Dark Empire is a
Star Wars graphic novel (possibly the first one to tackle the post
Episode VI universe, too) by
Tom Veitch (
story) and
Cam Kennedy (
artwork). It was conceived of in
1988 and published in
October 1995 by
Dark Horse Comics after many trials and stepping on other authors' toes. The cover art features a very
Vader-esque (black from head to toe, including gloves and cloak - no helmet however, obviously)
Luke in a bit of heavy
foreshadowing about the plot. The backdrop consists mainly of starships; a few
Star Destroyers and blocky
World Devastators enjoying their
raison d'être, i.e. looming menacingly. No other characters are shown, again a hint as to who the plot will revolve around.
The Timeline
I recommend
not reading the
foreword to Dark Empire, even if it does explain the timeline a little bit - it also (argh!) spoils the plot ahead for some unfathomable reason. Here's the timeline in short: Dark Empire takes place exactly between the events in
Timothy Zahn's Star Wars Series and
Kevin J. Anderson's
Jedi Academy trilogy. Events here are also mentioned in the game
Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast and
Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy.
The Story
The novel takes place six years after the events culminating in the
Battle of Endor. The
Empire is fragmented and weak, but a dark power still lurks in the
Core systems, the
Emperor's old haunts. A terrifying technology - the
Devastators, gigantic ships capable of turning a planet into raw material and converting it to Imperial warships, droids and fighters - emerges under an unknown power's firm guidance, targeting one Republic world after another for annihilation.
During one skirmish with the
Imperial Remnant (terminology coined by the
Jedi Knight games, I believe), Luke Skywalker (now a Jedi Master after events in
Timothy Zahn's
Thrawn trilogy),
Han and
Leia Solo are attacked by an energy storm of unknown origin. Luke senses that the attack is targeted at him alone, and gives himself up to the whirlwind as the Solos retreat to safety. It is here that the story truly begins, with hints of Leia's Jedi abilities, rise of powerful foes and a once-again threatened
Republic.
The book review
The story is Star Wars through and through. There are chases, bounty hunters, betrayals and honor, humour,
lightsaber duels and large scale starship battles contrasting with the fate of the universe resting on personal combat between two people. And of course the
Dark Side is there, too. The only slight complaint is that there is a lot of happenings in a relatively small space - but that just lets you enjoy the action constantly, a boon for the
ADD in us all.
What doesn't support the story as much is the artwork. While Cam Kennedy is certainly competent, he seems to enjoy
straight lines a lot, which often makes his people look indistinguishable, unhuman and uninteresting. Contrariwise, this makes his technology look great, as starships,
droids, buildings and other inorganics have plenty of lovingly crafted detail and clutter. Unfortunately Star Wars is really about the people as much as it is about the fancy
hardware, and as a result the book as a whole suffers slightly. Still, if you want to fill your gaps in Star Wars Lore, and be moderately entertained in the process, this book and its two successors are worth looking at.
Dark Empire | Dark Empire II | Empire's End
I have tried to avoid spoilers, as they'd rather defeat the point of a write up on a book, don't you think? If you think otherwise, /msg me. Parts II and III will be noded as I get them, or feel free to make your own.