This story stands out as a beacon of light compared to the cynical pile of crap that is Disney Star Wars. Imagine, a legacy character being happily married after a series of adventures with his well-defined bride who is a badass in her own right? While at the same time including all the other characters who are also happily married. A true celebration of what Star Wars used to represent—the importance of family and coming together.

Now that my rant against Disney is over, let's move on to rate Union on its own merits and flaws:

I liked:
- The inclusion of a large roster of characters essential to the Expanded Universe during The New Republic Era.
- The attention provided to Mara and Luke.
- The overall theme of the story.
- How it touched upon the political situation between The New Republic and The Imperial Remnant after the peace treaty was signed.
- The art style—it ranges from good to excellent in some panels.

I didn't like:
- Mara Jade's lightsaber was the wrong color.

What could've been done better?
A visual character roster. While the comic does an excellent job of including characters from the Expanded Universe, there are a lot of them, and people who only read the novels won't necessarily recognize them based on visuals alone.

Should you read Union?
Yes, but you'll enjoy it more if you are well-read in The New Republic Era of the Expanded Universe. I'd save it for after reading the Hand of Thrawn Duology in particular. ( )

Everything you wanted in a Luke & Mara wedding and more! ( )

Mara and Luke finally get married, with all the expected shenanigans, including bar fights, spa days, and Imperial assassination attempts. I loved everything between Mara and Luke because I love their relationship. But there was a lot of cishet nonsense in the way everyone was talking about their spouses and about marriage in general and I wasn't a fan of the artwork. It felt weirdly clunky and stiff. ( )

First off, I want to say that I appreciate that this exists. Action, comedy, and romance have always been apart of Star Wars and I like the idea of a scifi fantasy comic focused on a wedding.

As a Star Wars obsessed chick that reads lots of romance novels, and plans weddings, I’m a great target for it.

I recall really wanting to read this as a tween. I probably should have back in the day. Nowadays, ‘Union’ is very much a product of its time. It feels like a 90s romcom with a laugh track. Although, in parts, it’s thought provoking and cutesy.

Again, the idea is awesome, but there were things that just didn’t work for me.

The comic assumes I have read all the old-canon up to that point. I know, second-hand, who Mara Jade is, but the comic itself didn’t help me to know her. I could have benefited from some relationship flashbacks or a conversation from Luke why Mara is the right woman for him other than just-that-he-loves-her.

Everyone feels mellow to me. Han and Leia have had their happily-ever-after and are tame, ho-hum parents now. War is over. Everything seems easy-going and normal. Although the main characters are worried about the wedding taking place, the threat doesn’t seem very high. I’m never concerned that the characters can’t handle whatever the few baddies are planning. About as threatening as rain or the caterer not arriving.

Plus, it’s been sixteen years since the Battle of Endor…and Han is still calling Luke “kid.” Gee, Han, Luke’s almost 40! And he’s a Jedi Master now, have some RESPECT. But then again, I guess it doesn’t help that Luke jokes that he’s going to have to stay with Han when Mara gets mad and kicks him out.
( )

I'm not a big graphic novel fan. There were a few funny moments in this story, but it was too two dimensional for me. Still, got to see Luke and Mara get married, which was fun. ( )