I read Dark Times recently, which is great stuff, and ever since I closed that fifth volume, I've been jonesing for some GOOD Star Wars. I'm not talking about the prequel crap. I want to be taken back to that place, back to how I felt as a kid, sitting in that dark theater, watching the miles of miles of Star Destroyer roll over my head for the first time. It's a classic now, but many have recommended Star Wars: Dark Empire. I picked it up a while back but just tonight sat down to crack the cover of this beautiful hardback that collects Dark Empire I and II, Empire's End, and the Dark Empire Handbook. The art is good. I understand it was superior for the day (Dark Empire I was conceived in 1988), but after looking at the amazing stuff in Dark Times, it's definitely a step down (but not bad at all). But, the story! My God, man! THIS IS STAR WARS!! I can tell, just by the first couple of pages, that the producers of this work LOVED Star Wars the way I do. I started reading, and turning the pages...and I stepped back in time. I was a kid again, in a dark theater, seeing a new Star Wars film that I had never seen before. In a few pages this book is doing what Lucas couldn't do in over 6 hours of the prequels. I want you to turn on your imagination for a moment...sit back, and in your minds eye, think of how the intro to this Star Wars story would be as a film.... The theater is dark. You've got your popcorn. You're excited. You're about to view some new Star Wars! Blam! The powerful score starts, and the opening title crawl begins to slide up the screen in front of you-- STAR WARS DARK EMPIRE Like all the Star Wars movies, this one starts in medias res--right in the middle of the action. You're acutely aware that time has not stopped in this universe while you were away. There are things you don't know--things that have happened. But, you're not privy to those events. All you know is what little you can learn from the opening title crawl. It is 10 years after the Battle of Yavin. The Rebel Alliance has morphed into the New Republic, but the Empire is not dead. Though the Emperor and Lord Vader are dead, Palpatine's Galactic Empire lives on and has recaptured much of its lost territory during th Rebellion. Even the capital, Coruscant, is now back in Imperial hands. But, not everything has gone well for the Empire. Members of the remnant are revolting against the traditionalists. The Empire is fighting a second civil war within itself, Imperial against Imperial, and the New Republic moves to take advantage of the situation. Master Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian have captured an Imperial Star Destroyer, returning to Coruscant, where the Imperial Civil War is raging. During the fighting, the mammoth starship crashes on the surface of the world. And, the surviving New Republic soliders are holding out against the warring Imperials, waiting for rescue. The title crawl stops. "Man," you think to yourself,"....Wow. THIS is where the story BEGINS!" The gold letters of the title crawl have receded into the top of the screen. You're looking at deep, dark, space. The music cues up. And your point of view drops. Now, you see a world. Dark, but with billions of distant lights. Coruscant. Then, a hulk of space debris swings past you. Your view widens, and you realize that you're looking at a piece of a Star Destroyer. Millions of other starship pieces float past. Some of the ships are recognizable. Some are not. A huge space battle took place here. BOOM! The Millenium Falcon zips into view, exiting hyperspace. The ship begins to zip and zoom impossibly around the tight confines of the debris. C-3PO: "Sir! The odds of collision with the space debris are 3,722 to one...If I may suggest..." Chewbacca: "Rrrraaawwww!" Han (completely ignoring the droid): "Chewie! Watch your thrusters!" Two New Republic Frigates exit hyperspace immediately behind the Falcon. One begins maneuvers to navigate the debris, but the other is not as fortunate. It slams into another section of a destroyed Star Destoyer. The bow structure of the frigate explodes with the brightness of a sun. The long, cylindrical section that connects to the engineering hull snaps in two, and the rest of the ship, fire blazing from a thousand hull ruptures, begins to float and take its place in the starship graveyard. The Falcon dips form the debris cloud down into the atmosphere of Coruscant. In seconds, it is skimming the ground below. The surface of Coruscant looks much like its orbit. Buildings have toppled. Fighters and troop transports litter the sky. Men and machines maneuver around the ground debris. Blaster bolts make the surface of the world seem alive with bright, flashing impulses. With Chewie at the controls, Han and Leia take to the Falcon's gunwells. The craft expertly swoops by an Imperial Walker. Leia's touch on the firing controls blow the vehicle to smithereens. The crashed Star Destroyer is located. Lando and his troops are busy defending their postion. The Wookiee lands the freighter to give them a hand and begin the rescue. Lando: "What took you so long? Another honeymoon? We've been holed up here for days!" Then, a new Walker comes into view. All eyes go to the behemoth stepping towards them. The ground shakes with each of its steps. What are they going to do? Han! Chewie! Leia! Lando! There is a familiar figure at the rubble to the old Imperial Tower. The shape...no, it can't be! Darth Vader is dead! But, his outline is unmistakeable. And, he walks into the light...it's Luke! The scene is one you'll never forget. The auditorium is quiet. Everyone is gripped by the events, glued to their seats. No one can take their eyes off the massive Imperial Walker, impossibly huge on the screen...and standing in front of it, a lone figure. Luke Skywalker. Master Jedi Knight. The turrets on the Walker angle and fire! Luke's lightsaber flashes into existence at the same moment. The hum of the weapon is loud, and the blast is deflected back to the control cabin on the Walker, obviously doing severe damage to the vehicle. Then, Luke's hand is proffered in front of him. In his head, he can hear the echoes of Master Yoda, "Size matter not--the only difference is in your mind." As Luke's fingers start to clench into a fist, the control cabin on the Walker begins to implode! It's as if a giant invisible hand has gripped the Walker's head and begun to sqeeze. Crushed! The Walker's head explodes, and the giant vehicle falls on its knees, then over on its side. Luke Skywalker. Master Jedi Knight. God! That's COOL! THAT'S why I've started reading comics. I can hear the voices in my head...SEE the action take place. When a comic is done well, it's an amzing experience unlike a novel or a movie. It's a combination of story-telling, visuals, and your own imagination. NONE of the prequels delivered this kind of Star Wars high for me. It's amazing. I'm addicted. Five Stars.
