I'm a huge fan of Star Wars and a huge fan of graphic novels so it seemed destined that I would love this graphic novel. But destiny is fickle and completely AWOL in this situation.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Starcrusher Trap
written by Mike W. Barr
art by the Fillbach Brothers
Dark Horse Books
August 2011
Our heroes, Anakin and ObiWan, find themselves on a mission to destroy a munitions factory on an asteroid when their ships are destroyed by a new terrifying ship, the Starcrusher. News of the destruction spreads fear and inspires action by the Jedi Council, which sends Obiwan and Mace Windu along with Clone War television alumni "Snips" Ahsoka and another less familiar Jedi Jyl Somtay. As the Jedi delegation set up a trap to lure out the Starcrusher they find that they are actually the ones in the trap and on a collision course with a sun!
This graphic novel plays like a single short episode of the television cartoon, although not as well done. The action is fast paced, the characters undeveloped and the plot simple at best. There is no depth in the writing that would justify this being a "graphic novel" which should be a story worthy of "novel" at the least. Instead, I found this to be an adequate children’s comic in longer than normal form. Not something for the true fan of Star Wars looking for additional history in the timeline.
Unfortunately, this also wasn't much to look at. The Fillbach Brothers' artwork is so childish and unproportional that it wouldn't satisfy even the most generous comic enthusiast. (Yes, I know that the Clone Wars is stylized but this artwork doesn't even match the stylization of the show!) The coloring is terrible and adds depth at times to the wrong part of faces or anatomy causing the art to look even more distended. (It may be that this is the colorists attempt to fix the drawing, but it doesn't work.)
The whole thing is a mess. Poor story. No development. Below par artwork and coloring. And, worst of all, doesn't do Star Wars any justice. Not recommended for Star Wars or graphic novel fans. Pass on this one.
