And they all lived happily ever after in a Galaxy Far, Far Away.. . Untiiil Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Shattered Empire #1 informed readers the battle rages on. Okay, I’m being a bit more dramatic than I should be. Fans knew from the moment Star Wars Comics Issue #80 was published in 1983 that “Return of the Jedi” might have been the end of the “Star Wars” cinematic world at the time, but the story moved on in the form of Expanded Universe novels, comic books, video games, and RPGs over the last 30 plus years.
I never read much of if any of the “Star Wars” EU novels and only heard of their plots and storylines from friends and relatives who did. Most were very upset when the news broke that everything outside of the movies and television shows were being pushed aside as non-canon to make room for J. J. Abrams and company to bring their own vision to the big screen.
When it was announced Marvel was getting the rights back to “Star Wars,” everyone knew it was only a matter of time before we got new adventures in the new canon. Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Shattered Empire #1 picks up not after the battle on and above Endor, but during it.
Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Shattered Empire #1 is rated T+ for Teen Plus. it contains violence, mild profanity, and mild adult situations. I was surprised that there was a scene where it’s insinuated two characters were sleeping together. However, they were husband and wife.
It’s amazing how well the old and new is blended together within the pages of Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Shattered Empire #1. We meet the parents of one key individual in Episode VII just to give you an example. The other aspect that pulls you into the book is how much the classic characters resemble their cinematic selves. Writer Greg Rucka and Artist Marco Checchetto embraced the challenge of re-expanding a Galaxy Far, Far Away and excelled at it.
Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Shattered Empire #1 is available now in print and Kindle editions.