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Star Wars art from the best selling, year best Star Wars #1. The force is strong with this gallery. Metropolis opened earlier this year, and this will be our first time checking it out. They have a Masters f Fantasy show still up as well. Owners Vincent Zurzolo, Jr and Robert Pistella have great access […]

Illustrator John Cassaday recently announced his departure from the Star Wars comic book with author Jason Aaron. Issue #6 is his last, as announced on Sunday from his Facebook page.

“While wrapping up my final issue (#6) and the first arc of STAR WARS,” said Cassaday.

The All-New Captain America artist Stuart Immonen is jumping on board with Aaron. Immonen is set to draw the upcoming issue #8, and provided a cover that has yet to be colored with Luke Skywalker – it should be no surprise that it looks nothing short of excellent. He’s a great choice for the series, able to provide lots of different characters and faces with dynamic action and linework as proved with his tenure on All-New X-Men.

Author Jason Aaron advised fans not to worry about his involvement with the title clarifying that he’s going to be on the comic for sometime.

Just for the record, I am on STAR WARS for the long haul. There are so many stories I want to tell with these characters.

CBR broke the news, and also teased that a special artist is jumping on #7. Any guesses? I’m hoping for Arthur Adams, but after delivering interior art for Guardians Team-Up #1 it seems unlikely.

Cover by John Cassaday & Laura Martin

 Written by: Jason Aaron

Art by: John Cassaday

Colors by: Laura Martin

Lettered by: Chris Eliopoulos

Cover Art by: John Cassaday & Laura Martin

Published by: Marvel Comics

By Matthew Jent

“I have a very good feeling about this.”

Star Wars returns to Marvel, and nearly every other ancillary, non-movie-adventure of Luke Skywalker & Co. has been wiped out of continuity. Back in December we knew that Star Wars #1 would be, almost certainly, the biggest-selling issue of the year with 1 million copies ordered by comics retailers and other outlets. The first issue hits stores this week, with launch parties, dozens of variant covers, and a major media push. But what about what’s actually on the page?

To put it simply: this feels like Star Wars.

The issue opens with a sequential art version of the familiar logo and opening crawl, picking up after the events of A New Hope. The art from John Cassaday and Laura Martin captures the gritty look and feel of the original trilogy, and perfectly replicates that Solo smirk, Luke’s boyishly optimistic determination, and Leia’s exasperation with a certain smuggler. From the setting to the faces to the clothing, this book looks like Star Wars. It also looks like a really good comic book — there’s a certain Wookiee sniper scene that uses panel layout and zoom-in transitions for a nice effect. This is a visual tale, well told by sequential artists.

The narrative is satisfying, too. This first issue is oversized, with 36 pages of story. Jason Aaron’s dialogue hits the exposition a little too hard in a few scenes, mostly in explaining (and then, a few pages later, explaining again) the rebel plan, but Han talks like Han and Leia talks like Leia. Luke doesn’t talk very much at all, but that feels right too — Cassaday & Martin’s artwork evokes those Mark-Hamill-eyes in a way that tells you this is a Luke Skywalker who’s blown up the Death Star, but has yet to get lost on Hoth. He’s still young, hopeful, and has taken his first steps into a larger world — but he’s largely untested. He’s struggling to live up to the few lessons imparted by Ben Kenobi, still trying to figure out what it means to hear the voice of his old mentor on the wind, and that yearning plays out in his actions more than in his words — just like it should.

The plot moves forward at an assured clip, and it feels fulfilling without being rushed. This story also feels — well, essential. Like this really is the next adventure of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia, and not just a filled-in series of events between movies.

Criticisms can be made, but they’re small. While most of the characters sound like themselves, C-3P0 sounds … off. His dialogue sounds almost more like Data than Threepio, like he’s using too many words to communicate. And while it’s wonderful to see Leia on a mission with the Han and Luke, it’s unclear why she is on this particular mission for the rebel alliance, as the only role she plays in-story is to criticize and banter with Han.

But with lots of things Star Wars, I’ll happily take a few inconsistencies if it means having fun in this particular far-away galaxy. “Skywalker Strikes” by Aaron, Cassaday and Martin isn’t just a fun Star Wars story, it’s a well-done comic, and one of the most fulfilling first issue/reboots I’ve read from Marvel in a long time. It’s a promising start to a new era of space fantasy.