Charles Soule

Charles Soule’s Star Wars: Hidden Empire collects issues 1-5 of the titular series written by Soule with pencils by Steven Cummings, inks by Victor Olazaba and Wayne Faucher, colors by Guru-eFX, letters by Travis Lanham, and covers by Paula Siqueira and Rachelle Rosenberg. It continues Qi’ra’s story and that of Crimson Dawn from the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story, bringing her tale to a close for now following War of the Bounty Hunters and Crimson Reign. Qi’ra assembles her own hidden fleet alongside disparate groups including Chanath Cha and the Orphans, the Knights of Ren, Kho Phon Farrus, and Archivist Madelin Sun to seize the Fermata Cage, an ancient trap used to capture Sith or anything the Sith considered dangerous. Fearing that it might contain a rogue Sith Lord, Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader plan to destroy the device and prevent its activation as any additional Sith is a threat to their power under the Rule of Two. Some of Qi’ra’s forces are Force-sensitive, like the Archivist and Knights of Ren, while others want to escape from under the Emperor’s thumb. Soule shows the Emperor’s reach in an early holo-conference where he asserts his authority over the Hutts and Black Sun, the latter represented by Prince Xizor. Hidden Empire helps to showcase some of the other conflicts and power struggles going on in the galaxy alongside the Rebellion against the Empire. Elements of the story recall prior Expanded Universe stories, specifically Dark Empire and Crimson Empire. Soule showcases the breadth of story possibilities remaining during the Original Trilogy era. Fans of Star Wars’ back catalog of characters will enjoy seeing many of them in action here while this builds on the promise at the end of Solo in showcasing Crimson Dawn.… (meer)

Le tenia muchas ganas y al final se me ha atascado un poco la lectura.

El concepto de base me gusta y la introducción a todo el conflicto me enganchó lo suficiente, pero los diversos saltos en el punto de vista y un ritmo irregular han hecho que me cueste rematar el libro rápido. No he conseguido conectar demasiado con los personajes incluso siendo carismáticos, y el villano parece un don nadie hasta casi el final.

Me gusta el periodo que parece que introduce y todo lo que parece indicar que sucedera en la High Republic, pero esta novela ha sido un inicio agridulce.… (meer)

I've said it before, I love the "cosmic" stuff. The more crazy-looking aliens the better. I love what they've done with the Red Lanterns, they're new to me, along with all the other colors, so while it's kinda cheesy, it does setup some cool situations. Also, I'm all for Mogo being a planet-wide intelligence, but he's no longer allowed (because, you know, I'm the person who makes these kind of decisions) to look like a green lantern pool ball. It's just too silly.

Anyway, I'm actually starting to like Guy Gardner (even though his name is "Guy Gardner" and besides his new handlebar mustache. Also the inclusion of Super Girl was pretty cool and "the Judge" was pretty terrifying. I think the thing that makes this series the most interesting is that they're all a little "evil" or at least really rough around the edges. Gives a totally different feel than the goody two shoes green lanterns.… (meer)