Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Star Wars Legacy

Knights of the Old Republic put me off of Dark Horse's Star Wars series (especially after Robert's comments). I was determined not to return—until a free copy showed up in my mail. And even then, Legacy went to the bottom of the pile.

I finally gave into my curiosity. The draw was too strong.

It is not Fables or Dark Knight. And although the narrative moves quicker, more smoothly than League, it lacks some of the complexity. May be.

Some of the costumes are outlandish, and the characterizations unoriginal (the shapely females, the hulking men, the bizarre super villains reminiscent of death and demons). Nevertheless, the drawings are rich, almost thick on the page.

Thing is, the narrative catches me even as it echoes the original Star Wars trilogy. (Did they have to include R2 and a Wookie? Show some discipline guys.) In the same vein, I overlooked and continue to overlook the shortcomings of Hamill’s wooden performance in the original trilogy.

Lucas’s original coming of age story is intriguing, complex. And the same appears to be true with Legacy.

A young Jedi’s epiphany leads to a denial culminating in a bold new direction. At least, that seems to be the direction the graphic novel is headed. Based on Joseph Campbell’s theory of the monomyth, Luke operates as a mythic hero. Luke’s battle with the dark side and his reconciliation with his father dovetail with Campbell’s description of father atonement, one of the supreme ordeals a hero must undergo in the process of his quest. The hero comes to terms with his past, reinvigorating it even as he does so.

The work is a myth. (Nothing new here.)

So where does this leave Cade and Legacy? I am not sure. It is still too early. I am in the midst of his battle with the Sith and emperor (volume 3). Will he go through a similar supreme ordeal? No way to tell.

My fear is, though, that the graphic novel will bog down in a drawn out series that refuses to reach or recognize its conclusion. The quest must end—with success or failure. The hero can only remain on the journey for so long before he is lost in the other world, the world of adventure. Even if he capitulates, Parzival-like, the hero must either find the grail or oblivion.

Yes, I know the series has been out for a while, and some of you know the answer to all of this. For me, though, it is intriguing. Will this work transcend pulp fiction in the same ways Lucas was able to transcend his genre? Will it capture the mythic?

Or will it just keep rambling on like an Oscar recipient?

Bayard

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