Reviews

Star Wars: Hidden Empire by Charles Soule

kaycla14's review

fast-paced

5.0

This comic is top tier Star Wars.

I’ll admit I was feeling like the war of the bounty hunters and other tie-in stories were getting old. The first issue was alright, but issues 2-5 blew my socks off. I was practically jumping up and down and swearing every few pages. I felt like this was a perfect TPB. Chefs Kiss.

the waterfall base, Momin shoutout, Palpatine constantly dissing Maul, classic Vader one liners, ancient sith technology, the Amaxine station, Qira being ruthless “she was just a character in mine”, Palpatine and Vader fighting side by side “no survivors”, and wrapping up the Knights of Ren

timreadstoday's review

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Charles Soule delivers yet again. Easily one of my favorite comic book writers in recent years. I love how he tells Star Wars stories.

He took a character I had no interest in and gave her a place in the Star Wars universe. I was intrigued to see her story take shape over the past few years.

Something happened with Q'ira that I did not expect. I cared. And that itself is a victory.

ianjmax's review

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

billyjepma's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.25

A lot of pomp, a lot of circumstances, and a lot of almost-interesting ideas, but it never catches fire and ends with barely a spark to speak of. I like Qi’ra’s motivations, as loosely developed as they are, and the lore Soule plays with has potential; it just doesn’t go anywhere or have any real stakes, gravitas, or anything worth caring about. The final page is good, I’ll give it that, ending things on a slightly better note than I expected. I guess the artwork is also fine. It’s maybe even a slight step above some of the usual we get in the Star Wars books, but it’s still lacking style or personality, just like the writing. 

I hope someday we get more of her story—preferably told by a woman—because she deserves better than the comics have given her.