The major comic companies put out enough comics that sometimes it can leave your head spinning and eyes bleeding as you search the new titles each week for something worth reading. To aid in your Geeky endeavors, Speak Geeky To Me on occasion reviews new titles from the major companies to spotlight the best and worst of what’s available at your local comic shop. So sit back, relax, and enjoy a new Comic Review.

 

The Info Bit

Title: Star Wars: Agent of the Empire – Hard Targets #1

Genre/s: Sci-Fi/Star Wars/Spy

Writer: John Ostrander (Secret Six,Star Wars:Legacy)

Penciler: Davide Fabbri (Batman: Arkham Unhinged, Star Wars Tales)

Inker: Christian Dalla Vecchia (Marvel Adventures Super Heroes, Star Wars), Davide Fabbri

Colorist: Wes Dzioba (Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Doctor Solar)

Publisher: Dark Horse

Number of Issues: 1 (of 5)

Page Count: 22

Price: $2.99

 

The Review Bit

Jahan Cross, the James Bond of the Star Wars universe, returns for his second mini-series from Dark Horse comics. Still written by the master of comic writing, John Ostrander, this new 5-part story features a new artist, Davide Fabbri. But with a minor change in art, there is still a solid story of espionage and romance in the Core Worlds. Combined with yet another lovely cover by Stephane Roux that screams of secret agents with a license to kill, there is just about no reason not to pick up this title, whether you’re a comic fan or not.

Hard Targets, the newest mini-series in the Agent of the Empire line of Star Wars comics, picks up right after the last volume, Iron Eclipse. Fans might notice a slight change in art style from Stephane Roux and Stephane Crety’s interiors, but it is fairly minor as Cross still looks his dashing self. In his newest mission, Cross is sent to Alderaan to drop in a party held by the planet’s most famous citizen, Bail Organa. As you might imagine, just as in the fist volume of Agent of the Empire, we run into some familiar faces from the Star Wars Universe. A certain princess of Alderaan is present in the early pages of this issue, but so is a rather stylish bounty hunter almost every Star Wars fan adores. Yet the real surprise is when Count Dooku shows up to Organa’s party. Now I know what you’re thinking, and yes, Dooku has been dead for sometime at this point in Star Wars continuity, a good 16 years after Revenge of the Sith. However, this Count Dooku is not the sith we knew as Darth Tyrannus, but another Count Dooku of the planet Serenno, his nephew. Count Adan Dooku is actually nothing like his uncle, a kind man with a young son and a very loyal female body guard that Cross instantly takes a liking too. Unfortunately the new Count’s life is cut rather short in this issue, as he is quickly assassinated when Organa tries to offer him a place in the upcoming rebellion against the Empire. When Cross returns to base to report the news he finds himself with his new mission: to report to Serenno and “help” secure the election of the next Count. The interesting part? It is Jahan’s father, Davim Cross, who is designated the prime negotiator of this election.

A rather fun, yet simple opening issue, Ostrander has crafted a great start to this new adventure in intergalactic espionage. It truly feels like the opening act of a James Bond movie in the Star Wars universe, with an opening action sequence, hints of romance, a taste of humor, and a very fun chase scene. Ostrander has always been a brilliant writer, and his taste for this genre, whether it be Suicide Squad some 25 years ago or Star Wars: Legacy of more recent times, make him the perfect author for this book. The writing is just great, all across the board. I won’t over exaggerate and say he has written the perfect spy story, as there is no new ground being broken and this issue didn’t truly place me on the edge of my seat. However, it truly was a very fun read.

On the art end of things we see Fabbri, a seasoned Star Wars artist, taking over for the two Stephane’s. The art does a decent job of matching up with the previous volume of Agent of the Empire, with perhaps somewhat nicer architecture in the backgrounds. Fabbri’s humans aren’t as detailed as Roux’s were, but they are still rather well drawn. Meanwhile, Wes Dzioba returns to color the series and continues to give it that soft color look that works decently enough with the series. Once again, nothing bad about this art as it is quite nice, but nothing extraordinary either.

 

The Rating Bit

Hard Targets is just the opening issue of a new spy story and, as tends to go with the genre, all the exciting twists will come later in the series. Never-the-less, it is a great opening story that is quite fun and easily accessible for fans of Star Wars or spy thrillers like James Bond. The issue easily earns a lovely 8 out of 10 for being the fun level of escapism we should always hope to find in a Star Wars comic. It doesn’t alter the universe, it doesn’t mess with how we perceive the characters, it is just a fun and exciting adventure to add into the continuity we all know and love.