Star Wars: Invasion

It was announced at ComicCon today that Dark Horse is producing a new Star Wars comic series, this one set in the New Jedi Order portion of the time frame.

There are some good things for this:

1. A new Star Wars comic just rocks
2. Good visuals for the Vong & vong-tech
3. Possibly toys now that there is the toy/comic two packs--I'm hoping for an Anakin Solo & Tahiri Viela two-pack

It has potential. Lots and lots of potential. Unfortunately, it also has risks. The biggest is that this is a shared universe, and this product can easily... impact existing canon. That said, there are definitely some parts of the canon that I would enjoy, and cheer at, being impacted.

Consider this: it's a standard operating procedure to resurrect characters in comics, even those who have died on-screen.

The next issue which could impact it's success is the fact that the NJO was a markedly gore-filled, dark, and nihilistic story. Every time you turned around, the good guys were winning Pyrrhic victories. It didn't read like Star Wars because of the depressing, and dark nature of the stories, and finally, Del Rey never offered a truly emotionally satisfying resolution to the story--a concept that I have waxed eloquently on in the past.

Personally, I can't wait for the first of the Trades to start appearing on shelves, and I hope that we do get a good bit of seeing the Solo-kids in action.

But at the same time I find myself hoping that the story is not as dark this time around. That it doesn't create the same sense of depressing fatalism which the NJO series seems to be known for.

Well, I guess I'll find out come this summer.