Age of Republic - Jango Fett #1 is my favorite Star Wars comic in the last year. It effectively evokes the title character and his son and it develops them in a brief, subtle one-shot that is totally complete " but leaves you weighing their relationship long after you've finished it. It takes a simple man trying to make his way in the universe and it complicates him " providing insights and layers in twenty-odd pages that he never had before.

Dark Visions #1 has its flaws. It’s an intriguing bit of world-building wrapped around 20 pages of non-stop monster-fight. But that world-building and the clear purpose of this series — along with the fact that this is the campiest, zaniest Star Wars comic in ages — has me more eager to read the next issue than anything else in Star Wars comics.

Firefly #1 reads like a lost episode of the beloved show. It feels great to be back aboard with these characters and they’re just how you remember them. The comic captures that mixed-western motif and the muddy blend of futuristic tech with dust and grit inside its workings. Comfortable to spend most of its pages reintroducing rather than reinventing, there’s a hint of turbulence as Serenity takes to the sky, but she’s still flying - and flying smoothly - after the first few pages. It’s good to be back in the ‘Verse.

Count Dooku #1 is another fantastic one-shot in what has quickly become my favorite Star Wars series running. It's a little out of step with the other Sith and Jedi stories in Age of Republic and loses the theme, but it offers a glimpse of the Count as an agent of the Emperor " happy to highlight his deftness in diplomacy and double-crossing as much as his skill with a lightsaber.

Continuing the trend of Jango #1's brisk and efficient pacing, this issue allows plenty of breathing room for the character to think and for the writer to deliver a well-rounded, complete tale. For the first few issues, Age of Republic was a beautiful but shallow series with wordy scripts that only got in the way. It has quickly become a series with thoughtful Star Wars stories and lore-building dialogue that rivals the (still outstanding) artwork.

Age of Republic - Darth Maul #1 is a dark and beautiful vignette of the Sith as a mirror to the Jedi. It could show a little more and tell a little less, but it's a strong one-shot with a deliberate and complete story within its pages, elevated by its striking artwork.

Each story had too small a page count to properly introduce itself and capture us, but neither end on a big cliffhanger or significant enough event to really establish their stories. And the stakes of the main storyline remain muddled and a little artificial. Despite this, the quality of the world building, writing, and artwork leaves me curious to see what else may be revealed by the shifting sands of Jakku.

It may not quite have the "Halloween" feel you're looking for, it may not quite have the "Star Wars" feel you're looking for. But Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader's Castle #3 is a very well-realized, colorful venue for Han and Chewie to do what they do best - fall backwards into situations beyond their control and escape by the skin of their teeth. Does it have one too many shortcomings? Maybe.

Age of Rebellion Special #1 is an uneven but generally successful anthology. IG-88's character study vignette is worth the price of admission, and strong artwork makes Yoda's "day in the life" a great look at the Jedi's time on Dagobah. Biggs and Porkins' vacation escapade leaves this comic on a sour (albeit visually fun) note, but the Age of Rebellion gets a much stronger special than the Age of Republic did.

Destroyer Down #2 continues to provide plenty of all-ages entertainment and intrigue. It improves on a few of the first issue’s shortcomings but provides some more of its own in turn. There’s still not enough room in the pages for these stories and I miss the worldbuilding of the first issue. The tradeoff is a more focused forensic tale, and I can’t wait to see what Rey uncovers next.

Star Wars: Han Solo - Imperial Cadet #3 is a huge step forward in a series that seemed dead on arrival. Ending with a return to the drudgery of the academy, this issue may stand as a singular high point in the series. But even if it does, it’s a good one-off story from Han’s academy days that suits the classic character and shows his tenacity and unwavering commitment to those he loves.

Nothing has really changed or improved in Solo #3 but, despite itself, the longwinded style lends very well to the setup scenes adapted here. Paired with more consistent art and a quick flashback that provides some detail from beyond the frames of the film, this is the most effective issue the series has produced yet.

Had this been a standalone issue, not under the Age of Republic marquee, it would be almost impossible to explain how this ideawas published. It's a strange "elfin tree priestess versus the purple goblins" story wrapped around a gorgeous and mysterious vision sequence. Then its all oversimplified by writing that announces straightforward themes left ambiguous by the art. Still, it's some beautiful new work in an era Marvel has barely touched and the visual story is not only worth the price of admission, but it might also be enough to balance out the deficiency of the written story.

Solo: A Star Wars Story #1 manages to be the most successful first issue of the recent Star Wars comic adaptations and succeeds almost entirely in bringing the film to life in a different medium. It just doesn't have anything new to offer fans several months after the film's release in theaters. But if it turns out that Solo #1 really is a paint-by-numberadaptation wrapped around a one-page advertisement for the upcoming Imperial Cadet series" at least you can color me intrigued.

The conclusion of Destroyer Down is the weakest issue of a short series that had so much potential. It ditches the lyrical legends and the dovetailing storylines in favor of a quick, clean ending that doesn’t live up to the intrigue of the tale. Some humor and a stronger secondary story manage to keep the comic entertaining, but it fails to make an ending worthy of a beautiful beginning.

Too often the series has been underdeveloped and under-planned, and I don’t know if the success of this issue could have saved Tales from Vader’s Castle as a whole. Before the stories lost their way, the first issue offered a glimmer of hope that this could be the kind of series where you might reach for a well-worn paperback copy, year after year, as part of a Star Wars Halloween-time family tradition. This final issue cements the fact that it won’t be.

Writer: Greg PakArtist: Marc LamingColorists: Jordan Boyd, Neeraj MenonPublisher: MarvelStar Wars: Age of Rebellion - Grand Moff Tarkin #1 is the first one-shot vignette in the new heroes and villains anthology series from Marvel. This issue follows the Grand Moff as he considers how best to motivate the Death Star's crew to fire the superweapon.When I read a comic for review, the first thing I do is a very quick scan while jotting down first impressions. It helps me avoid getting bogged down in the details while I get a feel for overarching themes, and if the art and story hit their beats. And it allows me to go back for a deep dive and flesh out my favorite points or scrap any that became irrelevant over the course of the comic. I only mention this process because" man, did all my notes become irrelevant over the course of this comic.Here's the first note I made about the writing:"Perfectly Tarkin one moment and a complete stranger the next- curt dialogue I c

Star Wars: Age of Republic - Obi-Wan Kenobi #1 feels like the first full-on misstep in the series. A wordy comic without much to say, it doubles down on the shortcomings of previous Age of Republic one-shots and lacks the inspired artwork that elevated Qui-Gon #1 and Darth Maul #1.

Age of Republic Special #1 is another miss for the series and leaves behind the themes and focus of the regular issues. The first story " Mace Windu's " is the best and most complete, but the others are wasted potential or lacking potential altogether. Three different artistic teams deliver three different levels of quality and, again, Mace Windu's mission is the only one that impresses. None of them are good enough to make this a must-read.

In my review for Solo - A Star Wars Story #1, I said that it felt that comic was nearly just an advertisement for the Imperial Cadet series. It seems it was the kind of advertisement that gives away the whole plot and all the biggest moments. I’m still optimistic for this series, and future issues should be able to move out from under the shadow of the movie and it’s comic adaptation (which is already beyond Han’s academy days by the end of the first issue). I just hope Imperial Cadet learns faster than its namesake.

Solo: A Star Wars Story #2 doubles down on the failures of the first issue and all but confirms that the series won't work. The way the film has been adapted does not work with the medium to which it's being adapted. It's ill-fitting, obligatory, and uninspired. That said, it is hopelessly faithful to the film - you'd be hard-pressed to find a comic adaptation that crams more of the source material into its pages. While not particularly resonant or effective, it is utilitarian and meticulous. If you're looking for an illustrated abridgment of the film script to keep on your smartphone, this is probably your best option. Otherwise, spend the cover price of this issue on the movie rental and get the same dialogue - in the medium it was written for.

Solo: A Star Wars Story #4 isn't as consistent as the previous issue, but they both show a possible turnaround for the series that may carry through the finale. It's not outstanding and it still fails to achieve anything beyond retreading the movie, but there's promise here that was absent in the early issues.

Tales from Vader’s Castle #4 must have been the short straw of the story ideas and neither the writer nor the artists are on their game for this issue. As a young Star Wars fan’s read with a Halloween twist, it’s boring. As a monster story or a new delve into the forest moon of Endor, it offers no explanation for the cause of its events nor any Star Wars detail worth knowing. So far, Tales from Vader’s Castle has been defined by its hit-and-miss nature and followed every good issue with a bad one. The best thing I can say for this issue is that it put its tally in the “miss” column and hopefully cleared the way for the final issue to finish that pattern strongly.

Star Wars: Han Solo - Imperial Cadet #5 is not the worst issue in the series. It isn’t as maddening as the first two were. Sure, It would be maddening as a finale if the series were better because it does so little for the story and characters. A single (and improperly built-to) interaction is the whole comic but… there wasn’t much here to disservice in the first place.

Dark Visions #2 really falls short on the promise of the debut issue. The camp is still here (and lots of it) but there isn’t much purpose or style to go along. It’s short on charm and — for a series with the goal of showing us new perspectives on Lord Vader — it comes up short by showing us the very familiar perspective of Imperial Officers within choking range.

Much like Han’s time in the Imperial Academy, this comic only succeeds when it takes to the air. The rest seems to bide its time with Han until it can put him back in a ship. Unfortunately, the filler is so bad I’ve lost any optimism I had for this series. Han is an unlikeable idiot who bears no resemblance to the character you know — by face or personality.

Solo: A Star Wars Story #5 eliminates any of the half-hope the last installments provided and mishandles the action worse than even the earliest issues. It's (extremely) wordy, messy, and it's completely still when it should be moving at lightspeed. All the Coaxium in the galaxy wouldn't get this ship moving.