Meant to be a companion to the 3D re-release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, this comic will remind fans of all the good parts of the first of the prequel trilogies. The theatrical release in the U.S. for the 3D adapation is set for early February 2012. With a flair for the dramatic not unlike the film, the characters leap off the page as memories of these film characters clash against the imagination of the Star Wars fans. Expectations from fans are well-met, as the first Star Wars film is given life on beautifully colored pages.

Written by Henry Gilroy with penciling by Rodolfo Damaggio, the storyline and character models are accurate down to some of the most memorable lines in Star Wars history. Inking was done by Al Williamson, while Dave Nestelle and Harold MacKinnon handled colors. Ravenwood is the cover artist.

Unlike the film, however, the comic book medium does hold different challenges for writers and artists. A film is much longer in length than a comic, and thus, certain scenes from the movie have been removed for the sake of saving page space, which is a shame. You will still get the focused story you would expect, but scaled down to book size, so that it is a portable read, rather than a lengthy movie.

Still, the writers of this comic have been able to instill the very essence of these beloved heroes onto the page. Authenticity has never been a problem with Star Wars comics, and this is true here as well.

The challenge comes from trying to give life to sound and sight, from having to swing a lightsaber or deflect a blaster bolt. There is only so much that words on a page can do, so it is up to the fans to fill in some of the necessary blanks. The hum of a lightsaber as it swings through the air is an iconic sound many fans will remember, so this memory is helpful when reading these comics.

Unlike many Star Wars comics, the ones based on the films themselves have always had a somewhat mixed reaction amongst fans. Usually a comic fills the void where a movie does not yet exist. When there is a movie that exists, how does a comic compete? The answer is that it does not compete.

Instead the comics are meant to be an enticement to get you back into the movie.  You will remember the sound of Obi-Wan’s cry as Qui-Gon is struck for the final time, but can only read the words off the pages.

In Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the characters, rather than being immortalized on film, are immortalized in comic book art forms that will last a lifetime. All the comic has to do is exist on a shelf and remind fans that the comic is good, but the movie will be even better. Master Yoda in this comic is drawn with such care that he appears both younger than in the movies and also more expressive. It makes you want to go back into the films just to see if the comic image is better than the movie version.

There have been many comic book newcomers that have been confused with the 2D Clone Wars titles and the CGI Clone Wars titles. Thankfully, unlike many other Star Wars Comics that have come out, The Phantom Menace is a fairly unique title and storyline that has not been wedged into the confusing mass of Clone Wars titles that pervade comic book store shelves. When you pick up Phantom Menace, there is never a doubt that you will be talking about Episode I that was 2D with real people.

Thus, a perfect tie-in does exist for comic book fans, where you will not only be able to read the lines that the actors spoke, but also how things could have been different. Not caught up in the fast pace of a movie, this comic will make you think more about why each element of the movie already exists and a deeper appreciation for Episode I may surprise fans.  This comic is available through Dark Horse Comics here for pre-order.

The article Comic Review of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Star Wars universe is one of the most memorable movie universes of all time. Within this large world is a host of characters that have become cultural icons with far reaching appeal. In Star Wars Episode 1 Adventures, readers are given an even bigger glimpse into the lives of Anakin, Queen Amidala, Qui Gon and Obi Wan. The additional storylines included very well could have been deleted scenes from the Episode 1′s film.

Excellently written by Henry Gilroy, Mark Schultz, Timothy Truman and Ryder Windham, the characters are vibrant and engaging. Penciling was done by Steve Crespo and Martin England, while Inking was done by Chris Chuckry and P. Craig Russell. The colorist and cover artist are respectively, Chuck Chuckry and Tim Bradstreet. There are in fact a large number of people involved from each individual issue who contributed to making this Trade Paperback a rousing success.

Fans of Sith Lord Darth Vader will find out how he was as a young boy. The included storyline for him is a prequel style comic done to reflect Anakin’s innocent nature before his meeting with Jedi Master Qui Gon Jinn and Padme Amidala. The few scenes in the movie of him and his pod racer before the start of the actual race is rather rare but in this comic Anakin can be seen scavenging for parts in the most unlikely of places.

The scene is a great use of foreshadowing when Anakin says he somehow just knows where to find parts for his pod racer. It gives clues to his already strong connection with The Force.

Towards the end of the Pod Race, the scenes involving Qui-Gon Jinn and Watto are particularly involving. The Jedi master comes under attack due to Watto’s treachery and greed. The Jedi Master clearly survives, much to Watto’s amazement, and yet the slave owner still  tries to make a deal with Qui Gon. Watto is outsmarted in the end when Anakin’s Pod Racer rival, Sebulba, buys Anakin’s Pod Racer.

however, the more important part of the story is when Qui-Gon teaches Anakin about tolerance and consequences as well as trust. It is tolerance that calms Anakin’s temper and makes him think instead of fight. It is his lessons on consequences that make Anakin grow up a little bit and learn the ways of the world.

Lastly, it is trust that Anakin has for the Jedi Master and the ideals of the Jedi, such as when Qui-Gon reassures Anakin that Watto will always treat his mother, Shmi Skywalker, properly. There are far reaching consequences that neither can foresee when this trust is eventually broken.

In between the Pod Racer construction and the end of the pod race is Queen Amidala, still under the guise of a simple handmaiden. Her exchanges with Anakin are like those from the movies, but the additional storyline actually comes in with her conversations with Jar Jar Binks. Queen Amidala has seen something great in Jar Jar, something of potential as the storyline will later indicate in the second and third films. The sentiment is reciprocated by Jar Jar in passing, indicating that the funny Gungan from Naboo is also more than meets the eye.

The feeling for fans is that this storyline with Padme reveals hidden skills she did not showcase in the first film. Whether she sees that Jar Jar is simply loyal or something else remains to be determined, but she knows that he will make something of himself one day. It would seem that Padme herself, far from being only a Queen, is at least Force Sensitive. She has equal skill with handling Jar Jar as Qui Gon, and if her reaction to stopping Jar Jar from eating everything in sight is similar to that of Qui-Gon, that’s all the better.

Sadly, the parts where Obi-Wan Kenobi is most present are only in a wrapping up of the first film. Here, he is seen speaking to Master Yoda and has a small part where he is conferred his Jedi Knight status.  Throughout the first movie there was little for Obi-Wan to do except babysit the ship and fight Darth Maul. This is reflected in his portion of the comic and seems to be a facsimile representation and nothing more.

This is somewhat disappointing since the other 3 major characters all had pieces that enticed fans to learn more about each character. Obi-Wan as a favorite character who will eventually be more heavily featured in the movies and therefore in the comics, but the little that is evident in this Trade Paperback, while emotionally evocative, is merely a rehashing of what has already happened.

The overall sentiment behind Star Wars Episode 1 Adventures is that the heroes featured in the Star Wars Universe always have another depth of character to tell, another angle of storyline that can flourish outside of the traditional film medium. As a whole, the entire Trade Paperback is a success as a companion piece to Episode One.

Available now through Dark Horse Comics.

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