Review: "Poe Dameron" #8

Agent Terex wasn't necessarily a fan favorite among Star Wars comic readers. Poe Dameron's tight-lipped antagonist checked too many boxes of not just Star Wars, but Sci-Fi baddies in general. While writer Charles Soule managed to establish Poe Dameron as a somewhat distinct and layered character, Terex remained ironically bland at best. 

The more surprising (and definitely welcome) it is now that we get such a well-executed and entertaining origin story of the First Order agent, which even manages to tie in with some of the motives explored in The Force Awakens. The character goes through such a substantial and engaging transformation that one has to wonder why it took the comic eight issues to finally tell it. 

Poe Dameron was already the best Star Wars comic around, where intelligent storytelling, fresh characters and Phil Noto's wonderfully varied art make the galaxy feel truly alive. Now we got ourselves a credible villain as well.

8/10

Quickfire-Combo Reviews: "Poe Dameron" #6 / "Batgirl & The Birds of Prey" #2 / "All-Star Batman" #2

"Poe Dameron" #6: The galactic mouse hunt between Poe Dameron and Agent Terex continues to be a highly entertaining affair, and one of Marvel's best Star Wars comics to date. It's light, fun, and perfectly captures the Poe Dameron established in The Force Awakens.

8/10

"Batgirl & The Birds of Prey" #2: Neither Batman nor her father can convince Barbara Gordon to accept any help here, and the comic is all the better for it. Batgirl, Huntress and Black Canary wonderfully click in this series, with a plot that retains a clear focus on where its headed altogether.

8/10

"All-Star Batman" #2: 2016 has not been short of great Batman series, and one almost has to feel sorry for Tom King, whose excellent new take on the Dark Knight in the main series gets overshadowed by this beast of a comic book. The artistic freedom Snyder enjoys here makes All-Star Batman truly excel in every aspect, and one of DC Comics' highlight series of the year.

9/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "Green Arrow" #5 / "Poe Dameron" #5 / "Daredevil/The Punisher" #4

"Green Arrow" #5: This terrific storyline ends with the blast it deserved, as Benjamin Percy skillfully concludes the conquest of The Inferno and Juan Ferreyra again displays his great artistic talent.

8/10

"Daredevil / The Punisher" #4: Charles Soule is one of the most prolific comic book writers around at this time, but this is easily his most outstanding piece of work right now. From the great chemistry of the two protagonists to an absolutely intriguing story and memorable art by Szymon Kudranski, this has it all.

9/10

"Poe Dameron" #5:  This has sneakily become the best Star Wars series on sale right now. Its mostly careless fun, with a tone that effortlessly fits into that established by The Force Awakens and a protagonist that feels less and less just like a Han Solo copy. 

8/10

Keepin' It 360: "Poe Dameron" #4

Poe Dameron opens up a new chapter, and it's all the better for it, as the hard-boiled prison setting benefits the characters of Black Squadron. Phil Noto's art is unspectacular, but aesthetically in line with other current Star Wars comics, while writer Charles Soule fortunately resists the temptation of depicting Grakkus the Hutt too close to Jabba.

7/10

Further Links:

Poe Dameron #1

Poe Dameron #2

Poe Dameron #3

Keepin' It 360: "Poe Dameron" #3

Fortunately, this is better than the sum of its parts. Clumsy and childish action scenes, a more than unsatisfying revelation of the "savior", and one and the same expression on Poe's face do tarnish the comic, but its entertaining character dynamics and vivid dialogues, paired with a ubiquitous love for Star Wars itself still make this a worthwhile read.

6/10

Further Links:

Poe Dameron #2

Poe Dameron #1

Review: "Star Wars: Poe Dameron" #2

Poe Dameron #2 is a solid and skillfully told comic, but suffers from the fact that writer Charles Soule never comes out of the comfort zone provided by well-established Star Wars tales and characters. 

There is Poe himself, who never manages to rise above the status of "Han Solo 2.0", the charming adventurer who can talk himself out of almost every situation. And Agent Terex is the cunning, opportunistic antagonist who plays by his own rules and only uses the First Order as a means for personal advancement, not because he necessarily agrees with their ideology. It's all well done and mostly entertaining, but fails to stand out compared to other of Marvel's recent Star Wars series. Artist Phil Noto, however, has found a clearer vision of where he wants to go with his art, offering an approach that is clearer and more outlined than in #1.

Star Wars fans will be glad to hear that they do get some additional information on Captain Phasma and the inner workings of the First Order. While we have to keep in mind that the comic is narratively limited by the comparably little information provided by the new Star Wars trilogy, a little bit more risk will definitely help this series going forward.

6/10

Further Links:

Poe Dameron #1

Comic of the Day 14/5: "Star Wars: Poe Dameron" #1

To take on a character like Poe Dameron, who instantly became a fan favorite after his first appearance in The Force Awakens, but is still a relatively dark horse in the larger Star Wars universe at the same time, is no easy task. And how writer Charles Soule handles him is solid, although he doesn't always manage to work around the intricacies that are posed by the context of The Force Awakens.

The story, Poe and his Black Squadron trying to locate an explorer in the Outer Rim who could provide important information on the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker, is something Soule has proven to do more than well in his current Obi-Wan & Anakin series. Poe's relationship to BB-8 is warm, playful and always focuses on the strong bond between the two. It's definitely something the series should build upon in the future. Phil Noto's art is largely true to the movies and does a good job of capturing the character's emotions and illustrating a galaxy that feels pretty much alive, although he doesn't quite manage to capture the faster-paced action scenes here.

Princess Leia shines particularly here, as her wise, authoritarian tone perfectly rounds out the (unfortunately few) impressions we had of her in The Force Awakens. A chance has been missed though to give Poe more of an independent voice, as too much continues to remind of a young Han Solo. Although we can only guess how much freedom the creative team really has, with the Lucasfilm story group having such a firm grip on the overall lore of the Star Wars universe.

Some of the narrative holes that we encountered in The Force Awakens unfortunately persist here as well. Why is the Resistance called the Resistance, when it is part of the New Republic and should act out of a position of power? And why does the First Order act like they have any real political mandate, when they are really just operating from the underground? The comic does little to provide some context, only emphasizing the notion that the real reason is simply to be as close to A New Hope as possible. But again, it can only be speculation as to how much influence the creative team really has to tell their story.

Despite all the above issues, Poe Dameron #1 is still an extremely joyful and enjoyable affair that puts the series on firm ground going forward.

7/10

Further links:

Obi-Wan & Anakin #4
Obi-Wan & Anakin #3