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: 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: 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: Baron Soontir Fel could be explored more
Review: This story takes off from Rogue Squadron No. 6, "In The Empire's Service". In Rogue No. 6, Baron Fel was introduced as the best pilot in the Imperial Navy, commanding the 181st Squadron and have teached the best pilot in the Rebel Alliance, most of them joined the Rogue Squadron. At the end of "In The Empire's Service", Baron Fel was captured, interrogated, and revealed himself to be married to the sister of one of the Rogue's Pilot. "Blood and Honor" itself is a compilation of "The Making of Baron Fel" and "Family Ties", both pubulished by Dark Horse Comics. In the beginning of "Blood and Honor", Baron Fel told his life story, from his boyhood to his capture. Next, he defect to the Rebellion in return to them securing his family. So, the half part of "Blood and Honor" is about several Rogue Squadron pilots trying to save Fel's Family. The story of Baron Fel itself is intriguing, since it deals with a military man who ideologically support the Empire, fight for the Empire, but gradually become disillusioned and eventually lose his loyalty. Baron Fel's story could be more exciting, too bad they doesn't go into much detail on some part of his life. For example, how Baron Fel become disillusioned. Exactly what that makes him decided to joined the Rebellion? They don't covered much detail here. There aren't even a dilemma involved. I would like to read Baron Fel's musing on the thought of defection and reflections on his gradual disloyalty, on how become disillusioned. I believe this is the most important part. Some parts that are not covered are his academy days. What makes him a valedictorian, for example? And what did he do with fellow student Han Solo? "Family Ties" isn't much too interesting. Perhaps it would be more interesting if Baron Fel's story is made into 3 parts that explore more on Baron Fel's decision to defect, while Family Ties could be shortened into 1 part.
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: 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: 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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