Poe Dameron, Vol. 1: Black Squadron by Charles Soule
Series: Star Wars: Poe Dameron (2016- )
Published by: Marvel
Pub Date: December 13, 2016
Pages: 144
Format: digital comics | Source: purchased 
Genres: science fiction, comics, graphic novel, media tie in
Rating: 

AN ALL-NEW ONGOING SERIES SPINNING OUT OF STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS! Poe Dameron, former Republic flyer turned Resistance fighter, is the best pilot in the galaxy. Hand-picked for the resistance by General Leia Organa to lead a squadron on a top secret and vital mission…Poe sets off investigating sites of historical importance to the Force. Revealing backstory leading directly into the holidays’ greatest adventure, follow Poe and his X-Wing squadron on covert missions against the First Order. Collecting issues 1–6 from the ongoing series.

On one hand it feels a little cheap going into the story knowing how it ends, because it dovetails with the beginning of The Force Awakens (you can glean this just from the description). But that is my only complaint; I do love when we get to fill in the blanks of a story and see what transpired leading up to an event! Plus in this case, we get to know the characters even better than in the movie. I love the dialogue in this comic, Poe is so snarky just like he is in Episode VII and it’s really neat to get to know his squadron too. Plus BB8! I’m excited to read the rest of the comics and see how it all develops, I had a lot of fun reading this and I love Poe. I like where the story is heading- lots of interesting detours along the way.

Star Wars, Vol. 1: Skywalker Strikes by Jason Aaron
Series: Star Wars (2015- )
Published by: Marvel
Pub Date: October 6, 2015
Pages: 160
Format: digital comics | Source: purchased 
Genres: science fiction, comics, graphic novel, media tie in
Rating:

Luke Skywalker and the ragtag band of rebels fighting against the Galactic Empire are fresh off their biggest victory yet- the destruction of the massive battle station known as the Death Star. But the Empire’s not toppled yet! Join Luke along with Princess Leia, smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca, droids C-3PO and R2-D2, and the rest of the Rebel Alliance, as they strike out for freedom against the evil forces of Darth Vader and his master, the Emperor. Collecting issues 1-6 from the ongoing series.

OH MAN. This was really good! First off, this is set between A New Hope and Empire, which is awesome. The art is fantastic; it feels exciting and action packed, and looks like the Star Wars I know and love. It also SOUNDS like the Star Wars I know and love- the dialogue is amazing!! That was my favorite part. Each character’s personality is captured to a T- Han and Leia have the best banter. It feels seamless while we’re still getting an “unknown” story. And the Vader-Tattooine issue! Some truly chilling panels. So. Good. The volume ends on a super surprising note so I can’t wait to read Volume 2! This is the kind of Star Wars comic I was looking for 😉

Are you a comic book/graphic novel reader or a relative newbie like me? Either way, I would definitely recommend these comics to Star Wars fans. Can’t wait to dig into the other series I have!