John Hansen

‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Dark Times’ Issues 23-32 (2013) (Comic book reviews)

“Dark Times” checks back in with Master K’Kruhk for “Fire Carrier,” Issues 23-27 (2013), which – despite not being drawn by Douglas Wheatley (Gabriel Guzman’s crisp art isn’t a bad substitute, though) – is my favorite arc from the series, and one of the elite arcs among all “Star Wars” comics.

‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Dark Times’ Issues 0, 13-22 (2009-12) (Comic book reviews)

After a couple of arcs focusing on the Uhumele crew, author Randy Stradley and artist Douglas Wheatley return to Jedi Dass Jennir – who went his own way after Issue 5 – for the next two arcs in “Dark Times.” As a means of catching readers up with Jennir, Issue 0 is the first issue of “Blue […]

‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Knights of the Old Republic’ Issues 47-50 (2009-10) and ‘War’ (2012) (Comic book reviews)

John Jackson Miller doles out the answers to long-simmering mysteries fast and furious in the series-concluding “Knights of the Old Republic” Issues 47-50 (2009-10). The author’s meticulous crafting of the plot pays off in this final arc, titled “Demon” (illustrated by Brian Ching), while he still keeps personalities, relationships and funny moments at the fore.

‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Knights of the Old Republic’ Issues 38-46 (2009) (Comic book reviews)

With Zayne no longer hunted by Republic and Jedi officials, the focus of “Knights of the Old Republic” turns to Jarael in Issues 38-46 (2009). Earlier in the series, Jarael learned about her ancestry as an Arkanian offshoot, but because she didn’t grow up on Arkania, she never experienced that racism personally, and those issues weren’t truly […]

‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Return of the Jedi’ radio drama (1996) (Review)

While it was satisfying from a purely aesthetic viewpoint to have the “Return of the Jedi” radio drama (1996) complete the audio trilogy after a 13-year wait since “The Empire Strikes Back,” I also have to say this project completely missed the point of what made the “Star Wars” radio drama cool: additional material.

‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Knights of the Old Republic’ Issues 29-37 (2008-09) (Comic book reviews)

Nearly three full years into its run, “Knights of the Old Republic” finally wraps up the “framing of Zayne Carrick” arc. It’s satisfying in the sense that Zayne’s name is cleared and he can now move freely throughout the galaxy without fear of arrest (at least for that particular crime), but it also illustrates a common problem […]

‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Vector’ (2008) (Comic book review)

Dark Horse editor Randy Stradley begins his introduction to the first trade-paperback volume of “Vector” (2008) by apologizing for the “crass commercialism” of the crossover project. But he needn’t have apologized. The idea of a story that travels through the four ongoing “Star Wars” comics of the time may have been commercial, but it was also just […]

‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Legacy’ Issues 20-27 (2008) (Comic book reviews)

Coming off Cade Skywalker’s epic escape from the Sith Temple in the previous arc, “Legacy” Issues 20-27 (2008) mark an opportunity for the series to catch its breath. Rather than being a boring stretch of issues, it is enjoyable to bask in this world writer John Ostrander has constructed, especially since he shines with dialogue and humor […]

‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Legacy’ Issues 11-19 (2007-08) (Comic book reviews)

“Legacy” Issues 11-19 (2007-08) explore Cade Skywalker’s attempt to infiltrate the dark side without being turned, something that had already been chronicled in “Tales of the Jedi” (Ulic Qel-Droma), “Republic” (Quinlan Vos) and “Dark Empire” (Luke Skywalker). So it’s impressive that – despite the way-too-familiar nature of this story – writer John Ostrander ratchets “Legacy” to […]

‘Star Wars’ flashback’: ‘Legacy’ Issues 1-10 (2006-07) (Comic book reviews)

Most “Star Wars” stories firmly connect to an established part of the saga, but there are some exceptions in the Legends canon where the author(s) had unusually free reign: Tom Veitch’s “Tales of the Jedi” comics (1993) opened up the galaxy 4,000 years before “A New Hope,” Tim Lebbon’s and John Ostrander’s “Dawn of the […]