Star Wars: Episode I Adventures

Star Wars: Episode I Adventures by Various Writers and Artists
2000 Dark Horse Comics, 122 Pages

I reviewed the Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace graphic novel several days ago and mentioned that it's not vital for fans. It's essentially a serviceable but joyless adaptation of the film. Maybe Dark Horse Comics felt the same, or maybe they just realized they could make even more Star Wars cash by publishing what essentially amounts to a far more essential spin off comic of that adaptation, with Star Wars: Episode 1 Adventures.

Adventures, through, separately, Anakin, Amidala, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan, tells the story around the story of The Phantom Menace, giving us the perspective of these four different characters through four different writers and artists. The result is an interesting piece of work that's a worthwhile addition to any Star Wars fan's collection.

Sure, all the stories don't hit the same way. While the artwork is diverse and generally quite good, there are moments, particularly in the Obi-Wan story, where the writing just follows along with the plot of the film. Still, that's a fairly minor indiscretion, as the majority of this collection feels fresh and enjoyable. The graphic novel version of these four collected comics, like its film adaptation counterpart, also contains a brief bonus comic that was originally only available in Wizard Magazine, so this is definitely the definitive version of this work. I'm glad I picked it up.