Rating: 
Summary: A spectacular achievement
Review: The second part in the X-wing: Rogue Squadron series, The Phantom Affair is arguably one of the finest comics you could find, and for many reasons.The art quality is simply astounding. Facial features differ with character and emotion. Even the background is not left to waste. Look carefully and you'll see just how much work and creativity there is: how every spare space is utilised, even if it's just to have pedestrians or surface features. The sheer variety of aliens, both familiar and merely exotic, is both appreciated and well done. Dialogue is great. Everyone has a part, everyone contributes to some effect. And if a character has no purpose in that given situation, no problem, give him a witty line and there you go! Plenty of humour will have you smiling; Dllrr asking if the fruit around him is edible, being told it's too hard to eat, and then dropping it on a stormtrooper's head was funny. And there were sneaky touches thrown in. How many of you thought that was George Lucas on p74, the one standing beside a Jawa holding a camera tripod, making a picture frame with his hands? Mirax dusting the step with a leaf before she sits is another. And that page . . . where something suddenly jams the cantina music, that something being a haunting illustration of the Interdictor Cruiser you'll see turn the next page. Simply excellent. The plot sounds straightforward but like all good stories all is not what it seems. Wedge's childhood flashback gives readers a visual link to what they have read in the X-wing books of his past. Just a couple of minor errors though. That starfighter Wedge flies to avenge his parents is not what a Headhunter looks like. Aren't they fixed-wing? This one had X-wing S-foils. And readers may have problems with the wormhole at the end, and how its credulity affects the plot. Be Warned! Make The Phantom Affair your first foray into this comic series and you'll see just why it's so damn good.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a bad way to start a series
Review: The tpb premier of the XWRS series manages to give a good start to a great series. The story in itself is a bit different from the rest of the story arcs, and remains on an individual scale like rest of the series's first half, whereas the second half is essentially one long, complex story. 'The Phantom Affair' puts the Rouges on the world of Mrlsst, bargaining at an academy campus for a new war technology. This is mostly a wedge-centered arc, and he gets a few people from his past to join in. The art by the late Edvin Buikovic is very good. While his ships are detailed but fail to gain a sense of movement, his people are very good. Incredibly detail goes top every face and background figure, which works very well when you have a story set on a crowded campus. Three-fourths of the way through, the art is taken over by Gary Erksine. While trying to imitate Buikovic, the art still takes a noticeable plunge in overall quality and Buikovic's sense of smoothness is unfortunately lost. The color is done by David Nestelle, who will come to grace most of the series's story arcs with his superb coloring. Nestelle proves that coloring is just as important as the art in setting the mood in many a scene. The script is done by Darko Macan, who does casual dialogue pretty well, although his combat lingo leaves something to be desired. The series begin with seven rouges, five of whom will see the end of the series. Many future players await introduction, so 'The Phantom Affair' is set apart a bit from other arcs, especially those in the latter half. Wedge's background is set up well by the flashback involving Booster Terrik and the death of Wedge's parents. Loka Hask proves to be an interesting, of not a bit too vocal, villain. Also, tying together the beginning and ending of the series, Mirax Terrik takes on an important role in the story. On an interesting note, another 'special appearance' from later on in the series is her future husband, Corran Horn. ('Blood & Honor') Overall the plot takes more than its share of twists and turns. While a good overall read, I personally feel that 'The Phantom Affair' is a bit distanced from the rest of the series. Nonetheless, it's a good kick-off that provided a glimpse of what is to come.
Rating:
Summary: Improved artwork for this Baron Fel story
Review: This is Vol 6 of the X-Wing saga, and the 2nd of 2 TPB's about Baron fel. Stackpole does the entire story here and we get a new art team of crespo Hall and Johnson with 4 ink and color people. The pencil work has very few lazy artist panels and only a 2 sections where the ink and coloring fell off so I give the art team a 3.8. Who ever did the pencils in last 25% of the book was a 4plus. This is a comic, I usually emphasis the visual elements in my grading. But this is the second half of the story of Baron Soontir Fel, the greatest fighter ace of the empire, and for a short time a Rogue, and the guy the Wedges sister marries. This comic is about the story and you will like the story. It is a strong plus that the artwork here is about average.
Rating:
Summary: Wow . . .
Review: This is, so far, my favorite of the Rogue Squadron comics. The artwork is great and the story is brilliant. Michael A. Stackpole remains one of my favorite authors. Since others have synopsed the story, I won't bother, but suffice it to say, I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Perfect ending that leads us into the novels.
Review: Vol 9 MR returns the Pencil and Inking people I have liked the least in this series. But this was their best effort and is one of the 3 best comics in the 8 TPB series visually. The characters are drawn with sufficient detail so that there is little confusion on who is who, which was a problem in Vol 8.
As good as the artwork is, it is still not up to the best that Dark horse has done so it get a 4. The story is an important addition to the further understanding of the characters that will appear in the novels to come. The story is the perfect ending of the series of comics and leads us right into the novels. The novels will take us to the conquest of Coruscant and ultimately the defeat of Ol'Iceheart. This is a solid 4 star comic and I strongly recommend it, with a ps. For Mr's. Nadeau and Crespo. I accused you of lazy art in previous work. Very good job here.
Rating:
Summary: Good Action-packed Beginning
Review: Well, like what you expected from most Star Wars comics, this one was another one which I recommend to other readers. The only flaw was it had a VERY exciting beginning but the finish was quite confusing and rather weak, but nevertheless, its a good book.
Rating:
Summary: Baron Fel revealed
Review: When Baron Soontir Fel, the greatest pilot of the Imperial forces, is captured by the Rebels, he tells all in the confines of an interrogation cell to Wedge Antilles, the greatest pilot of the Rebellion - also his brother-in-law. Stackpole brilliantly shows the past carrer of Fel in the Imperial Navy, how he met Syal Antilles, Wedge's sister, and how it comes to be that Fel defects to the Rebels. The story falls short in the cofusing final third, however. Not much happens and what does happen is very jumbled and not thought through. Then again, Stackpole isn't exactly the Master of the Hidden Plot. But it is well worth its cost in dollars in the first two-thirds; after all, I bought it.
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