An Imperial knight and a descendant of Han Solo hunt for a Sith in a junk field above a dead sea planet in this latest issue of the Legacy arm of the Star Wars franchise. While not overly familiar with the details of the Legacy series, set forty years after the Original Series, I do find it a compelling place for storytelling and a successful example of Dark Horse's strong licensed content. The writing in the issue is straightforward and adventure driven, with an almost pulpy pace as our two heroes navigate the deadly edges of space. I'm not caught up on the series so I can't quite say I was deeply immersed in anyone's motivations, but the issue was simply written enough that I could easily follow the action without too much back history. I appreciate the pacing, feeling more like fun exploits than some of Dark Horses other Star Wars offerings that can occasionally feel burdened by franchise history.

The art unfortunately is some of the most uneven I've seen from Dark Horse, with panels ranging from impressive to somewhat crude. While many shots of ships and aliens look striking, many left me wishing somebody else had illustrated the issue. I can't tell whether the lesser examples were unattractive stylistic decisions or simply a matter of a crunched deadline, but it made a noticeable impression on my reading experience.

A mildly entertaining if slight book with a mixed bag of art. Not probably the best place to start reading, but not offensive in any way that would keep the diehard Star Wars fans away.

Score: 2/5

Writers: Corinna Bechko & Gabriel Hardman Artist: Brian Albert Thies Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 10/23/13