I've noticed that the Star Wars: Empire series doesn't just focus on the time period of the original trilogy, but actually on the Empire that is in the title. This is something of an odd choice, given that as a Republic serial type villain, the Empire doesn't make a lot of sense as a sympathetic villain. However, like the Star Wars: Republic comic, if you can divorce this series from the movies that it takes off from, these tales of a galactic empire and its military are pretty good little tales. Hartley's story blends together officer politics, the drudgework of infantry and the danger of long range patrols into an interesting story with a good protagonist that reminds me pleasantly of Band of Brothers, a show I just finished watching recently. In addition, he's joined on art by Fabbri and Vecchia delivering some very unusual and lush artwork with a feel somewhere between that of Paul Chadwick and European graphic novels.
There are some cliches to be found in this first chapter of "To The Last Man." The officer who cares for his men and works alongside as one of them is probably just as common as the officer who is arrogant, stupid and likely to get his men killed, and both cliches are to be found here. Of course, cliches become so because there is truth at the heart of them, and I don't have any trouble buying our protagonist, Lieutenant Sunber any more than I do our antagonists Frickett and Gage. Sunber might be a little too good at what he does, always quicker to think and to act than his superiors, but given that the Imperial forces got beat by a bunch of muppets with sticks, I don't have too much trouble believing they had chain of command problems.
More importantly, Sunber is a likable character. His care for his men and the brief insight Hartley gives into his past before joining the military establish him as something of a regular guy, but it's clear in his grasp of tactics and his bravery that he's hero material. He's on the wrong side of this conflict, what with the Empire being evil, but as I said above, if you can divorce the larger Star Wars story from this story, you can buy Sunber as a devoted patriot. The truism of military camaraderie and the paranoia that comes from confronting an unknown enemy make this read as a general war story as much as an extension of the space opera tales that made up the Star Wars films.
Though Hartley's well-defined protagonist and viewpoint on Imperial military life is a big part of why I enjoyed this tale, I can't sell the art short. I think I've seen Fabbri's name before on Star Wars, but if so, his previous work didn't make this much of an impression. Maridun, the setting for this story, is a jungle world, and Fabbri and Vecchia really give the sense of a jungle crowded with vegetation, with a certain exotic beauty but a muddy unpleasantness as well. The same intricacy can be seen in the technology, from the Imperial walker to the Stormtrooper armor, and there is never a panel where I feel like the detail is lacking. In fact, Fabbri does a fantastic job with the chaotic and brief battle scenes, helping to heighten the paranoia that an enemy is out there, and he does a great visual for the cliffhanger.
I can't call myself a Star Wars fan anymore... the prequels and the constant re-editing of the originals has not only made me unlikely to buy the eventual DVD release of the classic trilogy, but unlikely to watch the original films again anytime soon. That said, these characters do have a certain hold on my imagination, and more importantly, the stories being told in the Dark Horse Comics now are actually just good solid science-fiction tales on their own. This newest Star Wars: Empire story reads like a classic war story in a science-fiction setting, and while it might not fit seamlessly in context with the evil Empire we know, it's a really good read with stunning artwork.
