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Kareem Ali 4.5

Star Wars Rebel Heist #1

 

  • The good

    The premise works very well with an intriguing story and great characterization. Very entertaining action.

  • The bad

    The new recruit is very slow in seeing what is obviously part of a bigger plan. Imperial forces taking the capture lightly

  • The ugly

  • Star Wars Rebel Heist #1 is a new series written by Matt Kindt and published by Dark Horse starring a new rebel recruit who is preparing to meet a contact for his first mission. The story takes place after the Battle of Yavin where the destruction of the first Death Star occurred and the heroic rebels involved, Luke, Leia, Han Solo and Chewbacca have become legends and inspired a new wave of recruits. Such is the case with this new recruit who traveled to the city of Corellia following the coordinates given to him to join the rebels. His enthusiasm is almost matched by his skepticism of the rebels methods and before he can even sit down in the bar he enters a gunfight breaks out between hidden imperial agents and someone he’s shocked to see: Han Solo. Since their cover was blown they have to fight their way out of the bar and the new recruit, Jan, watches in awe as Han Solo makes his way through the streets and hijacks a speeder so they can get away. Jan doesn’t understand everything that’s going on since he’s thrown in the middle of this but somehow he feels Han’s confidence rubbing off on him initially and he feels good about this. But when Han stops at the top of a building and says this is all part of the plan, Jan starts to doubt because he doesn’t understand how Imperial agents ambushing them, being forced to take a speeder to get away and then practically stopping so reinforcements could catch up to them could be part of the plan. Han tells him what he tells all the new recruits who only have basic training and no experience and that’s to trust him. But is Jan correct in starting to think that Han is making it up as he goes along or is there a bigger plan connected to the rebels’ goals?

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    I was looking forward to this issue despite a not so great experience with another series that was narrated from a standpoint of a fan of the character they eventually accompany. And that’s because not only did Han Solo appear at the start of the issue when I read the preview but he also had lines so the story would be more than just what was in the head of the narrator. And the time frame selected for this series fits perfectly as the vehicle to connect the mentality of the narrator as a recruit to the reader because I’m sure there are many who watched the original Star Wars and wanted to be one of the main characters or part of the rebel alliance. And even if that isn’t the case the premise is still very effective as it deals with recruits wanting to join a cause after a major victory but not understanding all that it took to achieve that victory. And this issue starts off very intriguing as Jan makes his way through the dangerous and seedy part of the city to meet his rebel contact, and when the action starts it’s as exhilarating for the reader as it is for Jan due to the writing of Matt Kindt that flows wonderfully during action sequences and the artwork of Marco Castiello provides the right amount of energy to convey the sense of danger. Yes, there are things that take place in this issue that Jan doesn’t see but it’s fairly obvious early on that the events are part of a test or part of a bigger plan and despite the panic Jan could feel clouding his judgement, the fact he’s so blind calls his usefulness into question. However the strengths of this issue are the mysterious plan that entails getting captured by Imperial forces, and Han Solo’s portrayal. He provides the perfect complement to the new recruit and his cool demeanor in the face of Imperial forces makes whatever the rebels have in store seem that much more interesting. And so I’m pleased with the start of this series and it definitely has potential to be even better going forward.

     

    SUMMARY

    Star Wars Rebel Heist #1 is a really good start to a series that is set during a well-known time but creates a story that is suspenseful and interesting while highlighting the attributes that made a character so enjoyable. The new recruit comes off as very green, which I’m sure was intended, and it also makes the rebels’ hidden plan more intriguing but hopefully he smartens up going forward. And so I have a really good feeling about this series and I’m looking forward to the next series of events.

     

    Writer: Matt Kindt

    Artist: Marco Castiello

    Release date: 4/30/14

  • Rating ( 8.5 )
  • Total score 8.5

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