The Monolith Written and created by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Artwork and Cover by Phil Winslade
Introduction by Jim Steranko
Coloring by Chris Chuckry
Lettering by Nick Napolitano & Phil Balsman
Designed by Bill Tortolini
Edited by Joey Cavalieri & Harvey Richards Image Comics
Release Date: July 25, 2012
Cover Price: $17.99
It’s odd when DC attempts to ground their weird and exciting fictional universe, full of Kryptonians, Lantern Corps, and Ambush Bugs, in some sort of “˜real’ world. How one defines what’s ‘realistic’ is subjective, of course, and has led to approaches like Batman: Year One and Identity Crisis. As you can see, the typical story involves the same line-up of characters in their same fictional locations. There’s a new direction in The Monolith that writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray took. They created a new character, based not-so-loosely on the Jewish legend of The Golem, and the action in the book is smack-dab in the actual New York City (with Depression-era history attached to boot!).
So how does this stack up? It’s got some good qualities and some bad. And how is this an actual DC book and not, say, a Vertigo title? Well, it’s subtle and shows up around the edges, but I’ll get to that in a bit.
There have been countless additions to the stories in the Expanded Star Wars Universe over the last couple of decades, and Dark Horse has long touted some of the finest comic stories of the galaxy far, far away. However, very few come along that have the power and potential of being so good that it could be conceivable to imagine a film or television version of the tale. The compendium represented in The Other Sons Of Tatooine is one of these rare pleasures, showcasing some of the exceptional storytelling focusing on Star Wars.
The conception behind The Other Sons Of Tatooine is simple: to focus on the characters from Tatooine other than Luke Skywalker who have had major impacts on the in-universe history of the saga. The first, an obvious selection to adapt, is Biggs Darklighter, first performed by Garrick Hagon in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The second, a creation within the Expanded Universe, is Janek Sunber aka Tank – who does not appear in A New Hope, but is mentioned by Mark Hamill in the scene where the Lars Farm purchases the droids.
Star Wars: Episode I Adventures Written by Henry Gilroy, Mark Schultz, Timothy Truman, and Ryder Windham
Art by Chris Chuckry, Steve Crespo, Martin Egeland, George Freeman, Harold Mackinnon, P. Craig Russell, Galen Showman, Howard M. Shum, Lisa Stamp, Robert Teranishi
Cover Art by Hugh Fleming Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: December 21, 2011
Cover Price: $7.99
With the Star Wars 3D Movie logo on the cover of Dark Horse’s Star Wars: Episode I Adventures, it is clear that the comic company (along with many other licensees) is now gearing up for the 3D Re-release of The Phantom Menacescheduled to be released on February 10, 2012. Despite the negative outlook on the prequels by vocal movie fans, I am sure there are some, almost 13 years after its first release, nostalgic enough and looking forward to the 3D screenings — and prequel fans will undoubtedly be excited too. However, this collection of Episode I-related narratives isn’t quite for everyone, although there are some positive elements to the book.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press
