Star Wars (2020) #1 Review Path of Destiny Part 1

This January Marvel has started with a new Star Wars comic series. Supposedly it is called The Destiny Path, but there are not that many references to that name. Marvel themselves are just calling it Star Wars 2020, and this is a review of Star Wars (2020) #1 available for purchase for $ 4.99.

A brief recap

This comic series sets up the story of what happened after the events of The Empire Strikes Back and the escape from Bespin. That movie was multi-layered and so is the beginning of this comic series. Leia continues her attempt at saving the rebellion from extinction while also figuring out a way to save Han from Jabba The Hut. If that wasn’t enough, both she and Chewbacca are skeptical about Lando. Maybe he is not in league with the Empire and maybe he was coerced by Darth Vader, but is he on their side?

While all that is going on Luke has to deal with the aftermath of his duel with Vader – now known to be his father. Luke does not yet have a prosthetic hand and has sunken into despair. As Luke is struggling doubt as to his purpose sets in as well as the Dark Side. In an attempt to outrun a squadron of Tie fighters Luke manages to take over their flight controls and crash them into each other. The reader is left pondering whether Luke used the dark side there as well.

Finally we also see the perspective of the Empire, notably female commander Zahra, of the ship Tarkin’s Will. She is introduced as a skilled but short-tempered officer who has to suffer subordinates that state the obvious. The engagement to destroy a portion of the rebel fleet ends in failure – obviously. The consequences of that is that we get to see a scene between Zahra and Darth Vader. The latter is as menacing as ever and makes it clear any further failure would be her end.

Conclusion

And so there we have it, the first edition of Star Wars The Destiny Path. Before reading this issue I was skeptical. The period between Empire and Return of the Jedi is a blackhole. One that I would rather not see sketched in if the attempt was only mediocre and there to satisfy the need of fans to purchase comic books. But this issue was nothing short of astounding. The drawings are detailed and feel appropriate to the original trilogy setting. The story and dialogue also feel genuine. One example is C3PO interrupting a conversation with an awkwardly timed comment. In fact, only the front-cover is disappointing.

We all know where this story will end. On Tatooine with Lando, Leia, Luke and Chewbacca attempting to save Han. And I can’t wait to read more about their journey. I want to know how Luke gets over his doubts and becomes that cocky self-assured man we see in Return of the Jedi. And of course how Jabba ever convinced Leia to wear that metal bikini.

Get invested in Star Wars (2020) #1

If you are not certain if which comic series to get invested in then make it The Destiny Path. Issue 2 is set for release on January 29th, issue 3 on February 26th and 4 on March 18th. Star Wars (2020) #1 was created by Charles Soule, Jesus Saiz and R.B. Silva.