By this point I've read quite a few Dark Horse offerings in the continuing Star Wars line. To date, none has been as exciting as the first volume in the new Star Wars Rebellion series, My Brother, My Enemy.

My Brother, My Enemy is set at the perfect time in the Star Wars chronology. Luke Skywalker has destroyed the Death Star and is the hero of the Rebellion. But the rebels are still on the run, and Darth Vader is turning up every stone in the galaxy to find them.

There's no mention anywhere of Vader being Luke's father. And there are no siblings involved, either; Luke still has a crush on Leia, it seems, so the whole ick factor that spilled out in Return of the Jedi is still far away.

Besides Luke, Leia and the immortal Wedge Antilles, the Rebels in this tale have a strong and diverse cast of characters. Deena Shan is a beautiful, hard-luck soul who thinks she just might be in love with an Imperial officer whose men she previously killed. Tungo Li is the head of the Rebel spy network and a suspicious man by nature. Jorin Sol is a Rebel strategist who fell into Imperial hands; the question is, what did the Imperial torturers learn before his spectacular rescue?

On the other side, besides Vader, there's Janek "Tank" Sunber, a Tatooine native who was one of Luke's boyhood chums. Just how does it feel when one of your best friends is on the other side of a brutal conflict? This book examines the question from both perspectives.

And just who is the threat to security here, anyway?

Rob Williams has scripted a brilliant new chapter in the Star Wars saga. He has a firm grasp on the central characters from the legendary first film, and his new creations fit into the story like old friends. The tale itself is exciting, a page-turner that will only disappoint you when it ends.

The art, by illustrators Brandon Badeaux and Michel Lacombe and colorist Wil Glass, is exquisite. Lush, full and highly detailed, with rich depth and colors that leap from the page, this is the real deal. Heck, Luke and Leia even look like themselves, which is no sure thing in comics.

C'mon, Dark Horse, let's get Star Wars Rebellion #2 in the mail!

by Tom Knapp
Rambles.NET
14 April 2007