The Last Command #6 (of 6)

Story: Mike Baron (adapted from Timothy Zahn)
Pencils: Edvin Biukovic
Inks: Eric Shanower
Colors: Dan Brown
Editor: Bob Cooper and Peet Janes

Luke and Mara showdown with C'Baoth on Weyland. Reviewed 07/30/97 Story In this issue's lettercol, editor Janes describes comics as "somewhere between a novel and a film". There are many examples to show that a good book does not automatically make a good movie. So, for the eighteenth and final time I will commend Baron on his ability to translate Zahn's magic. Praise aside, I never felt that the finale for this story was worthy of it, largely because it's centered around clones which happens to be my least favorite element that Zahn introduced. I feel C'Baoth as a clone of a former Jedi was a cheap way to get a new Force adept in the mix. And the introduction of Luuke was an unnecessary tack-on. Thrawn's death always seemed unworthy of his character, but it didn't bother me so much in comic form. Of course, these things are nothing more than little gripes that have nothing to do with the adaptation team. I'm a strong proponent of using quality original stories in Star Wars comics, but when the story is strong enough, I can forgive the "original" requirement. I hope that when (not if) future adaptations are done, they will be able to match this quality. (Might I suggest "I, Jedi", or "Spectre of the Past"?) Art I'm also running out of words of praise for Biukovic's unique ability to beautifully handle both technology and biology. This last issue lives up to the high standard of the previous five. This issue has more action than the rest of the series, and Edvin's skill as unique poses serves well. This issue heavily features Mara Jade and this difficult character was handled very well. She's come a long way since I gave her rendering only a "passing mark" in issue #1. I hope that the Biukovic/Shandower team will be back for future Star Wars projects. Their work has been outstanding. Conclusions Great art, great story. 9/10. Recommended. Taken as 24 issue arc, 'Heir to the Empire'/'Dark Force Rising'/'Last Command' is the best Star Wars comic series we've ever seen. If you haven't been picking up the issues, I urge you to pick up the trade paperbacks. I look forward to Dark Horse trying to top it.
"EnsViews" are copyright ? 1997-8 by Paul Ens. They are posted to rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc, emailed to Dark Horse Comics and archived on theForce.net. With the exception of Dark Horse Comics Inc, they may not be reprinted without permission. Titles, Cover images, Dark Horse Comics, and the Dark Horse logo are trademarks of Dark Horse Comics Inc. and its respective Licensors.