★★★★★ 3
Gothic Star Wars
Format: Paperback
This trade paperback collects all the issues for the Screaming Citadel story spread over several titles, including the main stay Star Wars series and the Dr Aphra book. As one might expect from a story spread over different titles with different artists and writers, the presentation varies. The art is all over the place. In the Marco Checchetto-drawn initial issue, everyone’s favorite amoral artifact hunter, Dr Aphra, is a striking space vixen. But in the following issues she’s hardly recognizable as the same character--mousier, if still menacing, in her trademark Russian tanker’s hat. To a lesser degree, the same is true for the other characters, including the main SW group. It’s understandable, but a bit disconcerting.
The story centers on Dr Aphra, who, in need of a Jedi for one of her typically nefarious purposes, recruits Luke into her scheme. Unfortunately for Aphra, she’s up against a more ruthless foe in the harlequin-looking vampire-like Queen of the Screaming Citadel. Before long, the rest of the group has to show up to rescue them. It’s a gothic story, set in scary castle—not the usual Star Wars fare. There are some good points. Dr Aphra’s almost sociopathic outlook is always good for a few choice lines, the “murderous machines” Bee Tee and Triple Zero are on hand for their own gruesome commentary and some of the Queens hench-people, while not given much to do, are interestingly designed. But overall, the horror movies plotline didn’t seem much like Star Wars to me. Recommended for those who enjoy that type of story, or completists.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2018
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