Rebel Heist #1

Rebel Heist #1 (of 4)

Writer: Matt Kindt
Penciller: Marco Castiello
Inker: Dan Parsons
Colorist: Gabe Eltaeb
Cover Artists: Adam Hughes (regular cover and ultra variant sketch cover), Matt Kindt (variant cover)

Rebel Heist #1 is, well, something strange. It’s about 15 degrees off of your normal Star Wars story, and it ends on an odd note. With an art style reminiscent of older comics and heavy narration, this comic follows a new recruit as he joins up with Han Solo on a mission for the Rebellion. From Corellia to a remote mining facility, they face off against the Empire. However, the lesson the recruit learns is quite unexpected.

First off, I really like the cover. It remind me a lot of Stéphane Roux’s Agent of the Empire covers with the bright colors and prominent central figure in front with a mixed background of striking visual elements. Altogether it makes a nice, vibrant piece of art that stands out. That said, there’s some things on the cover that don’t make since. There’s a Hutt and a glimpse of Leia and Chewbacca, none of whom are in this issue. So I’m guess those are hints at what’s to come.

The many faces of Han.

As for the interior art, it’s a bit eclectic. The art style is kind of rough with characters looking a little different panel-to-panel. The placement and arrangement is pretty good, though. And while it’s not the most consistent visual representations, it doesn’t work too bad. The coloring certainly helps a lot. Gabe Eltaeb does a good job of adding a grungy feel where needed, vivid lighting effects that make the art pop, and a careful variety of color that keeps things from blending altogether.

Now the story is an interesting matter all in itself. It starts out on Corellia with a fresh recruit who is sent to meet with a experienced Rebel agent for a mission. That agent turns out to be Han Solo. Throughout the issue, the recruit provides a lot of narration, however his credibility and judgement is in question. At first he is in awe of Han Solo, but by the end, he has a complete turn of opinion. In fact the end of the issue is down right weird. As a Star Wars fan, you expect it to go one way, yet it instead, it heads in a completely different and unexpected direction. It’s such a strange ending that I’m really not sure what to think of it. It’s kind of startling, really.

These aren’t the pole dancers you’re looking for.

Even with the odd ending, there are some memorable moments in this issue that make the comic worthwhile. Of course there’s the seedy cantina, but the artwork takes a nice jab at that by including some truly hideous dancers, one of which is a giant centipede and the other some strange looking garble of organs with tentacles. The other joke I really liked was the rust bucket gag, which I won’t spoil here. Lastly, as shocking as it was, the final panel of the issue is something you don’t typically see. It’s gut wrenching.

In the end, this issue lays out a very startling introduction to what Matt Kindt has in mind for Star Wars. It’s an unexpected chapter of a larger story, and I’m hoping there’s a twist lying in wait. From what we’ve been told, these four issues will tie together, so the story in Rebel Heist #1 isn’t over yet. At least that’s what I’m holding out for, because if none of the other issues touch on the way this one ended, I’d have to reverse my opinion it. As is, it’s shocking, startling, unexpected, and fresh enough that I can appreciate the direction of the story. The art works and the cover is gorgeous. Put that altogether and you’ve got a very interesting comic that breaks the norm. I give it a four out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.