The Last Command #2 (of 6)

Story: Mike Baron (adapted from Timothy Zahn)
Pencils: Edvin Biukovic
Colors: Pamela Rambo
Editor: Bob Cooper

Mara rescues Leia's twins from Thrawn's kidnapping attempt. Karrde attempts to sway other smugglers against the Empire. Reviewed 12/30/97 Story I suppose the best that can be said is that the adaptation is transparent and Zahn's story is shining through loud and clear. All this despite a large number of characters and events and story threads all coming together. Particularly effective in this issue are a few pages where the story actually jumps back in time and the use of overlapping dialog to let us see what's going on in different places at the same time. Art As I've come to expect, Biukovic's technology is bang on. This is no small feat as this issue features as many different makes of ship as I've seen in a SW comic. The inconsistent characters from the previous issues are now nothing but a memory. If anything, the quality of the characters overshadow the normally strong technology. Virtually every pose is dynamic, interesting, and natural looking. There are many different characters and they all look good. I'm not completely sold on Mara's face, but her body language adds to the story and her character in each panel. This is by no means the best art I've seen in a comic, but it's such an improvement that I can't help but notice. It's certainly above average fair. I'm not as taken by Palleon as last issue, but Edvin's Noghri continue to develop the definitive vision of this species. While I came away with the sense that the title is straying from the look of the HTTE/DFR, the colors remain consistently strong. The use of color to move certain elements deeper into the background was well done. Notice a few nice touches like the towel over the emdee droid's head (crazy kids or impatient mother?), the change in window scenery as Mara battles her inner voices, the view from the bacta tank, Mara's lack of footwear (no time), the TIE/X-Wing mobile and the stuffed Wookiee toy. Summary This title is looking up with above average art and a continually interesting tale. 8/10. Recommended.
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