Star Wars: Age Of Resistance - Captain Phasma #1 - Marvel Comics

STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE - CAPTAIN PHASMA No. 1, September 2019

Set before “Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens” on the Iron Planet of Demir, this “second one-shot in the canon comic book anthology series Star Wars: Age of Resistance” almost certainly must have ‘landed well’ with its 27,398 readers in July 2019 on account of Tom Taylor’s narrative containing both plenty of Stormtrooper shenanigans and a battle scene which lasts for almost the entirety of the twenty-page periodical. But whilst “Fallen Guns” definitely provides this publication’s titular character plenty of ‘screen time’, it does disconcertingly seem to focus far more upon another “young soldier [who] wants what she has”, and resultantly doesn’t disappointingly bring anything particularly new to the table concerning the "tough veteran commander".

Indeed, apart from demonstrating the First Order Officer’s evident ability to lead her forces to glory, and her unnervingly intense determination to ‘get the job done’, even if it means hiding “behind a disposable shield of patriotic idiots” to do so, the vast majority of the award-winning writer’s storyline instead concentrates on KM-8713’s ambition to climb up through the ranks so as to be conferred an actual name. Unfortunately however, unlike the young woman’s unworthy inspiration, the dark-haired stormtrooper also has a heart, and is soon shown that caring for her comrades, especially those wounded in combat, will make her task an impossible one; “What are you doing? Leave him. That was an order… Not a suggestion.”

Of course, due to some arguably clever misdirection by the Australian author, it does appear for a while that perhaps the naïve Buckethead will achieve at least one of her aims despite leading whilst “looking over your shoulder”, when Captain Phasma promotes her to officer. Yet, whilst KM-8713 does a fine job in succeeding “where too many failed yesterday” by drawing the enemy out of the Demirian stronghold, her subsequent unwillingness to make a calculated sacrifice of her comrades to a squadron of Tie-Fighters quickly proves her ‘humanity’ to be a fatal weakness when up against the salvaged chromium armour-wearing Commander.

Debatably, the greatest asset of Issue One of “Captain Phasma” is therefore Leonard Kirk’s tremendous storyboards, which are absolutely cram-packed with beautiful, pulse-pounding pictures of First Order stormtroopers firing their E-11 blaster rifles like they’re going to go out of fashion. Similarly as chock-full of incredible explosions, mighty metallic walkers layering down a withering hail of suppressing fire and screaming starfighters, the former “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” illustrator’s drawings are a veritable treat for the eyes, and its clear why “Marvel Worldwide” took him on board as an exclusive signing.

The regular cover art of "STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE - CAPTAIN PHASMA" No. 1 by Phil Noto