Agent of the Empire: Iron Eclipse #4

Writer: John Ostrander
Penciller: Stéphane Créty
Inker: Julien Hugonnard-Bert
Colorist: Wez Dzioba
Letterist: Michael Heisler
Cover Artist: Stéphane Roux

First off, Agent of the Empire has been a really impressive series so far. The story has been delicious and the art has been gorgeous. Before even opening #3, I simply sat back and took in the cover art. It’s very pleasing to the eye with stimulating colors and an intriguing collage of elements. IN-GA dominates the foreground as a crucified, mangled droid. Jahan takes center stage with a no nonsense look of determination. In the corners there is a group of droid and a cloud city looking station. From the get go, there’s a promise of excitement.

This shot of the Falcon was an excellent shot and one of my favorite panels in this issue.

Diving into Iron Eclipse #4, the story progresses well. The plot unveils what Iron Eclipse is, what Iaclyn Stark is up to, and who the real villain is. Han and Chewie continue to play their roles well. Neither of them feel out of place. It also doesn’t take long before Jahan has his customary shirtless scene.

Don't resist the powah! of a shirtless Jahan. It's futile.

So we’ve seen Jahan naked. We’ve seen naked female aliens. What next?

Naked Chewie! You'll have to read the comic to find out if Chewie joins in or not.

But back to the plot…issue #4 throws in a really nice flashback sequence. In #3 we got a glimpse, but here we get the full story. Readers will get to find out what happened to Cross’ mother and sister. They will also get to find out why Jahan serves the Empire and the source of his belief in it. John Ostrander did a really good job of constructing a believable, sympathetic backstory for Cross.

The angled panels add to the sense of action.

The artwork in Agent of the Empire continues to shine. The panel layouts work well at conveying just the right shots of each scene. One two-page action sequence has a very nice angled panel array that reinforces the sense of action and motion. The colors have a rich array of tones that complement the art. Plus the color change fro the flashback sequence was a perfect choice. Oh, and there’s also a sinister looking spider-Maul type character toward the end which is very aptly timed considering The Clone Wars‘ return of Darth Maul.

With each issue, my expectation are rising a little higher, and I’m glad #4 was able to stand and deliver. Roux, Crety, Hugonnard-Bert, and Dzioba knocked out some more great artwork, while Ostrander continued to nail an entertaining story. I’m looking forward to the last issue and hope this creative team will be around for the next arc. They’ve done a terrific job so far.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.