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Summary: Lucas personally approved the Dark Empire plot
Review: For everybody's information (this is from published interviews with Veitch), when George Lucas asked Tom Veitch to write Star Wars: Dark Empire, Veitch said he thought the Empire would try to keep the fear of Darth Vader alive by putting somebody else inside the costume. Lucas told Veitch, "You can't use Vader, but you can bring back the Emperor if you can figure out how to do it." Veitch proposed that the Emperor had been cloning himself for some time, and Lucas said "great!" ...People need to understand that during the Star Wars revival of the early 1990s Lucas personally ok'd everything, including the plots of the comics. Veitch invented the two-bladed lightsaber (TPM) and the Jedi Holocron, among other things, and these were approved by Mr. Lucas. Cheers.
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Summary: Simply put: some will love it, and some will hate it.
Review: I first heard of this series over the Internet and what I heard wasn't very conclusive. Some people apparently loved Dark Empire while others called for a lynching of the authors who had deared to create this apparent monstrosity.All in all, I thought the storyline sounded pretty cool, and all the arguing had made me quite curious about the whole thing. So therefore, one day, I decided to just buy it and see for myself.
All in all, I really don't know what to think about it. The art is okay, but you have to like this sort of work. To me it seemed a bit strange at first, but eventually I came to somewhat like the style. But again, not everyone will. My brother once referred to it as "kinda arty", I can only agree on that. Especially the colouring seems strange with only one or two colours dominating each panel. It does have a lot of atmosphere, though. As for the story, well, that's just outright BAD. It seems almost as if the people who were supposed to write it wanted to get home early and decided to download some fanfiction from the Web and call it the script.
The Emperor returns in this novel, and with that, he renders most of the last film's finale pretty pointless. With the help of some unrealistic Force powers and the "miracle of cloning", Palpatine apparently survived the second Death Star's destruction, and has now returned to rally what's left of his Empire and turn it against the New Republic.
Kind of makes you wonder were he was during Timothy Zahn's Thrawn series, the bulk of the X-wing novels, and the several other novels that take place between this comic and the last film. Of course we could live with all of that if most of the rest of the story wasn't so...[bad]
For example, the manditory Imperial superweapons used by the cloned Emperor are pretty silly (imagine a giant vacuum cleaner gone on a rampage), key events such as the Imperial retaking of the capital-planet Coruscant take place even before the story itself starts and are only mentioned in the opening text, and most of all, the dialoge is pretty overdramatic.
Of course, Dark Empire also has its strong points. The space battles look pretty cool (again: if you happen to like the art) and there is plenty of action to go around, so if you're into that, this series just might be worth a try. To cut a long story short, not everyone will like this book, not by far. If you don't mind the rather silly story and happen to like comic book art that is somewhat different from what we usually see, Dark Empire has something to offer you. If you aren't so broad minded when it comes to comic art and prefer a more believable (and not so over-the-top dramaticly told) story, HANDS OFF, you'll probably hate it. In case of the latter, you'd better buy the "Heir of the Empire" series comic adaptations or one of the X-wing comics.
Rating: 
Summary: This story was a waste of potential
Review: Great ideas. But the final product is a true waste of potential. The idea of Luke going to the Dark side was well done and very believable considering it is his fate anyway. But this book has MANY flaws in the story. Too many for me to even list.
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Summary: For both better and for worse....
Review: No matter what I or anyone else thinks about DE, I must give it credit: Without it, the Star Wars comic franchise would not exist. And for this Star Wars fans indeed do need to be grateful to Tom Vietch. Onto the book itself. It's somewhat of a mix, really. The story, writing, and so forth is pretty good on its own, althugh not stellar. Cam Kennedy's art is, as always... um... unique. The coloring can be dramatic at some times and annoying during others. Alas, the people don't tend to look all that much like their original selves and I, for one, find it to be a bit distracting. I must say, though, that Kenndey does thrilling, complex battle scenes the likes of which have not even been matched by the likes of John Nadeau. The Battle of Mon Calamari looks glorious, as does the two-page spread for the warzone on Coruscant. However, my qualms with the DE series is much like those I have with the New Jedi Order novel series. In truth, it really does kind of tear away a lot of past significance. Indeed, it pretty much knocks everything in past SW history down a notch to place it on its own pedestal. And that, in my opinion, is just plain wrong. The SW universe should be no means become a place where authors try to outdo eachother with their 'galactic menace of the month'. Instead it should flow together, more like a history than an ongoing Saturday morning series. The Palpatine cloning concept opens the pathways for numerous tired repetitions like DEII and Empire's End, a.k.a. DEIII. The idea of Luke turning to the dark side is an interesting one, while the one that the Dark Side takes a physical toll os one that I, personally, like quite a bit. So it's a mixed package. An interesting story on its own, but when taken into context it does cause problems. Still, the DE series is responsible for the rest of the SW comics, and without it we would not have excellant arcs like 'In the Empire's Service' and 'Mandatory Retirment'. I can't really say I reccomend it, but feel free to give it a try.
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Summary: A Great Book For All Star Wars Fans
Review: This is an outstanding book for all Star Wars fans. I like all the sounds which accompany the story. I like hearing the emperrors voice. I listened to this alot and I never got tired of it. Anyway! if Luke turns to the dark side! he had his Han and Liea taken prisoner by those centinals. I know that C3PO and R2d2 are in this, and so is Lando. There is one thing I don't understand. Why would there be a security zone trying to keep Han and Liea from rescuing Luke. I also like how the world devastators are destroyed. Luke had pretended to go to the dark side. So what are we complaining about? Anyway! this book is highly recommended for all Star Wars fans.
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Summary: This is my review, and I'm stickin to it.
Review: This is my favorite SW graphic novel, narrowly beating out Dark Lords of the Sith. Taking a cue from another Dark Lord in another popular fantasy trilogy, the Emperor hurtles his spirit across space towards his secret stronghold in the Deep Core even as his throne is consumed in destruction. He recovers from his near-death for the next five years, allowing his less-trusted commanders (such as that alien scum Thrawn ;) duke it out with the New Republic. When the time is right, Palpatine reveals himself. Luke, overcome with apprehension when he discovers this, panics, overestimates his own strength, and pits it directly against the Emperor. You can guess the outcome. The dialogue, and art, is full of mood. Melancholy, the hurt of betrayal, distrust, the fatigue of war, it's all there. The only things that hurt this series are the facts that Lightsider (a story between DE and DE 2) was never published and Empire's End got squashed into 64 (give or take) pages with a different artist. After reading Dark Empire, find Brendan Wahlberg's fanfic series, Dark Emperor. If you like, check out Dark Empire II, Empire's End, Crimson Empire, and the Dark Empire Sourcebook.
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Summary: Great Audio Drama
Review: This book is great. The audio drama is also great. I think the book isn't all that bad. I also like the world devastators and how they're functional. This book is highly recommended for people of all ages.
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Summary: Wow! What a blooper!
Review: I have read all the Star Wars novels and figured that the only thing left was to fill in the gaps by reading the comics. The novels keep on alluding to the time he turned to the Dark Side and the Emperor returned so i figured that that was a good place to start. Well I was wrong. This had to be the most poorly written, poorly illustrated work I have ever read. It was such a strain to get through it. Well where should I start? The illustration actually wasn't that bad. The ships themselves were great pictures, but the illustrator could not for the life of him draw people. Han and Leia were extremely ambiguous and Luke was just horrible. But that alone didn't make this comic a 1 star. The story itself was just really...wow...i dont have a word. Palpatine has incarnated himself in a clone body. At first I thought it was just a clone but then I found out it was REALLY the Palpatine we see on the Death Star II. To bring back this character is just a huge slight to Lucas and the myth he told in the trilogy. Bringing back the emperor basically undermined the whole vision that Lucas put into movie form. Then Luke turns to the dark side? Why? No good reason was given. After fighting so hard on the Death Star not to give into the Dark Side, in this comic Luke walks up to the Emperor and simply kneels before him and declares himself a Dark Jedi. Talk about doing all that work for nothing! In the novels and the encyclopedias after hearing so much about the Devastators and the Eclipse Star Destroyer I was again setting myself for a rude awakening. The Devastators are claimed to be even more lethal than the Death Star. The illustrations make them look like little toys in comparison and all they have to do to stop them is have artoo beam a code to them to shut them off. Very disappointing. The Eclipse is never used and the only time you see it is when it blows up due to a "Force Storm" created by the emperor. Jesus. If the Emperor could cause these "Force Storms" he should have been able to single handedly destroy the fleet at Endor. In an anticlimatic battle Leia is pitted against evil Luke and all Leia says is basically, "dont me mean. Be nice Luke" and Luke turns back to the lightside and they both turn on the Emperor. How is the Emperor killed? Well it had better be better than in ROTJ, right? No it wasnt.... Oh yeah...several other things bugged me too. You would think that Coruscant falling over into Imperial hands would be part of the story. No...they skipped that part and the comic begins after the Empire captures it. Han and Lando are generals and luke is a commander again despite having withdrawn from the military all those years ago. Those dumb little Ixlls that look like they are wearing backpacks on their mouths. How the Emperor is able to suck Luke off of Coruscant using the Force. How this is the comic that officially brought Boba Fett back but he had only a one pager. Oh yeah...and how there are two more Dark Empire stories after this. Do yourself a favor. If you want to read a good comic. Read Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand. Much better.
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Summary: Star Wars -Dark Empire- (Seafire12)
Review: This is any ok graphic novel. If they would have finished this Dark Empire series directly after the first one then it would have been better. I feel that the story is to drawn out. Even though the plot is cool etc. it makes me think about Vader. He sacraficed himself in Return of the Jedi to save his son and killed the Emperor. It is kind of sad to know that that was for nothing and the Emperor could enter a clone as soon as he died. It also drops the whole purpose of the Star Wars trilogy and Prequels. Anakin Skywalker is the chosen one. He gos through a lot but if you think about it he comes through in the end and destroys not only the Emperor but the Empire. This desregards that and ruins Lucas' purpose for the movies.
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Summary: The best follow up to the Star Wars trilogy
Review: Veitch does a very good job of continuing the Star Wars saga in a Dark tone. Luke's charcter has grown and developed in a way none of the other Star Wars writers has succeeded in doing. No longer a whining farm boy, he has become an intimidating and foridable charcter. Veitch doesn't seem to know what to do with Han and the subplots invloving him and Leia are less interesting but overall this is a very good story.
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