Comic Review: Star Wars #5 – Roger Roger!

Writer: Alex Segura
Artist: Phil Noto

Publisher summary:
THE PAST RETURNS! As LUKE, RYNN, HAN and VALANCE race to find a group of stranded traders — they uncover a startling, and deadly, relic from the past — and have to face off against a horde of BATTLE DROIDS! LEIA and MON MOTHMA face an unexpected and powerful attack! Who is the new leader of the Nagai resistance? Cornered on a desolate planet, our heroes are left with one shocking option to survive!

Marvel Comics

Why it matters: A New Republic crew has gone down on Loradil, but all is not lost. Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Beilert Valance, and Rynn Zenat are here to save the day.

Key moments:

• Uh Oh: What started as a simple search and rescue has become more complicated, as the crew run into a horde of battle droids who believe the Clone Wars are still raging.

• Jesrit’s Return: While not the main focus of the issue, the role of the Nagai is still key to the plot of the series. Our friend Jesrit, from issue #2, is back after we assumed her to have fallen to the Zantarrk gang.

• Just Like the Simulations: The heroes do their best to withstand the surge of droids. While searching for an answer, Han ends up stumbling on a cache of weapons and armor from the Grand Army of the Republic.

Marvel Comics

The big picture: We are 5 issues into the Star Wars (2025) series, and for now, I think the jury is still out. Alex Segura is developing his world and cast of supporting characters, and the first 4 issues were a bit like drinking through a firehose. However, this issue serves as a nice reprieve. It really is mainly focused on the action. I think this overall really helps the pacing, and gives the reader a chance to catch their breath. At the same time, the issue contains a few vignettes to still move the plot forward and remind us of where we’ve been so far. The next issue will follow up on the battle droid standoff, but then I think issue #7 may be the real test of our opinion on the series as a whole. Still, while I have reservations, the art of Phil Noto has been stellar and it’s just great to have ongoing comics with the OT heroes back again.

Our rating: Good

What’s next: Stay tuned for issue #6 of Star Wars when it arrives in comic stores on November 12th.

For a deeper discussion of this issue, be sure to check out this week’s episode of The Cosmic Force podcast!