Star Wars: Rogue One - Cassian Andor #1 (Marvel Comics)
Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I'm going to be reviewing the FIRST issue of Star Wars: Rogue One - Cassian Andor from Marvel Comics!
Can you believe it’s been 10 years this December since the release of Rogue One in theaters? To commemorate the occasion, Marvel Comics is releasing a series of 5 seperate one shot issues surrounding some of the major characters from the film! First up is Cassian Andor, so let’s jump into it!
Credit: Marvel Comics // Star Wars: Rogue One - Cassian Andor #1 by Benjamin Percy (Writer), Luke Ross (Artist), Mike Atiyeh (Color Artist), VC’s Clayton Cowles (Letterer), Laura Martin (Cover)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The Story
Benjamin Percy does a phenomenal job capturing the feeling of the story we got to experience on the big screen in Rogue One, and also on the small screen with Andor on Disney+. This is a phenomenal issue that fleshes out one of the more interesting characters introduced during the Disney era during one of the most tumultuous time periods in the Star Wars timeline.
The story is separate from the Andor series so it isn’t treading on old territory. It does however feel like it could’ve been inserted into the beginning of the film, or perhaps as a flashback sequence. We get to see Cassian tasked by Mon Mothma and General Draven to travel to the Kafrene to meet with an informant that only wants to meet with him.
Percy hits some familiar beats and there’s a sense of familiarity with the story that adds to the enjoyability of this story. The story told in Andor & Rogue One is perfect as is and didn’t need anything added to it but this issue fits in with that story so perfectly. Obviously we know how the story ends, the movie has been out for 10 years after all, but it does make sense that there’s a lot more moving pieces to the story that what we’ve seen so far. When you’re dealing with exposing the secret of the Death Star, which to this point has been successfully hidden for twenty years, it’s gonna take more than just one informant and a plan passing hands.
The story is left open ended by the end of it, but it’s not really open ended when you think about it. Because after all the ending was shown on the big screen nearly 10 years ago. It’s a great self contained story that really does add to the enjoyability of Rogue One and the characters in that film.
The Artwork
Luke Ross & Mike Atiyeh really did a tremendous job with the art in this issue. They did such a great job bringing the likeness of the characters from Rogue One to life in comic book form. They also did a great job capturing the overall tone and feeling of the Rogue One film with the color use in the film, and the way it’s drawn with panels resembling some shots from Rogue One. Overall it’s one of the best drawn Star Wars comics you can find today.
Overall Grade: 8/10
Overall this is a tremendous issue that is extremely accessible to even the most casual of Star Wars fans. Benjamin Percy does a fantastic job capturing the feel, while Luke Ross & Mike Atiyeh do a phenomenal job capturing the look of Rogue One. If you’re a fan of the film, this is a 1 shot you’re not going to want to pass up on.
