Review: Star Wars Vol. 6- Out Among the Stars
Quick Summary
Pros: Each of the individual stories are fun in their own way. The stories here give less popular characters a chance to shine while still reserving time for more popular characters. The writing is good throughout.
Cons: The collection’s larger narrative, following SCAR Squadron, is lackluster.
Overall: This is a unique and entertaining collection from beginning to end. Seven well-written individual stories highlight struggles across the Star Wars universe, with each one starring a different character. This leads to some interesting adventures and a chance to see a different side of many characters. Readers looking for fun Star Wars stories that are easy to jump into should consider this book.
Story
Star Wars Vol. 6: Out Among the Stars, by Jason Aaron, is a uniquely structured series of adventures that give multiple characters, both minor and major, a chance to shine. A series of individual stories dominate this collection, presenting an array of diverse experiences with each chapter. Each one is entertaining in their own way and most contain solid writing and clever twists. A mismanaged larger narrative is the only thing that holds this collection back, yet even this negative does not negate the collection’s many positives. Overall, this is a very worthwhile addition to the Star Wars series.
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The most striking difference between Out Among the Stars and previous Star Wars comic collections is the structure of the storytelling. Each chapter in Out Among the Stars tells a separate and unrelated story starring a different member of the Star Wars cast. This allows for seven unique adventures, each bringing their own positives to the overall reading experience.
It also helps that all of the stories are very well done and enjoyable. Each one pits a character against a problem that seems insurmountable yet has them achieve victory by the end. The twists and turns in getting to this triumphant conclusion also significantly add to the experience, especially in the case of the Han and Sana stories, which feature clever and unexpected narrative twists in the end. Overall, there are a lot of positives to be found within each of these stories.
One of the biggest advantages offered by this atypical structuring is the ability to highlight Star Wars characters who typically avoid the limelight. Out Among the Stars tells a story that showcases a comic book exclusive character, one entirely focused on R2-D2’s heroism, another giving a detailed look at a group of fiercely loyal Stormtroopers, and even a brief tale that humanizes the Tusken Raiders. These are acts of heroism and villainy that offer a lot to the Star Wars universe but would otherwise go unseen. Meanwhile, other chapters ensure that fans get their recommended dose of Luke, Leia, and Han, ensuring that everyone will be able to walk away from this book satisfied.
The only noticeable problem with this volume is that the disconnected nature of the separate storylines prevents the larger storyline, involving the SCAR Squadron, to falter. The existence of SCAR Squadron and their capture of C-3P0 has been teased for multiple volumes now, yet they have done almost nothing after their initial appearance. In this volume, the same thing happens, as a showdown between SCAR and the main cast is teased but doesn’t end up occurring. Even the C-3P0 plotline, which was teased a while ago, is dealt with in a single chapter. While this collection excels at telling short and interesting stories, it fails at creating any sort of long-form narrative.
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Art
The majority of the artwork in Out Among the Stars is good but has small problems in a few places. Salvador Larroca’s work is very detailed and looks wonderful when depicting aliens and inanimate objects. In these places, he gives an imaginative view of the Star Wars universe that feels like it would fit right into a scene from the movies. However, Larroca’s artwork looks downright strange when depicting human faces. Nearly every face within this volume looks far too realistic and ends up entering the uncanny valley. Besides this problem though, Larroca’s chapters look nice and contribute a lot to the visual quality of this book.
Out Among the Stars also contains a story from Andrea Sorrentino and an annual from Michael Walsh. Sorrentino’s story looks incredible and does an amazing job in capturing the desolate environment of the Tatooine desert. Walsh’s annual feels a little too stylized after viewing Larroca’s very realistic chapters, but still is structurally sound and visually pleasing. Overall, both of these artists add to the visual quality of this collection.
Continuity
Star Wars Vol. 6: Out Among the Stars continues the story from Star Wars Vol. 5: Yoda’s Secret War (Review), though the events of Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel (Review) take place in between. Both stories take place between the movies Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope and Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back.
The story here continues in Star Wars Vol. 7: The Ashes of Jedha.