Phasma rises from the ashes.
Captain Phasma boasts what is easily among the most memorable character designs in the new Star Wars movies. Sadly, she fell into a grand tradition of Star Wars characters looking cool and doing little in The Force Awakens. But between the recently released Phasma novel and now this new Marvel miniseries, it appears that her stock is on the rise leading into Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
With Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Captain Phasma, Marvel's goal isn't to provide a sweeping, comprehensive look at the character's background, but to tell a very specific story set in the immediate aftermath of The Force Awakens. Basically, this first issue answers two questions - how did Phasma escape the doomed Starkiller Base, and what did she do next? Writer Kelly Thompson is clearly taking a focused, efficient approach to this book. But given that one of the few things we know about Phasma is that she's a very strict, no-nonsense commanding officer, that approach seems warranted. And the no-frills approach gives the comic an added sense of urgency that goes hand-in-hand with the looming destruction of Starkiller Base.
No, we don't learn a huge amount about this enigmatic character here. Instead, we follow the ruthless, singleminded Phasma as she flees the base while struggling to hide her part in its destruction. In the process, readers do learn one crucial new fact about Phasma. She's not a blindly obedient soldier, but rather a self-motivated pragmatist who isn't above screwing over others in order to save her own skin. That in itself makes this issue a worthwhile read. Thompson's script includes narrative captions for Phasma, but those occur merely as her terse, spruced-up report to her First Order superiors. The gulf between her report and her actions adds a welcome touch of irony to the conflict.
Artist Marco Checchetto has yet to disappoint on a Star Wars comic, and Captain Phasma doesn't break that trend. Few artists are so adept at capturing the tone and allure of the franchise. His renditions of the distinctive armor and ship designs from The Force Awakens are dead on. The general Starkiller Base environment stands out on every page, thanks in no small part to Andres Mossa's gorgeous, vivid color work. And throughout this issue, Checchetto gives the book a very dynamic, cinematic quality as Phasma demonstrates her physical prowess and ruthlessness over and over again. Checchhetto essentially kicks off this issue with the ever-popular "calmly walking away fro man explosion" shot, and Phasma's displays of fearlessness and skill only get better from there.
The Verdict
Captain Phasma is already shaping up to be one of Marvel strongest Star Wars miniseries. This first issue takes a brutal, efficient approach that very much suits this monolithic villain. It doesn't attempt to delve into her past or background, yet still serves to illuminate the character through her actions. That efficient approach to storytelling, coupled with the gorgeous tag-team combo that is Marco Checchetto and Andres Mossa, makes this a Star Wars comic every Phasma fan should read.
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