Star Wars (2020) #21 - Comic Review

Not long ago, Shara Bey of the Rebel Alliance and Starlight Squadron snuck aboard an Imperial Star Destroyer to stay alive and decided to use it to her advantage by sending transmissions to the Rebels of some of the Imperial goings-on. In Star Wars (2020) #21, her husband Kes Dameron receives a recording from Shara explaining how she’s been living this whole time. Shara has been hiding in a damaged section of the Tarkin’s Will, a Destroyer that was hit during the destruction of the first Death Star, and so far doing a pretty decent job at it. She’s able to live, eat, and sneak around the ship due to everything left behind in that section. She also has a plan on how to escape the Star Destroyer, much to both Kes’ dismay and excitement. It’s dangerous, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Shara Bey … unless the Imperials figure out what’s going on first!

Star Wars (2020) #21 is one of the better recent issues of writer Charles Soule’s current Star Wars run! The big scale stuff happening in the galaxy takes a backseat to a smaller tale of hope and surviving against all odds in a hostile environment. It’s an interesting little story full of fun moments showing how Shara Bey is able to stay alive behind enemy lines as well as tense moments whenever she comes into contact with other Imperials. There’s also a few layers about family, found family specifically, that add some good depth to the issues as well!

The artistic team behind Star Wars (2020) #21 also helps elevate this issue to one of the best of the run! Artists Marco Castiello and Ramon Rosanas, colorist Rachelle Rosenberg, and letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles did wonders with this issue. The standout is absolutely the landscape shots that fill the pages, occasionally reminding me of manga artist Tsutomu Nihei’s sweeping abandoned landscapes in his series Blame!, that really shows the emptiness one might feel being a lone Rebel hiding amongst a ship full of enemy Imperials. The character art is also beautiful with their body language and facial expressions looking wonderful and perfectly conveying everything these characters are feeling.

The main cover art for Star Wars (2020) #21 is by Ramon Rosanas and Rachelle Rosenberg and finds a Stormtrooper disguised Shara Bey rummaging through some Imperial wreckage with a silhouette of Darth Vader looming over her. The first variant cover is another masterpiece from the trio of Chris Sprouse, Karl Story, and Neeraj Menon with their Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary piece depicting Kuill riding a Blurrg alongside IG-11 from The Mandalorian. John Tyler Christopher is also back with his action figure variant of Barada from Return of the Jedi. And last, but not least, is Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Lee Loughridge who give us a poignant piece showing Shara Bey in her Stormtrooper disguise looking down at her helmet amongst a pile of rubble she’s been hiding in.

All in all, Star Wars (2020) #21 is a must read issue from the flagship series! It’s intense, sad, hopeful, and beautifully drawn. So hop in your Lambda-class Imperial shuttle and zoom on down to your local comic shop to pick up your copy today!