Exciting things are happening in the world of
Star Wars manga! Maans will recognize the name of Ken Liu as an experienced
Star Wars writer, so it should prove reassuring that his stories have been adapted for the manga we are currently reviewing.
Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker: The Manga is a collection of four stories. While each tale is about Luke Skywalker in one way or another, all of them are told from different points of view which makes things very interesting.
Starship Graveyard, I, Droid, The Tale of Lugubrious Mote, and
Big Inside are the names of the four stories which
Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker: The Manga collects. Despite following separate protagonists for each chapter, they are also separated by the art difference, in that each story received contributions from different artists or artist teams.
Our of all of the short stories,
Graveyard was my least favorite, though I still enjoyed it. The rest of the tales seemed to reach me on a deeper level, so I was glad to have gotten through this one first. The artist team-up for this first tale is made up of Japanese manga duo Akira Fukaya and Takashi Kisaki who marked their English manga debut with
Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker: The Manga.
I don't necessarily dislike the duo's art style, but I certainly I prefer the other what the other stories have to offer. The plot of
Starship Graveyard isn't bad, and it allows the reader to get a glimpse of the shining hope Luke Skywalker carries with him through, even through the eyes of a stranger.
I, Droid marks the second of the tales in
The Legends of Luke Skywalker, this time with art provided
Haruichi. As the creator of the Japanese Webtoon
Leia Organa: Ordeal of the Princess, Haruichi's love for the intellectual property clearly predates this entry in the saga, and the passion is reflected in their work on the second chapter of this manga.
The storyline for
I, Droid is beautifully touching which is surprising for a plot that follows androids, and it plays out through the eyes of a hopeless droid who is reluctantly reprogrammed to enforce other droids to work to death. A heavy metaphor is driven home in this one, asking the question - is Luke Skywalker a man, an android, or both?
Surely noone could overlook
The Tale of Lugubrious Mote, the third story in this collection, and the one which happens to be one of my favorite. At the very least, I certainly find it to be the funniest. Japanese artist Subaru makes his English manga debut in this chapter which tells a very familiar story in a whole new way.
Anyone who has seen
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi will be thrilled with this chapter of the book as Luke Skywalker's attempt to free Han, Chewbacca, and Leia from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt is re-lived through the eyes of a character fans weren't aware was there! The tale makes for a hilarious re-imagining, and we don't want to spoil any more than that for you, so we suggest you check this one out for yourselves!
Big Inside, which is the last of the four stories, finds an unbelievable balance between emotion and thrill as a young Biology student gets trapped with Luke Skywalker and must look to his guidance in order to remain hopeful. As the two dive deeper into the dungeon that contains them, they learn more about not only their entrapment, but universe itself.
Akira Himekawa, the artist duo responsible for the
Legend of Zelda and
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess manga series leant their incredible talent to the final chapter of
Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker: The Manga. Their experience is clear in the pristine work within the chapter and fans of manga art will want to take a look for themselves. Luckily, thanks to the good people at VIZ Media, you can have a preview below!
Overall, we have to give this manga collection a soaring score. While
Starship Graveyard was a decent enough story on its own, every other chapter hit the ball out of the park, earning VIZ and Ken Liu's
Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker: The Manga five stars out of five in our book. As far as we're concerned, this title is a must grab for fans of both the
Star Wars universe and the manga medium.
What do you guys think? Do you think this something you're going to add to your collection? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! In the meantime, if you haven't seen it yet, feel free to check out the final trailer for
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker!
When it's discovered that the evil Emperor Palpatine did not die at the hands of Darth Vader, the rebels must race against the clock to find out his whereabouts. Finn and Poe lead the Resistance to put a stop to the First Order's plans to form a new Empire, while Rey anticipates her inevitable confrontation with Kylo Ren.
Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker: The Manga is now available in paperback for $14.99. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is now playing in theaters worldwide.