“Becoming Superman” by J. Michael Straczynski

Some of us might know Joseph Michael Straczynski through his work on Babylon 5. Some of us came to know him through his time on the Spider-Man and Superman comic book lines. Some might have found Joe by browsing on Netflix and finding Sense8. Some of us might even know him primarily through his always amusing and often insightful Twitter feed.

Well, unless you’ve read this book, you don’t know Joe.

“Relay” comic

Relay, a new science fiction comic series from Aftershock Comics, is both refreshingly original and frustratingly opaque. The story is set far in the future. In accord with the dominant religion, humans invite a giant device known as a “relay” onto each planet they have colonized. The relays guide human evolution, speeding up the process of civilization, but also impose uniformity. The main character, Jad, begins as a true believer, but ultimately starts to wonder about the true purpose of the relays. 

“Star Wars: Outlander” (Dark Horse)

Star Wars: Outlander is a fascinating entry in the Expanded Universe. It was one of the earliest comics in Dark Horse’s Republic series, which started before The Phantom Menace and continued into the Dark Times. Republic would later be acclaimed for its Clone Wars arc, featuring Quinlan Vos, everybody’s favorite gloomy Jedi. However, the early Republic comics seemed set to feature Ki-Adi Mundi, a very different type of Jedi (he’s the cone-head alien on the Jedi Council).

Outlander came out in 1999, a time when The Phantom Menace opened up a whole new corner of the Star Wars for storytellers, but without all of the constraints imposed by later stories. The Galaxy felt fresh and full of possibilities. Outlander is also a sign of what was to come with the Expanded Universe. The story is fairly straightforward – Ki goes to Tatooine to investigate reports that a rogue Jedi called Sharad Hett has joined Tusken raiders – but it reverberates throughout much of Dark Horse’s run of Star Wars comics. Even as the Republic series moved away from Ki and focused on other Jedi characters, characters from Outlander play an important role in later events.

I enjoyed the story. It has elements of a classic revenge story, with some unexpected twists. I appreciate that Sharad Hett never becomes a caricature of a Dark Jedi. It’s not even clear that he’s fallen to the Dark Side. The subplot with bounty hunter Aurra Sing probably could have been excised (I suspect Lucasfilm wanted Dark Horse to include her because they were trying to make her the “next” Boba Fett). The text bubbles conveying her internal thoughts really didn’t add much to the story. While the art can’t quote compare to the heights of Jan Duursema’s later Republic comics, I found Outlander‘s artwork had its moments of beauty, particularly the scenes set during dusk and dawn.

Star Wars: Outlander is the type of Expanded Universe story I find myself missing since Disney rebooted the Star Wars canon. It’s not a perfect story, but it really committed to telling the story of characters who barely appeared in the films. It’s not hard to imagine hundreds of other Jedi having hundreds of other small-scale adventures just like this one before the fall of the Republic.

“Star Wars: Darth Maul” (Marvel)

When the license for Star Wars comics reverted from Dark Horse Comics to Marvel in 2015, it seemed that Marvel’s first instinct was to release a 4-5 issue miniseries for each popular character in the saga. Darth Maul is easily the most popular character to come out of the Prequel Trilogy. Star Wars: Darth Maul tells a short story set before The Phantom Menace and helps explain the source of Maul’s anger and hatred towards the Jedi.

“Star Wars: Darth Vader” (Marvel)

When Marvel regained the Star Wars license a few years ago, one of the first things it did was issue a line of comics focused on Darth Vader. This first series, Star Wars: Darth Vader (2015-16), only for 25 issues and takes place in between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. It’s a decently fun tale. Yet, looking back, it’s probably less memorable for what it tells us about Vader, and more about those who are brave enough to work with Vader.

Spoilers ahead…

“The Star Wars” by J.W. Rinzler

The Star Wars is not the Star Wars we’ve all grown to know and love. Instead, this comic is an adaptation of George Lucas’s first draft for the film that eventually became Star Wars. This is an alternative take on the story, a great “what if?” Some of the characters and places have names similar to those in the final films, but in a completely different context. Luke Skywalker isn’t an optimistic young kid, but rather a grizzled old Jedi general.

“Upgrade Soul” by Ezra Claytan Daniels

There have been countless in science fiction using advances in cloning technology to ask questions about human identity. Science fiction has also used different forms of humanoids or aliens to explore race and racial identity. Upgrade Soul merges these two with a unique take on this subgenere of science fiction. The author, Ezra Claytan Daniels, won the Dwayne McDuffie Award for diverse representation in the comics medium.

“Zojaqan”

Science fiction has long been used as a metaphorical vehicle for dealing with grief or trauma. “Zojaqan” feels like it belongs in this tradition, but also takes it in a new direction.