Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Hardcover – January 1, 2016

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."...dark times have fallen on the "Star Wars" galaxy. The Clone Wars have engulfed the stars, pitting the "Grand Army of the Republic," commanded by the Jedi Knights, against the droid armies of the "Confederacy of Separatist Systems," led by Count Dooku. Millions have died during the conflict. Millions more have suffered in its terrible wake. As the war rages on, heroes rise and fall on both sides. Some become legends. Among them are Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. But Anakin is burdened with a secret: his marriage to Republic Senator Padme Amidala, and nightmares of a possible future tragedy...So begins the epic story, "Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," the pivotal tale in the beloved "Star Wars" Saga, originally told as a larger than life film released in 2005 by writer/director George Lucas, and brought to the comic medium by scripter Miles Lane and illustrator Doug Wheatley. Published in 2005 as a 4 part adaptation of "Episode III" by Dark Horse Comics, this 112 paged hardcover reprinting has been released by Marvel Comics as part of a special series of books showcasing the sequential art versions of Mr. Lucas' grand space fantasy franchise. This volume provides "Star Wars" fans and comic fans alike a lushly realized interpretation of one of the most dramatic and tragic chapters in the Saga.This tale opens with the Separatist military commander General Grievous, a multi-armed cyborg soldier, striking at the planetary heart of the Old Republic, Coruscant, and kidnapping its leader, Chancellor Palpatine. Obi-Wan and Anakin lead a clone army squadron in an attempt to rescue the invaluable hostage in a space battle in the skies high above the world city. Succeeding in their mission, the brave Jedi Knights quickly become involved in events that will decide the fate of the devastating war, the galactic government and their friendship as brothers in the Jedi Order."Revenge of the Sith" is by far the darkest story of the "Star Wars" Saga. As envisioned by George Lucas, the film version of this mythic tale is a grim and somber one. As Jedi Master Yoda proclaimed in the previous "Star Wars" film, "Attack of the Clones," "The shroud of the Dark Side has fallen," and the movie reflects this harsh reality. At the center of this growing darkness is Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi feeling "lost" in his sense of self and his kinship to the Jedi Order, confused about the words of advice given to him by his longtime friend and mentor Chancellor Palpatine, and fearful for the wellbeing of his secret love Padme. Artist Doug Wheatley recreates this darkening storytelling tone in his beautiful comic artwork. A union of richly rendered pencil line-work with color rendering done by Chris Chuckry, Mr. Wheatley's comic pages have a deep sense of atmosphere, bringing the powerful drama of this galaxy changing story to the reader.The credit for the writing of this comic adaptation is confusing as the original Dark Horse Comics 4 issue mini-series and trade paperback collection lists the writer to be Miles Lane, while this hardcover collection of the comic tale gives the writing credit to Christopher Cerasi. Despite this discrepancy, the comic script contains the dramatic and emotional turns of the film's story as well as the challenges a condensed version of the movie's screenplay has in conveying the impact of the motion picture in a comic translation. The pluses include slight revisions of scenes from the theatrical film but the disappointing minuses include the editing of some sequences from the movie due to page limitations. A prime example of this is the epic confrontation between Master Yoda and the newly revealed Sith Lord Darth Sidious in the huge senatorial chamber. Their intense battle is greatly and regretfully truncated in this adaptation, so much so that upon first reading these pages, this reviewer thought a page of comic continuity had been mistakenly lost. While this editorial reality is not unexpected it remains a shortcoming in the overall enjoyment of this otherwise high quality comic creation.Like its previous companion volumes in this series, the "Revenge of the Sith" hardcover includes additional artistic material to further entertain "Star Wars" fan. The book reproduces the original painted covers to the 4 issue mini-series created by longtime "Star Wars" artist Dave Dorman, each illustration serving as chapter heralds to the comic serial: the painted cover to the Dark Horse trade paperback collecting the entire mini-series by Tsuneo Sanda: the cover to "Star Wars: The Comic Companion" by Tsuneo Sanda, a guide to the comic tales of the "Star Wars Expanded Universe," published by Dark Horse Comics in 2006: preliminary designs to the cover to this collection and a logo-less presentation of the cover by artist Mike Mayhew. The book also reprints all the covers to the preceding books in this series for "Episodes I and II" in the Prequel Trilogy by Mr. Mayhew, and "Episodes IV, V and VI" by Adi Granov. In addition this reprint collection features a reproduction of the cover to the hardcover volume collecting the 2015 "Star Wars: Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Shattered Empire" 4 issue mini-series written by Greg Rucka and illustrated by Marco Checchetto, Angel Unzueta, and Emilio Laiso. The cover is by Mr. Checchetto. This comic adventure takes place during and after the climax to "Return of the Jedi," and features characters and situations tied to the movie "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Finally, the book concludes with a cover reproduction by Phil Noto promoting Marvel Comics' adaptation of "Star Wars:The Force Awakens," a 6 issue mini-series to be collected in a hardcover volume in December 2016, plus ads for other reprint collections like the trilogy of massive "Star Wars Omnibus" volumes, collecting the entirety of the original Marvel Comics "Star Wars" series.Despite the flaws of its story being an abridged version of a most mythic tale of a hero's fall from the Light, the "Revenge of the Sith" comic adaptation is still an impressive artistic achievement. Strengthened by Doug Wheatley's wonderful artwork, this comic version of the concluding chapter of the "Star Wars Prequel Trilogy" comes very recommended.May the Force be with you, always!

The owner read his book he said it was good ,so I guess no complaints .

Love this book.

The art is this comic was beautiful! The story was a bit rushed compared to the movie, but overall it was a great read!

Another true to film star wars comic adaption. No deviation and a smash for star wars fans. Good shelf addition.

Can't never get enough of stars wars just simply love it. I would recommend book adaptation to everyone I know

I love it. But please remove the Legends logo. This is official Star Wars Canon. I also love how it includes the deleted scenes.

It's very, very fast. Major plot points from the movie are barely covered by this adaptation. But still, it's an enjoyable read and looks nice on the shelf with the rest.