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A review by fandom4ever
Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Empire, Vol. 3 by Randy Stradley, W. Haden Blackman, Agustín Alessio, Tim Siedell, Douglas Wheatley, Ivan Fernandez, Gabriel Guzmán, Stephen Thompson
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Star Wars The Empire Volume 3 collects four stories that continue with the early days of the Empire when the Emperor’s hold was still fragile. There is much of Vader and how far he’s come from his days as a Jedi but there are also new and continuing characters.
Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison (2012) (19 BBY) 5/5: This story was amazing! I didn’t want to put it down! It was purely from the Imperial perspective. I never knew there was a story of a rebellion from the Empire’s own and such destruction on Coruscant itself! There was also a reveal of a troubling Jedi secret. And the ending, wow, I really can’t say enough of how good this story arc was!
Dark Times - Fire Carrier (2013) (19 BBY) 5/5: Fire Carrier continues the story of K’khruck and the younglings. Here we get to see compassionate Imperials!! I knew they existed, not everyone in their forces can be evil after all! While a very tense and at times dark story, it does end with a bit of hope. To which I was very grateful.
Dark Times- A Spark Remains (2013) (19 BBY) 5/5: The story of Jennir and the Uhumele crew comes to a head in these issues. My suspicions were confirmed about a certain character. This has the beginnings of Palpatine using Force users to do his bidding. I really liked seeing how while Vader sees himself as successful each time he kills a Jedi, the Jedi too feel they haven’t been truly beaten for they have hope that things will eventually turn around.
Darth Vader and the Ninth Assassin (2013) (19 BBY) 4/5: Man did this one ever start off with a bang. An interesting concept of a man trying to hire the best assassins to take out Vader, and not for any noble reasons, but rather, simple revenge. I liked seeing Vader work with the Crimson Guard to get to the bottom of the plot and that there was an ancient magic at work. Vader is pure chaos in these issues. There was also a connection to the Death Star and how a part for it was gained. I did not expect the ending, it was very well done.
The Dark Times continue and indeed at times get very dark. Vader is absolutely a far cry from Anakin and it hurts to see how little he values the lives and opinions of those he now commands. The Jedi shown begin to suspect that Vader must have had Jedi training. I loved the Imperial propaganda introducing the galaxy to Darth Vader. With these story arcs, despite the Empire tightening its hold on the galaxy, I was glad to see the little glimpses of hope still existing and rekindling that will ultimately turn into something more. Another good collection that I would recommend