in addition to writing a few dozen comics, was the lead on the Galaxies and Force Unleashed games. He was also the writer for Starfighter and Jedi Starfighter, to which Crossbones connects. Bachs has illustrated several other Star Wars comics, including (with Blackman) Star Wars: Jango Fett - Open Seasons (my review).
Menace Revealed also contains 6 extremely short (3-10 page) one-shot comics that are hardly worth talking about: Heart of Fire, Poison Moon, Full of Surprises, Most Precious Weapon, Practice Makes Perfect, and Machines of War. Those last 4 were an exclusive run included with Hasbro Star Wars toys, and it couldn't be more obvious that they are merchandising tie-ins, not actual stories.
Republic: Starcrash is set 31 years before the Battle of Yavin (1 year after the Battle of Naboo), though it doesn't particularly refer to any events, and features characters and a planet that never appear again. Jedi Quest is a comic version of the same story told in the YA novel Path To Truth (my review). Starfighter: Crossbones is set 24 years before the Battle of Yavin (despite a reference to it being 6 years after the Battle of Naboo, which would be 26 BBY). It features the Feeorin pirate captain Nym of the Starfighter games, with very few references to other known characters.
Star Wars: Hunt for Aurra Sing (my review)
Star Wars: Jango Fett (my review)
Star Wars: Zam Wesell (my review)
Star Wars: The Bounty Hunters - Aurra Sing (1999) (Star Wars: The Bounty Hunters (my review)
Summary: In Starcrash, a newly-minted Jedi Knight named Yoshi Raph-Elan (yes, really) crashes on a strange planet and damages his lightsaber. He soon discovers that the planet is being oppressed by a sinister alien, and he joins forces with a beautiful princess to stop it.
In Crossbones, natives of the watery planet Maramere seek out Nym to acquire his particular set of skills to solve a difficult problem. The Trade Federation has taken control of their planet, and is engaged in a destructive battle with the Mere criminal Sol Sixxa, with most of the planet's natives caught in the middle. As an old enemy of the Trade Federation, Nym will have most of the weapons on the planet turned his way, but odds don't bother him.
Review: Starcrash is trying so hard to be zippy, witty, and fun . . . and, for me, just failing spectacularly at every turn. I'm not sure exactly how to explain why I hated this story so much, but the main character doesn't have a fraction of the charisma he thinks he does, and his schtick got very old very fast. There's nothing particularly Star Wars about this story, and maybe that was the point, but it didn't do anything for me. I'm a bit mystified as to how this one-off got dropped into the middle of several excellent large-arc storylines that Republic was doing. It just seems so out of place in every way. The art and character design are pretty nice, though. I'll give it that.
Jedi Quest I don't have much to say about that I didn't already say in my review of the book version. I think, though, that I kind of prefer this version of it. The medium just fits the story a bit better, and it makes more sense to have this be a comic adventure starring Obi-Wan and Anakin and Siri than it did as the introduction to the rest of the Jedi Quest series. I don't know why they did both, and they're both fine, but if I had to pick, I'd go with this one.
Crossbones pulls off everything that Starcrash fails at. It's a fun story that never takes itself too seriously, featuring a great character with lots of charm and a solid supporting cast. I also love that Nym is a scoundrel without being a Star Wars cliche. My biggest complaint is that the main premise behind the plot didn't quite make sense to me. It seemed like the Mere had two enemies that were basically working to destroy each other, and they want to go hire someone to upset that balance and leave them with one enemy who can then focus on oppressing them. I don't really get it, but whatever. I'd love to see more of Nym. Maybe I'll check out those video games. The other great thing about this comic: Zero human characters, and barely a human face anywhere in the story. It's a great gimmick that Star Wars stories should try more often.
Starcrash: D
Jedi Quest: B-
Crossbones: B+
Background: Menace Revealed, released in July 2009, collected several stand-alone short runs and one-offs from the time between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones (two very brief stories take place during Clones). This is a review of the storylines not collected elsewhere. I will review the other series separately in connection with their trade paperbacks, and link to those reviews below.
Republic: Starcrash (1 issue, February 2001) was written by Doug Petrie with art pencilled by Randy Green. Petrie also wrote an episode of The Clone Wars TV series. He is best known for his work on the shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Daredevil, plus several other popular shows. Green hasn't done any other Star Wars work, and most of his other work has been for Marvel, particularly X-Men.
Jedi Quest (4 issues, September - December 2001) was written by Ryder Windham with art by Pop Mhan. Windham, of course, has contributed prolifically to the Star Wars EU, with dozens of publications to his name (mostly YA). Mhan has an extremely diverse resume, but this is his only Star Wars comic.
Starfighter: Crossbones (3 issues, January - March 2002) was written by Haden Blackman and drawn by Ramón F. Bachs. Blackman was a long-time employee of LucasArts who, in addition to writing a few dozen comics, was the lead on the Galaxies and Force Unleashed games. He was also the writer for Starfighter and Jedi Starfighter, to which Crossbones connects. Bachs has illustrated several other Star Wars comics, including (with Blackman) Star Wars: Jango Fett - Open Seasons (my review).
Menace Revealed also contains 6 extremely short (3-10 page) one-shot comics that are hardly worth talking about: Heart of Fire, Poison Moon, Full of Surprises, Most Precious Weapon, Practice Makes Perfect, and Machines of War. Those last 4 were an exclusive run included with Hasbro Star Wars toys, and it couldn't be more obvious that they are merchandising tie-ins, not actual stories.
Republic: Starcrash is set 31 years before the Battle of Yavin (1 year after the Battle of Naboo), though it doesn't particularly refer to any events, and features characters and a planet that never appear again. Jedi Quest is a comic version of the same story told in the YA novel Path To Truth (my review). Starfighter: Crossbones is set 24 years before the Battle of Yavin (despite a reference to it being 6 years after the Battle of Naboo, which would be 26 BBY). It features the Feeorin pirate captain Nym of the Starfighter games, with very few references to other known characters.
Star Wars: Hunt for Aurra Sing (my review)
Star Wars: Jango Fett (my review)
Star Wars: Zam Wesell (my review)
Star Wars: The Bounty Hunters - Aurra Sing (1999) (Star Wars: The Bounty Hunters (my review)
Summary: In Starcrash, a newly-minted Jedi Knight named Yoshi Raph-Elan (yes, really) crashes on a strange planet and damages his lightsaber. He soon discovers that the planet is being oppressed by a sinister alien, and he joins forces with a beautiful princess to stop it.
In Crossbones, natives of the watery planet Maramere seek out Nym to acquire his particular set of skills to solve a difficult problem. The Trade Federation has taken control of their planet, and is engaged in a destructive battle with the Mere criminal Sol Sixxa, with most of the planet's natives caught in the middle. As an old enemy of the Trade Federation, Nym will have most of the weapons on the planet turned his way, but odds don't bother him.
Review: Starcrash is trying so hard to be zippy, witty, and fun . . . and, for me, just failing spectacularly at every turn. I'm not sure exactly how to explain why I hated this story so much, but the main character doesn't have a fraction of the charisma he thinks he does, and his schtick got very old very fast. There's nothing particularly Star Wars about this story, and maybe that was the point, but it didn't do anything for me. I'm a bit mystified as to how this one-off got dropped into the middle of several excellent large-arc storylines that Republic was doing. It just seems so out of place in every way. The art and character design are pretty nice, though. I'll give it that.
Jedi Quest I don't have much to say about that I didn't already say in my review of the book version. I think, though, that I kind of prefer this version of it. The medium just fits the story a bit better, and it makes more sense to have this be a comic adventure starring Obi-Wan and Anakin and Siri than it did as the introduction to the rest of the Jedi Quest series. I don't know why they did both, and they're both fine, but if I had to pick, I'd go with this one.
Crossbones pulls off everything that Starcrash fails at. It's a fun story that never takes itself too seriously, featuring a great character with lots of charm and a solid supporting cast. I also love that Nym is a scoundrel without being a Star Wars cliche. My biggest complaint is that the main premise behind the plot didn't quite make sense to me. It seemed like the Mere had two enemies that were basically working to destroy each other, and they want to go hire someone to upset that balance and leave them with one enemy who can then focus on oppressing them. I don't really get it, but whatever. I'd love to see more of Nym. Maybe I'll check out those video games. The other great thing about this comic: Zero human characters, and barely a human face anywhere in the story. It's a great gimmick that Star Wars stories should try more often.
Starcrash: D
Jedi Quest: B-
Crossbones: B+
March 24, 2020
The story continues from the previous Omnibus volume and left. No doubt, the story continues after this volume. If continuity is your thing, this leads right into Episode 2 and some of it's characters get fleshed out with the allotted time.
One character in particular, Jango Fett, I could tell there were different writers because his dialog/manner of speaking changes. One would assume this is because one version was a part of a little comic that came with a toy and so the target audience was different. There were several of these comics that came with these toys and apparently they are cannon too. If that's the case, I have a problem with the Jedi Starfighter one. Aside from the fact that, hell I never seen the Jedi Starfighter do that in any other work, it also changes the 1st meeting of Jango and Obi-Wan, if I understand correctly of when it took place. The whole encounter probably shouldn't have ever happened. It's little things like this, compiled that give Disney a reason to reset the timeline and think it's a good idea. I almost gave this 5 stars.
I think the standout star of this show is Zam. This so many things going on and so many frames to work with, her character as seeem to have turned out the best after all this lore exploration and character development.
One character in particular, Jango Fett, I could tell there were different writers because his dialog/manner of speaking changes. One would assume this is because one version was a part of a little comic that came with a toy and so the target audience was different. There were several of these comics that came with these toys and apparently they are cannon too. If that's the case, I have a problem with the Jedi Starfighter one. Aside from the fact that, hell I never seen the Jedi Starfighter do that in any other work, it also changes the 1st meeting of Jango and Obi-Wan, if I understand correctly of when it took place. The whole encounter probably shouldn't have ever happened. It's little things like this, compiled that give Disney a reason to reset the timeline and think it's a good idea. I almost gave this 5 stars.
I think the standout star of this show is Zam. This so many things going on and so many frames to work with, her character as seeem to have turned out the best after all this lore exploration and character development.
September 21, 2020
Calling this a mixed bag would be an understatement: never read a collected edition with such shifts in quality. Some of the stories are downright offensive with how little effort was put into them (Starcrash, the 12-page promotional comics at the end of the volume), some were mediocre to the point I don't understand how the featured characters have become popular among fans (The Hunt for Aurra Sing, Poison Moon) and some stories were surprisingly good (The Jango Fett and Zam Wessel minis, Starfighter: Crossbones). All in all, this omnibus came off as a rather reduntant and therefore easily skippable piece of Star Wars lore.
June 9, 2023
This omnibus was more of a mixed bag, including small one-shots that vary from orphaned content to promotional material designed to sell toys. These didn't contain enough pages or plot to make them memorable. Some of the longer one-shots weren't too great either. That said, the Jango and Zam duology contained lots of sassy fun (though the storyline itself was hardly brilliant). The Jedi Quest adaptation had a good script but was let down by hideous art (was that really supposed to be Obi-Wan!?). The only standouts here were the Aurra Sing comics. For Aurra's sake, I could overlook my dislike of the Dark Woman.
April 7, 2018
"The possibilities are endless. The Force is in your hands!"
February 12, 2019
Another fine output from Darkhorse. I wish Disney would bring back the expanded universe and make it canon. The stories have been way better than anything Disney has come up with.
July 16, 2019
Starcrash
- Colors are AMAZING and even the art is good. It's the premise that bothers me.
- Yoshi is a new Knight and crashes on a planet that Lord Gar-Oth has taken over. Yoshi helps the princess. But the princess and her people are essentially elves, and Yoshi is a new knight [in shining armor]. He thinks he may even go back and fall in love with the princess.
- When I first read this I thought it was a cute story, but now I roll my eyes. It's overly fantastical, even for the SW verse.
Heart of Fire
- This is kind of a sequel (or an interlude) of the next story ("Hunt for Aurra Sing"). Quinlan help a young Twi'lek (Xiaan) after Aura kills her Master. Xiaan all but hero-worships Aayla.
- Xiaan is adorable
The Hunt for Aurra Sing
- Some of the art was odd (until I looked up the penciler) but the color was BEAUTIFUL.
- Aurra goes on a killing spree. Ki, A'Sharad and Adi go after her. The "Dark Lady" is left wondering why she wasn't asked to go after her former apprentice.
- Aurra meets two Quarren who were driven from their planet by Jedi. The Masters meet another Quarren, senator Tikkes. There's a lot of drama.
Jedi Quest
- Oh my ew, the art was very bad and Obi-Wan looked like he was Anakin's age. The color was spectacular at least.
- Anakin and Obi-Wan are called to help the Colicoid diplomats against the slaver Krayn...the guy that Siri (now called Zora) has seemingly teamed up with.
- We all learn of Siri's mission after she takes Anakin but keeps him safe.
- The story wasn't bad at all. Anakin's darkness festers visibly. A slave revolt occurs. Palpatine worms his way into Anakin's life.
Jango Fett
- The art was pretty neat.
- Awwww little Boba!
- Jango kills a Vigo who hied Zam to kill the Hutt who hired Jango. Both are rehired for the same job - stealing an artifact from Seylott
- The end confused me a bit, but I really enjoyed seeing the dynamic between Jango and Zam.
Zam Wessell
- The scenery is great, but some of the sentients could have been represented better - like Boba.
- It was GREAT to see all of the Masters together and discussing a way to prevent the radical Annoo-Dat named Ashaar Khorda (from the end of "Jango Fett") from destroying Coruscant. It was a bit odd seeing Mace Windu smile
- Zam's wanting to save Coruscant from disaster surprised me, especially because her vehemence didn't stem from money. Watching her change from a Dug back in her own skin was very neat.
- Again, I love watching her and Jango team up. I could definitely read more of them.
- The end with Yarel Poof was sad.
Regarding the two stories above: It is utterly ridiculous that Zam is half-naked in the first and naked in the 2nd, comments on it to Jango, and he is like "if you can even call yourself a lady and I'm not a gentleman."
Ew?
Is the seemingly forced romance between them necessary? Can't they simply have a work relationship?
The Bounty Hunters: Aurra Sing
- The art and color were great. When I first read this, I thought the story was confusing but I didn't find it too difficult this time around, despite the fact that it does jump all over the place.
- Aurra goes after a Shi'ido (!) former Jedi named Kairn...we see little Wuher....and Aurra in a sunhat sipping a drink while holding a rifle is fantastic. I don't know much about Annie Oakley, but she was the first person I thought of with that image.
Poison Moon
- It was an annoyingly small comic of Anakin, Obi-Wan and a Dark Jedi. It was very hard to read and see. It was also a ridiculous story.
Starfighter - Crossbones
- the art and colors were very well done
- An outlaw named Nym has a mark on his head in multiple systems, but continues to live on the edge and helping those he sees to deserve it.
- He's asked to help against Sol Sixxa, a criminal who's taking out Trade Federation boats.
- Page 395 has a BEAUTIFUL split-panel where Ruuk of the Neimodians and Sixxa receive news of Nym simultaneously.
- Lord Ruuk follows Nym to Sixxa, but Nym is prepared for both of them. I enjoyed the story; it was different.
The rest of the stories were short, but had some great art and were nifty little comic-ellas.
Full of Surprises: Obi-Wan is ambushed by Jango but has a surprise for Jango.
Most Precious Weapon: After Geonosis, Dooku recalls Yoda's lessons on lightsabers and how, years later, he's still putting those lessons to use.
Practice Makes Perfect: Anakin is cocky during a test, but he and Obi-Wan practice fighting as a team. It was amazing!
Machines of War: When Yoda and the Clones arrive on Geonosis, the former is shown the power of the war ships. He reflects on the dangers of such machines.
- Colors are AMAZING and even the art is good. It's the premise that bothers me.
- Yoshi is a new Knight and crashes on a planet that Lord Gar-Oth has taken over. Yoshi helps the princess. But the princess and her people are essentially elves, and Yoshi is a new knight [in shining armor]. He thinks he may even go back and fall in love with the princess.
- When I first read this I thought it was a cute story, but now I roll my eyes. It's overly fantastical, even for the SW verse.
Heart of Fire
- This is kind of a sequel (or an interlude) of the next story ("Hunt for Aurra Sing"). Quinlan help a young Twi'lek (Xiaan) after Aura kills her Master. Xiaan all but hero-worships Aayla.
- Xiaan is adorable
The Hunt for Aurra Sing
- Some of the art was odd (until I looked up the penciler) but the color was BEAUTIFUL.
- Aurra goes on a killing spree. Ki, A'Sharad and Adi go after her. The "Dark Lady" is left wondering why she wasn't asked to go after her former apprentice.
- Aurra meets two Quarren who were driven from their planet by Jedi. The Masters meet another Quarren, senator Tikkes. There's a lot of drama.
Jedi Quest
- Oh my ew, the art was very bad and Obi-Wan looked like he was Anakin's age. The color was spectacular at least.
- Anakin and Obi-Wan are called to help the Colicoid diplomats against the slaver Krayn...the guy that Siri (now called Zora) has seemingly teamed up with.
- We all learn of Siri's mission after she takes Anakin but keeps him safe.
- The story wasn't bad at all. Anakin's darkness festers visibly. A slave revolt occurs. Palpatine worms his way into Anakin's life.
Jango Fett
- The art was pretty neat.
- Awwww little Boba!
- Jango kills a Vigo who hied Zam to kill the Hutt who hired Jango. Both are rehired for the same job - stealing an artifact from Seylott
- The end confused me a bit, but I really enjoyed seeing the dynamic between Jango and Zam.
Zam Wessell
- The scenery is great, but some of the sentients could have been represented better - like Boba.
- It was GREAT to see all of the Masters together and discussing a way to prevent the radical Annoo-Dat named Ashaar Khorda (from the end of "Jango Fett") from destroying Coruscant. It was a bit odd seeing Mace Windu smile
- Zam's wanting to save Coruscant from disaster surprised me, especially because her vehemence didn't stem from money. Watching her change from a Dug back in her own skin was very neat.
- Again, I love watching her and Jango team up. I could definitely read more of them.
- The end with Yarel Poof was sad.
Regarding the two stories above: It is utterly ridiculous that Zam is half-naked in the first and naked in the 2nd, comments on it to Jango, and he is like "if you can even call yourself a lady and I'm not a gentleman."
Ew?
Is the seemingly forced romance between them necessary? Can't they simply have a work relationship?
The Bounty Hunters: Aurra Sing
- The art and color were great. When I first read this, I thought the story was confusing but I didn't find it too difficult this time around, despite the fact that it does jump all over the place.
- Aurra goes after a Shi'ido (!) former Jedi named Kairn...we see little Wuher....and Aurra in a sunhat sipping a drink while holding a rifle is fantastic. I don't know much about Annie Oakley, but she was the first person I thought of with that image.
Poison Moon
- It was an annoyingly small comic of Anakin, Obi-Wan and a Dark Jedi. It was very hard to read and see. It was also a ridiculous story.
Starfighter - Crossbones
- the art and colors were very well done
- An outlaw named Nym has a mark on his head in multiple systems, but continues to live on the edge and helping those he sees to deserve it.
- He's asked to help against Sol Sixxa, a criminal who's taking out Trade Federation boats.
- Page 395 has a BEAUTIFUL split-panel where Ruuk of the Neimodians and Sixxa receive news of Nym simultaneously.
- Lord Ruuk follows Nym to Sixxa, but Nym is prepared for both of them. I enjoyed the story; it was different.
The rest of the stories were short, but had some great art and were nifty little comic-ellas.
Full of Surprises: Obi-Wan is ambushed by Jango but has a surprise for Jango.
Most Precious Weapon: After Geonosis, Dooku recalls Yoda's lessons on lightsabers and how, years later, he's still putting those lessons to use.
Practice Makes Perfect: Anakin is cocky during a test, but he and Obi-Wan practice fighting as a team. It was amazing!
Machines of War: When Yoda and the Clones arrive on Geonosis, the former is shown the power of the war ships. He reflects on the dangers of such machines.
August 25, 2011
I had low expectations for this Omnibus and it is the last of the prequel era that I bought. I saw a great deal for it online and wanted something to read so I picked it up. Unfortunately, Dark Horse has done a terrible marketing this Omnibus. It sounds like all the comics collected here are basically cast offs and have never been printed for good reason. I can read comics that were used to sell toys? Awesome! To add to that, they picked a terrible single issue story to start with which was some kind of fairy tale version of Star Wars that was corny and not a good idea. After that though, the quality picks up.
The Hunt For Aurra Sing is a fairly good Jedi vs. bounty hunter story. It builds off previous stories featuring Sing although it fails to fully resolve much about her which would have made it even better. Jedi Quest was an equally solid Jedi story even though it had never been collected and reprinted. The highlight was seeing some of Anakin's backstory as a slave be explored. The Jango Fett and Zam Wessell stories are some of the best in this Omnibus. They build a relationship between the two characters and keep the reader guessing (which all good Star Wars bounty hunter stories do). I thoroughly enjoyed reading them. The Bounty Hunters: Aurra Sing is an amazing one shot where they literally throw everything into one comic to tell a great story. Ewoks, Wampas, and even a trip to Bespin are included in this compact story and the ending is so satisfying. I know it is just a single issue, but it is one of my all time favorite Star Wars stories and needs to be read. The other noteworthy story arc, "Starfighter - Crossbones" is about Nym and his crew. I loved the video game and to see Nym get a full-on story was great. It is a smuggling story similar to ones with Lando or Han, but I like the character so much that to see him appear anywhere is awesome. This arc is followed by the dreaded toy comics which are really short and try to get you to play with the action figures you didn't buy. Fun! :)
Overall, this Omnibus is surprisingly good if you like the seedier side of Star Wars. The middle of the book has stories ranging from good to amazing and really strong art throughout which more than makes up for the dead weight at the beginning and end.
The Hunt For Aurra Sing is a fairly good Jedi vs. bounty hunter story. It builds off previous stories featuring Sing although it fails to fully resolve much about her which would have made it even better. Jedi Quest was an equally solid Jedi story even though it had never been collected and reprinted. The highlight was seeing some of Anakin's backstory as a slave be explored. The Jango Fett and Zam Wessell stories are some of the best in this Omnibus. They build a relationship between the two characters and keep the reader guessing (which all good Star Wars bounty hunter stories do). I thoroughly enjoyed reading them. The Bounty Hunters: Aurra Sing is an amazing one shot where they literally throw everything into one comic to tell a great story. Ewoks, Wampas, and even a trip to Bespin are included in this compact story and the ending is so satisfying. I know it is just a single issue, but it is one of my all time favorite Star Wars stories and needs to be read. The other noteworthy story arc, "Starfighter - Crossbones" is about Nym and his crew. I loved the video game and to see Nym get a full-on story was great. It is a smuggling story similar to ones with Lando or Han, but I like the character so much that to see him appear anywhere is awesome. This arc is followed by the dreaded toy comics which are really short and try to get you to play with the action figures you didn't buy. Fun! :)
Overall, this Omnibus is surprisingly good if you like the seedier side of Star Wars. The middle of the book has stories ranging from good to amazing and really strong art throughout which more than makes up for the dead weight at the beginning and end.
November 21, 2022
This omnibus has quite the range of quality. I'd say I probably enjoyed about half of them.
Some of the bad ones were Starcrash, which had a plot so generic it could've been in any other franchise if you just got rid of the lightsaber. The artwork was bizarre as well, and it looked like it was some early Zelda game.
There were a number of incredibly short stories that didn't seem to have a purpose at all. I wouldn't even say there was an attempt at a plot.
The good stories were the ones that focused on Aurra Sing. I generally enjoyed the two about Jango Fett and Zam Wessell, even though they are majorly flawed. The authors decided to make them essentially morally good. They repeatedly behave selflessly in ways that don't fit with their movie characters. Jango doesn't mind creating millions of clones of himself to be used by the highest bidder in the movies. Him and Zam work together to try and murder Padme in her sleep. When Zam is captured and may be a liability to Jango, he murders her without hesitation. The characters in these comics have absolutely no relation to the movies.
It was fine.
Some of the bad ones were Starcrash, which had a plot so generic it could've been in any other franchise if you just got rid of the lightsaber. The artwork was bizarre as well, and it looked like it was some early Zelda game.
There were a number of incredibly short stories that didn't seem to have a purpose at all. I wouldn't even say there was an attempt at a plot.
The good stories were the ones that focused on Aurra Sing. I generally enjoyed the two about Jango Fett and Zam Wessell, even though they are majorly flawed. The authors decided to make them essentially morally good. They repeatedly behave selflessly in ways that don't fit with their movie characters. Jango doesn't mind creating millions of clones of himself to be used by the highest bidder in the movies. Him and Zam work together to try and murder Padme in her sleep. When Zam is captured and may be a liability to Jango, he murders her without hesitation. The characters in these comics have absolutely no relation to the movies.
It was fine.
July 5, 2014
Most of the stories in this volume were rather uninspiring. The Starcrash story was pretty poor. The Jango Fett/Zam Wesell stories were actually pretty decent with some of the better artwork. The Bounty Hunter: Aurra Sing story was annoying as it showed little originally, simply using the same locals that had been used in the movie (apparently Endor and Hoth were regular places frequented by others before the original trilogy. Curious as to why either the rebellion or empire would set up secret bases on such popular places). Not one of the better collection of stories either writing or artistic wise.
April 27, 2015
More stories from between Episode I and II. Aurra Sing, the Jedi-killing bounty hunter takes center stage in two of the stories. One involves a group of Jedi dispatched to trap her, but she escapes. There's also another Jango Fett story co-starring Zam Wessel. We see the two of them working together in Episode II, before he kills her of course, and here we get some of the back story about how they came together. Aside from that, there are a bunch of mini-comics reprinted here. They were originally packaged in with some of the Hasbro toys and it's cool to see them here.
January 29, 2011
Some of the stories were interesting, but there was one anime styled one about Anakin and ObiWan in which they were hard to distinguish from each other and didn't feel quite right. Also the last few seemed to be comics that were in with toys that were for sale.
October 10, 2010
I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't one of my favorite Star Wars Omnibuses.
February 23, 2011
the fist one was pretty pointless.the next storys wern't bad but they wern't the best the last for were worse than the first and then they ended as if they were just advertizement for toys.
April 27, 2011
I liked the stories about Jango Fett a lot, and enjoyed some of the art work. Could take or leave the rest.
May 17, 2011
I think these whole stories of Star Wars before Battles of Yavin. I think this book is interesting, altough it has blood on it. The stories give me thought & inspiration
May 3, 2013
Hit and miss. It's nice to have some of these rarer comics finally collected, but the last few used to promote Hasbro products were pretty bad.
April 27, 2015
Solidní Star Wars mix jediů/bounty hunterů a známých filmových postav s vedlejšími z EU. V druhé půlce omnibusu krapet došel dech.
3,5*
3,5*
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