Star Wars #33 Review

Writer: Charles Soule

Artist: Madibek Musabekov

Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg

Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Stephen Segovia and Rain Beredo; John Tyler Christopher; Alan Quah

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 5, 2023

Captain Blythe sent Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, Lobot, and Amilyn Holdo to the Great Hall of the Nihil. Can they pull the Path Engine from Amilyn’s wrecked ship? Can Luke reclaim the Jedi book he believes is essential to rebuild the ancient order? Can Chewie use a single Path Engine to help the Kezarat colony escape No Space? Secure your safety belts as we launch into Star Wars #33 and find out!

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Story

The Killdroids guarding the Great Hall break Luke’s lightsaber and the prosthetic hand holding it. As in the Wampa’s Ice Cave in The Empire Strikes Back, Luke’s only option is to wield the Force. Unfortunately, he’s felt severed from it in No Space. Meanwhile, Chewie’s grabbed the Path Engine while Lando and Amilyn laid down cover fire, but now they’re surrounded by Killdroids too. Star Wars #33 explores Luke’s growing relationship with the Force. Readers will enjoy seeing that in action. They’ll also find Luke and Leia’s discussion about the Force intriguing. As a fan of the movie since its release, Charles Soule suggests a metaphor that never occurred to me before.

The story puts Lando’s commitment to the Rebel Alliance in the spotlight and tests his character. The Empire Strikes Back portrayed him as a rogue who mostly looked out for Number One. It seems his time with the Rebel Alliance has changed him. He’s not General Calrissian yet, but he’s growing. All this prepares our heroes for an attempt to escape No Space. They arrived by plugging the Path Engine into Amilyn’s ship and pressing a button. Go! Transporting Captain Blythe’s ragtag fleet requires more thought. Soule suggested in the previous issue that Chewbacca’s the brains of the Falcon crew. Teaming him with the cybernetically enhanced Lobot seems a promising combination. While Torvan featured earlier in their No Space adventures, he only got one line of dialogue in Star Wars #33 and isn’t seen after that. Given his admiration for Luke and their relationship, I wanted more.

Art

Chewbacca’s getting strict with his carbs as our heroes reclaim their youth. Perhaps their rejuvenating break on Spira in Star Wars #29 took a while to manifest? Or is No Space a cosmic Shangri-La? Our heroes affect dramatic action poses, even if their expressions don’t convey emotion as convincingly. Amilyn proves the exception: she always leaps off the page, whether firing weapons, conversing, or reacting to the chaos around her. Madibek Musabekov treats us to a spectacular battle at the Great Hall of Nihil. The Killdroids—Iron Man’s Mark I armor with spiky arms, glowing eyes, and Darth Vader mouth grills—never looked more menacing. Highly detailed backgrounds–spaceships, hanger bays, the Great Hall, and a packed auditorium–are utterly convincing.

The purple shading returns in Star Wars #33. Is it a unique feature of No Space? I’ve never witnessed the Aurora Borealis firsthand, but visiting the Kezarat colony and gazing out a viewport always amazed me. Shadows and highlights imbue our heroes with drama. The Auditorium lighting is particularly striking. Rich coloring imbues faces with realism and makes the action leap off the page. Clayton Cowles provides uppercase lettering in easy-to-follow spherical dialogue balloons. He announces location changes with big upper and lowercase blue letters in rectangular black narrative boxes. His sound effects are colorful and dramatic. Luke’s “Noooo!” battles a red-and-white “KRNCH” as the Killdroids crush his hand and lightsaber in the first panel. The yellow “THWM” as the Killdroid casts Luke aside cannot compare to the green-and-white “URRRR” as the Path Engine activates. All sound effects will look bland after the technicolor ones accompanying the attempt to return to known space and rejoin the Rebel Alliance.

Final Thoughts

Star Wars #33 packs a battle with the Killdroids, Luke’s growing relationship with the Force, and Lando’s commitment to the Rebel Alliance in one spectacular issue. Filled with action and drama, it’s sure to please fans of all ages, whether they’ve seen the Death Star explode twice or more times than they can remember.