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Star Wars (2015)
Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel
Collects Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #7-8, Star Wars (2015) #31-32, Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel #1.
A rebel pilot and a rogue archaeologist delve into the darkest shadows of the galaxy side by side, as Luke Skywalker reluctantly teams up with Doctor Aphra! The not-so-good Doctor will make Luke an offer he can't afford to pass up...one that leads him to a very rare gathering at the heart of the infamous Screaming Citadel! Will Luke find what he's looking for? Can Aphra be trusted? Or will they both wind up victims of the Citadel's queen? And as this unlikely duo steps right into the lair of one of the most powerful, reclusive and dangerous women in the galaxy, can Han and Leia be far behind them?
A rebel pilot and a rogue archaeologist delve into the darkest shadows of the galaxy side by side, as Luke Skywalker reluctantly teams up with Doctor Aphra! The not-so-good Doctor will make Luke an offer he can't afford to pass up...one that leads him to a very rare gathering at the heart of the infamous Screaming Citadel! Will Luke find what he's looking for? Can Aphra be trusted? Or will they both wind up victims of the Citadel's queen? And as this unlikely duo steps right into the lair of one of the most powerful, reclusive and dangerous women in the galaxy, can Han and Leia be far behind them?
138 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 24, 2017
About the author
Kieron Gillen
1,377 books1,826 followersKieron Gillen is a comic book writer and former media journalist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 297 reviews
April 12, 2018
Screamin’ goooood!
I bought some of the comic book issues of this storyline, but I wasn’t able to get the ones from “Doctor Aphra” title. I’ve chosen this TPB edition to make a better overall review.
The story is set after the events of “Star Wars IV: A New Hope” but before the events of “Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back”. This TPB edition contains from the titles of “Star Wars: Screaming Citadel” #1 (one-shot), “Star Wars” #31-32 and “Star Wars: Doctor Aphra” #7-8 in its new Marvel Canonic run.
Creative Team:
Writers: Keiron Gillen & Jason Aaron
Illustrators: Marco Checchetto, Salvador Larroca & Andrea Broccardo
CROSSOVER IS STRONG IN THIS ONE!
In the spirit of previous crossovers like Vader Down, which tied the titles of Star Wars with the first run of Darth Vader, now it’s up to Star Wars to share a storyline with Doctor Aphra, publishing a one-shot to serve as introduction to the crossover storyline (in the same as with Vader Down).
The artists on the introductory one-shot and the regular Star Wars titles were quite awesome. It was on Doctor Aphra that while it was kinda an improvement compared with the previous artist responsible of the issues from #1 to #6, Broccardo, the new artist, still was kinda pale compared with Larroca and even Checchetto.
MAY THE SCREAMING BE WITH YOU!!!
Luke has a problem.
Aphra has a problem.
And maybe, just maybe, both can solve each other problem.
Luke wants to learn to use the Force but lacks of a teacher.
Aphra wants to actívate the IA crystal (with the memory imprint of an ancient Jedi-like master) that got from her previous adventure.
And providence may give both a chance…
…since the annual event of the Queen of Ktath’atn is about to happen!
The absolute ruler of the Citadel of Ktath’atn (that it can be translated as Screaming Citadel) makes a yearly party for one night only where if somebody can bring her an organic oddity, she will concede whatever they want.
So, the mischief plan of Dr. Aphra is present Luke Skywalker to the queen (being a Jedi after the massive purge is certainly an oddity nowadays in the galaxy) and for that ask for the activation of the ancient crystal that since it encloses the memories of a Jedi-like master, it could teach to Luke what he still lacks about the Force.
And everybody wins! Right?
Well, nothing is that easy and simple when Dr. Aphra is involved!
Not matter that Luke knows how risky is to trust in Aprha, he agrees to the plan since he doesn’t have much other options to find a Jedi teacher (if only he knows about certain little green guy at Dagobah).
Luke aboards the Ark Angel II, along with Dr. Aprha, 0-0-0 (Triple Zero), BT-1 (Bee-tee One) and Black Krrsantan, obviously without telling anything to his Rebel companions…
…but soon enough Princess Leia, Han Solo and Sana (an old acquaintance of Han’s) found out that Luke left with Aphra,...
...and Sana guess that it’s too coincidental that all this mess happened just in the day of the annual event of the Queen of Ktath’atn (that I found odd that Leia didn’t know anything about that queen and her yearly party, and she keeps asking questions about it to Sana, after all, Leia was the Princess of Alderaan, maybe she wouldn’t be interested to attend before, but she should hear about that royalty-related event).
What nobody knows is that the beautiful and enigmatic Queen of Ktath’atn possess a secret so dangerous that even the Empire woud get nervous if word would goes out.
Our favorite rebel scum against an insidious queen and…
…Dr. Aphra just in the middle!
What else can you ask?!
And don’t forget to scream!
I bought some of the comic book issues of this storyline, but I wasn’t able to get the ones from “Doctor Aphra” title. I’ve chosen this TPB edition to make a better overall review.
The story is set after the events of “Star Wars IV: A New Hope” but before the events of “Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back”. This TPB edition contains from the titles of “Star Wars: Screaming Citadel” #1 (one-shot), “Star Wars” #31-32 and “Star Wars: Doctor Aphra” #7-8 in its new Marvel Canonic run.
Creative Team:
Writers: Keiron Gillen & Jason Aaron
Illustrators: Marco Checchetto, Salvador Larroca & Andrea Broccardo
CROSSOVER IS STRONG IN THIS ONE!
In the spirit of previous crossovers like Vader Down, which tied the titles of Star Wars with the first run of Darth Vader, now it’s up to Star Wars to share a storyline with Doctor Aphra, publishing a one-shot to serve as introduction to the crossover storyline (in the same as with Vader Down).
The artists on the introductory one-shot and the regular Star Wars titles were quite awesome. It was on Doctor Aphra that while it was kinda an improvement compared with the previous artist responsible of the issues from #1 to #6, Broccardo, the new artist, still was kinda pale compared with Larroca and even Checchetto.
MAY THE SCREAMING BE WITH YOU!!!
Luke has a problem.
Aphra has a problem.
And maybe, just maybe, both can solve each other problem.
Luke wants to learn to use the Force but lacks of a teacher.
Aphra wants to actívate the IA crystal (with the memory imprint of an ancient Jedi-like master) that got from her previous adventure.
And providence may give both a chance…
…since the annual event of the Queen of Ktath’atn is about to happen!
The absolute ruler of the Citadel of Ktath’atn (that it can be translated as Screaming Citadel) makes a yearly party for one night only where if somebody can bring her an organic oddity, she will concede whatever they want.
So, the mischief plan of Dr. Aphra is present Luke Skywalker to the queen (being a Jedi after the massive purge is certainly an oddity nowadays in the galaxy) and for that ask for the activation of the ancient crystal that since it encloses the memories of a Jedi-like master, it could teach to Luke what he still lacks about the Force.
And everybody wins! Right?
Well, nothing is that easy and simple when Dr. Aphra is involved!
Not matter that Luke knows how risky is to trust in Aprha, he agrees to the plan since he doesn’t have much other options to find a Jedi teacher (if only he knows about certain little green guy at Dagobah).
Luke aboards the Ark Angel II, along with Dr. Aprha, 0-0-0 (Triple Zero), BT-1 (Bee-tee One) and Black Krrsantan, obviously without telling anything to his Rebel companions…
…but soon enough Princess Leia, Han Solo and Sana (an old acquaintance of Han’s) found out that Luke left with Aphra,...
...and Sana guess that it’s too coincidental that all this mess happened just in the day of the annual event of the Queen of Ktath’atn (that I found odd that Leia didn’t know anything about that queen and her yearly party, and she keeps asking questions about it to Sana, after all, Leia was the Princess of Alderaan, maybe she wouldn’t be interested to attend before, but she should hear about that royalty-related event).
What nobody knows is that the beautiful and enigmatic Queen of Ktath’atn possess a secret so dangerous that even the Empire woud get nervous if word would goes out.
Our favorite rebel scum against an insidious queen and…
…Dr. Aphra just in the middle!
What else can you ask?!
And don’t forget to scream!
February 23, 2018
So…this was a thing.
Star Wars: Volume 5’s Yoda-centric story ended up being my first real disappointment in Jason Aaron’s Star Wars run, so I had a ton of hope pinned to “The Screaming Citadel.” The fact that I ADORED the first crossover Star Wars event that Marvel did last year, “Vader Down,” and that this was being written by the same writers of said event, Aaron and Kieron Gillen-the latter of whom’s “Doctor Aphra” series I have seriously been digging-had me really psyched to see what this would be like.
Well. Now I know.
Things don’t start off terribly, which makes the story’s eventual fall into Syfy-channel-ish kitsch all the more disappointing. The one-shot that kicks things off has art by Marco Checchetto, whose work on previous “Star Wars” series “Obi-Wan and Anakin” and “Shattered Empire” rank as some of my favorite Star Wars art EVER. And he doesn’t disappoint here, mixing Gothic-horror with standard Star Wars visuals to create something that’s distinct, interesting, and utterly gorgeous to behold. The story starts off interestingly, too, with Doctor Aphra recruiting Luke Skywalker on an adventure to help her open up The Ordu Aspectum, the ancient Jedi thingamajig from her first arc. Their destination: the not-so-welcoming abode of the Queen of Ktath’atn. I won’t spoil the fairly obvious influences on the story, because that’s part of what little fun “The Screaming Citadel” ends up offering, but suffice to say, this is a story that wears its inspiration on its sleeve.
For the majority of issue #1, things click along well enough, and it looks as if the seeds are being planted for something genuinely interesting.
Then issues #2-5 happen.
It’s hard to dig into WHY “The Screaming Citadel” jumps the shark/screws the pooch/pick-your-“[VERB] + [“the”] + [random animal] metaphor as badly as it does without getting into spoiler territory, so I’ll just say this: there’s a thin line between fun, original, old fashioned Saturday-morning-sci-fi-serial storytelling, and tiring, derivative, schlocky Saturday-morning-sci-fi-serial storytelling. For the most part, both Aaron and Gillen have done an admirable job in each of their respective Star Wars series at keeping on the right side of that line. Unfortunately, in “The Screaming Citadel,” they don’t so much step over the line as they do careen over it.
And that’s really too bad, because the potential was there-as evidenced by the quality of the arc’s initial one-shot-for a Star Wars story that was truly different and fresh from anything else we’d ever gotten. You have to give points to Aaron and Gillen and artists Salvador Larrocca and Andrea Broccardo for trying to do something new within the realm of Star Wars…but when you don’t pull off what you set out to do, there’s only so much praise that deserves to be sung.
Star Wars: Volume 5’s Yoda-centric story ended up being my first real disappointment in Jason Aaron’s Star Wars run, so I had a ton of hope pinned to “The Screaming Citadel.” The fact that I ADORED the first crossover Star Wars event that Marvel did last year, “Vader Down,” and that this was being written by the same writers of said event, Aaron and Kieron Gillen-the latter of whom’s “Doctor Aphra” series I have seriously been digging-had me really psyched to see what this would be like.
Well. Now I know.
Things don’t start off terribly, which makes the story’s eventual fall into Syfy-channel-ish kitsch all the more disappointing. The one-shot that kicks things off has art by Marco Checchetto, whose work on previous “Star Wars” series “Obi-Wan and Anakin” and “Shattered Empire” rank as some of my favorite Star Wars art EVER. And he doesn’t disappoint here, mixing Gothic-horror with standard Star Wars visuals to create something that’s distinct, interesting, and utterly gorgeous to behold. The story starts off interestingly, too, with Doctor Aphra recruiting Luke Skywalker on an adventure to help her open up The Ordu Aspectum, the ancient Jedi thingamajig from her first arc. Their destination: the not-so-welcoming abode of the Queen of Ktath’atn. I won’t spoil the fairly obvious influences on the story, because that’s part of what little fun “The Screaming Citadel” ends up offering, but suffice to say, this is a story that wears its inspiration on its sleeve.
For the majority of issue #1, things click along well enough, and it looks as if the seeds are being planted for something genuinely interesting.
Then issues #2-5 happen.
It’s hard to dig into WHY “The Screaming Citadel” jumps the shark/screws the pooch/pick-your-“[VERB] + [“the”] + [random animal] metaphor as badly as it does without getting into spoiler territory, so I’ll just say this: there’s a thin line between fun, original, old fashioned Saturday-morning-sci-fi-serial storytelling, and tiring, derivative, schlocky Saturday-morning-sci-fi-serial storytelling. For the most part, both Aaron and Gillen have done an admirable job in each of their respective Star Wars series at keeping on the right side of that line. Unfortunately, in “The Screaming Citadel,” they don’t so much step over the line as they do careen over it.
And that’s really too bad, because the potential was there-as evidenced by the quality of the arc’s initial one-shot-for a Star Wars story that was truly different and fresh from anything else we’d ever gotten. You have to give points to Aaron and Gillen and artists Salvador Larrocca and Andrea Broccardo for trying to do something new within the realm of Star Wars…but when you don’t pull off what you set out to do, there’s only so much praise that deserves to be sung.
September 26, 2018
This is one of the weaker story of the New Star Wars Graphic Novel series. It was interesting, but what is up with Leia flirting like that with Han. That did not happen. She gave him nothing but a hard time until after Empire. Hans looks weird in this too.
It is interesting seeing a vulnerable Luke and his missteps as he's trying to learn the ways of the force. The main villain in this one was pretty silly. I don't know, it made for weirdness, some good and some not. I guess they are trying to make it dark.
When are they going to bring in Mara Jade. They can't ignore that character forever. I suppose she doesn't come into play until after the RotJedi. I like the character of Dr Aphra, but I grow tired of characters who double cross over and over and over again. They are there to create chaos. I grow weary of it. I did like Luke telling her to never contact him or his friends again. I'm sure it won't stay that way.
Still, I enjoy these little stories. I am kind of hooked on them.
It is interesting seeing a vulnerable Luke and his missteps as he's trying to learn the ways of the force. The main villain in this one was pretty silly. I don't know, it made for weirdness, some good and some not. I guess they are trying to make it dark.
When are they going to bring in Mara Jade. They can't ignore that character forever. I suppose she doesn't come into play until after the RotJedi. I like the character of Dr Aphra, but I grow tired of characters who double cross over and over and over again. They are there to create chaos. I grow weary of it. I did like Luke telling her to never contact him or his friends again. I'm sure it won't stay that way.
Still, I enjoy these little stories. I am kind of hooked on them.
December 30, 2018
Luke Skywalker is still trying to find a way to become a Jedi, and rogue archaeologist Doctor Aprhra has a crystal containing the essence of an ancient Jedi Master. Aphra has a plan to see a mysterious queen who receives visitors only once a year and will grant a favor to unique life forms. Since Luke is crazy strong with the Force, Aphra believes he’ll catch the queen’s eye, and she will help them unlock the crystal. Despite Aprhra’s previous employment with Darth Vader and their less than friendly previous encounter Luke is so desperate to gain knowledge about the Jedi that he agrees to go along with her.
Because what could possibly go wrong with teaming up with someone who has a history of double crossing every one she deals with at a place called The Screaming Citadel?
This is another entertaining story that blends the nostalgia of the original Star Wars trilogy with the best of this new Marvel line with Doctor Aphra and her companions. There’s a lots of good action, funny banter, and a pretty creepy storyline about what the queen is actually up to. It's nothing next-level great, but it's a solid Star Wars story.
Because what could possibly go wrong with teaming up with someone who has a history of double crossing every one she deals with at a place called The Screaming Citadel?
This is another entertaining story that blends the nostalgia of the original Star Wars trilogy with the best of this new Marvel line with Doctor Aphra and her companions. There’s a lots of good action, funny banter, and a pretty creepy storyline about what the queen is actually up to. It's nothing next-level great, but it's a solid Star Wars story.
March 27, 2018
Star Wars attempts a horror story... and mostly succeeds. Dr. Aphra talks Luke into meeting a strange queen who knows how to activate a Jedi artifact Aphra recovered in her last arc. Soon there's lots of running from possessed monsters in a Gothic castle. It's different for Star Wars and sometimes a bit goofy but I liked it. I also enjoyed the character studies of Luke and Aphra.
February 12, 2018
Wow, this was truly terrible. Like, I don't even care about these books' setting not making any sense — it's all basically glorified fan fiction at this point, because none of these events could have logically happened between films IV and V. Fuck all that. The worst thing about Screaming Citadel is that it's just painfully dumb. It's an attempt to mash up Star Wars with Alien and Marvel's symbiotes. And that's the whole idea — Aphra shows up and tells Luke she can hook him up with a Jedi master, so they go to the Screaming Citadel where a prequel-esque nameless queen lives, and of course she's evil and she has all these symbiotes, and then Aphra tripple-crosses everybody and that's basically it. The symbiotes are said to be the most dangerous parasites in the galaxy, but then both Luke and Han get fucked up by them without any meaningful repercussions, so that's a pretty safe galaxy they have there, I'd say. It was a mildly entertaining read on a very superficial level, but nothing beyond that. To those who were excited by a new crossover between Jason Aaron's and Kieron Gillen's Star Wars books after the superb Vader Down, don't get your hopes up — Screaming Citadel is pure, unadulterated bullshit, and is not worth anybody's effort.
May 23, 2018
Vote: 3,5
Loved the first half of this Star Wars/Aphra crossover, it was like reading a gothic vampire horror story in the "sword & bolter" Star Wars universe.
The "villain archeologist/jedi farmer boy" team-up was just great, I'm in love with Triple-Zero and BT-1 and I'm starting to like a lot Doc Aphra too, covers/artwork by Larroca/Checchetto were awesome except for some silly photorealistic visage seeming just out from a movie frame...
... sadly Aphra series' second cheesy half of the crossover was just not as good as the first one and Andrea Broccardo's artworks were so flat, uneven and undetailed if compaired to Marco Checchetto' ones in previous Star Wars series part of the volume.
Not bad at all, but that's all.
August 2, 2020
This is a crossover event between the main comic Star Wars and Doctor Aphra. In this one, Doctor Aphra and Luke team up to visit a planet where a queen only sees people once a year. Doctor Aphra is in possession of a Jedi crystal that is non functional. The queen might be able to make it functional where Luke can learn from it and it will be more valuable to Doctor Aphra.
This universe will delve into different genres at times and this is a horror genre collection. I was all for it. How can I not be all for it when we get a Gungan zombie? I really liked the story too especially the ending and its message. I think this works well with Luke and the Jedi way. There is no short cuts and everything must be earned. I believe this collection did some great character growth too especially for Doctor Aphra. I am not her biggest fan but this collection swayed me towards her side. My problem with this collection was the artwork. I have raved for the most part about Disney's artwork for this universe. Don't get me wrong. There is great artwork during this collection but every once in awhile it looked like they used a photo cut out of the actual actors and pasted them on a drawn body. It was the weirdest thing I saw in this collection which includes a zombie Gungan.
This is a side adventure that probably doesn't add much to the overall arc. That being said I enjoyed it and I would recommend it just on the basis of we get more of the murder droids. They rule. Too bad Disney did a funky thing with some artwork because this collection would have been a great read if they stuck to their normal premise.
This universe will delve into different genres at times and this is a horror genre collection. I was all for it. How can I not be all for it when we get a Gungan zombie? I really liked the story too especially the ending and its message. I think this works well with Luke and the Jedi way. There is no short cuts and everything must be earned. I believe this collection did some great character growth too especially for Doctor Aphra. I am not her biggest fan but this collection swayed me towards her side. My problem with this collection was the artwork. I have raved for the most part about Disney's artwork for this universe. Don't get me wrong. There is great artwork during this collection but every once in awhile it looked like they used a photo cut out of the actual actors and pasted them on a drawn body. It was the weirdest thing I saw in this collection which includes a zombie Gungan.
This is a side adventure that probably doesn't add much to the overall arc. That being said I enjoyed it and I would recommend it just on the basis of we get more of the murder droids. They rule. Too bad Disney did a funky thing with some artwork because this collection would have been a great read if they stuck to their normal premise.
February 9, 2018
Hard to reconcile the events of this book within the broader Star Wars cannon. Stories with such magnitude as this comic book crossover of which the plot centers around a sentient Jedi stored in a mysterious artifact in the possession of popular comic-born character Doctor Aphra whose intention (on the surface) is to free this Jedi to aide Luke’s training (remember this is set in between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, so Luke’s still coming to terms with the whole Jedi thing) should’ve been at least teased/mentioned in passing/have some form of reference in the original trilogy to give it any form of plausibility.
Despite this not being case, I really enjoyed the story as a nice self-contained Star Wars book. I did need to suspend my belief though, as per the opening paragraph of this review to fully appreciate the new characters and story itself. This reads more like an Extended Universe non-canonical Star Wars story as opposed to being part of the bigger Disney machine.
My rating: 4/5 stars. The writers really capture a young Luke very well and Doctor Aphra is exceptionally well written and an all-round great character. Sana, Han, and Leiah have bit parts.
Despite this not being case, I really enjoyed the story as a nice self-contained Star Wars book. I did need to suspend my belief though, as per the opening paragraph of this review to fully appreciate the new characters and story itself. This reads more like an Extended Universe non-canonical Star Wars story as opposed to being part of the bigger Disney machine.
My rating: 4/5 stars. The writers really capture a young Luke very well and Doctor Aphra is exceptionally well written and an all-round great character. Sana, Han, and Leiah have bit parts.
April 17, 2023
Reread: 17/04/2023
I definitely enjoyed this so much on the reread like reading Dr Aphra vol 1 helps a lot like you see here the two of them going to Screaming citadel for activation of this crystal Aphra got (in vol 1 of her run) as Luke is searching for a Jedi master (these events are before episode 5) and thus doesn't realize it maybe a trap as Aphra is not exactly a good person and we meet the Queen there and her symbiotes (controlling creatures) and more twists and turns, and also his crew coming to save him and how the drama there unfolds, its a typical "go to a planet but encounter horrors" but its done so well and I love this crossover as much as Vader down, its got predictable twists yes but the way they show those moments for Luke, Han and Leia accompanied by these murderous droids and Aphra is so fun, plus the tension between Aphra and Sana is so apparent, I love to see that. This is one of those volumes had it been an animated episode would have been one of my faves, so yeah before I go off the tangent, read it for sure.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Dr Aphra and Luke must team up to reactivate the consciousness of some AI Jedi thing and Aphra being an archaeologist is interested in it and Luke wanting a master to learn more about the Jedi and they go to a planet named Ktath'atn where the Queen grants favor every year and she interested in Jedi. But things dont go their way and soon they have to fight this mind controlling queen and her lieutenants and some Abersyn symbiotes while its upto Han, Leia and Sana to rescue them and it goes as you can predict. Its not a bad story, has some good moments, shines lights on Aphra and intoduces a good villain in the queen and has some great moments for Han and then Leia-Han hug and Luke ultimate learning there is no shortcut to learning in how to become a Jedi...
I definitely enjoyed this so much on the reread like reading Dr Aphra vol 1 helps a lot like you see here the two of them going to Screaming citadel for activation of this crystal Aphra got (in vol 1 of her run) as Luke is searching for a Jedi master (these events are before episode 5) and thus doesn't realize it maybe a trap as Aphra is not exactly a good person and we meet the Queen there and her symbiotes (controlling creatures) and more twists and turns, and also his crew coming to save him and how the drama there unfolds, its a typical "go to a planet but encounter horrors" but its done so well and I love this crossover as much as Vader down, its got predictable twists yes but the way they show those moments for Luke, Han and Leia accompanied by these murderous droids and Aphra is so fun, plus the tension between Aphra and Sana is so apparent, I love to see that. This is one of those volumes had it been an animated episode would have been one of my faves, so yeah before I go off the tangent, read it for sure.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Dr Aphra and Luke must team up to reactivate the consciousness of some AI Jedi thing and Aphra being an archaeologist is interested in it and Luke wanting a master to learn more about the Jedi and they go to a planet named Ktath'atn where the Queen grants favor every year and she interested in Jedi. But things dont go their way and soon they have to fight this mind controlling queen and her lieutenants and some Abersyn symbiotes while its upto Han, Leia and Sana to rescue them and it goes as you can predict. Its not a bad story, has some good moments, shines lights on Aphra and intoduces a good villain in the queen and has some great moments for Han and then Leia-Han hug and Luke ultimate learning there is no shortcut to learning in how to become a Jedi...
February 25, 2024
4.35 stars
February 17, 2018
Luke Skywalker and Dr. Arpha decide to go to a strange meeting in a place called the "Screaming Citadel". Obviously (the name didn't give an hint as to trouble?) there is trouble and Han, along with Leia, must go to the rescue. Luke, proving a very poor representative of the Jedi, struggles to defeat some characters a 14 year old Padawan could have dispatched. I won't spoil any more of the story.
It's a good enough story, the artwork is uniformly good. Luke? He is underwhelming as ever. It really is a good thing that in reality neither Vader nor Sidious really want him dead, because he is a terrible excuse for a Jedi. It shows in this volume. Dr. Arhpa and her killer droids shine. After dealing with Vader, the emasculated and pathetically weak Luke is a cakewalk for her to manipulate. had this been a Vader story it would have been three or four pages. Vader comes, Vader sees and Vader destroys. Period. But since this is Luke...it becomes a grand adventure.
Still a good Star Wars story. It is set in the "old" SWG not the "New, improved and better tasting" version. So no sudden shifts ( a la Rey going from powerless to pulling off Force stunts that Yoda would have had problems performing) from Luke from Padawan-failure to Dark Lord of the Sith within the space of one volume. No he is perfectly mediocre throughout. A good Star Wars tale in the old style.
It's a good enough story, the artwork is uniformly good. Luke? He is underwhelming as ever. It really is a good thing that in reality neither Vader nor Sidious really want him dead, because he is a terrible excuse for a Jedi. It shows in this volume. Dr. Arhpa and her killer droids shine. After dealing with Vader, the emasculated and pathetically weak Luke is a cakewalk for her to manipulate. had this been a Vader story it would have been three or four pages. Vader comes, Vader sees and Vader destroys. Period. But since this is Luke...it becomes a grand adventure.
Still a good Star Wars story. It is set in the "old" SWG not the "New, improved and better tasting" version. So no sudden shifts ( a la Rey going from powerless to pulling off Force stunts that Yoda would have had problems performing) from Luke from Padawan-failure to Dark Lord of the Sith within the space of one volume. No he is perfectly mediocre throughout. A good Star Wars tale in the old style.
January 3, 2018
This felt a bit like Star Wars doing Abbott & Costello meet Dracula. It's ostensibly a creepy horror story, but it's filled with banter (especially between Aphra and Luke, who make for a fun pairing), a fair bit of action, and some over-the-top villainy that manages to pull all the major characters in (yes, even Sana, whose interactions with Aphra are second only to Luke's). The plot is pretty silly; Aphra is using Luke to get a strange Queen to unlock a Jedi relic, but is of course double and triple crossing everyone, and the usual gang are on a rescue mission that goes awry.... It's basically an excuse for a crossover. And as long as you're willing to accept that the central premise is silly, it's an enjoyable enough read. The characters crackle and there's definitely some fun had with the action sequences, especially the wookie moments. The art is good, if a little bit over-the-top on the Crimson Goth stylings. It's not the most Star Wars-y of the comics, but it's a nice diversion.
December 18, 2017
Started strong but ended a little silly. The story starts with Dr. Aphra, now with the rebels, propositioning Luke to help her. Aphra has an ancient crystal that has the essence of an old jedi in it but she cannot unlock it. Luke needs a Jedi to train him so Aphra makes a deal to go to the screaming citadel to make a deal. I like the premise and I like Aphra and I love the evil droids BT and triple 0. I thought the story had a fun idea and actually has a small tie with Lukes training so I was hyped. without spoilers lets just say they take a cool idea with these hive type parasites and go overboard with it quickly. In the end it is just a good story not a great one.
December 12, 2020
"C'mon, are you out, farm boy? Or are you in, Jedi Knight?"
Oh I loved this one.
I think it took around Rebel Jail or that last Vader comic for me to finally warm up to Doctor Aphra. It just takes me a while to like a non-movie or TV show character. But I think the stuff with Sana and the gradual and very clever interpretation of her into the comics finally won me over.
Luke and Aphra teaming up was honestly quite a thing - I really liked the dynamics of their relationships. I think that line that Triple Zero said at the end about the differences between the two of them really showed that well. Aphra is becoming quite a complex character.
There was also some neat Han stuff, so that was great, and I liked how Sana is just part of the crew with Leia and the rest now. She's definitely fitting in.
The stuff with the queen and the possession-type stuff in this book were a little weird, but honestly the character moments in this were definitely good enough for me to overlook them. (Was not the case with Yoda's Secret War.)
I think there are three different art styles in this comic. The first one is pretty standard - nice, crisp, very talented. The second was my favorite - more realistic-looking. I really liked it. The third was more cartoonish, a little rougher, but I still had fun with it.
Ooh, also, I liked the annual at the end of this one. The whole storyline is a little done with Star Wars, but I found myself really enjoying this one. Pash was cool; she was a deep character.
Man I can't wait to continue with these comics. They're going really well. 5/5 stars here.
Oh I loved this one.
I think it took around Rebel Jail or that last Vader comic for me to finally warm up to Doctor Aphra. It just takes me a while to like a non-movie or TV show character. But I think the stuff with Sana and the gradual and very clever interpretation of her into the comics finally won me over.
Luke and Aphra teaming up was honestly quite a thing - I really liked the dynamics of their relationships. I think that line that Triple Zero said at the end about the differences between the two of them really showed that well. Aphra is becoming quite a complex character.
There was also some neat Han stuff, so that was great, and I liked how Sana is just part of the crew with Leia and the rest now. She's definitely fitting in.
The stuff with the queen and the possession-type stuff in this book were a little weird, but honestly the character moments in this were definitely good enough for me to overlook them. (Was not the case with Yoda's Secret War.)
I think there are three different art styles in this comic. The first one is pretty standard - nice, crisp, very talented. The second was my favorite - more realistic-looking. I really liked it. The third was more cartoonish, a little rougher, but I still had fun with it.
Ooh, also, I liked the annual at the end of this one. The whole storyline is a little done with Star Wars, but I found myself really enjoying this one. Pash was cool; she was a deep character.
Man I can't wait to continue with these comics. They're going really well. 5/5 stars here.
August 4, 2018
I really like Star Wars horror, it’s a problem
February 11, 2019
Crossing over two of the new lines results in an enjoyable story, but once again it is undermined by the knowledge of the original films and how these new storylines should have affected them.
January 3, 2018
Another story with horror themes in the Star Wars universe to satiate my thirst for star-wars-with-a-scare in the month of October. Aka, the time of year I like to call "the month of horror". While I started with the legends novel Red Harvest (review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), I now give you a complete 180 degree turn with a canon comic book.
I didn't know what to think before readign this book. On the one hand, seeing Luke and Dr Aphra crossing over was an exciting prospect: the potential to cross archaeologist searching for ancient artifacts with a burgeoning jedi had limitless potential. But then I heard that most people who follow the canon really didn't like it, so I went in with tempered expectations even though the premise kept my faith strong. When I actually read it though, it surpassed my newly tempered expectation, and I was surprised at how much I liked it.
"The Screaming Citadel" to me is for canon what Red Harvest was for legends: a story disliked by many that I actually enjoyed. But while Red Harvest only makes it into that category of "eh, I just like it more than others do", Screaming Citadel I would actually consider to be highly underrated.
While it's not as good of a crossover event as Vader Down, this was for me the most enjoyable star wars comic to be released in a long time, and I simply don't understand why it was so negatively received.
THE STORY: This is the second crossover event marvel has done for the Star Wars canon, and it is once again a collaboration between Jason Aaron and Kieron Gillen. While Aaron once again brings the flagship star wars series that follows the classic characters, Kieron Gillen brings in the newer Dr. Aphra series instead of his Vader run.
Dr. Aphra is seeking to unlock the artifact that she recovered in Aphra: a crystal that contains the conscience of Rur, an ancient Ordu Aspectu Jedi Knight. Knowing that Luke Skywalker is looking for direction in his quest to become a jedi, Aphra seeks him out, promising that Rur can teach him once the crystal is unlocked. Luke agrees, eager to finally find the answers he seeks.
With that, Skywalker and Aphra travel to the Screaming Citadel to seek out its queen (dont' try pronouncing her name, even the comic acknowledges that it would be a futile endeavor)- the person that Aphra believes either can open the crystal or knows the person that could.
When word reaches the other heroes, Leia Organa worries that Luke has placed himself in grave danger through his naivete, and takes Han Solo and Sana Starros to rescue him.
Classic characters from the flagship series and newer characters from the Dr. Aphra series collide once again, with a mix of classic horror elements. The result is another well done crossover comic book story arc. Yeah, I know that this is an unpopular opinion, but I thought screaming citadel was not only fun, but straight up great.
THE BAD: My one major flaw with this comic was the artwork in the sections that Kieron Gillen contributed. While I was ecstatic to see the brilliant Marco Checchetto bring his talents to the table with another Star Wars comic, he should have done the entire comic, or at least all the entries from Kieron Gillen's side of the crossover. While he created visually stunning cover art and did a phenomenal job with the opening issue (which Gillen wrote), Gillen had another, vastly inferior artist team do the visuals for the rest of his contributing issues. Again, Gillen should have just made sure he could keep Checchetto on board because I really disliked the work done by Andrea Broccardo and Antonio Fabela. The colors are incredibly flat and the character drawings (particularly the faces) for the most part look even worse than those from Last Flight of the Harbinger.
But what makes the bad artwork from Broccardo and Fabela even more problematic comes from inconsistency. Let me explain. Even if the artwork from comics like Princess Leia, Dark Empire I, or C-3PO: The Phantom Limb were straight up garbage, at least I could get used to it. Here though, even though the bad portions of the artwork are not nearly as bad as the three comics I mentioned above, the fact that the rest of the artwork is so good is almost worse than if the rest of the artwork was low quality too.
The first issue contributed by Kieron Gillen is drawn by the brilliant Marco Checchetto. The issues contributed by Jason Aaron were done by the always great duo of Salvadore Larrocca and Edgar Delgado. And because this is a crossover, each issue switches between writer, and hence artist as well. So when I had to go from Checchetto or Larrocca/Delgado to Broccardo/Fabela, the change in quality was so jarring that it took me out of the story each time the writer/artist changed, even when I was relieved to be looking at the better artists' work again. As soon as I was able to get used to one artist and get back into the story, the change in quality, whether it be from low to high or high to low, took me out of it again.
In contrast, even though Vader Down did the same thing as Screaming Citadel in switching writer/artist duos each issue, it wasn't as hard to get used to the changes each time because the quality of both artists was still consistent. Even though styles changed, the quality between the two art teams was close enough for it to feel like part of the same story, and hence it didn't bother me. Here though, I have to deal with a constant shift not just in style, but also in quality, so the look of the comic is too all over the place and too difficult to identify with.
THE GOOD: Much like Red Harvest and Cullen Bunn's Darth Maul, one big flaw can be be forgiven because everything else was great if not awesome.
Let's begin by addressing what everyone seemed to dislike about this comic: that the new elements didn't "feel" like Star Wars. Much like the zombies in Red Harvest, I had no problem with this vampire-like species being part of star wars, or the abersyn symbiotes going all "invasion of the body snatchers" on us. After all, plenty of vampire-like species existed in legends, so I find it perfectly reasonable that there is a vampire species living on a planet in star wars canon, and that force sensitive blood is especially appetizing to them. With her magical vampire powers, I just saw it as another manifestation of the force. Much like with the zombie analogy I made in my red harvest review, I don't see why this vampire queen can't use the force to manifest her abilities when vampires use magic in fantasy all the time to do crazy stuff. And with the symbiotes, it reminds me of a creature on Earth called the "liver fluke" that I read about as a kid: a parasite that burrows into the brains of ants, compelling them to climb to the tip of a blade of grass- enabling the liver fluke's life cycle to repeat as a sheep eats the grass and consumes the ant with it. My girlfriend told me that it is theorized that the Liver Fluke is what inspired the monsters that cause the apocalypse in The Last of Us. So with that in mind, why can't Star Wars do the same and create a bigger version of the liver fluke that works on humanoid/human-sized sentients? While I found the rules of the abersyn symbiotes to be a little spotty, I had no qualms about their presence and never doubted them feeling like Star Wars. I don't have time to explain my criteria on what I consider to feel like star wars or not, so I'll just end this point here by saying that I found the crazy elements in screaming citadel a perfectly compelling part of the Star Wars universe. If anybody argue against my opinion and tell me why I'm wrong, I'd be happy to expand on such things in the comments. Otherwise, you'll just have to accept my opinion so i can get to the other things I liked about this comic.
Let's get to the best part of this comic, the characters. Not only do the old characters continue to remain faithful to their characterizations in the films, I loved both the character portrayals and character development on display here for both the old favorites and the newer players. Luke and Dr. Aphra were phenomenally done here. The banter between the two was fantastically entertaining, and both characters were extremely well developed. This is easily the best portrayal of Dr. Aphra I have seen yet. She has now become a much more complex and well rounded character and I think every decision she made in this arc quite compelling. I believe it is this comic here in which she has cemented herself as one of the best new characters the canon has created yet. Luke also went through some excellent development, and the resolution of his arc specifically for screaming citadel was powerful both for this contained story and for his character in the canon as a whole. This is one of, if not the best, portrayals of Luke I have seen in the comics thus far. It not just seamlessly fits with the transition between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, but serves wonderfully for the story of this comic and the character progression that Luke goes through specifically for this series.
The other characters were handled well too. Even though I never laughed at them, BT and Triple Zero were actually decently entertaining, something that I didn't expect to ever see again. Han Solo was pretty funny, and Leia is likeable as usual. Another surprise was Sana Starros, who was well developed and got to shine in a way I have missed since Rebel Jail. I liked her interactions both with Aphra and with the classic cast.
The villain was really fun too. Even though I won't remember her name, I'll remember how menacing she could be, how devilish some of the dialogue was, and how surprised I was of not being bothered of whether she felt like Star Wars or not.
The writing is great. No matter which artist was at the helm at any point, the dialogue was always a ton of fun. Nobody was treated as the comic relief specifically so everyone got some great lines. Even triple zero had some chucklers from time to time, so go figure.
The story is fantastic. Much like Vader Down, Screaming Citadel works well as a story on its own but also does great service in advancing the larger storylines of both series it crosses over, especially the flagship star wars series. In the case of the Aphra series, it is a logical progression from the first volume of the Aphra comic both for the bigger storyline and for the character of Aphra herself. For the flagship series, Screaming Citadel has finally given a series that has been stagnating in 3 volumes of filler some much needed focus and direction. I thought this one comic arc did more for the story and Luke's character than Rebel Jail, Last Flight of the Harbinger, and Yoda's Secret War combined.
This is again probably going to be the biggest point of contention, but I highly enjoyed the worldbuilding. Star Wars is a big galaxy and a big universe, so I welcome when a story takes some risks and integrates elements of other genres. Much like Yoda's Secret War, I welcomed all the craziness that Screaming Citadel introduced. I really liked how Gillen expanded on the abersyn symbiotes after introducing them in the Aphra comic's first volume. We see them in quarantined vessels and are told that they are dangerous, but we don't see or hear about why. After being told by Aphra that the symbiotes are so dangerous that the empire won't even consider weaponizing them, we get to see them in action and see why. And I liked it. Going back to the idea of people disliking this comic, I'm left a bit confused as to why people so quickly rejected the content in this comic and insisted that it didn't feel like star wars. Seriously, they need to make up their minds on what they are looking for and quit their complaining.
For the past three years, a constant complaint from Star Wars fans about the new content is that Lucasfilm has been playing things too safe. They want to see the stories take more risks and do something more original. And yet as soon as they take risks with the Yoda's Secret War or with The Screaming Citadel, people say that it sucks and doesn't feel like Star Wars. Here's my too cents: give me the strange and weird. Yes, it should be balanced by the traditional stuff, but I don't want Star Wars to forever be stuck in the traditional formulas. rebels vs empire/resistance vs first order, jedi vs sith, bounty hunters, smugglers, all that stuff is fine, but it needs to be mixed with new elements and ideas to keep Star Wars fresh. Say what you will about the star wars timeline being reset in 2014 but this principle is applicable to the legends timeline too- if all Star Wars did was just make more stories about jedi, sith, bounty hunters, smugglers, rebels, empire, republic, resistance, or first order, star wars would quickly become stale whether they stuck with legends or not. So as long as I can justify it fitting within the core rules established by the films, I'll accept whatever is thrown at me, no matter how insane.
THE CONCLUSION: I'm in a proud minority in saying that I had a great time with The Screaming Citadel. It not only took risks that payed of quite well, but did great job by telling both a fun, self contained story arc but also one that fantastically develops the characters and advances both the separate overarching stories of the flagship series and the Aphra series. I don't know how things were able to turn themselves around, but the flagship star wars comic series has finally injected itself with some much needed energy and momentum, and I have not been more excited to continue with Out Among the Stars for a long time.
You didn't like Screaming Citadel? Then I'll see you in hell!
I didn't know what to think before readign this book. On the one hand, seeing Luke and Dr Aphra crossing over was an exciting prospect: the potential to cross archaeologist searching for ancient artifacts with a burgeoning jedi had limitless potential. But then I heard that most people who follow the canon really didn't like it, so I went in with tempered expectations even though the premise kept my faith strong. When I actually read it though, it surpassed my newly tempered expectation, and I was surprised at how much I liked it.
"The Screaming Citadel" to me is for canon what Red Harvest was for legends: a story disliked by many that I actually enjoyed. But while Red Harvest only makes it into that category of "eh, I just like it more than others do", Screaming Citadel I would actually consider to be highly underrated.
While it's not as good of a crossover event as Vader Down, this was for me the most enjoyable star wars comic to be released in a long time, and I simply don't understand why it was so negatively received.
THE STORY: This is the second crossover event marvel has done for the Star Wars canon, and it is once again a collaboration between Jason Aaron and Kieron Gillen. While Aaron once again brings the flagship star wars series that follows the classic characters, Kieron Gillen brings in the newer Dr. Aphra series instead of his Vader run.
Dr. Aphra is seeking to unlock the artifact that she recovered in Aphra: a crystal that contains the conscience of Rur, an ancient Ordu Aspectu Jedi Knight. Knowing that Luke Skywalker is looking for direction in his quest to become a jedi, Aphra seeks him out, promising that Rur can teach him once the crystal is unlocked. Luke agrees, eager to finally find the answers he seeks.
With that, Skywalker and Aphra travel to the Screaming Citadel to seek out its queen (dont' try pronouncing her name, even the comic acknowledges that it would be a futile endeavor)- the person that Aphra believes either can open the crystal or knows the person that could.
When word reaches the other heroes, Leia Organa worries that Luke has placed himself in grave danger through his naivete, and takes Han Solo and Sana Starros to rescue him.
Classic characters from the flagship series and newer characters from the Dr. Aphra series collide once again, with a mix of classic horror elements. The result is another well done crossover comic book story arc. Yeah, I know that this is an unpopular opinion, but I thought screaming citadel was not only fun, but straight up great.
THE BAD: My one major flaw with this comic was the artwork in the sections that Kieron Gillen contributed. While I was ecstatic to see the brilliant Marco Checchetto bring his talents to the table with another Star Wars comic, he should have done the entire comic, or at least all the entries from Kieron Gillen's side of the crossover. While he created visually stunning cover art and did a phenomenal job with the opening issue (which Gillen wrote), Gillen had another, vastly inferior artist team do the visuals for the rest of his contributing issues. Again, Gillen should have just made sure he could keep Checchetto on board because I really disliked the work done by Andrea Broccardo and Antonio Fabela. The colors are incredibly flat and the character drawings (particularly the faces) for the most part look even worse than those from Last Flight of the Harbinger.
But what makes the bad artwork from Broccardo and Fabela even more problematic comes from inconsistency. Let me explain. Even if the artwork from comics like Princess Leia, Dark Empire I, or C-3PO: The Phantom Limb were straight up garbage, at least I could get used to it. Here though, even though the bad portions of the artwork are not nearly as bad as the three comics I mentioned above, the fact that the rest of the artwork is so good is almost worse than if the rest of the artwork was low quality too.
The first issue contributed by Kieron Gillen is drawn by the brilliant Marco Checchetto. The issues contributed by Jason Aaron were done by the always great duo of Salvadore Larrocca and Edgar Delgado. And because this is a crossover, each issue switches between writer, and hence artist as well. So when I had to go from Checchetto or Larrocca/Delgado to Broccardo/Fabela, the change in quality was so jarring that it took me out of the story each time the writer/artist changed, even when I was relieved to be looking at the better artists' work again. As soon as I was able to get used to one artist and get back into the story, the change in quality, whether it be from low to high or high to low, took me out of it again.
In contrast, even though Vader Down did the same thing as Screaming Citadel in switching writer/artist duos each issue, it wasn't as hard to get used to the changes each time because the quality of both artists was still consistent. Even though styles changed, the quality between the two art teams was close enough for it to feel like part of the same story, and hence it didn't bother me. Here though, I have to deal with a constant shift not just in style, but also in quality, so the look of the comic is too all over the place and too difficult to identify with.
THE GOOD: Much like Red Harvest and Cullen Bunn's Darth Maul, one big flaw can be be forgiven because everything else was great if not awesome.
Let's begin by addressing what everyone seemed to dislike about this comic: that the new elements didn't "feel" like Star Wars. Much like the zombies in Red Harvest, I had no problem with this vampire-like species being part of star wars, or the abersyn symbiotes going all "invasion of the body snatchers" on us. After all, plenty of vampire-like species existed in legends, so I find it perfectly reasonable that there is a vampire species living on a planet in star wars canon, and that force sensitive blood is especially appetizing to them. With her magical vampire powers, I just saw it as another manifestation of the force. Much like with the zombie analogy I made in my red harvest review, I don't see why this vampire queen can't use the force to manifest her abilities when vampires use magic in fantasy all the time to do crazy stuff. And with the symbiotes, it reminds me of a creature on Earth called the "liver fluke" that I read about as a kid: a parasite that burrows into the brains of ants, compelling them to climb to the tip of a blade of grass- enabling the liver fluke's life cycle to repeat as a sheep eats the grass and consumes the ant with it. My girlfriend told me that it is theorized that the Liver Fluke is what inspired the monsters that cause the apocalypse in The Last of Us. So with that in mind, why can't Star Wars do the same and create a bigger version of the liver fluke that works on humanoid/human-sized sentients? While I found the rules of the abersyn symbiotes to be a little spotty, I had no qualms about their presence and never doubted them feeling like Star Wars. I don't have time to explain my criteria on what I consider to feel like star wars or not, so I'll just end this point here by saying that I found the crazy elements in screaming citadel a perfectly compelling part of the Star Wars universe. If anybody argue against my opinion and tell me why I'm wrong, I'd be happy to expand on such things in the comments. Otherwise, you'll just have to accept my opinion so i can get to the other things I liked about this comic.
Let's get to the best part of this comic, the characters. Not only do the old characters continue to remain faithful to their characterizations in the films, I loved both the character portrayals and character development on display here for both the old favorites and the newer players. Luke and Dr. Aphra were phenomenally done here. The banter between the two was fantastically entertaining, and both characters were extremely well developed. This is easily the best portrayal of Dr. Aphra I have seen yet. She has now become a much more complex and well rounded character and I think every decision she made in this arc quite compelling. I believe it is this comic here in which she has cemented herself as one of the best new characters the canon has created yet. Luke also went through some excellent development, and the resolution of his arc specifically for screaming citadel was powerful both for this contained story and for his character in the canon as a whole. This is one of, if not the best, portrayals of Luke I have seen in the comics thus far. It not just seamlessly fits with the transition between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, but serves wonderfully for the story of this comic and the character progression that Luke goes through specifically for this series.
The other characters were handled well too. Even though I never laughed at them, BT and Triple Zero were actually decently entertaining, something that I didn't expect to ever see again. Han Solo was pretty funny, and Leia is likeable as usual. Another surprise was Sana Starros, who was well developed and got to shine in a way I have missed since Rebel Jail. I liked her interactions both with Aphra and with the classic cast.
The villain was really fun too. Even though I won't remember her name, I'll remember how menacing she could be, how devilish some of the dialogue was, and how surprised I was of not being bothered of whether she felt like Star Wars or not.
The writing is great. No matter which artist was at the helm at any point, the dialogue was always a ton of fun. Nobody was treated as the comic relief specifically so everyone got some great lines. Even triple zero had some chucklers from time to time, so go figure.
The story is fantastic. Much like Vader Down, Screaming Citadel works well as a story on its own but also does great service in advancing the larger storylines of both series it crosses over, especially the flagship star wars series. In the case of the Aphra series, it is a logical progression from the first volume of the Aphra comic both for the bigger storyline and for the character of Aphra herself. For the flagship series, Screaming Citadel has finally given a series that has been stagnating in 3 volumes of filler some much needed focus and direction. I thought this one comic arc did more for the story and Luke's character than Rebel Jail, Last Flight of the Harbinger, and Yoda's Secret War combined.
This is again probably going to be the biggest point of contention, but I highly enjoyed the worldbuilding. Star Wars is a big galaxy and a big universe, so I welcome when a story takes some risks and integrates elements of other genres. Much like Yoda's Secret War, I welcomed all the craziness that Screaming Citadel introduced. I really liked how Gillen expanded on the abersyn symbiotes after introducing them in the Aphra comic's first volume. We see them in quarantined vessels and are told that they are dangerous, but we don't see or hear about why. After being told by Aphra that the symbiotes are so dangerous that the empire won't even consider weaponizing them, we get to see them in action and see why. And I liked it. Going back to the idea of people disliking this comic, I'm left a bit confused as to why people so quickly rejected the content in this comic and insisted that it didn't feel like star wars. Seriously, they need to make up their minds on what they are looking for and quit their complaining.
For the past three years, a constant complaint from Star Wars fans about the new content is that Lucasfilm has been playing things too safe. They want to see the stories take more risks and do something more original. And yet as soon as they take risks with the Yoda's Secret War or with The Screaming Citadel, people say that it sucks and doesn't feel like Star Wars. Here's my too cents: give me the strange and weird. Yes, it should be balanced by the traditional stuff, but I don't want Star Wars to forever be stuck in the traditional formulas. rebels vs empire/resistance vs first order, jedi vs sith, bounty hunters, smugglers, all that stuff is fine, but it needs to be mixed with new elements and ideas to keep Star Wars fresh. Say what you will about the star wars timeline being reset in 2014 but this principle is applicable to the legends timeline too- if all Star Wars did was just make more stories about jedi, sith, bounty hunters, smugglers, rebels, empire, republic, resistance, or first order, star wars would quickly become stale whether they stuck with legends or not. So as long as I can justify it fitting within the core rules established by the films, I'll accept whatever is thrown at me, no matter how insane.
THE CONCLUSION: I'm in a proud minority in saying that I had a great time with The Screaming Citadel. It not only took risks that payed of quite well, but did great job by telling both a fun, self contained story arc but also one that fantastically develops the characters and advances both the separate overarching stories of the flagship series and the Aphra series. I don't know how things were able to turn themselves around, but the flagship star wars comic series has finally injected itself with some much needed energy and momentum, and I have not been more excited to continue with Out Among the Stars for a long time.
You didn't like Screaming Citadel? Then I'll see you in hell!
January 10, 2018
I've greatly enjoyed the various Marvel Star Wars series, but Star Wars: Yoda's Secret War left me a little unsatisfied. I'm very happy to say that the next installment--Screaming Citadel--righted the course and returned the series to its high standard.
Of course, this volume is not just comprised of the Star Wars series. It also has issues from Doctor Aphra. Obviously, the two comics crossed over with each other to deliver this story as whole.
Doctor Aphra has an ancient crystal supposedly housing the sentience of a powerful Jedi. She needs the Queen of the Screaming Citadel to access it for her, and she needs Luke Skywalker to entice the queen into doing so. You'll have to read the book for the details on using Luke as bait. Doctor Aphra sells it to Luke as a chance for him to encounter an actual Jedi master, and it's a chance for her to witness a remnant of the ancient past because she is an archaeologist after all, albeit a bit of an immoral one.
That's a pretty good premise to achieve what this story is really all about--watching Luke and Aphra interact. I believe Doctor Aphra is one of the greatest additions to the Star Wars universe in decades. She first appeared in the Darth Vader series, and she won over the audience so thoroughly that she quickly earned her own title. Honestly, though Aphra works best when pitted against the pure of heart, or at least those on the side of the Rebels. She's Aphra, so of course she manipulates Luke, double-crosses him, saves his skin a few times, then cheats him again. That's just who she is.
It's also interesting to see a rebellious streak in Luke as he jaunts off with Aphra without telling Han, Leia, or anyone else for that matter. We know his dad didn't always follow protocol, so these little deviations are always revealing when Luke is concerned. It's also fun to see him beginning to realize his power. This particular story takes place soon after A New Hope, so Luke has not yet begun to completely understand what he has at his disposal--though this book does depict Luke having some pretty cool moments with his burgeoning abilities.
We also have quite a bit of Han, Leia, and another invaluable addition to the mythology named Sana Starros. All three get their moment to shine as Han finds more and more of the hero within, Leia further establishes herself as the capable leader she is, and Sana Starros slowly reveals more and more of her past to the reader. Guess what? Not only does she have deep connections to Han Solo, but it's heavily hinted that she is also tied to Doctor Aphra as well. The specifics may surprise you.
And, as always, Aphra's versions of C3PO and R2D2 steal the show. They are named 0-0-0 and BT-1. They are basically the murderous, demented, evil version of our favorite droids, and they are forever a delight.
The story of Screaming Citadel itself is entertaining. The art is very pleasing to the eye and keeps the plot moving at a quick pace. At times the faces of the characters based off of real life actors look almost photo realistic, which is sometimes jarring when the rest of the panel does not look so true to life. Of course, the best quality of the book is simply seeing all of these characters play off of each other. It's refreshing to have such rounded, charismatic new characters as Aphra, Sana, Triple-Zero, and Bee-Tee 1 making waves with our legendary favorites.
Of course, this volume is not just comprised of the Star Wars series. It also has issues from Doctor Aphra. Obviously, the two comics crossed over with each other to deliver this story as whole.
Doctor Aphra has an ancient crystal supposedly housing the sentience of a powerful Jedi. She needs the Queen of the Screaming Citadel to access it for her, and she needs Luke Skywalker to entice the queen into doing so. You'll have to read the book for the details on using Luke as bait. Doctor Aphra sells it to Luke as a chance for him to encounter an actual Jedi master, and it's a chance for her to witness a remnant of the ancient past because she is an archaeologist after all, albeit a bit of an immoral one.
That's a pretty good premise to achieve what this story is really all about--watching Luke and Aphra interact. I believe Doctor Aphra is one of the greatest additions to the Star Wars universe in decades. She first appeared in the Darth Vader series, and she won over the audience so thoroughly that she quickly earned her own title. Honestly, though Aphra works best when pitted against the pure of heart, or at least those on the side of the Rebels. She's Aphra, so of course she manipulates Luke, double-crosses him, saves his skin a few times, then cheats him again. That's just who she is.
It's also interesting to see a rebellious streak in Luke as he jaunts off with Aphra without telling Han, Leia, or anyone else for that matter. We know his dad didn't always follow protocol, so these little deviations are always revealing when Luke is concerned. It's also fun to see him beginning to realize his power. This particular story takes place soon after A New Hope, so Luke has not yet begun to completely understand what he has at his disposal--though this book does depict Luke having some pretty cool moments with his burgeoning abilities.
We also have quite a bit of Han, Leia, and another invaluable addition to the mythology named Sana Starros. All three get their moment to shine as Han finds more and more of the hero within, Leia further establishes herself as the capable leader she is, and Sana Starros slowly reveals more and more of her past to the reader. Guess what? Not only does she have deep connections to Han Solo, but it's heavily hinted that she is also tied to Doctor Aphra as well. The specifics may surprise you.
And, as always, Aphra's versions of C3PO and R2D2 steal the show. They are named 0-0-0 and BT-1. They are basically the murderous, demented, evil version of our favorite droids, and they are forever a delight.
The story of Screaming Citadel itself is entertaining. The art is very pleasing to the eye and keeps the plot moving at a quick pace. At times the faces of the characters based off of real life actors look almost photo realistic, which is sometimes jarring when the rest of the panel does not look so true to life. Of course, the best quality of the book is simply seeing all of these characters play off of each other. It's refreshing to have such rounded, charismatic new characters as Aphra, Sana, Triple-Zero, and Bee-Tee 1 making waves with our legendary favorites.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2017
I'm not entirely sure who at the LucasFilm Story Group signed off on this nightmare, but this is hands down the worst piece of EU lore since the Disney acquisition. It is disparate from the overall direction of the unified canon to such a degree that makes it laughable, absurd, and a clear wrinkle in what has otherwise been rather smooth storytelling fabric.
Mr. Gillen continues to press his hamfisted and discordant agenda, commandeering Luke, Leia, and Han and filtering them through the lens he's crafted with Aphra (whose potential as a foil to the Rebels continues to be wasted month after month) and the overtired, oversold droids Beetee and Triple Zero. Every possible moment of impact is undercut by vacant humor, and while Aphra's exploration of the Massassi had clear merits, Gillen trips over his own ambitions here, and submits the shoddiest effort from any writer given the privilege of writing in this new canon. I feel bad that Jason Aaron had to turn in two scripts of his own book to support this catastrophe.
My recommendation: all but the most serious completionists should stay away--THE SCREAMING CITADEL is Star Wars storytelling at its very worst.
Mr. Gillen continues to press his hamfisted and discordant agenda, commandeering Luke, Leia, and Han and filtering them through the lens he's crafted with Aphra (whose potential as a foil to the Rebels continues to be wasted month after month) and the overtired, oversold droids Beetee and Triple Zero. Every possible moment of impact is undercut by vacant humor, and while Aphra's exploration of the Massassi had clear merits, Gillen trips over his own ambitions here, and submits the shoddiest effort from any writer given the privilege of writing in this new canon. I feel bad that Jason Aaron had to turn in two scripts of his own book to support this catastrophe.
My recommendation: all but the most serious completionists should stay away--THE SCREAMING CITADEL is Star Wars storytelling at its very worst.
April 5, 2018
A bit different for a Star Wars comic omnibus, but still fun.
April 3, 2021
(4,1 of 5 for nice, dramatic and action-filled, bit horror-ish SW story)
Yeah, the story is great, it is fun, it contains "murderous robots", both famous SW Indiana Joneses - Han and Aphra, mysterious castle with powerful Queen, high stakes and so on. Great action grim fairytale from space. Beautiful.
What's not so beautiful is art. I meat first you get Checchetto with colours from Mossa and it looks fabulous. It's plastic, with great depths and vivid colours. In the end, you also got Broccardo, who has a bit cartoonish but a lovely style and fine inking. But between them, there we have art from Larroca - and it looks very kitschy. It's uncomfortably vivid and polished, the colours are not in my taste. The faces of all characters, except robots, look weird. It weirdly works for Queen, who got Russian-like traits which fits the character nicely. But otherwise, it's terrible, one ugly stain on an otherwise perfectly nice SW book.
Yeah, the story is great, it is fun, it contains "murderous robots", both famous SW Indiana Joneses - Han and Aphra, mysterious castle with powerful Queen, high stakes and so on. Great action grim fairytale from space. Beautiful.
What's not so beautiful is art. I meat first you get Checchetto with colours from Mossa and it looks fabulous. It's plastic, with great depths and vivid colours. In the end, you also got Broccardo, who has a bit cartoonish but a lovely style and fine inking. But between them, there we have art from Larroca - and it looks very kitschy. It's uncomfortably vivid and polished, the colours are not in my taste. The faces of all characters, except robots, look weird. It weirdly works for Queen, who got Russian-like traits which fits the character nicely. But otherwise, it's terrible, one ugly stain on an otherwise perfectly nice SW book.
December 30, 2017
This review will be a bit longer than I'm used to for TPB comic books, and will mainly focus on an emerging trope within the Star Wars hub series. My criticism lies not with the concept or storyline presented here, but rather how this detail has come to affect my personal enjoyment of the current canon.
So, this is the THIRD storyline in a row (after Rebel Jail and Last Flight of the Harbinger) that writers have chosen to downplay the skills, value and overall intelligence of the male protagonists in favor of placing Leia and newcomer Sana under the spotlight. It is to be celebrated that female characters in Star Wars are finally given their due, don't get me wrong (though, if we refer to the old EU, women in the Star Wars universe have always been a force -no pun intended- to be reckoned with); however, I believe that by turning Han and Luke into bumbling idiots (Luke as the naive farm boy and Han as the inept comic relief), and giving a reason to exclude Chewie from the action (whether having him stay at base or toil away in the engine room of a ship), the new canon is doing Leia a gross disservice. Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan has ALWAYS been perfectly capable of holding her own next to her male companions, often enough being the one to "save their skins", as she'd put it. In the old EU she even became a Jedi Master, one of the most powerful beings in the whole damn Galaxy; she doesn't need anyone to lower the bar for her. By downplaying the value of her companions to make her and Sana look badass in comparison , they're doing naught but stripping away said badassery. It's as if you lowered the difficulty of a video game for a girl and said: "Here, honey, now you can win too." No fucking way. Making Han and Luke inept and in need of constant rescue (like I said, this is the third storyline in a row) turns Leia into a savior by default, not by her own merits, which are plentiful. Not to mention it's rather annoying for the Star Wars main series, the one from which every other series spins-off from (Darth Vader, Aphra, and the limited five-issue miniseries; Poe Dameron is another matter, as it acts as a sequel rather than concurrent) to continue repeating itself without adding anything worthwhile to the canon.
So, in short, it gets two stars not for lacking in concept or artwork, but rather this underlying message that holding the male protagonists back is the only way to make the women in Star Wars look badass. They've always been badass, and so I'd like Luke and Han and Chewie to get their mojo back. You know, so they can ALL kick major ass together as they have since 1977. Please and thank you.
So, this is the THIRD storyline in a row (after Rebel Jail and Last Flight of the Harbinger) that writers have chosen to downplay the skills, value and overall intelligence of the male protagonists in favor of placing Leia and newcomer Sana under the spotlight. It is to be celebrated that female characters in Star Wars are finally given their due, don't get me wrong (though, if we refer to the old EU, women in the Star Wars universe have always been a force -no pun intended- to be reckoned with); however, I believe that by turning Han and Luke into bumbling idiots (Luke as the naive farm boy and Han as the inept comic relief), and giving a reason to exclude Chewie from the action (whether having him stay at base or toil away in the engine room of a ship), the new canon is doing Leia a gross disservice. Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan has ALWAYS been perfectly capable of holding her own next to her male companions, often enough being the one to "save their skins", as she'd put it. In the old EU she even became a Jedi Master, one of the most powerful beings in the whole damn Galaxy; she doesn't need anyone to lower the bar for her. By downplaying the value of her companions to make her and Sana look badass in comparison , they're doing naught but stripping away said badassery. It's as if you lowered the difficulty of a video game for a girl and said: "Here, honey, now you can win too." No fucking way. Making Han and Luke inept and in need of constant rescue (like I said, this is the third storyline in a row) turns Leia into a savior by default, not by her own merits, which are plentiful. Not to mention it's rather annoying for the Star Wars main series, the one from which every other series spins-off from (Darth Vader, Aphra, and the limited five-issue miniseries; Poe Dameron is another matter, as it acts as a sequel rather than concurrent) to continue repeating itself without adding anything worthwhile to the canon.
So, in short, it gets two stars not for lacking in concept or artwork, but rather this underlying message that holding the male protagonists back is the only way to make the women in Star Wars look badass. They've always been badass, and so I'd like Luke and Han and Chewie to get their mojo back. You know, so they can ALL kick major ass together as they have since 1977. Please and thank you.
October 22, 2017
The last Star Wars crossover, Vader Down, was good fun but didn't seem to do much to forward either the Star Wars or Darth Vader narratives. The same can be said about this one, which crosses the main Star Wars title with Doctor Aphra; however, the character interactions more than make up for this.
Building off of the end of the first arc of Aphra's solo book, she grabs Luke and heads to the Screaming Citadel to see if she can bargain for her Jedi AI to be reactivated using Luke's life. Enter the Queen of the Citadel, a symbiote-using, manipulative, double-crossing monster, and when Han, Leia, Sana, Black Krrsantan, and Aphra's evil droids turn up, it really becomes a party. The exploration of Aphra's character in relation to the rest of the Rebellion is really well done, and there are some great moments for both Leia and Sana along the way too. They may not have any lasting impact, but they shine the light on some aspects of the characters that we haven't seen before. It all ends kind of in the same place it started, but that's par for the course really with these comics set within the confines of continuity.
Marvel continues to throw top talent at its Star Wars books; Marco Checchetto pencils the one-shot, and his beautifully rendered artwork never fails to impress. Salvador Larrocca takes the Star Wars issues, and his photo-traced visuals are always reliable, but may come across too realistc for some. The Aphra issues are drawn by Andrea Broccardo, the weakest and most 'safe' of the three, but he still manages to tell the story in a pleasing way.
Come for the space battles, stay for the unexpected character studies.
Building off of the end of the first arc of Aphra's solo book, she grabs Luke and heads to the Screaming Citadel to see if she can bargain for her Jedi AI to be reactivated using Luke's life. Enter the Queen of the Citadel, a symbiote-using, manipulative, double-crossing monster, and when Han, Leia, Sana, Black Krrsantan, and Aphra's evil droids turn up, it really becomes a party. The exploration of Aphra's character in relation to the rest of the Rebellion is really well done, and there are some great moments for both Leia and Sana along the way too. They may not have any lasting impact, but they shine the light on some aspects of the characters that we haven't seen before. It all ends kind of in the same place it started, but that's par for the course really with these comics set within the confines of continuity.
Marvel continues to throw top talent at its Star Wars books; Marco Checchetto pencils the one-shot, and his beautifully rendered artwork never fails to impress. Salvador Larrocca takes the Star Wars issues, and his photo-traced visuals are always reliable, but may come across too realistc for some. The Aphra issues are drawn by Andrea Broccardo, the weakest and most 'safe' of the three, but he still manages to tell the story in a pleasing way.
Come for the space battles, stay for the unexpected character studies.
December 1, 2019
The Screaming Citadel really didn't add much to the Star Wars canon. Luke Skywalker and Dr. Aphra head off to a strange planet to unlock the secrets of a Jedi artifact (see Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Vol. 1: Aphra for more details). Han and Leia chase after them. There are some fun moments (looking at you Triple Zero). Anyone that has been enjoying Marvel's recent Star Wars comics will probably like this. Just know that it is basically a throwaway story.
August 3, 2017
Star Wars goes Gothic horror... or at least tries too. It's not particularly successful; perhaps there's just something about the conventions of the two that means they can't be full-blooded *and* merge.
Tellingly the jarring-ness is only lessened in later issues, when the plot becomes a very familiar 'battle of psychic wills'. And the whole thing doesn't so much climax as stop. (Han literally tells the baddies to go away)
A rare disappointment from Kieron Gillen, though his dialogue is reliably strong enough to earn the book an extra star.
Tellingly the jarring-ness is only lessened in later issues, when the plot becomes a very familiar 'battle of psychic wills'. And the whole thing doesn't so much climax as stop. (Han literally tells the baddies to go away)
A rare disappointment from Kieron Gillen, though his dialogue is reliably strong enough to earn the book an extra star.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2018
Creepy murder mind control bugs? ..............thanks but no thanks.
Also it wasn't great that Aphra looked significantly whiter in some issues than others. I don't care whether you have different artists working on the same character, whitewashing is still not a things that should be happening here.
Super bonus: multiple! queer! characters! I feel like the comics are spoiling me for the movie universe in this aspect.
Also it wasn't great that Aphra looked significantly whiter in some issues than others. I don't care whether you have different artists working on the same character, whitewashing is still not a things that should be happening here.
Super bonus: multiple! queer! characters! I feel like the comics are spoiling me for the movie universe in this aspect.
March 11, 2018
This is just a weird story that doesn’t feel very “Star Wars” to me - parasitic symbiotes infecting people and turning them into hive mind zombies?! The real issue I have with it though is I just can’t picture these events happening between Episodes 4 & 5 as they are supposed to. It’s not believable they’d go through this and not be radically altered. This just doesn’t fit.
January 31, 2019
The fact that evil versions of Threepio and Artoo exist pleases me immensely
January 7, 2020
Lots of Sci Do Adventures
Good Star Wars stories featuring my favorite SW characters. Plus several new ones. A SW cross-over with Doctor Aphra. Good idea.
Good Star Wars stories featuring my favorite SW characters. Plus several new ones. A SW cross-over with Doctor Aphra. Good idea.
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