Star Wars: Agent of the Empire – Iron Eclipse #1 | Writer: John Ostrander | Art: Julien Hugonnard-Bert & Stephanie Roux
Colors: Wes Dzioba | Publisher: Dark Horse Comics | Price: $3.50
One thing that is awesome about the Star Wars comic books is the ability to enjoy new adventures in the expanded universe. Most of them have the same theme of Jedi vs. Sith and Empire vs. Rebellion. Agent of the Empire is something I haven’t seem come down the pipe in a while. Worry not for those who fear change, you will absolutely scream “Now that was a Star Wars book!”
The story follows Imperial intelligence officer, Jahan Cross, who is hot on the trail of anyone who might deceive the Empire. No one is safe, not even Imperials. Cross is an evil James Bond who is as cunning and slick as he is dangerous. His back up plans have back up plans so he is always thinking multiple steps ahead. His accomplice is an assassin/protocol droid named IG-NA 44. Think IG-88 with breasts. I know it sounds weird, but Stephanie Roux depicts her in a way that doesn’t look ridiculous. There are memorable cameos by a couple of characters from the movies, but I’m not going to spoil that for you because you really should throw down your $3.50 for this book.
What good things can you say about John Ostrander that haven’t already been said? He’s written some of the most popular stories in the expanded universe such as Legacy, Tales and Republic. His Dawn of the Jedi series will debut in February and has already garnered a lot of hype and this series will surely be among some of his best work when it’s all said and done. The artwork in this book was a little different than we are used to seeing in Star Wars books. The colors were more vibrant than usual and the characters, buildings and planets were drawn with such pristine and spot-on detail. This was an excellent start to what appears to be a fantastically entertaining series that has the juice to remain interesting during its entire run.
Grade: A+
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