Star Wars #11

Star Wars #11

Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Wade von Grawbadger
Colorist: Justin Ponsor
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Cover Artists: Stuart Immonen, Wade von Grawbadger, and Justin Ponsor

Star Wars #11 changes things up both inside and out. From the cover, to the rumble within, there’s lots of action and fighting. Dengar faces off against Chewbacca. Luke squares off in the arena against a monstrous foe. Even Han gets in on the action. All in all, it makes for a fun comic.

I haven’t talked much about covers lately, but Star Wars #11 is worth a moment analysis. At first glance, you might think you’re holding the comic upside down. The Star Wars logo is located at the bottom of the cover. Dengar and Chewbacca are struggling at an odd angle that makes it look like they’re plummeting off a building and still scrapping to the death. It’s odd, and yet, it really pops out. A lot of that is due to the stark yellow background that’s very simple and helps emphasize the focal characters. With the abnormal orientation of the characters and the logo, it’s an issue that sticks out on the shelves. When it comes to comic art, that’s exactly what you want. Plus the artist did a great job of capturing Chewbacca and Dengar, two side characters worthy of some front page attention.

Diving into the issue, it’s arena day for Luke. No more training. It’s go time. The funny thing is that the giant creature I was expecting Luke to fight is a bit more than I realized. I thought it was just going to be a warped looking rancor, but instead it’s a brand new monster. It’s not a bad design. They included just enough new aspects to make it stand out and apart, yet still feel Star Warsy. On the other hand, it’s pretty fearsome looking. But the arena battle develops into something more complicated as we find out more about the gamemaster. It seems the crowd may be getting some company. And what was up with the lightsaber switcharoo?

Elsewhere on Nar Shaddaa, Dengar finds Chewbacca and they immediately go at it. It’s a push and show, stab and shoot brawl that doesn’t pull punches with violence. I have to admit, I was shocked out how brutal it got. There’s no blood, but there’s lots of screaming. Jason Aaron takes an interesting approach in making Dengar a vicious opponent. However, with Chewie being a fan favorite, it immediately makes Dengar a hated character. Yet as much as those two get attention, C-3PO makes a surprise move that really elevates his character for the better. It’s yet another great move by Aaron in the storytelling.

Definitely an homage to Gladiator here.

Wrapping up the issue, Han, Leia and Sana finally make it to Nar Shaddaa, thus putting everyone on the same planet. Another nice touch is that we finally get to hear Han’s side of the story with the whole wedding deal. Unfortunately for him, no one else gets to hear it. Still, their arrival is very timely and well used. What Aaron does with Han is spot on and perfect. Great way to end the issue.

Great close-up of Luke as he peers up in the arena.

My one gripe about the issue is this shot of Han who looks like a boxer who’s lost one too many brawls.

Throughout, the artwork is pretty good. It’s not outstanding, but it stays appealing. With all the action scenes packed into this issue, the artists did a good job of still pulling off some detailed panels without having to cut too many corners. They also did a good job of keeping the action easy to follow. The arena scenes get some nice lighting effects which add a lot to the atmosphere of those panels. On top of all that, the monster Luke fights is impressively wicked looking. My only gripe with the artwork is one panel of Han where is face looks misshapen. Otherwise the artwork didn’t miss a beat.

Final panel and an awesome shot of Han.

All around, I really enjoyed this issue. There’s enough story to make this one satisfying, plenty of action to keep you entertained, and even some story building and reveals to round it all out. I give Star Wars #11 a five out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.