Age of Resistance Review

Finn in “Infestation”

FN-2187 has always been the Stormtrooper with a heart of gold. He just isn’t cut out for servicing the First Order- never really rising above sanitation jobs. When FN-2187 is ordered to wipe out an “infestation” of innocent creatures on the planet which became Starkiller Base, he is presented with a moral quandary: To follow orders or suffer consequences. We probably know what Finn would do, but FN-2187 isn’t Finn yet.

Captain Phasma in “Fallen Guns”

If FN-2187 is an incompentent trooper who feels compassion, Phasma is his polar opposite.

Phasma is a survivor. She survived her homeworld, a nuclear ravaged sphere where only the strong could endure. She survived the First Order, eliminating rivals such a Brendol Hux. But survival isn’t Phasma’s only strength. She is also smart, determined, calculating, and cold. 

In this comic we get an idea of just how cold Phasma can be. A woman who feels no love towards other beings. She holds no friends nor family. In this comic, we also get tiny glimpses of Phasma without her helmet- not her whole face, but a bit more than we got in “The Last Jedi”.

Poe Dameron in “Fight or Flight”

“I belong to the stars”. This piece of sentiment uttered by Poe in this issue sums up his character pretty nicely. Poe is, indeed, an ace star pilot, who was almost written out of “The Force Awakens” in its opening act. When actor Oscar Isaac told director JJ Abrahms that he wanted to stick around for a bit, Poe Dameron became one of the most important characters in the Sequel Trilogy. Poe Dameron belongs in that trilogy, he belongs to that trilogy, he simply belongs.

This story tells a tale of Poe Dameron before he joined the Resistance, before Black Squadron, when he was still a pilot in the New Republic. Poe is the commander of Rapier Squadron. When a passenger ship tries to fly off with stolen New Republic data, Poe leads a mission to hunt down the ship. But what Poe finds at the end of that mission might be more than he bargained for.

General Hux in “Marooned”

Armitage Hux grew up in the shadow of his father, Brendol. Brendol often saw his son as nothing more than a weakling, but Brendol’s contempt for his son was also his downfall. Armitage eventually conspired with Phasma to assassinate Brendol. And in the end Armitage became what his father feared he could never become. Armitage became strong and powerful. Armitage rose up and stood toe-to-toe with the New Order’s highest leaders including Captain Phasma and Kylo Ren. Armitage became a general.

In “Morooned” Hux ends up stranded on a backwater planet with one of his least favorite people, Kylo Ren. Hux is not a great warrior. In some ways he is as weak as his father always feared. But what his father could never see is that Armitage has other virtues. Armitage knows how to play politics. And it is this intellect that keeps him alive that helps him thrive. It is something Kylo Ren could never understand. Kylo is too much like his father, Han Solo- while Armitage is more like Kylo’s mother, a diplomat. 

But unlike Leia, Hux has too much hate inside of him. Hux lives, ultimately, for revenge. Hux helped eliminate his father, Brendol, but there are still others in the First Order that need dealing with. Anyone who harmed him, anyone who shamed him, anyone who looked at him wrong. These people will also be dealt with, because Arimatge Hux fights suffering with more suffering.

Rose Tico in “My Hero”

“My Hero” takes a look at the backstory of the Paige Sisters: Who they are, Where they came from, Why they hate the First Order. I think this might have been explored in the book “The Last Jedi: Cobalt Squadron” but that book was pretty boring for me and I don’t remember much of it. Like so many other beings in the Galaxy, Rose and Tico lost their homeworld to greed and corruption. The planet was taken advantage of by the “First Order” just as countless worlds have been exploited by The Empire, by The Trade Federation, by The Hutts, by the Pyke Syndicate, by Crimson Dawn, by the Black Sun. Organizations and Political Bodies. Classicism and Capitalism. Pure and simple Greed. That is what these sisters are fighting against. 

At the end of this tale General Leia Organa tells these two sisters, “There have been enough young lives lost to anger and I’ve lived long enough to make a lot of evil people very miserable.” Sometimes change is only possible by outliving and outlasting the past generation. By being a thorn in their sides. By simply continuing to exist. As Rose famously quips, “That's how we're gonna win. Not by fighting what we hate. But saving what we love.”

Supreme Leader Snoke in “Fail. Or Kill It.”

One of the biggest complaints about “The Last Jedi” is that Snoke was killed before the audience learned much about him. But one could also say the same thing after seeing “Return of the Jedi” in 1983. Indeed, we don’t know Palpatine’s backstory (or even his name) until the prequels came out 15 years later. Some fans even complain that they shouldn’t have to read books to find out more about Star Wars mythology. That every mystery should be explained onscreen so they don’t have to use imagination or context clues to fill in the gaps. Anyway… if your biggest fear is learning more about Snoke in a comic instead of a movie, you don’t have to worry about this comic. We don’t get much.

In “Fail. Or Kill It” Snoke takes his apprentice Kylo Ren to Dagobah to face his demons. Kylo’s struggle has always been his connection with his family including his Uncle, Father and Mother. He has always struggled to bury the past and give himself fully over to the Dark Side. Snoke has always seen this weakness in Kylo Ren and means to destroy it. Perhaps the most interesting tidbit in this comic is that Snoke has a certain amount of respect for Luke Skywalker (or at least the amount of power that Skywalker possesses.) In Snoke’s words to Kylo “If I had your uncle by my side instead of you, the Galaxy would have been mine a long time ago.”

Rey in “Alone”

As long as Rey can remember she has been alone. And then suddenly she wasn’t. From a back-planet scavenger to a sword-wielding hero- It is a story as old as the oldest stories. Rey follows the Hero’s Journey, as Luke Skywalker did before her. Perhaps that is why so many traditional Star Wars fans do not accept the new trilogy. They are not ready for the torch to be passed. And yet the characters are. Han, Luke, and Leia all guide Rey on her journey from Scavenger to Hero.

There isn’t much story that can be told between Rey’s experience on Starkiller Base and Rey’s arrival on planet Ahch-To. However “Alone” attempts to tell that tale anyway. Rey comes across a junkyard planet looking for a spare part to repair a damaged “Millenium Falcon”. Although a trap has been set for her, Rey is prepared. Afterall, junkyard planets are her specialty. In addition to danger and adventure, Rey discovers confidence and courage (also a Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft). In this small side journey Rey discovers her path. Her story.

Kylo Ren in “Out Of The Shadow”

“The Rise of Skywalker” comes to cinemas this Winter and most fans want to know, What will happen to Rey and Kylo Ren? I think it is those two characters that really captivate fans of the new era. Abrams has a lot of work to do to wrap up the storylines for multiple characters but I think there’s a chance that when Kylo Ren’s arc wraps up, it will be ultimately a more satisfying than Vader’s arc. That might sound like heresy, but my justification is that Vader spent the entire original trilogy in a mask. We never saw his face until the closing scenes of “Return of the Jedi”. I don’t think audiences ever considered Vader’s character arc until the final moments of Episode VI. And for many fans, Hayden Christianson’s Anakin Skywalker was not as satisfying or believable as they were hoping it to be. Adam Driver is different, I think. I believe most fans love his portrayal of Kylo Ren and if Abrams can wrap up his story in a satisfying way the character could become a cinema classic.

In the comic “Out of the Shadow”, Kylo Ren arrives on the planet of the Bethany species in Wild Space. Years earlier, a grandfather that Ren never met stood on the same planet hoping to conquer the gargantuan Bethany species. However Vader failed and Ren hopes to prove himself by accomplishing what his grandfather could not. Also there’s a Zillo Beast!

Maz Kanata in “Maz’s Scoundrels”

Somewhere in Wildspace, Maz Kanata has recruited Han Solo and Chewbacca to help take down a Devaronian crime lord. Han, Chewie, and Maz storm the crime lord’s ice palace with a wheeled ground vehicle (a rarity in the Star Wars universe). Once in the castle, Maz and her team do their thing and recapture a particular object from Star Wars lore.

Amilyn Holdo in “The Bridge”

Amilyn Holdo from planet Gatalenta was an apprentice senator in her youth. Holdo was often recognized by her brightly colored hair which she would dye using flora such as the Morogian Snap Plant. Holdo joined up with the Rebellion in the early days of the Galactic Civil War. Many did not take Holdo seriously due to her off-kilter personality and stylistic choices. However, those around her would eventually learn that she was more than she appeared. Despite the whimsical exterior Holdo was also a capable, confident, and deadly naval officer. And she was never someone to be underestimated.

BB-8 in “Robot Resistance”

In the Star Wars galaxy, droids are often seen as useful servants- but rarely valued for their full potential. Most droid owners sought to control droids through restraining bolts and memory wipes. Without memory wipes, machines could develop personality or new ideas which could hold them back from completing the work for which they were built. However, some droid owners found that there were advantages to allowing droids to form a personality, even if it meant that the droids didn’t always follow every command.

The relationship between BB-8 and Poe Dameron has always been more than that of a Master and Servant. BB-8 is as resourceful as R2-D2 and as brazen as L3-37. BB-8 can see a life for himself beyond servitude and wants the same for all of droid kind. Resistance, afterall, is not just for the biological life of the universe, but for mechanical life as well.

Dark Horse Comics (Link)

Dawn of the Jedi  Dawn of the Jedi

Tales of the Jedi Tales of the Jedi

Knights of the Old Republic Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Republic Star Wars: Republic
Dark Times Dark Times
Empire & Rebellion Star Wars: Empire & Star Wars: Rebellion
Brian Wood's Star Wars Brian Wood's Star Wars
Dark Empire Dark Empire
Crimson Empire Crimson Empire
Invasion Invasion
Legacy Vol. 1 Star Wars: Legacy
Vector Star Wars: Vector
Legacy Vol. 2 Legacy Volume 2
Infinities Infinities
The Star Wars The Star Wars

Star Wars Tales Star Wars Tales

Marvel Comics

Original Marvel Comics Original Marvel Comics
Star Wars #108 Star Wars #108
Alan Moore's Star Wars Comics Alan Moore's Star Wars Comics

Han Solos Vs. Space Crocodile Han Solo vs. Crocodile in Space

Marvel's New Star Wars Line Catching Up With Comics

Age of Republic Age of Republic
Age of Rebellion Age of Rebellion
Age of Resistance Age of Resistance

Star Wars #1... Again Star Wars #1... Again
Ewoks in Comics Ewoks in Comis
Who is Doctor Aphra Who Is Doctor Aphra

The Last Jedi Expanded Universe The Last Jedi Expanded Universe
Who is Jaxxon Who Is Jaxxon

IDW Comics
Tales from Vader's Castle Tales from Vader's Castle

Return to Vader's Caslte Return to Vader's Castle