Star Wars: Showdown on the Smuggler’s Moon

by Jason Aaron, Stuart Immonen, Simone Bianchi
collects Star Wars #7-12
volume one | two | three | four

The first arc brought the crew back together and set the post-Episode IV tone for the series, this next volume presents an interesting challenge for the creators. Even casual fans know what happens in future films, so Aaron’s story needs to both stick to the canon, while also containing some originality and surprise to keep readers interested. Combined with the hero worship status of the original cast, and balancing all the characters across one story – it’s a high bar indeed. (Also, “Showdown on the Smuggler’s Moon” has to be the longest Star Wars title in existence.)

At least Aaron has a lot of room in the Star Wars universe, and even with the limited creative license, he uses it to its fullest extent – along with Luke, Leia, Han and the rest of the gang, he’s also thrown in a new Hutt, bounty hunter Dengar, Obi-Wan’s old journal, a giant monster who isn’t a Rancor, lots of Jedi relics, and lots of references (including a posthumous nod to my favorite Jedi). He also takes advantage of periods of time that haven’t been charted out yet, with the whole first issue being dedicated to Obi Wan’s exile on Tattooine when Luke was a boy (illustrated by Bianchi). While the comics won’t ever have the same thrill as the films,  Aaron creates an enjoyable story that still feels true to the Star Wars universe and its beloved characters, with a great balance of familiarity and originality.

This volume saw an artist change from John Cassaday to Stuart Immonen. They’re both wonderful artists for this title and I really like the style Immonen brings to the series in this volume. The characters are truthful to their real life counterparts, but Immonen’s style is less realistic than Cassaday, giving him a little bit more freedom for greater expression, though sometimes Han looked a little bit off to me (something about how his nose is drawn, I think.) Also, Immonen draws some fantastically exciting space scenes. I’m sure it’s more than just the characters and the space ships – the way Immonen frames scenes and especially the space battles feels very reminiscent of Star Wars’ cinematography. I can’t pretend to know what that is or how he does it, but it definitely feels like Immonen (and Aaron of course) have done their homework.

Unfortunately, Cassaday’s cover looks really off. Luke’s got a weird expression on his face for a bunch of blasters being pointed in his face, plus his left sleeve is longer than the right.

Aaron hasn’t forgotten that post-Episode IV, Luke is still very much a naive farm boy – and he acts like it here. Still reeling from Obi-Wan’s death and on his search for answers, Luke mistakenly thinks he can bumble into the nearest hive of scum and villainy and catch a ride to Coruscant and the Jedi Temple (just like Obi-Wan did in Tattooine). Luke gets himself captured by Grukka the Hutt, whose desire to collect old Jedi relics is far more interesting than the tired “captive is now gladiator” plot Aaron focuses on instead. At least Aaron also builds in some foundation for Luke to become more competent with his lightsaber, potentially with Jedi relics to teach him along the way. That feels much more exciting to me than a one-off storyline about Obi Wan saving Luke as a kid that has no real bearing on the story. (Also, snore.)

In the previous arc, Leia and Han run into Sana, who claims to be Han’s wife. This was a disappointing subplot that was all tedious dialogue and seemed to only exist for the tension between Han and Leia. No matter how capable the two women are, it still felt like a classic two women fighting over a dude…especially when Sana’s motivations come to light and her previous dialogue then makes no sense whatsoever. I’m always here for Leia shooting at people and leading rescue missions, but at this point, I’m ready to see something new from her, and Aaron is more than capable (i.e. Jane Foster).

Leia continues to be ignored in this series – Luke’s grief is still more important even though she lost her parents and whole frigging planet like two weeks ago. The only relationship that seems important is her “romantic” “relationship” with Han. But hopefully Sana will stick around, and maybe the next volume will do what the original Star Wars films never did: pass the Bechdel test.

(Note: if you think it’s gotten better, the later movies barely squeak by if at all.)

Even though the book was enjoyable, I’m not exactly sure where the series is going. While inevitably time will catch up to the events of Empire Strikes Back, I’m not totally sure if this is simply a fun ride with characters we all love without any stakes, or if Aaron is building towards something bigger. I’m looking forward to continuing the series (though I’m not ready to invest in the entire Star Wars comics line just yet), but I’m still hoping for more.