Share this
Creative Team
Writers: Timothy Zahn & Jody Houser; Artists: Pat Olliffe & Andrea Di Vito; Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg; Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham; Cover Artist: Rod Reis; Variant Cover Artists: Paul Renaud, Taurin Clarke, Two Dots.
Star Wars: Thrawn
I was first introduced to Thrawn in the animated series, Star Wars Rebels. However, I fell in love with him in the 2017 novel by Timothy Zahn titled: Thrawn. Followed by Thrawn Alliances, and Thrawn Treason. I was not far into the first book, before Thrawn moved to the top of my list for all time favorite Star Wars characters.
Now Timothy Zahn has teamed up with Jody House and they’re putting these stories into comic book form. The last issue, Thrawn, did a fantastic job of summing up the main points in the book, and the art was perfect in capturing the book descriptions of the characters, with their animated counterparts. Now, we move onto my favorite of the trilogy, Thrawn Alliances.
Star Wars: Thrawn Alliances #1
I’m always quick to argue with people over whether or not Thrawn is a villain. He’s too intelligent to simply go evil. He’s calculated and always multiple steps ahead of everyone around him (except for that purrgil situation, of course). While many, if not most villains, display a lot of intelligence, Thrawn is in a category all his own. In the recent book trilogy, now turning into a comic book run, you can see just how intelligent he is, and the people around him notice this even when many of them don’t want to.
Check another review from this author.
This comic kicks off with a mission directly from the Emperor himself. Palpatine senses a disturbance in the force, and he wants Thrawn and Darth Vader to check it out. We learned in the previous book/comic book, that the two had met, but like many, Thrawn was told Anakin had since passed. Coincidentally, the disturbance is felt on the same planet that Thrawn and Anakin had met many years before.
The story then goes back and forth between the time Anakin Skywalker and Thrawn from the Chiss Ascendancy teamed up, to the present where Darth Vader and Grand Admiral Thrawn have teamed up. As the story progresses you see the mystery of the past and present unfold, all while an unspoken respect lies between these two incredibly powerful leaders, with reputations that don’t always accurately reflect who they are.
The Art
Throughout the comic the art is beautiful and once again does a great job of combining the book descriptions with animated counterparts, as well as live action. The covers are so beautiful, I want to frame them all.
Another part of the art I loved was how this planet on the edge of the unknown regions, was displayed. This planet is Batuu, and if that sounds familiar it may be because that is the planet you can visit at Disneyland in Anaheim California, and Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. As an Orlando local and Disney World Annual Passholder, while reading the book I was picturing Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge in my head the whole time. I was so excited to see the art reflected the park beautifully. It just had a lot less Minnie Mouse ears and younglings, which is fortunate since Vader was there.
Star Wars: Thrawn Alliances #1 Rating: 9/10
If you’re a Star Wars fan in any capacity, I can’t recommend these stories enough. If you love the comic, then go buy the books. And, if you loved the books, then grab these comics. They’re a fun and beautiful way to relive the book. Thrawn is such a unique and fun character. His intelligence combined with his lack of arrogance in these stories truly makes him stand out from so many other characters we meet in the Empire. He actually seems to lift those up around him. Thrawn Alliances couldn’t be summed up in one comic, so for now we end with a ‘to be continued.’
Lauren is half of Hops GEEK News: a weekly podcast that discusses all things geek pop culture, while enjoying a craft beer of the week. They also interview many different people from the comic book world and beyond.
