Rogue One #6 Review

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The Rebellion moves to steal the Death Star plans in Rogue One #6.

This article contains plot points for Rogue One #6.

Rogue One #6

Writer: Jody Houser | Artist: Emilio Laiso | Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg | Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles | Cover Artist: Phil Noto | Production Design: Carlos Lao | Editor: Heather Antos | Supervising Editor: Jordan D. Whitei

With Rogue One #6 the adaptation of the latest Star Wars movie concludes. This issue neatly wraps up the adaptation. Although it features little, if any, additional material to the film, it resolves the story in a satisfactory matter.

Attention to Battle

The Battle of Scarif features in this issue. In fact, this issue devotes its first thee pages to nothing but the battle. Blue squadron dashes for the gate before the Empire closes it. The squad then moves in support of the Rebel forces engaged in fighting on the surface of Scarif. These pages cover a lot of action. Blue squadron’s initial attacks, assault on the AT-ACTs, and losses are all included. The Death Troopers even land on the beach and attack the Rebels there.

Perhaps this series simply ran out of room, but it seems like the action is a little more rushed in this issue compared to the previous five issues. Although it is not a major flaw, the issue might have benefited from a few more transitional panels. For instance, General Merrick, Blue Leader, dies in the span of three panels. Readers unfamiliar with the movie, if there are any, might not immediately catch he was shot down by this sequence.

The Shield and the Plans

After the initial battle sequence, the action moves to bringing down the Scarif planetary shield and transmitting the plans. As Rogue One audiences remember, the primary characters of the Rebel forces there begin dying one-by-one. Although not as gripping as the film, Houser and Laiso’s work here was admirable. They managed to capture much of the emotion with clever framing of panels, excellent art, and frenetic pacing. The final confrontation between Krennic and Jyn is especially noteworthy. From the wind in Jyn’s hair and smudges on her face, Jyn’s defiance leaps off the page. In response, the creases in his skin and the menacing manner in which he points his blaster at Jyn highlight Krennic’s grim determination.

Another element that enhances this scene is the way scenes of the destruction of the shield are spliced between panels of Jyn and Krennic’s conversation. The panels of the Star Destroyers colliding and crashing rest easily between those of Krennic and Jyn’s confrontation. They achieved a true sense of simultaneous action with soft borders and some panels serving as the background for others. “Cinematic” is not quite an accurate label, but a smooth transition results.

Vader’s Assault

Perhaps one of the most memorable scenes of Rogue One was Darth Vader’s assault aboard the Profundity. Similar to the confrontation between Jyn and Krennic, Houser and Laiso captured the tension and terror of this scene from the movie by replicating the color tones and lighting. Darth Vader’s red lightsaber illuminates a dark passage as he stalks the Rebel troopers trapped in the corridor with him. The adaptation does not include their cries for help or their screams of panic. However, the terror is clearly evident on the face of the trooper that hands off the plans through the door before the Tantive IV escapes. The adaptation expertly captures this scene.

Concluding Thoughts on Rogue One #6 and the Series

As stated numerous times here and elsewhere, the Rogue One adaptation was an exemplar for all other adaptations to follow. This adaptation captured the atmosphere, pacing, and look of the movie without becoming a stale rehash or retelling of the same story. Although Rogue One #6 contained little new material, it’s primary achievement was matching the intensity of the film. Six issues is probably about as much as the comic reading public is willing to put up with from an adaptation, but a few more pages to add just a few more elements excised from the film on the cutting room floor would have been welcome.

This adaptation ends with a fitting final touch. In the lead up to the release of Rogue One, John Knoll, who pitched the idea for the movie to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, stated he wanted to see the battle, more specifically the Rebellion’s first victory, mentioned in the opening crawl of A New Hope. Rogue One was that battle. The movie, and this adaptation, ended moments before that movie begins. Therefore, it is very appropriate that the final page of Rogue One #6 is the opening crawl to A New Hope.

Adaptations are hard things to label as “must reads.” However, for the inclusion of additional material, Rogue One is as close an adaptation gets to a must read these days. It is a great supplement to the movie at the very least and a great collection of art.