Suvudu Universe

It's been a good couple months for Star Wars heroines. Between Ania Solo and Lanoree Brock, this summer has added two new female characters to my woefully short list of favorites.

In issue 5 of the Legacy series, Ania snatches three of her allies from death in exciting ways. I absolutely love that she saves the day, while Val gets his own story too. It's Jao who's taken out of the picture for a while, and although he was one of my favorite characters in the series, I'm fine with a little role-reversal. I'm just surprised that even his own Master doesn't fret over him. The Imperial Knights get to shine in a lightsaber battle of their own. Our Sith also gets a name, and an aspiration - although nothing that breaks the Sith mold.

One of my favorite things about this issue were the glimpses into Ania's past and her connection with Han Solo - not to mention AG's. The droid implies that he was around in Han's time. Ania's dialogue is dispassionate, and she seems disconnected to her past. Her family were royal - Hapans, perhaps? Or does this simply refer to the princess of Alderaan? - and she wishes she could be too, but it doesn't sound like she's traumatized by whatever separated her from her lineage. It does give her a pleasant air of melancholy though, and adds depth and mystery to her story.

Ania shows a whole variety of heroics in this issue: loyalty to her friends (Sauk was clearly her first priority), skill at flying a spaceship, and planning ahead. At the end of the issue, the team is reunited but not out of the fire yet.

And I do hope they stay united - two Jedi, a junk dealer, a refugee, and a droid make for a nice variety of characters, although all but one are male. The two additional women - Empress Fel and Governor Biala, both in positions of power - appear briefly in this issue, and I'm glad the writers are making it clear that both characters are keeping their hands in the game.

This issue went a bit fast, and I was a bit confused as to how far the space station was from the planet, since it seemed to take Ania very little time to get to one from the other.

Issue #5 concludes "Prisoner of the Floating World," the first arc of the new Legacy. All in all it's been a comic series that intrigued me more than I thought it would - and this from someone who doesn't often follow comics. The characters, adventurous plot, and art all combine to create a fun, engaging Star Wars story.

I'm a bit stuck on that subtitle, though. Japanese decadence does not seem to be present. Is the space station the floating world? Is it Ania's mental state? She seems, far from floating, down to earth. Is it Master Val's suspended torture? It's a nitpick, but I would have liked the (gorgeous) title to be more relevant to the story.