Star Wars: Dark Empire Audio CD – CD, May 5, 2005

Okay, I know there's currently a lot of heated discussion over this comic book series. There are those of us in the wonderful world of Star Wars who think this collection was the biggest waste of time and money in the history of the Star Wars universe. And on the flip side, there are those of us who think that this story is a gem that should not be overlooked. Sorry all, I happen to agree with the latter group. Dark Empire is, in my opinion, a great novel. Does it have its flaws? Yes. But for all you cynics and naysayers out there, just let me ask you this: can you name a series that is absolutely, positively, one-hundred percent perfect? I rest my case. And now back to the book. Dark Empire is a continuation of the Star Wars saga, taking place six years after the Battle of Endor, where Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine met their deaths. Or did they? As the story continues, we discover that Palpatine is, in fact, not dead as we had all thought, but has been reborn through the use of cloning. But I'm getting side-tracked here. We'll get back to the Emperor later. As the story begins, Han Solo and his wife Leia Organa Solo are en route to Coruscant, heading to rescue a group of Rebel soldiers that have crash landed on the Imperial controlled world. Among the group of stranded troops are Lando Calrissian, Wedge Antilles, and Luke Skywalker. But as Han and Leia soon discover, there is more going on on the surface of the planet than they realize. After Luke refuses to return to the Rebel base with them, he forces them to leave him behind, and is abducted by the power of the Emperor, who is, as I've already stated, among the living after all. And now Luke is faced with a decision: can he murder the man who holds him captive, in the end becoming the very thing he just destroyed? Or must he leave the Emperor alive, in the end endangering everyone and everything he cares about? Or is there another choice, the choice to challenge the Dark Side...from within? You heard right. Twisted by the unbelievable power of the Dark Side, confused by the Emperor's lies and truths, made to believe that he must save the galaxy alone, Luke Skywalker follows in the steps of his father and succumbs to the Dark Side. Now it is a race against time for Leia, who, feeling her brother's descent into darkness, is determined to find him and save him from the Emperor's grasp, despite the fears and misgivings of her husband. But will she be in time to save Luke from himself? Or has he fallen too far to be saved? This novel is filled with a wonderful story. As I am a huge Original Trilogy junkie, I was ecstatic to hear of a comic series that prominently featured my favorite characters. One of the things I loved most about the series was the way each of the characters was presented in a different light. Everyone is used to Luke being a shy, sensitive, farmboy-turned-powerful-Jedi. Who could ever envision him as a Darksider? Certainly not me. And Luke is not the only one to be shown from such a different viewpoint. Leia is also seen in a different light as well. We're used to seeing the headstrong, fiery-tempered but still humanitarian-minded former Princess of Alderaan. Now, however, Leia is not in total control of the situation around her, and is unable to prevent her brother from falling to the Dark Side no matter how hard she tries to talk him out of it. She has to deal with the fact that Luke has followed the footsteps of their father, even as she tries to deal with a skeptical Han and fight her own self-doubt. And, if all this wasn't enough to begin with, did I mention the fact that she's pregnant? Definitely a side of Leia we hadn't seen before. But it adds a richness to the story, a realism, and it finally introduces the character of Anakin Solo, even though he technically isn't born until the second installment of the comic series. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Back to the here and now. All in all, I really liked the story. The idea of a redemptive tale that hearkens back to the Original Trilogy itself really made an impression on me. And I really liked the fact that the characters of Luke and Leia are explored a little more. In the end, I loved it. But, like all stories, Dark Empire has its flaws. First off, the artwork. Umm, am I the only one to notice that, while the ships and battle scenes look great, the characters themselves look like--let's face it--crap? Sometimes you have to wonder exactly who the artists were modeling the characters after. And what is with the color scheme? We don't get any flesh tones on the character's faces until the last installment of the series, Empire's End. Sorry, but I'm not a fan of the artwork. I won't knock you if you are, but I'm not. End of story. Now the next problem I have with this novel is the dialogue. Okay, I realize a script has to go through some condensing to make it into a comic book, but this was just...strange. Some of the lines sound nothing like what the characters would actually say. And I have to say, Han really suffered in this department. He came off the entire time as a completely different person than he was in the other books and graphic novels. The entire story he's either mad at Luke or Leia, being snippy with the aforementioned characters, or just not himself at all. Were there some good lines in there for him? Yes. But those could be counted on one hand basically. Okay, moving on. Third problem I have with this story: cloning. I'm going to tell you right now that I have never been, nor will ever be, a fan of the Emperor. Vader has always been by favorite villain, mainly because he still has a speck of good inside him, so he's not completely corrupt. But the Emperor? I could have dealt with a clone faker, like we got with C'Baoth or Thrawn, but transferring consciousness into a clone? It seems a little farfetched for me. But the whole idea of having a clear Dark Side vs. Light Side fight made it all worthwhile. Next problem: what is with the World Devastators? A walking wrecking ball/factory is supposed to be more lethal than the Death Star? Tell that to Alderaan! I'm sure they'll disagree. Well, I realize that there is a lot of controversy surrounding this story, but all in all, I think it's a good read. Just keep in mind the way you've always seen the characters in the past, and I think it will help you immensly when you read. Don't just take all the criticism at face value; really pick up the comic before you make your decision about whether it's trash or treasure. In reality, it truly is an amazing story. But I think that it would be much more widely accepted and loved and just plain understood better if it were to be released as a novel, and I'm not talking graphic novel. I mean real-deal book. I heard that Lucas had no plans to make a novel of Dark Empire anytime soon, but I'd be more than willing to be the novel's author if he ever decides to put the project in the works! So all in all, give Dark Empire a try. If you're like me, and are totally in love with Han, Luke, and Leia, I think you'll enjoy it. And if you love the Original Trilogy, I think this story will help you recapture that time when we first laid eyes on a galaxy far, far away... I'm Leah and I'm fifteen years old. And yes, I did write this review. If a female Star Wars addict can love this story, can't we all? So may the Force be with you. Always...

This a great intro book to a trilogy that I have been curious about since I fisrt read the Jedi Academy books almost ten years ago. It has good pacing, action, and drama. I really liked the story and was amazed by some of the stuff that happened. The only flaw is that the color scheme is overly reliant on blue, red, and green, so the images do not look nearly as realistic as more contempory graphic novels do. But that is kust the personal opinion of someone who almost solely reads novels. Overall, it's a well-told, important Star Wars story at (usually) a good price.

Protect showed up on time! What an entertainingly tasteful addition to the star wars lore!

I've always heard so much about this expanded universe trilogy, so when the prices dropped I had to finally check them out.The story is very well written but the pacing can be off at times nothing too crazy but it's there. The story feels a little dated and a cameo from a certain bounty hunter that is forced.The art work has a 80's vibe to it. It looks like classic Frank Miller dark knight complete with the water coloring. I personally loved it and it tells the story well. It is very cinematic and bold.I'm glad I have the next two books to read next.

This item was delivered in a timely fashion. It was sold as "Used-Good." I was disappointed - most disappointing was that the cover was folded over. There were also many pages were folded or crumpled.

Whoever sent this to me, really left a strong smell of cigarettes on it.

I was actually rather disappointed with this book. I knew full well it was a graphic novel, but the story line is rather weak, and it starts off making you think there is an earlier book you missed, when it is the first. I am a long time Star Wars fan, and this book was a bit of a let down. It does not fit well into the Legacy cannon that was created by the books, and now invalidated by Episode 7, primarily with the Thrawn Trilogy and the first 8 books of the X-Wing series. Granted, the Thrawn trilogy was written three years after Dark Empire was, and the X-Wing series was several years after Thrawn, but as I read the Thrawn trilogy and X-Wing series first, this seems very out of place.

My first Star Wars comic came out to be very enjoyable. My only real issue with this story is its pacing. It just seems like a few panels were cut out. Otherwise, I really liked it. The story was pretty deep and I loved the art style. Defiantly a good place to start if you want to read Star Wars comics.

Great story and art, set in the aftermath of the Empire's fall and Luke's rise to Jedi Master.While it's no longer a part of the Star Wars canon, it retains its impact, expanding the Star Wars universe and the relationships between Han Leia and Luke.Some may not like the art at first, but it has a hypnotic, dreamlike quality that means i'm still finding new details nearly 30 years after I first read it in comic form.It deserves a place on your bookshelf.

I remember reading these comics (now a graphic novel) as a teenager, before the prequels, before the sequels, and feeling Star Ward brought back to life for me. It sometimes overreaches with it's ideas but this an epic and unmissable purchase.

Not a bad short story. Good if you've read or reading the star wars novels - fills the gap between the Thrawn trilogy and Jedi academy. Art work could have been better.

Timely delivery, received with thanks. Used to read this when I was younger.

This is a must for any star wars fan, off to buy the dark empire 2 now.All in all 5/5