Dark Horse Comics had two long-running series in the 00's featuring stories set in different eras of the Star Wars universe, Republic and its poor sister Empire. Republic featured a fairly consistent cast of writer/artists, in particular the John Ostrander and Jan Duursema team, producers of a long-running series-within-a-series built around Jedi Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura. These stories were being published while Lucas was still making his films, lending the Republic series an exciting immediacy that was simply unmatchable by Empire, where stories based on the Original Trilogy and featuring Luke, Leia and Han were going over fairly well-trodden ground.
Which is why "The Wrong Side of the War," a 5-part story ending Empire's four-year run, came as such a surprise.
Starring Lt. Janek Sunber, the Imperial Forest Gump, the story is from the same creative team that produced the only other Sunber story, "To the Last Man" (Star Wars: Empire, Vol. 3), a trite tale laden with facile bromides about duty, honor, and sacrifice. "The Wrong Side of the War" starts out in much the same fashion, with about half of the first chapter being ponderous exposition, but quickly improves and before you know you're attention is engaged with clever plot twists and real character development.
Having had another taste of action at the Second Battle of Jabiim (recently concluded in Star Wars: Empire Volume 6), Sunber has been assigned to the energy production facility of Kalist IV, a quiet spot on the edge of the galaxy where the Lieutenant expects he can at least for a time get away from fighting and killing. But when he discovers the facility is operated with slave labor and that the officers are helping themselves to female slaves for after-hours entertainment, Sunber's cheery optimism and faith in the Empire is sorely tested.
Unbeknownst to the Imperials, a squad of rebels has infiltrated the facility to liberate energy reserves, a clandestine operation that threatens to become something more after the rebels themselves discover the slave labor force. Complicating matters is the rebel squad leader's secret mission to free from Kalist IV a prisoner in possession of sensitive Alliance data.
Along for the ride in Imperial disguise is Luke Skywalker, who's cover is about to be blown by an old friend from Tatooine, a childhood chum living the dream Luke once had of serving the Empire. The revelation of this friend's identity is a surprising twist, but it's not the only one scripter Hartley has up his sleeve. The fate of the political prisoner is another, with a turn that helps set up a story arc to play out in Rebellion, a new series from Dark Horse picking up where Empire ends.
But it's not just the surprise twists that make "The Wrong Side of the War" such a great story. It's also because of something quite unusual in genre fiction, the writer and editors letting the characters free to change and develop as human beings. Sunber was an annoying twit in "To the Last Man," but here we see him begin to wrestle with doubt, to question the Empire's propaganda and his will to serve. It's a development that has repercussions outside this story, allowing the reader to contextualize his behavior in "To the Last Man" and make that story just a little more palatable. And perhaps for readers who discover Sunber later in his career, a look back at "To the Last Man" will be something of a surprise. That is, if Hartley and Dark Horse allow Sunber to continue to develop.
The Italian art team of Davide Fabbri and Christian Dalla Vecchia (whose previous Star Wars credits include Jedi Council and The Star Hyperspace War) are joined by colorist Neziti Domenico to produce another fine volume of work. Their clean lines, simple but effective composition and understated color palette compliment the story, making this one chapter in Empire's run that every reader of the EU should enjoy.