Emissaries to Malastare (Star Wars: Ongoing, Volume 3)

Rating:
Summary: Witty and wild, this doesn't disappoint
Review: Emissaries to Malastare is actually challenging to rate. Its high page count is more like two separate stories; though interconnected, the second different but for its loose relation to the first. The quality of the first fades very noticeably past the midpoint, but with shabbier fare out there this won't disappoint.

And with the Dark Woman starting off the comic with a quick duel against young A'Sharad, there's no need to hide that smile---anymore than why my fascination of this character can be explained. Perhaps it's her sharp tongue and haunting prowess, or the way she disappears in thin air. More likely it's her sharper looks.

The quality of art is smooth and commendable, though not of Twilight's exemplary performance. Malastare is a world with enough diversity for creative opportunity, and with the methane mists of a Podracer circuit parallelling a consular summit, it was well done indeed. But when the business on Malastare ends midway, as does the level of art. The investigation on Nar Shadda has shoddy art quality, unforgivable with the standards now available. A den of smuggler inequity Nar Shadda may be, the art doesn't need to be as badly done as unpicturesque the polluted environment may be.

Dialogue came in a fashionable bag: stylish for all seasons. With half the Jedi Council there to broker a peace accord, you can expect diplomatic etiquette polished to a mirror. The devious players spoke devious, the sybarites their own way.

The world is Dug populated but Gran dominated. Adding Lannik terrorists to the party and you get duplicitous danger swirled with traitorous betrayal. Selbulba is back along with his other Podracer faces, and with the twin-headed race commentators mouthing good humour you have yourself an enjoyable read.

You'll be treated to some nice touches here, from a half-headed Hutt and Villie the shifty Devaronian to revisiting the Smuggler's Moon, where continuity from Dark Empire was faithfully preserved. The Fode-Beed team was hilarious with their advertiser endorsements.

The focus started off with Master Piell and his Lannik ties to the summit, yet A'Sharad and Ki-Adi-Mundi wants their screen time too. Once Malastare is done, Mace Windu and Depa Billaba become the spotlight, thus making this seem more like two tales rather than one encompassing one.

Overall, this is one comic that cannot be missed out on for those seeking both a fun and delightful read.

Rating:
Summary: Almost Perfect 4.5 Stars
Review: For Pod-Racing fans the planet of Malastare is a familiar venue as it appears as one of the sites in the video game. In this installment taking place after, "The Phantom Menace", and prior to, "The Attack Of The Clones", fans get the better part of two storylines. One half of the Jedi Council sets out for Malastare and most of the time the Lightsabers are lit and in use. The action is raised another notch when some familiar drivers from The Boonta Eve Race on Tatooine make command appearances.

There is a great deal to enjoy in this collected series. This is one of the lengthier issues, and unlike some will not leave you feeling the story was thin or rushed. There is a sequence that shows a side to the training of an apprentice that I don't believe has been demonstrated to readers before. And inside the Jedi High Council Chamber the reader is exposed to the rituals that take place prior to a meeting, and relationships between council members that are new as well.

The artwork is key to any of the issues, and the skill of the artists is consistently extremely good, with some full-page illustrations that are excellent. The rendering of some of the characters faces is inconsistent which is not unusual but is something I have never understood. The cover would seem to be a place that would highlight the skills of the artist; in this case it does not. The four Jedi that appear on the cover appear as though they were pasted on a background. One Jedi Master has a Lightsaber that appears to be entering the side of his head, and all the Jedi weapons are ridiculously small. I don't know why the level of effort on the cover was so different from what is found inside, and with possibly one exception is substantially poorer than the individual covers that as always are featured at the book's end.

Over all this is still one of the better collections, and will appeal to those who are fans of this format.

Rating:
Summary: Almost there! Even better is ahead!
Review: This is a review of the Dark horse comic called STAR WAR: REPUBLIC - EMISSARIES TO MALASTARE, issues #13 to 18, also known as STAR WARS: ONGOING, VOLUME 3. What ever its name is I am reviewing ISBN: 1569715159 TPB issued august, 2001. It continues the story presented in OUTLANDER following Hett's son as a trainee at the Jedi Temple in Coruscant (or do we now call it chorussaunt). Dark horse has placed this comic on its timeline as happened before TPM but the cover says it takes place just after. i am putting it at -31.6 after NH on the timeline.

This is where Dark horse turns a corner for me with this comic. Most of the art is 4 star quality. The story is 3.5 stars, so I have to round up to a 4.

Rating:
Summary: Now this is Podracing!.. Comic book story and art combined
Review: This is a review of the Dark horse comic called STAR WAR: REPUBLIC - EMISSARIES TO MALASTARE, issues #13 to 18, also known as STAR WARS: ONGOING, VOLUME 3. What ever its name is I am reviewing ISBN: 1569715159 TPB issued august, 2001. It continues the story presented in OUTLANDER following Hett's son as a trainee at the Jedi Temple in Coruscant (or do we now call it corussaunt). Dark horse has placed this comic on its timeline as happening before TPM but the cover says it takes place just after.

This is where Dark horse turns a corner for me with this comic. Most of the art is of 4 star quality. The story is 3.5 stars, so I have to round up to a 4.

Got to thank Dark horse for it's individual pictures of the key characters and names. This is something that is sometimes missing, and when missing it can get confusing, guessing who is who.

The story is interesting. Seems three creatures are from Malastare, Dugs (Sebulba and Podracing are from Malastare). Jedi Even Piell (same race as Yoda?) is from Malastare. The Gran are from Malastare. We also learn that Adi Gallia is of Corellia. The Dugs are slaves on Malastare. Six Jedi go to Malastare to help negotiate a treaty but everything seems to be a trap. The negotiation were timed to take place at the same time as the galaxies biggest Podrace. There is lots of action and the art and inks are very good.

Word of caution. As of the new production procedures that create great looking comics, the binding quality has dropped off seriously. My comics seem to just fall apart with minor handling. This is not a problem I had experienced in the past. You must never touch your comic or open it if you wish to avoid damage to the binding.