I was reading some of the latest Legacy comics a while back. I'm really enjoying this series, and it occurred to me that I seem to like Star Wars EU stories that have little to nothing to do with the main movie characters much more than those that do. There are exceptions, but on the whole, I've enjoyed the KOTOR series and related works and the Legacy comic book series more than the others.

Some of that is due to the skill of the writers and storytelling. However, when I'm reading a product that centers on a movie-related character, I read it with a much more critical eye. I find myself looking to see if the characters act the way my preconcieved notion of how the movie versions acted, if the continuity has been altered in uncomfortable ways or is just wrong. I think this is why I've never been partial to the earlier comic book series, like Marvel, or more current ones like Empire or Rebellion.

Essentially, EU stories that occur around the movie saga influence the characters, and if it's not done correctly, I feel a bit cheated somehow. I basically expect EU material to avoid messing too much with the established motivations, story and characters we know in the movies. Of course, some might argue the prequels do just that to the classic series, but I tend to think that as the creator of the series, George Lucas gets to play with that if he wants to. The latest bombshell is Anakin's apprentice in the upcoming Clone Wars series. He has a what? Ok, it will be interesting to see how that's handled.

When I'm creating new EU material in game products, I'm really careful how I treat a known character or subject - it can't contradict what we've seen before and it must feel like Star Wars. Hopefully I've been (and will be) successful at that.

So, with that as a background, I'll dive into a few of the products I've been reading over the past few months.

There are some spoilers ahead.

Death Star (the novel): I read this last fall, after completing a freelancing project, sort of as a reward (and to check up on a thing or two). I was really looking forward to it, since it was co-authored by Steve Perry and I had enjoyed Shadows of the Empire. I came away frustrated and disappointed. The focus on most of the characters didn't thrill me and I felt like the entire thing moved slowly.

Continuity was handled ok, but I totally disliked the early Rebel attack on the Death star - with 500 fighters! Scenes like that make you question why there weren't more at Yavin. Yes, you could argue they were sent from Yavin, but it just didn't work for me. The other scene that really got on my nerves was the shuttle escape. Having Darth Vader break off in the middle of the final climactic scene in the original Star Wars movie to chase down a shuttle...no, it messes too much with what we already know about that scene. It's too contrived for me. I would've just as soon seen the characters die trapped on the Death Star as a dramatic ending, or perhaps escape just as the sucker explodes, dodging large bits of debris.

Knights of the Old Republic: Continues to be well written, occasionally funny, and, of course, I know a bit about where it's heading in the immediate future. Also, Vector has started, and I'm looking forward to seeing it develop. The latest artist doesn't thrill me, though. The style is different from the previous issues, and it's a bit tough to recognize certain characters.

Legacy: I've really gotten into this. It has a lot of interesting twists and additions (like the Imperial Knights) and doesn't demand much knowledge of the entire NJO and Legacy of the Force series to enjoy it. There is also some humor, which too many books forget to use in Star Wars. Also, their style is very consistent since they use the same artist on most issues (and she's one of the authors). The Legacy naming convention is a bit confusing, though, as the Legacy of the Force series is not in the same timeframe (though the Legacy title suggests more of a connection to me). I loved the scene with the Sith spirits berating Darth Kryat for breaking the rule of two.

Dark Times: Wow, are times really dark. They've gotten into some subject matter that is really too dark for my tastes for an entertaining graphic novel in recent issues. I hope they lighten up a bit, or I may consider dropping this.

Aside from the ongoing comics, I'm not sure what I'll be picking up next....