Gillen has really nailed the narrative in this issue and arc. It would be easy to turn over the storytelling to the visuals because of how much of it takes place in battle, but Gillen manages to find a way to elevate the story elements to the same level as the visuals and both work hand in hand to deliver a great issue and a tense story. Read Full Review

Now that Houser's excellent Thrawn mini-series has ended, this book, the Vader title (Annual aside - see my other review on here of that heap of nonsense) and the odd issue of Poe are what constitutes the small amount of fun left in my Star Wars world. Long may it continue - another great issue in a series that has been reborn in recent months. Well done to all involved. Read Full Review

It was the art that made this worth the price of admission. Beautifully drawn and realistic images are my cup of tea, and this issue had it in spades. Read Full Review

The Hope Dies arc continues to move along well with some fun little twists in the mix that has me excited to see where it's going to go. Read Full Review

Overall,Star Wars #51is still a great issue. The character moments are captivating and continue to build off what we know while the tension is amped up and doesn't let go. You feel the despair the Rebellion is going through as Vader continues his merciless assault. Larroca's art could be better, though, as the emotion in the characters faces just isn't there in some of the images. It's not enough to detract from the story, but still takes you out of it just a little bit. Despite that, ‘Hope Dies' is still shaping up to be one ofStar Wars‘ most memorable stories, both in and out of the comics. Read Full Review

The action and excitement of the issue plays to artist's Salvador Larocca's strengths, delivering readers some of the best artwork the book has seen in months, conveying infantry battles and outer space dogfights with dazzling depictions. Read Full Review

Another great Star Wars comic book, it delivers exactly what you'd expect, big space fight scenes plus all the major characters are involved. The artwork is amazing and as a whole, this comic is worth checking out. Read Full Review

A pretty good issue, I liked the dialog between Leia and Queen Trios. It was nice to see Han and Chewie fly in and become an important part of the story. Unfortunately this just doesn't feel as tense as it's probably supposed to be, blowing up one ship full of red shirts each issue doesn't really do much. Maybe I'd feel something if they at least gave one page to introduce us to the characters before they get blown up. I'm eager to see Vader taking matters into his own hands next issue.

One thing that does deserve to be mentioned is that I found the artwork much less distracting this issue. The colouring of character's faces looked decent this issue, which is a big improvement from the horrifying colouring of the past 25 issues. I really hope this is a permanent change, it is much easier to enjoy Gillen's story when the artwork isn't as distracting. more