Star Wars: Rogue One - Saw Gerrera #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 - Saw Gerrera from Marvel Comics!
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the release of Rogue One in theaters back in 2016! 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! The last issue was about Jyn Erso and this one focusing on Saw Gererra, so let’s jump into it!
Credit: Marvel Comics // Star Wars: Rogue One - Saw Gerrera #1 by Marc Bernardin (Writer), Gabriel Guzman (Artist), Federico Blee (Color Artist), VC’s Ariana Maher (Letterer), David Marquez & Laura Martin (Cover)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The Story
Marc Bernardin is at the helm of the story for this issue and the focus is on Saw Gerrera! Saw is a very interesting character because he was first introduced in Season 5 of The Clone Wars which aired in 2012. He was in the first couple of episodes, and then the next time we saw him was in 2016 for Rogue One. There are still a lot questions left unanswered, and this issue is going to answer a few of those.
The story is set 17 years before the events of A New Hope and starts at the Imperial Shipyards on the planet Gyndine. The story is quintessential Saw Gerrera and it works on so many levels. It’s action packed, filled with espionage and has all the makings of spy thriller. I really thought it was interesting to get to see the way Saw operates, because like I said before we haven’t gotten to see much of this up to this point.
Later on in this issue we see Saw & Bail Organa meet up after some of Saw’s antics have taken place. If you’ve seen Rogue One then you probably have an idea how it’s goes. It was interesting to see this play out and finally get an explanation just what happened between the two of them and get the back story.
Ultimately the issue ends with a fateful meeting, and it’s a meeting that will end up shaping the entire fate of the galaxy in ways that Saw himself can’t fathom.
The Artwork
Gabriel Guzman & Federico Blee are in charge of the art for this issue and they really deserve to be commended for the job they did. There is a lit going on in this issue, as is to be expected when you’re dealing with Saw and they use up every inch of the panels that they can with rich environments that will leave you breathless. They also do a great job at recreating the likeness of Forest Whittaker & Jimmy Smits which goes a long way to the enjoyment I had with this issue.
Overall Grade: 8/10
An easily accessible issue to even the most casual Star Wars fan. Marc Bernardin pens a fantastic issue and along with artwork that is stunning in every panel, this is an issue you can’t pass up on!
