Star Wars #33: Let Me Fly Far Away From Here

This story arc has been a nice distraction from the events in the galaxy. Although desperate to get back into the fight, Leia and her crew get to confront a whole new problem. This gives them time to be themselves for a change as they regroup. This arc seems like a detour from the main storyline, but this issue proves that idea wrong. Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian have been trying to find themselves after the events of The Empire Strikes Back. Luke has been training hard and trying to learn how to confront his future encounter with Darth Vader, his father. Lando hasn’t been able to join the Rebellion in his heart entirely. This issue gets both where they need to be to become the characters they will eventually be in Return of the
Jedi and those events are certainly looming on the horizon.

The narrative in this chapter is powerful; not only does it help to further the plot to reach the events of Return of the Jedi, but it also establishes so much character development in each character while also completing the story arc. That’s a lot to take on for one issue, but the creative team accomplishes it superbly. Leia gets a small clue about her possible Force sensitivity. Chewbacca and Lobot get a small win by being helpful after feeling quite helpless. Furthermore, they bring hope to the society trapped in No Space for so long. The issue starts a bit rocky for the crew, but by the end, it is a feel-good chapter and an excellent end to this arc.

The story and narrative are impressive, but that takes a back seat in this issue for the art and coloring. Often this series has suffered with the characters from the film not being captured to the likenesses of the actors that played them. The series has frequently focused on space battles and genetic locations like a Star Destroyer or the Millennium Falcon, which offer little color. This issue turns that on its head with likenesses of the actors much tighter and an incredibly bright color palate. This combo breathes extra life into an already vital issue. It’s always a fantastic issue when all cylinders are firing together as they did here. Hopefully, this magic can be captured again in further issues.