Rating: 
Summary: Wow, and Bow-Wow
Review: Blood and Honor, the follow-up story to "In the Empire's Service," is comprised actually of two stories, not just one. The first, "The Making of Baron Fel," is quite possibly the best X-wing comic ever. It was released on the stands as a special 48-page issue, and is quite outstanding. The second story is the 2-issue "Family Ties," which often vies for a position as the worst of the Rogue Squadron stories. Although these stories conclude some of the plots from the previous comic, they incidentally also pretty much completely drop the "Rise of Isard" story, leaving that to continue in the next Rogue Squadron story.The Making of Baron Fel is simply an outstanding comic. Basically it is, as the cover implies, the life story of the Empire's greatest pilot. It is told by Fel as he sits in a Rebel interrogation room, and really takes the guy from "Imperial pilot extraordinaire" to one of the most sympathetic characters to show up in the Star Wars mythos. The art suits the story perfectly, and we get to see a ton of familiar faces. There are cameos by Isard, Derricote, Thrawn, and Hal Horn, as well as a bunch of Rebels before they defected from the Empire. This comic also gives us a good look at how truly corrupted the Empire was, and why so many people were so willing to serve under it. There are also several surprises, including the identity of Fel's wife, as well as Fel's offer to the Rebels. This comic alone is worth the cover price of Blood and Honor. Unfortunately, Family Ties does not fare so well. Janson, Hobbie and Plourr (shouldn't she be back on Eiattu by now?) go on a mission to Corellia to ensure the safety of Baron Fel's family. Along the way they bump into a few familiar faces (including Corran Horn and Iella Wessiri in their CorSec days, as well as their Imperial liaison and nemesis, Kirtan Loor), as well as a few old enemies of Fel's. I didn't mind the art style, except that the characters were changed. Plourr was never before a buxom, spandex-wearing type, and Horn's X-wing as well as Horn himself and several other characters were also somewhat butchered. There were a couple funny running jokes, but no particularly wonderful dialogue, and there was only one space battle, thrown in at the end almost obligatorily, and then only to show off Corran's skills in a fighter so that the Rogue could make some jokes about how he'd never be a Rogue. The Making of Baron Fel was exceedingly good and definitely worth reading. Family Ties was not. I definitely recommend this comic for the one, if not the other.
Rating:
Summary: This is where you start to enjoy the Saga of the Rogues
Review: Dark Horse made a lot of X-Wing Rogue Squadron comics. After a false start with the first 4 issues called Rebel Opposition, which contains some of the best cover art of all, which was never made into a TPB. Dorman drew Wedge for the very first issue, and this is the Wedge that I have on my wall. Stackpole had introduced us to Wedge and his band of Rogues with his 4 X-wing books written from Feb of 1996 to Feb of 1997. The Phantom Affair is the first TPB and was published in Nov. 1997 collecting issues 5 to 8. On the star wars timeline I have placed it at the end of year 5 ANH at 5.91. My feeling is that all 8 TPB's come just before the novels. Story grade is 4.5, pencils vary but get a 4, ink and color vary from 3 to 4, and cover is a 3 for a grade of 4 stars. The story here is fun, but the art is a real mixed bag. Sometimes the pencils, ink and coloring are luxurious, rich and awesome. The artwork itself is consistently detailed with almost not lazy artists panels. Given the technology that existed at the time, this is one of the best TPB comics ever produced by Dark Horse. Look at the impact that Stackpole has had on the EU. This is where we meet Mirax on the time line, because the comic take place before the novels and the assault on Coruscant. Like most people I read the novels first, then the comics. My advice today for those wishing to engage the tales of Wedge and the X-Wing saga is to start with right here with this comic. This comic is totally start alone and introduces many of the main characters that you will get to know and love. Meet Mirax Terrik, daughter of booster, Wedge, Hobby, Wes Janson, and Tycho. There must have been some real butt kicking at Dark horse because almost everything about this comic is brilliantly conceived and executed, except the drably colored cover.
Rating: 
Summary: Baron Soontir Fel could be explored more
Review: Following right after In the Empire's Service, Blood and Honor is a comic where interstellar actions takes a temporary backseat for this character-driven tale. From the depths of a debriefing room, now in enemy custody, captured Imperial fighter ace Soontir Fel regales his background---a story of deceit, integrity, romance and inevitability. Dived into two parts---The Making of Baron Fel, and Family Ties---this is one comic that is surprisingly empathic for readers. The art quality is not the shocking excellence of modern fare, but its elegant simplicity conveys all it needs to and more. Frames are uncluttered with extraneous graphics and colouring adds enough three-dimensional texture to curry assent. Dialogue is handled just as well; both tone and wording are perfectly in keeping with a dignified Imperial naval officer. Fel recounts his career with an abundance of character cameos from the Star Wars universe. This was an excellent idea, simply because comics are visual books, providing the reader with a rare look of how some people actually look. Many of these guest appearances were names the reader knows but may never have seen in art, like General Derricote, Syal Antilles, Thrawn and Hal Horn. Palpatine, Tarkin, Isard, Vader and Turr Phennir also cameoed, along with other names from past Rogue Squadron comics. One downside to this fun was Fel's acquaintance with so many of them. The second half of the trade paperback was Family Ties, where Wedge sends three Rogues to Corellia to safeguard Fel's family from Imperial retaliation over his suspected defection. The art here was not as good as the first half, with frames looking too light in detail. The dialogue, however, is vintage Stackpole. And with three new names for show---Corran, Iella and the bumbling Loor---you could almost imagine it was one of his X-wing books! It was great to see how Corran and Iella look like, though Loor doesn't have his infamous Tarkin resemblance. Now that Plourr has her hair back, and enough of it, she just looks great. Wondering where Hobbie's "bug bite" comment came from in the X-wing book Starfighters of Adumar, you now know. Just a small discrepancy: CorSec uniforms were green-black, not orange here. The ending here, unfortunately, was just too rushed. An extra page of Corran in his emerald X-wing would have made the difference. But that notwithstanding, Blood and Honor is one comic you cannot go without for serious readers in the Rogue Squadron series.
Rating:
Summary: Arguably The Most Consistent
Review: If Michael Stackpole has written the storyline, you are virtually guaranteed a great Star Wars Tale. He, like Timothy Zahn, and maybe one or two other writers always deliver material that is faithful to the saga, and well written as well. These collections of illustrated stories bound between a single cover are not as widely visible as the more traditional books. However they can be fun, and when they are good, they are extremely good. And just as the other forms of written material that bring the Star Wars Saga to fans, bits and pieces of information are here for the learning as well. Another fan, Mastage, has already written a good summary of the contents, however there was one other aspect that I enjoyed. At the end of these books the cover art from the installments are generally included. This time they took several pages to document the creation of the cover art for this final volume from start to finish. Not unlike the movies these books that are a branch of the movies and other books, traditional attention and praise is rarely given, as it is deserved. The movies consistently are the biggest box office events of the year when they are introduced, yet other than technical achievement they are ignored. Ysanne Isard is one of the better female villains that have been created, and if the Emperor even becomes an Empress, she will head the list of candidates. This is not the best of these I have read, as I continue to feel earlier books were more complete. The storylines were more developed, and many of the books were a full 50% longer than the more recent releases. For fans of Star Wars all the written material are fun, so if you have yet to try one of these, do so, you will enjoy the experience.
Rating: 
Summary: A great end to the series
Review: Mandatory Retirement concludes the Rogue Squadron comic series, and does so with slick action, camaraderie and polish. For those who have the X-wing: Isard's Revenge book, you'll find the backstories of Admiral Krennel and Ms Isard here. The art is worthy of The Phantom Affair in quality, and just as fantastic, certainly above other issues of this series. The background detail in frames are not fuzzy or lacking, and some scenes are actually rendered from creative camera-points. Plenty of characters here, and their interaction is fun and not left to idle. Though the Imperial scenes are short they are adequate. The dialogue is vintage Stackpole; readers of his X-wing books will recognise his style of speech sentence structure. Wedge's face has changed so often per issue you wonder what his cosmetic secret is. It was nice to see all the Rogues having R&R in the beginning, though beware---Wedge and Tycho have bulging muscles without their shirts! The plot is great and never a dull moment. Baron Fel's lines stand out, but it is Pestage that stands out here. He goes from being a pest to a pestilence on everyone's nerves, particularly when you have to protect someone who's your enemy. There are many links to the X-wing books; Krennel's cryptic comment scoffing at studying an enemy's art when a tactical hologram will tell all you need to know is better explained in Isard's Revenge, where Thrawn booted him out of his forces, is one. Other nice touches was Wedge's long eulogy, some sharp lines from General Carvin, and more Dendo scenes; the man likes his cape, doesn't he? Though Salm and Dendo have similar faces, apart from the latter's head horns. Overall, Mandatory Retirement is a great issue and a fitting finale to this series. If you're looking for a comic with good action, dialogue and an actual story, not just a tale, this is the one for you.
Rating:
Summary: A powerhouse ending to an awesome series
Review: Mandatory Retirement is the powerful conclusion to the "Rise to Isard" story arc as well as to the Rogue Squadron comic series of which that was part. This is a strong series, and unique within the Rogue Squadron mythos. While most RS stories are four issues, with the first setting up a conflict and the next three having the Rogues resolve it, in this story the whole first quarter is devoted to showing us the Rogues during some R&R time. They get to have fun, go swimming, relax, dance, and develop their relationships. The whole story is then told in the next three comics. The art in this series is very good, much better and much more in style than the previous two Rogue Squadron stories, and the dialogue is really good too, although there isn't as much humorous banter as we're used to. There's also just as much action as you'd expect from an X-wing story, as well as plenty of Isard's manipulations and a healthy reminder of why we came to hate the Empire in the first place. The plot is that Sate Pestage has been caught in the act of selling out to the Rebels, and so three of the most powerful Generals in the cabal of Imperial leaders have formed a tribunal which assumes control of the Empire, and they decide they want Pestage. Pestage, however, has paid off Leonia Tavira to get him to a world loyal to him, where the Rebels will attempt to rescue him for political reasons. Tavira, however, then sells out Pestage's location to Isard and the Imperials, and when an Imperial fleet shows up, things start to get ugly for the Rogues. This is a good story for several reasons. Besides the good art, which I have already mentioned, there are a good number of characters here. Besides the Rogues, both General Salm's wing of Y-wings and Kapp Dendo's commandos return, as does Mirax Terrik and the Pulsar Skate. In addition, we have Isard, Tavira, and Admiral Krennel on the Imperial side. We also get to see, for the first time, the New Republic's Provisional Council, and all the attendant bickering and politicking. Tension in the ranks because of Fel's recent loyalty re-emerges here, an issue about which I complained in my review of "Masquerade." The relationships between various Rogues continue to develop, though there are sacrifices here as well. It's fun to see Isard removing her competition and securing her place at the head of the Empire, and we also get to see how Krennel, who later appears in the novel Isard's Revenge, gets so wealthy and powerful. Moreover, we get to hear Wedge give a sentimental speech. Plus, with John Travolta on the cover, what can go wrong? This is an exceptionally good Rogue Squadron story and a fitting end to the series. Highly Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A fitting end to a great series.
Review: Michael Stackpole has done it again. He has written the best book in this series since "In The Empire's Service". The book is filled with everything you've grown to know and love about this series:awesome space battles, the best art in any Star Wars comic book, backstabbing, betrayal, love, and funny subplots. The story, which covers an attempt by the Alliance to rescue former villain Sate Pestage, is very well written. There are many great twists, which we have all come to expect. Ysanne Isard, the vilain, is portayed especially well, with her treacherous path covered in full detail. Isard's attempts at assasination against her enemies is reminiscent of Crimson Empire, another great series. In conclusion, if you are looking for a great Star Wars book, look no further.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Ending to a Superb Series
Review: Stackpole ends his series with a bang. 'Mandatory Retirement' is indeed second only to 'In the Empire's Service' in the series in my opinion (as I prefer the larger-scale arcs) and is indeed uniquely Star Wars.
The story begin with light scenes of the various Rogues intermixing, socializing, and so forth, building the characters enhanced over the course of the series. Intermixed with these, however, are grim scenes of the events on Coruscant and Cituric. Pestage, intermin Emperor, goes into hiding, and the hunt for him begins. Dinner, dancing, and enjoyment ends for the Rogues and they are suddenly thrown into the mix of things.
One of the high points in this story are the many philosophical conversations about the Empire and the Repulbic and the differences between them. The conversations between Fel and Pestage and the clash between Nrin, Fel, Pestage, and Wedge after one of the Rogues is lost are both some of the best SW I've ever read. One must also take note of the dire contrast between the first and second halves. The Rogues begin by relaxing and enjoying themselves (except for to lonely, rejected Fel) and events transpire that put these same people in a dire, morbid situation where their hope for survival looks bleak. superb writing by Stackpole.
Onto the art. The Nadeau-Crespo team is a success, with and very good mix of people and technology. X-wings, Y-wing, Bantha-class shuttles, and Star Destroyers all look superb, in particular a jaw-dropping two-page battle shot towards the end. Crespo does very good faces and their expressions. One of my favorite parts of the whole arc is the full-page shot of the Rogues and Kapp Dendo's commandoes standing over the cloth-covered body of a fallen Rogue. (Who will remain nameless, of course.) The expressions on each and every face is a virtual window into what each one must be thinking. And once again the coloring by Dave Nestelle is superb, perfectly conveying the feelings of bleakness and hopelessness in some scenes while conveying one of tranquility and enjoyment in others.
In a series like Rogue Squadron, when you have dozen of characters, its hard to balance it out. But Stackpole does it just as well as he has throughout the series. Fel once again is a superb character, while others like Nrin show both their good points and their flaws very well. Pestage starts out as an almost sympathetic character, but as time goes on he becomes more and more loatheful.
Not perfect, but still highly reccomended. It's also one of the few examples in Star Wars where an actualy deep, philosphical reason against the Empire is established. Bravo to Stackpole and crew for a great ending to a great series.
Rating:
Summary: Try To Resist Cutting Off The Last Third With Scissors....
Review: That's my review, that title. This TPB makes me want to hunt down the first 2 of the individual issues comprising it. The last third makes me want to hunt down whoever was responsible.
What is the deal with it being printed all the way down into the crease? I don't like bending out the spines of my books. Do I have to do that in order to see all of some panels? Will it then fall apart?
Rating:
Summary: A New Beginning
Review: The Phantom Affair is the second story arc of the X-wing Rogue Squadron comic series, but it was the first to be collected in TPB form. Its predecessor was deemed by the publishers to be not so good, and so this comic is sometimes seen as the real beginning of the series. And what an excellent introduction, an excellent comic, it is. The art is really good, the story is really really good, and the dialogue is lots of fun. This book picks up soon after the Battle of Endor -- several weeks or maybe a month. The Rogues, in case you don't know, are the Rebellion's top fighter squadron, often called on for the most difficult jobs. Their mission this time: to buy a starfighter cloaking technology from the Mrlssi. When they get there, however, things get complicated. Not only is there apparently a "ghost Jedi" haunting the campus, but it turns out that the Imperials have also sent a delegation to try and obtain this technology. And the real catch -- the head of the Imperial delegation happens to also be the guy who essentially murdered Wedge's parents when he was a boy. And it thickens from there, but I can't really say more without spoiling things. Aside from giving us a great, fun plot, this book also reveals more about Wedge's past than I think any other book or comic has. Plus, of course, there's a plethora of action sequences, and of course all the characters are in character, trading their customary amusing witty banter. And Mirax Terrik (from the X-wing novels), along with her ship the Pulsar Skate, appear here, giving readers a visual reference for her character. And this book doesn't skimp on extras either. There's a little introduction by Stan Sakai, an extra page giving us some background on and schematics of the X-wing fighter so we'll know what we're looking at, plus, accompanying the cover gallery are several pages of character design sketches. Very cool. This is one of the best X-wing comics, one of the best Star Wars comics, that you can buy. And I recommend you do so. You won't be disappointed.
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