Star Wars: The Force Awakens Adaptation - Review

It's safe to say the general reaction to Marvel's announcement of Star Wars: The Force Awakens Adaptation was one of confusion and indifference. Sure, The Force Awakens quickly became the highest-grossing film in the US and reignited Star Wars mania. But who wants to settle for a blow-by-blow retelling of the story of Finn, Rey, Poe and Kylo Ren when we're all desperately waiting to find what happens next for these characters? As with the previous comic book adaptations of the Star Wars films, this project will live or die on its ability to lend a new perspective on a familiar story. Sadly, this first issue has nothing of value to add.

This first issue offers a very straightforward account of the first act of The Force Awakens. Fans know the drill (and if you don't by now, clearly this comic isn't for you in the first place). Poe is captured by the First Order. Finn breaks him loose and then hooks up with Rey. BB-8 scoots around making cute noises. There's nothing new added to the formula here. If anything, this comic offers a very compressed take on the first half hour of the film. Scenes rush by with little regard for pacing or dramatic impact. This issue skips right over the opening scene with Lor San Tekka, instead beginning with Poe already in Ren's custody. Finn's crucial debut, where we see him resist his orders to execute unarmed civilians, is all but completely glossed over. Rey's plucky attitude and longing to leave her home behind are barely acknowledged. There's little reason to care about any of these characters within the context of this comic alone.

At least Alan Dean Foster's Force Awakens novelization had something unique to contribute. That book included small story tidbits not seen in the film and greater insight into how characters thought and felt. This comic does include a series of omniscient narrative captions (a rarity for Marvel's Star Wars comics), but they do little more than establish names and other basic details that the art and dialogue fail to convey. There's no flavor to the book, which is disappointing considering that Chuck Wendig scripted it. Whether you love or hate his novel Star Wars: Aftermath, at least it has a distinct voice. This comic doesn't.

Luke Ross is an apt fit for the book given his realistic and fairly moody art style. Ross captures the look of the film well enough. However, his storytelling rarely shines in this issue. Much in the same way the script barrels through the plot beats, Ross' pages are dominated by small, repetitive panels that fail to convey the scope and excitement of the conflict. It doesn't help that Frank Martin's colors aren't a great fit for this story. Martin tends to bring a surreal touch to whatever projects he works on, which naturally suits some books better than others. Here, the eerie sheen and red-dominated palette seem out of place, even on the sun-baked dunes of Jakku.