In many interviews, George Lucas has mentioned that he was inspired by Japanese culture when creating the Star Wars universe . Well, it cannot be denied - Jedi knights like samurai, the idea of the Force being a mixture of different philosophical systems of the Far East or a highly technologically advanced world. What if we put this world in something strongly representative of Japan - manga?
Egmont, thank you!
I admit that I prefer comic books, especially those in the American style, but good manga is no stranger to me and I have fond memories of Jaco or Życie . Thanks to Egmont, I can now delve into various variations on well-known western pop culture creations in the Japanese version. In addition to Leia’s adventures, a new Assassin’s Creed awaits me . This is not Egmont’s first adventure with manga, as he also published it a few years earlier, but it is worth giving the publishing house a chance again, because you will not be disappointed.
However, someone may accuse me that we are not dealing with pure manga here, because there is no original script. The fact that the title is based on the 2017 novel Leia – Princess of Alderaan , which tells the story of a princess joining the rebellion when she is only 16 years old. An interesting perspective, although in the manga I would count on more lightsaber clashes than politics and possible blaster shooting, but it’s still pretty good.
Manga drawing stands
When considering whether we are dealing with manga or not, it is worth considering what its essence is – drawings. I’ve encountered accusations on some portals that it’s something like a mix of mangaka styles with European or American. The fact that on the one hand it is quite Euro-American, especially at the beginning when we get a few colorful introductory pages, leaves the reader confused as to what he is dealing with. Let’s remember, however, that in order to preserve the world of Star Wars , you can’t stray too far from certain representations that have become established in canonical transmissions, such as movies, books, games, comics. Therefore, Haruichi, creating under license, could not suddenly make Yoda’s eyes bigger …
However, on the other hand, both the way of framing, many onomatopoeias (translated of course), as well as the way of reading, and even a kind of stopping in time – the so-called freeze frames, characteristic in moments of clashes of characters – will also be found. And what is important, it is a cheap Asian comic, so there is not much color, and the contours and the line literally play the main role.
Adventures in an even more distant galaxy
So is this title worth picking up? An interesting story that promises to be many volumes, plus nice drawings and an inexpensive edition that is not very budget-friendly, and we get a side cover with interesting graphics. I can definitely recommend this title. I am waiting for the next volume myself.
