Brad Tracy 
A Review of Marvel Comics’ Rogue One Adaptation
Marvel Comics recently released a 6-part comic book adaptation of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The series was written by Jody Houser who has also written Agent May for Marvel as well as Orphan Black for IDW and Faith for Valiant Comics. Emilio Laiso was the artist for the majority of the run (except for Issue #3). His artistry can also be seen in Shattered Empire, Part II and Star Wars Annual 2. Colors were provided Rachelle Rosenberg who has contributed to a number of Marvel stories, and Heather #MakeMineMilkshake Antos was the editor for the entire series.
Pacing in this series was perfect. Each issue seemed to flow exactly in sync with the actual movie. I was not surprised at all where the author decided to end each issue. Jody utilized an optimal combination of dialogue and action scenes to keep the story going. While I was able to read all six issues in just over a half an hour, I did not feel cheated at all as far as the storyline goes when I was finished. I would give the story 4.5 stars out of 5.
When I began reading, I was not terribly impressed with Emilio’s artwork. Though it was in no way what I consider “bad,” it seemed to be rather basic and lacking in detail. Emotions at times would have been hard to tell if I had not previously seen the film (already countless times). His artwork did grow on me however as I progressed through the series. I would have given artwork 3 out of 5 if it weren’t for the contributions of the colorist, Rachelle Rosenberg. Her use of lighting and silhouettes added the emotion and detail needed to complete to Emilio’s work. Therefore I’ll give art 3.5 stars.
There were only a few lines from the movie that I wished had made it into this adaptation, but what makes this series special for Star Wars fans are the extra scenes that would have gone a long way for character development in the movie. I don’t want to give them all away, but I’ll mention a couple of my favorites. Bodhi Rook and K-2SO have a gripping conversation on Eadu that would have taken place shortly before Kaytoo said, “You’re a rebel now.” Personally I am a huge fan of both Mon Mothma and Jyn Erso, and these two powerful women have a quick but meaningful conversation on Yavin IV. But the best addition was undoubtedly Saw Gerrera’s final word…
Overall the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story comic book adaptation gets 4 out of 5 stars. It is extremely difficult for the comic book medium to compete with the big screen, but the team that worked on this did it as well as one could hope for. If you are just a casual reader or are bound and determined to pick up every single piece of Star Wars canon like I am, I highly recommend picking up these books. They will make a fine addition to your comic book collection.
The Marvel comics adaptation of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is available now from all good bookshops…
JFK historian and assassination researcher. Member of Citizens Against Political Assassinations and Assassination Archives Research Center.
