Trawn Cocktail
Written by: Jody Houser
Art by: Luke Ross
Publisher: Marvel
Reviewed by: Andrew McAvoy
Good grief. I've really been driven up the wall by Marvel Star Wars of late. The sheer tsunami of crap that they have gifted us in recent months had me despairing of whether they would ever give us anything decent again. I have to say that I have read the book upon which this mini-series is based so I thought I needed this new Thrawn comic like a hole in the head. Guess what though? I loved it!! Go figure!
Yeah, even though I thought I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than read another Star Wars Marvel book, the addict in me kicked in and I bought this book. Glad I did. Firstly let's praise the artwork; its sublime. Luke Ross really did a great job here and it really is the gold standard - can we get this guy on all the books if possible? Please, Marvel, no more photo-realistic shit storms please Good solid art, nice 9 panel layouts, so we were off to a flyer on the appearance of the book.
Story-wise they also abridged the dense Timothy Zahn novel down to its core essentials. I loved the fact that Thrawn was presented here with long hair too (didn't imagine it that way when reading the novel) and it packs a punch when he gets it shorn off by the end of the book. I also like the era that this tale was set in - early Imperial rule. The book provides a good depiction of Corsuscant in full Imperial pomp.
The favorite bit about this book for me was its depiction of Palpatine - it really captured the dread reality of what that bastard must have been like. Sneaky old git in his hoody, sneery old dirty grin. Manipulative devil. The scene where Thrawn refers to a pre-Vader Anakin Skywalker crossing his path as a Jedi is very good, as old Palpatine plays his cards close to his chest. Great stuff.
Bits and Pieces
Credit goes to Jody Houser. I really like her work and I feel a surge of confidence when I see her name attached to a book. I have to say I was very dubious about this book before reading, but her economy and pace in the storyline and Luke Ross's great interior art meant that this book was a pleasant surprise and a highlight of my comic week.
8.3/10
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