As big of a Star Wars fan I proclaim to be, I don’t seem to have a lot of Star Wars related content here on WordPress. It’s time to change that.
Star Wars: Legacy is a comic written by John Ostrander and drawn by Jan Duursema. It tells the tale of what is known as the “Legacy” era, which is roughly 120+ years after Return of the Jedi.
Ostrander (left) and Duursema (right). A dynamic duo!
Although immense care has been given to prevent any spoilers, I am only human and there might be potential/slight ones within the review! So if you haven’t read Legacy go check it out! Buy up that Dark Horse Star Wars stuff, they’re only going up in price everyday!
_____________________________________
The principle characters – (from L to R) Shado Vao, Konrad Rus, Wolf Saazen, Antares Draco, Siegel Dare, Ganner Krieg, Marasiah Fel, Roan Fel, Astraal Vao, Luke Skywalker, Deliah Blue, Cade Skywalker, Jariah Syn, Darth Krayt, Darth Talon, Darth Nihl.
Star Wars: Legacy is an amazing comic series. I burned through each book like nothing. Whenever I am invested in a comic, I won’t stop until the entire series is done. I absolutely loved every single story and page of Legacy, it has to be the best Star Wars comic ever written. Let me explain why.
What I liked LOVED about this series:
- The characters are phenomenal. They are all smartly written and Ostrander does a great job of making the classic Star Wars ensemble feel come alive with each page. No one character one ups the other on terms of importance. Of course, the main story revolves around Cade Skywalker the descendant of Luke, but the entire roster of characters do not lack in their development. Each character had something to do or played an important part of the story.
Darths Talon, Krayt, Wyyrlok, Maladi, and Nihl. Deadly Sith that are more than a match for even the best Jedi and Imperial Knight.
- The story is absolutely phenomenal. It basically revolves around the One Sith Order and the legacy of the Skywalkers which was such an interesting concept. Darth Krayt (A’Sharad Hett) is the leader of the Sith and was a Clone Wars veteran and if you’ve read any other Expanded Universe (EU) material everything ties in so precisely. With twists, turns, tons of action that does not feel out of place, intense space battles, crazy espionage sequences, and the remnants of the Yuuzhan Vong Empire, this series covers a lot of ground but leaves nothing behind. Everything is drawn out clearly and superbly and the writing is top notch and beautifully resonates the Star Wars themes we all know and love.
Jhoram Bey (left) and Gar Stazi (right), excellent characters and their fight with the Galactic Alliance paved way for some excellent space battles.
- I absolutely love the artwork. Jan Duursema’s artwork is phenomenal. It remains consistently beautiful in all her works and she really knows how to draw Star Wars beautifully. You can tell by the drawings and the story that Ostrander and Duursema know their EU and know the best parts of what made it special.
Incredible artwork. Loved this panel.
- The Imperial Knights were amazing. I fell in love with the idea of having a new splinter faction of Force users in this story. “Cousins” of the Jedi, they serve the now benevolent Empire and are ruled by the Fel dynasty. They are fierce, intelligent, and highly skilled with both the lightsaber and the force. It was really interesting to finally see light side adepts that aren’t privy to ideas of assassination or executions. They really were a refreshing take on the whole good vs evil concepts as a objective third party.
Imperial Knights are so cool with their red armor and cortosis gauntlets. But they unfortunately fall to the might of Darth Krayt. 😦
What I disliked about this series:
- Some stories (Joker Squad, Hando Karr, etc.) felt really out of place and didn’t cohesively fit with the story completely. Although these characters do serve a purpose I did not feel like they needed extended backstory dedicated to them. Their pages would have been better suited portraying the already large main roster of characters more.
- Cade at some points was a bit annoying to read. Again I love his redemption arc and the ending to the story but his hypocrisy isn’t just a character flaw, but felt like Ostrander periodically forgets that Cade has learned valuable lessons. It seems like his character growth is always portrayed but in the next page completely nullified.
Cade’s ancestor coming to him in a vision. You all should know who that is.
All in all, the Legacy series was a well done unique take on Star Wars and what happens after the New Republic era concludes.
Original characters (some of my favorites – Jariah Syn, Deliah Blue, Antares Draco, Marasiah Fel, K’ruhk, Shado Vao) in the story were memorable and you find yourself rooting for everyone. You’ll even see some familiar faces throughout the series as well.
There are minor blemishes to the story line as I explained in the negatives but nothing really detracts the overall quality nor the amount of fun I had reading this. Anyone who is a true Star Wars fan (and I’m talking love the EU and all the other tie-ins) would absolutely love this series.
You don’t even need to be a fan of the EU to enjoy Legacy. So long as you like Star Wars and desire to learn where the Legends canon ends then you will have absolutely no problem learning all the nooks and crannies the series presents.
Dark Empire, Crimson Empire, Thrawn Trilogy, KotOR, and JK3 were all legendary stories. But Star Wars: Legacy has done a lot for the EU and it is a great finisher to the epic stories it has spawned.
I give Star Wars: Legacy a 9/10. Riveting, ravishing, emotional, intense, and an amazing space opera all wrapped into one incredible comic series.
Krayt’s Sith Troopers. A nod to the Dark Troopers Kyle Katarn stopped long ago.
The Mission to Agamar. Jedi and Imperial Knight fight together to defeat the Sith ambush.
Did you know there’s a sequel too? Can you guess who she is? 😉
The GOAT Movie Podcast 