Re-Reading Star Wars: Princess Leia

So today (as of the time I post this) is May the 4th. Star Wars day!!

And being the Star Wars fan that I am, I thought I'd do something special for it by jotting my thoughts down about one of the comic series I have based on everyone's favourite 'galaxy far far away.'

The problem for me was which one. Fortunately, this wasn't as difficult dilemma as one would think thanks to the wonder that is a Twitter poll. A couple of weeks back i put a poll up to choose which of the four Star Wars mini-series I have access to I should focus on; Princess Leia, Darth Maul, Lando or Captain Phasma. Well, by the time that poll ended, the choice was unanimous; Princess Leia was the winner.

A stroke of luck for me because, between these four, the Leia mini was my favourite read.

Star Wars: Princess Leia follows everyone's favourite Princess (it just occurred to me, is she classed as a Disney Princess now?) mere moments after A New Hope finishes. With the battle over the rebellion victorious, the Princess and her allies must now begin the process of abandoning Yavin 4 before further imperial forces attack. For Leia, however, the Rebellion must wait as her attention turns to her recently destroyed homeworld of Alderaan as she vows to find and bring together any remaining members of her people in order to allow Alderaan to live on.

Now, of course, other things happen in this series. Adventure, blaster fights, betrayal, space battles etc, but I thought I'd keep the breakdown of this story simple. But also, the crux of this mini-series is basically what I originally said; it's a story about a Princess trying to atone for her failures by saving her people.

This five issue Princess Leia series is one that I really love. Mark Waid, who has written so many tremendous comic runs and stories that I love, from Fantastic Four and Daredevil to Kingdom Come, has crafted a terrific story here that I think fits seamlessly within the already established timeline of the Star Wars universe. The concept makes perfect sense given what we know you have happened and it seems to marry up with everything else that was going on in comics at the same time.

That said, the thing I think I enjoy most about this story is just how it fleshes out Leia's character. I really felt that Waid found the voice of the Princess perfectly here, as her every word and every action seemed to be exactly what she would say and how she would act (I even heard Carrie Fisher's voice from the original trilogy as I read her dialogue). This entire story really felt like it focused on breaking down who Leia actually was. I recall a New Hope often referenced Leia as a senator and diplomat, but yet showed her far more competent as a woman of action. I thought that here we see this contradiction as well as discover where Leia's preference lies between the two. I thought this was helped by the character of Evaan, who almost feels a reader's POV character, asking the questions we maybe have, but also questioning Leia on her own actions. As a result of this, I feel she works well as Leia's conscience, helping her work through her own questions of where her preferences lie.

Meanwhile, the art ... Well, what can I say to do the artwork justice. The Dodson's work is pitch perfect for this series. I had never seen much of the Dodson's work prior to reading this, just their contribution to Gail Simone's 'Who is Wonder Woman' arc. However, here I have absolutely fallen I'm love with their style which looks soft and elegant and has this beauty to it that just epitomises Leia. In fact, their lines and inks just make every character look absolutely gorgeous and not just the characters but the world's too. I wont lie, it does make me wonder if they would have managed were the story taking place in a grimy landscape like Nar Shaddea or Coruscant's lower levels but given that isn't a concern then it isn't something worth investing too much thought on. Then there is Jordie Bellaire's colours which gives the whole world(s) that real alien, Star Wars vibe and topped off by Joe Caramagna's sound effects which just add that feeling for true Star Wars for me. All four have given me a comic book series that I love and could never get bored of looking at.

For me, this mini-series is a really beautiful story that really imbues the hope that the original Star Wars movies is built on. I'll be honest, every time I read it I find myself wishing for a sequel series that was set after Jedi, something to show Leia's journey from Princess to General as seen in episode 7. Still, I'll take what I can get and I think this comic did exactly what Marvel were looking for when they got the licence: tell great stories that filled in the gaps between the films. In short, I love Princess Leia, both the story and the character and it has to be my second favourite Star Wars book the Vader run (although not by much).