A nice change of pace story without any of the leads featuring heavily. I'd love to see more of Ray. Read Full Review

As a slightly expanded standalone tale, the Star Wars Annual works well enough – particularly since it only has Leia in it briefly via hologram. This is all about a new character and a quick connection to Palpatine that shows just how far some were committed to the cause and what they'd do to try and make a dent in the overwhelming might of the Empire. Gillen handles it all well enough, but Ray just isn't all that compelling because there's no opportunity to truly humanize him. Unzueta's artwork is pretty solid here and they capture the look of this part of Coruscant well without going overboard or getting to do much in the way of aliens. It's something that you could easy see as part of a standalone tale in a serialized live-action series. It's a solidly put together story that adds some nice color to events overall, though I'm hopeful that Ray gets a shot at appearing elsewhere in the comics to be fleshed out more. Read Full Review

"Star Wars Annual" #1 evokes a kind of old-school feel, in that the story is slightly different but no less enjoyable than the main series, and -- in many ways -- more so by way of its approach. Gillen, Unzueta, Mounts and Caramagna all ensure this annual is special indeed, and they introduce a new character that begs for further exploration. Read Full Review

With STAR WARS ANNUAL #1, Kieron Gillen tells a story that's a bit different than what we're used to seeing in the STAR WARS universe, and it works in large part because of that. While the art doesn't quite reach the highs that the narrative does, overall this a solid comic that gives fans of STAR WARS a look at not only how far the Rebellion is willing to go to bring the Empire down, but just how devious and vile Emperor Palpatine is. Gritter STAR WARS stories like these would be a welcome addition to Marvel's current line of comics. Read Full Review

Star Wars Annual #1 may not appeal to everyone's, but one thing it does is expand on the galaxy far, far away in a bold and intriguing manner. That said I wouldn't recommend this to fans looking to get into Marvel‘s Star Wars comics, but would definitely urge long term fans of the franchise to give this a try. Read Full Review

Certainly, this is not required reading; anyone reading the regular Star Wars book who skips this won't miss out on an important chapter in the continuing adventures of Luke, Leia, Han, etc. But this is nevertheless an entertaining issue which makes a significant contribution to the Star Wars comic book universe, widening the conflict between the Rebellion and the Empire to show that not all battles are fought with lightsabers and spectacular explosions, and how easily evil can twist the most heroic of intentions to its advantage. Read Full Review

It was a really fun and interesting look at another corner of the universe, set during a single night amid the three years between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. Yet the Emperor's big reveal in this issue is slightly off-putting, and not a reveal at all, considering how he towers above the new character Eneb Ray on the cover of the book. Read Full Review

Artistic hiccups aside, Star Wars Annual #1 is a nasty little yarn that fits right alongside the wholesale violence of the title's first crossover event. Read Full Review

Star Wars Annual #1 is an intriguing read with lots of Mission Impossible characteristics. It opens up a number of different storytelling options for Star Wars books moving forward by introducing a Rebel spy in the heart of the Empire. Despite compelling storytelling throughout much of the book, the ending is very unsatisfying and just leaves you hanging and confused. Unzueta's artwork is decent, but his shadow usage can hinder certain panels as well as others being just too plain. Read Full Review

The "Star Wars" Annual is a spy comic book. The lead character is an obscure spy that blows his cover to take on an important mission that puts him in the direct path of the Emperor. The comic is a nice idea and makes good use of newer characters, but is riddled with plot holes and odd decisions from the characters. The reader simply has to plow through this and pretend things make sense. I'm not sure which plot point is more unbelievable: Leia recruiting a spy for a job, who operates outside the detention center, when a spy is already inside the detention center as a guard or the fact that the Empire doesn't notice missing guards or a giant hole in the side of the detention center as the Emperor meets with the prisoners. The comic is a five-dollar book and really isn't worth it. This is a strange choice of comic to put on the shelves as the movie hits the theaters. I can't recommend this comic book. Read Full Review

This annual issue works really well as a stand alone story. This book may be one of Gillen's best books in the Star Wars universe yet. The spy element is very cool and the whole story just feels like a secret agent movie set in the Star Wars universe. The Emperor also has a decent sized role in this book as he has still remained absent from most of the comics outside of a few cameos in a few Darth Vader comics.

Daniel Craig's gritty style of James Bond meets the Star Wars universe. Story has multiple tiny turns that make it a fun adventure. Personally I enjoyed the art except for the Emperor. Last part describing the Emperor as "perfect" was chillingly accurate. Fun short diversion.

Bad art, ho-hum story. Dark Horse did this kind of thing better on a regular basis.