The bartender alien looked like that Dexter from AOTC, his voice easily imagined. It's rather rare to get that in comics, when humans are predominantly fair skinned. Good to see a dark-skinned man, that Imperial tech. Nice use of Isard and Pestage, and why Mara earns her wrath. Too easily and when her Emperor master bites the dust, she resolves to finish the job. Having failed to kill Skywalker at Jabba's palace, this she does easily. The storyline itself is simple and enough: eliminate Black Nebula's crimelord, who fancies himself the heir of the recently toppled Black Sun criminal network. Mara's is never without a way of working, and the inventive methods of working past obstacles speak highly of the writers' imagination behind her. Alien species ranged from the typical to exotic to comical.

The sheer range of aliens is both amazing and appreciated, both the familiar denizens and all new ones just for a show here and there. What makes this comic stand out from the mediocre variety out there is its creativity and effort to give just a little more for readers. The support cast isn't left out, and while I haven't quite worked out who oversaw what issues, the authors are at their vintage best here.

Mara's persona here, in her Imperial days, lends her a cool competence matched only by her slick lines. This is definitely one of your more 3D-ish comics, and worth the purchase if just for that.ĭialogue is what you'd expect from usual Stackpole and Zahn efficiency: quick, creative and inventive. Characters and climates, scenery and locale, were all highly rendered and coloured well. You can just tell efforts were made to add extra ice to this cream, the way the front credits were specially done. The quality of art shines bright, considering the comic dates back to a period where quality and art are not what they are now. The result here is another of their hits you expect when collaborative craniums work well. Co-authored by Stackpole and Zahn, two of Star Wars' more popular novelists known for quality output. Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand is one of those rare comics that has great art, smooth storyline, commendable dialogue and genuine depth.

Mara jade michael a stackpole