YBFREE.comIn Pursuit of Human Interests
| YBFREE.com In Pursuit of Human Interests |
Archives | BLOG | Auctions | Shoppe | Message Board | Company Info | Search |
Star Wars fans have often wondered What if...? What if R2D2 and C3PO hadn't used the escape pod? What if Luke Skywalker 
had simply refused to help Ben Kenobi reach Alderaan? What if the Death Star hadn't been destroyed? What if Luke had completed his training before his fateful duel with Darth Vader? Well, now a new series of Star Wars comic books by Dark Horse seeks to answer these questions and more. The series is called Star Wars Infinities and the concept is simple: Show the fans what the Star Wars trilogy could have become had certain events been altered.
The first movie to see such treatment is Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. In a 4-part miniseries, Star Wars Infinities tackles the question: What if the Death Star hadn't been destroyed? I just purchased the Trade Paperback version - a compilation of the four comic series. The first couple of pages offer a brief synopsis of events as they occurred in A New Hope. Then we get to see an alternate series of events centered on the Death Star trench run. "Alter one event and a new future comes to be. Splinter a link and a new chain is forged." Luke's photon torpedoes enter the reactor port, but nothing happens. What follows is an amazing turn of events that takes place over five years, during which we watch the fall of the rebellion, the rise of a new dark order, and the nurturing of a new hope.
I don't want to reveal too much about the storyline, because I think this is definitely a series that Star Wars fans should look into. Toted as The World of Endless Star Wars Possibilities, Star Wars Infinities lives up to its name! Great thought was put into the events as they might have occurred. The writing was excellent. Star Wars characters that we've grown to love and love to hate are perfectly captured in this series. A definite must have for collectors.
Now for the gripes, and believe me there are very few! For one thing, it seems that the writers completely forgot one of the main characters. Wedge Antilles was flying away from the Death Star with Luke, Han and Chewie when they received word that the mission was a wash. He's there one minute, and the next he's gone. Completely disappeared without a trace. Oops! My other gripe is only really half a gripe. It concerns the artwork. The cover art is exceptional (all 4 covers are showcased in a Cover Art Gallery). However, the interior art teeters from brilliant (as in the drawings of Leia, Ben, and Vader) and Manga-like (Luke and Han sometimes look like the original characters and sometimes appear to be caricatures).
Those few simple gripes, however, definitely take nothing away from this series that has an excellent story truly worth the read. I am greatly anticipating the next installment of this series: Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back due out July 2002. Make your way to your nearest comic book store or search for this series on the Internet. This is definitely a series to keep an eye on!
Send your comments and or questions about this article to Bandwidth@ybfree.com. MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!!!