With the prequels sucking a lot of my Star Wars enthusiasm out of me, I was both apathetic about Star Wars in general and more open to a classic interpretation that might connect better with childhood memories. Star Wars: Empire thus far isn't perfect, with artwork that isn't always clear, but the general style is pretty interesting. Allie is telling a story of politics and betrayal akin to Julius Caesar using Star Wars as a backdrop, and it's an intelligent extrapolation of what might have happened between the fall of the Republic and the establishment of the Empire.
Part of the fun of this series is seeing all the classic characters back in action again. Stormtroopers, Darth Vader, the Emperor, these are classic designs that work, usually better than the more mundane designs of the prequels. Mind you, Benjamin and Arnold haven't stopped with classic designs, they've also taken the outward evil appearance that defined the Empire and created some new villains, including the cybernetically-enhanced Grand Moff Trachta and Grand Moff Bartam. I could wish for a more polished style, because some of the work reminds me of the scratchy and cross-hatched early Image style, but I like their sense of design and their work on the technology and settings.
This is also an unusual story in that it's an examination of the dark side of Star Wars, with no heroes in sight. The protagonists in this story are a group of Imperial officers bent on overthrowing the new regime. The antagonists are the Dark Lords of the Sith. If the protagonists win, the Empire stands. If the antagonists win, the Empire stands. However, this predestined outcome doesn't really take away from the dramatic tension. Instead, the tension comes from finding out what the plot is and how it will go wrong. The political machinations and double and triple betrayals make for some interesting questions, and there's always something entertaining about seeing a conspiracy take shape, even if it is doomed from the start.
Mind you, a little more clarity about what's going on wouldn't hurt. The second issue sees the first part of the plot take place, and it involves several explosions. While Benjamin's explosions are big and impressive, they often lack context, such that figuring out what was being blown up and why wasn't always as clear as it should have been. Considering, however, that the story shifts in both location and time period, providing flashbacks to Darth Vader's relatively recent past as Anakin, the art team does a pretty good job of telling the story.
Allie and company are exploring elements of the Star Wars universe that haven't been touched on as much as the Rebellion-Empire conflict, and it's a good start for this new series. While I'm not the Star Wars fan I once was, and each flashback to Episode II makes me less of one, Empire has piqued my interest in the comics once again.
