While there's a bit of a problem with SHATTERED EMPIRE retelling some of the events of Return of the Jedi, it also does a great job of expanding on the story and introducing the reader to a couple great characters as well as leading the reader to the future of the Star Wars cinematic universe this December. In addition, Rucka, Checchetto, and Mossa do a wonderful job setting this series up and I'm very curious to see how it all plays out. Read Full Review

Shattered Empire #1 fuels yet more hype for The Force Awakens, and does so by telling an involving story tied into established events. More so than the end of Return of the Jedi could hint at, this comic brings a sense of sacrifice to what was accomplished in that film, and begins to pull back the curtains on the work that still needs to be done if the galaxy is to be made safe from the Empire forever. This story is helped by fantastic art, with Checchetto nailing character likenesses as well as large set-piece battles. Colourist Andres Mossa brings the aesthetic of the original trilogy to the page with his muted colours and natural lighting. This comic is a joy to look at, and is invaluable on the road to Episode VII. Read Full Review

"Shattered Empire" is a perfect bridge from the final moments of the second Death Star to the next crisis that the rebels must deal with. The comic has a few scenes with the Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Lando group but for the most part it focuses on two new characters that may have ties to the new film. The comic features fantastic artwork and spot-on character work while introducing a new plot at the very end. Han Solo is a central character throughout the comic book, which is a good thing, but there is enough character work that the new characters can carry the plot forward. This comic is a great start. I highly recommend this. Read Full Review

From cover to cover, the first installment of Shattered Empire is another decisive victory for Marvel's synergistic "comics as canon" status. Read Full Review

. All I know is that Rucka was given full reign to create brand new characters that are not only bad ass in their own respects, but may end up playing a much larger part in the overall saga than one might expect from comic book characters. Despite a few pacing problems that come along with a four part story, this debut issue was a blast. It is a must read for fans of the Star Wars franchise. Read Full Review

Admittedly I'm already very much on board for new Star Wars content as I count the days down to Episode VII, andShattered Empire would have had to have been pretty bad for me to be disappointed in any way. But Marvel has been turning out excellent stories with all of the Star Wars books, largely because they are trusting some of the very best creators to work on them. Rucka and Checchetto have absolutely continued this trend, and have produced a truly exciting Star Wars book.Buy this. Read Full Review

This is an incredible story that is here to hold us over until the new film comes out. This issue is artistically beautiful and written in such a way that will make you want to keep reading once it’s over. If you’re a Star Wars fan in the least bit, you have to check out this issue. Read Full Review

I hope the rest of the series integrates as nicely as this one does. If so, than Marvel's role in the Star Wars franchise will sit all right with the Star Wars fan inside of me, and the comics fan will rest easier, too. Read Full Review

This is good stuff. We look forward to issue #2, which hopefully does start to give us a more substantive look at life after Endor. Read Full Review

Shattered Empire's first issue offers plenty to see and good characterization of new and old players. Its ties to The Force Awakens are intriguing and are sure to only get bigger in the coming issues. If Rucka can continue with his great writing, we're going to have a great Star Wars story on our hands. Consider this miniseries a snack to tide you over before the big, juicy dinner awaiting you. Read Full Review

Star Wars: Shattered Empire is a seriously fun read, that picks up right after the famous end sequence of Return of the Jedi. While it is really cool to see what happens next, I hope this book can find its artistic footing and also keep up the intensity and allure of the plot it has laid out in the first issue. Read Full Review

Cassaday and Immonen have both done excellent work on Marvel's main Star Wars title, but Checchetto is the first real challenger to Jan Duursema's claim to being the definitive Star Wars artist in comics. If he continues to illustrate the universe past this mini-series, it's not unfathomable to think of one day hearing his name alongside the likes of Ralph McQuarrie and Drew Struzan. Read Full Review

STAR WARS: SHATTERED EMPIRE #1 is a good comic. The story presented here isn't mind-blowing by any means, but as a first issue it does a solid job of establishing newcomers Shara and Kes and sets up the rest of the series pretty well. What takes this issue over the top is the artwork of Marco Checchetto. Even if the rest of the comic was trash (it isn't), Marco's artwork would be worth returning for throughout the rest of the 4 issue miniseries. Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens is off to a great start, and STAR WARS: SHATTERED EMPIRE will be a tough act to follow. Read Full Review

Star Wars: Shattered Empire delivers a more steady and hard-edged story than any of Marvel's other Star Wars comics. Rucka commands the tone with honest and charming dialogue as lovers Shara and Kes grapple with post-war trials and tribulations. Despite a few quibbles with the coloring, the art is rather spectacular. Chechetto's gives a lesson in how space battles ought to be done, full of glorious action and thrilling momentum. While this comic doesn't answer every question you have about what happened after Return of the Jedi, it also doesn't promise to. What it does promise is a wartime romance story that makes sparing us of the original cast and subtly guides us to The Force Awakens, and so far it delivers in spades. Plus, the creative team makes Ewoks undeniably endearing, so there's that. Read Full Review

Star Wars: Shattered Empire #1 puts you right into the action during the Battle of Endor and introduces two new interesting characters. The writing for the most part is well done, although there can be some confusing parts during the space battle and there is one major blunder towards the end. The artwork is absolutely phenomenal; the sweeping scenes of the conflict are gorgeous to look at and Checchetto is able to easily bring those sweeping scenes home in smaller, more intimate settings as well. There was a little disappointment that this took place during Endor instead of afterwards. However, if you look past that, this is a fun, exciting, and memorable adventure that gives a new perspective to the Battle of Endor. Read Full Review

"Shattered Empire" is going to probably end up being the most important of all the Marvel "Star Wars" series thanks to it's foreshadowing to later events and characters. The first issue is an exciting read that anyone looking forward to the movie, cannot miss. Read Full Review

Shattered Empire roots itself strongly in the Return of the Jedi world and does so in a great way while also providing the hooks to The Force Awakens. Amid all of that we get touches with the familiar that helps to segue us into the new expanded universe and all that it represents. Greg Rucka has written a lot of works that I really enjoy and he feels totally at home here with characters new and old alike. And just as we've seen with nearly every other Star Wars book that Marvel is working on, they've found a great artist in Marco Checchetto. Read Full Review

Shattered Empire #1 lives up to the standard set by other high-end expanded universe titles of the past. A great introduction to what will hopefully be a wild ride as readers see how the end of The Empire transitioned into The Force Awaken‘s ominous First Order. This comic is a must-read for Star Wars fans, especially those who know exactly how many days there are between now and December 18th. Read Full Review

Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens " Shattered Empire #1 is just the comic to get us into the mood as we draw even closer to the next cinematic journey to the galaxy far, far away. Having an inviting narrative and intriguing premise it proves to be an unique take on this wonderful universe, being a must have for any Star Wars fan. Read Full Review

Hopefully, THE FORCE AWAKENS will be a lot more satisfying than the stories leading into it. Read Full Review

Out of all the Star Wars books on the stands, Journey to Star Wars - The Force Awakens: Shattered Empire #1 is definitely one of the prettiest. It's also one of the most decompressed. Greg Rucka has a lot of expectations on his shoulders with this series, as readers are looking for something that feels exciting and adds to the Star Wars universe ahead. With two new characters introduced, here's hoping that the next issue will put the pedal to the metal, and show us what this franchise can really do. Read Full Review

The first issue of Shattered Empire is a gorgeous behind-the-scenes tour of the Battle of Endor, but it's not quite the big, epic adventure I was expecting. It looks like Rucka might keep the story on a personal level, with a rather interesting connection to The Force Awakens. Read Full Review

While we may not know exactly how this ties into THE FORCE AWAKENS, Rucka and Checchetto have given us enough reasons to stick around for this miniseries. Read Full Review

This comic still offers a great deal of potential. Shara comes off as likable and compelling. The potential for battles against lingering Imperial forces also offers plenty of intrigue, but it fails to generate the kind of excitement that'll start trending on Twitter. However, it does have a level of refinement that makes it a worthy supplement to Return of the Jedi. Princess Leia's bikini will still be the most memorable part of that story, but every little detail helps. Read Full Review

It's a fun story, but it's hard to top the quality being produced in the flagship Star Wars Marvel title at the moment, especially as it barely escapes the gravitational pull of Endor's moon. Read Full Review

The leads are on the cover, but they're barely in this. I felt like this was “bait and switch” being used to sell something that's stamped with Star Wars. I wasn't engaged in the two new characters, and felt let down that I was teased with those I wanted to follow. The art is beautiful on every level, but he letterers brings it down. A disappointing debut. Read Full Review

Greg Rucka has made a career out of his glacial pacing, so it's possible Shattered Empire is building to more engaging stories, but even if it is that doesn't change the fact this first issue is very disappointing. Read Full Review

Greg Rucka is a good writer. Not as good as the masters of comics nowadays, and not as average as most of the others either. His writing flows fluidly in what is a simple, yet very relevant story in the "Star Wars" universe: on one hand we see what happened right after the legendary Battle of Endor, and on the other we meet Poe Dameron's parents and get to see them in action. The foreshadowing of daddy's death was strong here, so I fear that he's gonna go soon, but regardless I'm hooked enough to stick around for the next issue. Checchetto's style is nothing spectacular, but his wide panels filled with spaceships and explosions are a treat for the eyes.

Art is great, story is alright so far. Greg Rucka has a thing for female protagonists which is A-okay with me because he's really good at it. The military tactics of the rebellion confuse me, why risk rebel lives when the major battle is over? Just bomb this outpost from the air, you hold air superiority. I guess they wanted to insure that the intelligence inside remained in tact, let's just say that, who cares how many ewoks died for it, they're worth about 1/4 of a human life at best right?

Ok

It was fine. The art was beautiful but the whole "new characters thrown in with classics right at the end of Jedi" set-up didn't do a lot for me. I'll probably read digitally when it's in a sale

Dialogue-⭐⭐
Art-⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plot-⭐

Utterly disposable.