Poe Dameron Vol. 2: The Gathering Storm: Inching closer to open war

Star Wars: Poe Dameron Vol. 2: The Gathering Storm by Charles Soule & Phil Noto

This is the second in Charles Soule’s ongoing comic book series focused on Poe Dameron, though I didn’t know that when I read it, and thankfully didn’t feel like I needed anything catching up on anything. Set in the period leading up to The Force Awakens, this explores the growing conflict between the Resistance and the First Order, as well as the search for Lor San Tekka (as you’ll recall, he was played by Max von Sydow in the movie).

As General Leia’s best and most trusted pilot, Poe is tasked with the mission of finding Lor San Tekka, though he’s deeply troubled by the possibility that a member of his Black Squadron is a traitor, feeding information to the First Order. But who is it?

Having received intelligence that one of C-3PO’s droid informants might know the location of Supreme Leader Snoke, Poe heads to the planet of Kaddak in the Outer Rim, a wretched hive of scum and villainy if ever there was one. He’s followed by First Order officer Terex, who is an extremely formidable opponent: intelligent, confident and ruthless, he’s a true believer in the Empire who survived the battle of Jakku and subsequently went into hiding as a powerful crime lord. On board the Carrion Spike — once the flagship of Grand Moff Tarkin himself — he tracks Poe to Kaddak and puts his own plan into action.

But as the cover art of The Gathering Storm indicates, this is just as much about C-3PO as it is Poe, and the story raises some interesting questions that have never been brought up in the films themselves concerning the sentient nature of droids. Do they make their own choices, or do they simply obey their programming? There’s a new droid character introduced here that’s either incredibly obnoxious or just following its self-preservation programme, and at one point Poe overrides his personality in order to save his own life. Was he right to do so or is it a violation of the droid’s agency?

Phil Noto’s artwork is generally quite good, especially in Poe’s resemblance to actor Oscar Isaac, though some of the colours seem rather washed-out and sepia-toned. It’s not bad, but I did miss the brightness and colour I equate with Star Wars. There’s good use of backstory when it comes to fleshing out Terex’s backstory, and it lays some important foundations for how the First Order first got its feet.

As a character who is perhaps the least-developed among the main cast of the STAR WARS sequels, it was a good idea to explore the build-up to the new trilogy through the eyes of Poe Dameron. He’s smart and charismatic, and you can almost hear his voice throughout the pages of this comic.