Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Graphic Novel Gives the Blockbuster Finale a New Look
- WRITER
- Alessandro Ferrari
- Artist
- Matteo Piana, Igor Chimisso
- Cover Artist
- Cryssy Cheung
- Publisher
- IDW Publishing
- Price
- $9.99 (Print)
- Release Date
- 2021-03-02
- Colorist
- Kawaii Creative Studio, Davide Turotti
The graphic novel adaptation of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker improves upon its source material in some entertaining ways, but is ultimately held back by the same problems that plagued the plot of the original 2019 blockbuster film. Adapted from the original script by Alessandro Ferrari and drawn by Igor Chimisso and Matteo Piana, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Graphic Novel Adaptation presents an energized, streamlined version of the Star Wars saga finale with heavily mixed results.
Ferrari, Piana and Chimisso's The Rise of Skywalker graphic novel adaptation, their second Star Wars undertaking as a trio, follows the climactic final chapter of the Resistance's fight against the First Order. Touching on classic Star Wars themes of family, fear, and friendship, The Rise of Skywalker focuses on the trials of young Jedi-trainee Rey as she battles to control her dark side and defeat the evil Sith Lord Palpatine alongside friends Poe, Finn and the rest of the Star Wars ensemble.
The highlight of this graphic novel adaptation lies solidly in its artwork. Matteo Piana's crisp layouts convey the size and scale of the adventure, while leaving plenty of room for Igor Chimisso's expert character work to shine. Chimisso provides each character with fun and fresh designs that colorfully capture their on-screen personalities. The way Chimisso draws Rey is particularly excellent, and his depiction of Rey's opening meditation scene was even better than the film's. However, action scenes are truly where Piana's sharp layouts and Chimisso's sleek character designs shine the brightest. The action sequences also tend to utilize more vibrant colors, which complement Chimisso's dynamic character designs and lead to some of the most exciting panels in the book. But overall the color palette follows the example set by the film, with dulled, washed tones that fail to inject much energy into most pages.
Alessandro Ferrari charts an efficient course through the elaborate storyline of the film, but as a result of some necessary simplification, the actual dialogue of the graphic novel can be underwhelming at times. The necessary trimming of most of the film's comedic moments gives the graphic novel a slightly darker tone that fits the story surprisingly nicely with the assistance of Chimisso and Piana's artwork. Fans of Kylo Ren should be prepared for significantly less weight put on his character in this adaptation, and the scenes in which he stars can therefore seem out of place in comparison to the same scenes in the film, where the character is given significantly more emotion and attention. In fact, many of the emotionally charged points of the movie are blunted significantly in this adaptation due to the breakneck speed at which the plot progresses.
It must be acknowledged that fitting an already plot-heavy feature film into an 80-page graphic novel is no small feat. Ferrari replicates most scenes from the film with impressive accuracy, but the graphic novel ultimately falls victim to the same problems with which the film struggled. The Rise of Skywalker's plot lacked consistent direction more than anything else and fails to deliver on a number of promises made throughout the rest of the sequel trilogy. While the massive scale of the story and the outstanding cast of characters deliver on many entertaining moments, the Star Wars finale was more concerned with creating a spectacle than a satisfying conclusion.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker The Graphic Novel Adaptation is highly recommended for fans of the original film, who will no doubt enjoy seeing their favorite moments and characters drawn with fresh personality by Piana and Chimisso. However, the graphic novel struggles to keep pace with an already hurried plot line, and those unimpressed with The Rise of Skywalker may find familiar grievances here.