By d. emerson eddy — It seems like every large franchise, literary character, television show, comics property, has its own “day” now. Not quite a holiday, but an annual celebration of the IP. I don't know if there are diminishing returns on celebrating these days, but if people like them, more power to them. There are some complex issues there dealing with commercialism, but I'll leave that for some other time, instead wishing you a happy Star Wars Day and May the Fourth Be With You. Tomorrow, of course, but this gets published on Mondays.

Star Wars is something that's been with me in some form or fashion pretty much all of my life. Born within the release dates of the original trilogy, it was a cultural phenomenon when I was a kid. The original Star Wars film was the first LaserDisc my parents bought (it came with the player), I had wallpaper with X-Wings on it, bedsheets with wampas, and was addicted to both the Droids and Ewoks cartoons. Despite the widespread ancillary material, I grew up in a time where there was no expectation of any more live action movies. The prequels were a foreign concept, despite Star Wars being rechristened as Episode IV: A New Hope, and the sequels were a pipe dream. So it was to the sporadic novels, video games, and comic books that we turned to get our Star Wars fix. One of the highlights of those early years was Star Wars: Dark Empire from Tom Veitch, Cam Kennedy, and Todd Klein.

Set ten years after the Battle of Yavin in A New Hope, this series explores the world left behind after the fall of Darth Vader and the Emperor. The Empire itself is fractured, fighting a civil war for the scraps left behind, but the Rebellion isn't faring much better. Though they're turning some former Imperials, forging some new deals to get newer vehicles to replace their aging and deteriorating fleet, they're not quite getting the foothold on changing the galaxy to their cause that they'd have hoped. It's into this bleak, war torn world that the Dark Side reasserts itself with the return of the Emperor and a brand new fleet emerging from the heart of the galactic core. A return that also coincides with Luke turning to the Dark Side.

Some elements of Dark Empire may sound familiar to people who have seen the sequel trilogy, especially in The Rise of Skywalker, though how things play out and the cast of characters are entirely different. Tom Veitch is utilizing the core characters of Luke, Han, and Leia here, building upon their personal history and very much delivering a narrative that feels like the next step in the franchise. It's dark, possibly more mature than the original trilogy, but it feels like a world that is growing up.

It's also gorgeous. Cam Kennedy is one of the quintessential 2000 AD artists, with a gritty, shadowy style that feels like it takes the best elements of both Carlos Ezquerra and Dave Gibbons to deliver something unique. The tone and atmosphere of a war torn world and battle hardened characters is further enhanced by the choice to bathe most of the art in blue, green, and purple washes. The limited, abstract colour palette gives the entire story a feel of darkness and oppression, making you wonder if anything is going to turn out right.

Todd Klein rounds out the creative team with some very straightforward letters. There are some nice sound effects peppered throughout the story, but otherwise the word balloons tend towards a neutral, standard appearance. Personally, I think this approach allows the art to pop out quite a bit more.

Star Wars: Dark Empire by Veitch, Kennedy, and Klein, along with the two sequels, may now be part of the Legends non-canon tales, especially in portraying a future to the original trilogy that has been rewritten, but it remains one of the high points in the franchise. I think a good story can transcend whether or not it “counts” and this is a great one.

Star Wars - Dark Empire

Star Wars: Dark Empire
Writer: Tom Veitch
Artist: Cam Kennedy
Letterer: Todd Klein
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Collects Star Wars: Dark Empire (1991) #1-6, Star Wars: Dark Empire II (1994) #1-6, Star Wars: Empire's End (1995) #1-2, Star Wars: Dark Empire Handbook. Six years after the fall of the Empire in Return of the Jedi, the battle for the galaxy's freedom rages on. The Empire has been mysteriously reborn under an unknown leader, wielding a new weapon of great power. Princess Leia and Han Solo struggle to hold together the New Republic while the galaxy's savior, Luke Skywalker, fights an inner battle as he is drawn to the dark side, just as his father…
Release Date: January 8, 2015 (Marvel collected edition)
Price: $1.99 each | Available collected in Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy ($24.99 – currently on sale for $0.99) & Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The New Republic – Volume 5 ($19.99)

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d. emerson eddy is a student and writer of things. He fell in love with comics during Moore, Bissette, & Totleben's run on Swamp Thing and it has been a torrid affair ever since. His madness typically manifests itself on Twitter @93418.