Hasbro Star Wars Legacy Comic 2-Pack Dark Horse Heir to the Empire #1: Review

In 1991, Bantam Spectra Books and Lucasfilm Limited joined forces to re-launch the dormant Star Wars franchise with the publication of Timothy Zahn's Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, the first volume of a three-book cycle known asThe Thrawn Trilogy.

Eight years had passed since the theatrical run of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and only a few Lando Calrissian novels, a moribund Marvel Comics series and a West End Games role-playing game were "keeping the flame" for fans who wondered when - or if - Star Wars creator George Lucas would complete the long-rumored nine-part saga made up of three Trilogies - the Classic, the Prequels and a Sequel Trilogy set decades after Return of the Jedi.

Heir to the Empire, which is set five years after the climactic events of Episode VI, not only updated readers on how the lives of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, C-3PO and R2-D2 have changed since the Battle of Endor and the deaths of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, but it also introduced a new set of heroes, rogues and villains.

Among all of Zahn's new dramatis personae (which include such recurring characters as Mara Jade, Borsk Fel'ya, Capt. Pellaeon and Winter), two characters truly stand out in his first three Star Wars novels: Grand Admiral Thrawn, the last - and best - of Palpatine's warlords, and Talon Karrde, the smuggler/information broker who seeks to be neutral in the war between the New Republic and a suddenly-resurgent Galactic Empire.

The unexpected success of Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy and the many books by other authors which form the Expanded Universe created a great buzz among Star Wars fans, and many companies, including Dark Horse Comics and Hasbro, began releasing spin-off products, including new Star Wars comic books and action figures, some of them directly based on Expanded Universe stories and characters.
  
 Star Wars Comic Packs: Grand Admiral Thrawn & Talon Karrde
It's five years after the destruction of the second Death Star. The Rebel Alliance has established a New Republic, but its existence is threatened by the old Empire. Grand Admiral Thrawn commands the remnants of the Imperial fleet and is putting together a plan that will destroy the new government. Thrawn contacts Talon Karrde, a man with valuable information that Thrawn needs in order for his plan to succeed. - From the package blurb

When I resumed collecting Star Wars action figures and their assorted accessories about a decade ago, I decided to focus mainly on those items which are derived from "G" canon-sources, i.e. everything related to the movies and TV shows personally overseen by George Lucas.  

The Expanded Universe novels and comics, however, are "C" canon-sources which are licensed by Lucasfilm Limited and are considered part of Star Wars' continuity but not necessarily the "official" storyline.  (Lucas himself admits that he has not read any of the novels; the only major nod to the Expanded Universe's existence is the use of the name "Coruscant" for the capital planet of the Galactic Republc/Empire.)

Thus, even though Hasbro has issued many figures based on characters from the Expanded Universe novels, until I bought the Star Wars Comic Packs: Grand Admiral Thrawn & Talon Karrde two-figure set a few days ago, I only owned one figure of Mara Jade, given to me by my friend and fellow collector, Rogers Perez as a birthday present. 

This Star Wars: The Legacy Collection offering from 2008, is the ninth Star Wars Comic Packs set produced by Hasbro.  Like all the other sets (16 in existence with several others in the works), Grand Admiral Thrawn & Talon Karrde features two figures and an issue of a Dark Horse Comics Star Wars comic book.

Grand Admiral Thrawn: Perhaps one of the most popular EU characters in the Star Wars literary world, Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of the most formidable antagonists ever faced by Luke Skywalker and his friends in the New Republic. 

A tactical genius who can study a culture's art and thus figure out its particular psychological weak points, Thrawn is a rarity in the Galactic Empire: a non-human who has earned the right to wear the white uniform of a Grand Admiral of the Imperial Starfleet.  Loyal to the Empire's stated goals of establishing unity and order to the galaxy, Thrawn is more frugal with the use of Imperial resources and is not as apt as Darth Vader to lethally punish officers who make honest mistakes in battle.  In his own way, he is also honorable and worthy of respect, not just from his subordinates but from his antagonists in the New Republic.

The Hasbro figure is the second ever made of Thrawn and it looks exactly like Tim Zahn's description of the Chiss warlord in the Star Wars novels where he is a major character - humanoid, with black hair, blue skin, and red eyes.

Because he's depicted as he appears in the 1991-1993 Thrawn Trilogy, he wears the white uniform and rank tabs of a Grand Admiral, of which there were only 12 at the height of the Galactic Empire's power.  This consists of a long-sleeved white tunic with matching trousers patterned on the standard Imperial officer's uniform, a black belt with a silver buckle, and knee-high black boots.

Because Thrawn doesn't engage in any firefights personally - he has a Noghri bodyguard and a retinue of Imperial stormtroopers for protection - the figure doesn't come with a blaster pistol as an accessory.

It does, however, come with a small ysalamiri, a furry salamader-like creature which looks and is mostly harmless but has an interesting ability to resist the Force.  Thrawn usually has one or more around him whenever he expects to encounter a Force user (such as Luke or the insane Jedi Master Joruus C'baoth) and thus counteract his or her Jedi skills. 

In the package, one ysalamiri clings to the Grand Admiral's neck and left shouider, but there's a photo on the reverse side of the "card" which shows the creature grabbing Thrawn's left boot, so presumably this accessory can be removed and posed differently than its "in package" placement.

Talon Karrde, the smuggler chief who has taken over much of the late Jabba the Hutt's organization, is also very interesting character-wise.  Though part of the galaxy's "fringe elements" and considered an outlaw by many, including some in the fledgling New Republic, Karrde is not as venal or amoral as the slug-like gangster killed by Princess Leia five years ago.  In fact, he's a wealthier, more urbane version of Han Solo - a man who prides himself in being an independent operator with ties to no government or cause.  He's also - like Thrawn - intellectually curious and always seeking information...a firm believer in the notion that knowledge is power.

Karrde, to my knowledge, has never had a figure made in his likeness, and his appearance is that of a long-haired space freighter captain with a neatly-trimmed goatee.  His outfit is all earth tones - a tan jacket trimmed with dark brown "fur," a dark brown tunic, brown trousers, a tan gun belt with a functional holster, and knee-high spacer's boots. 

Both figures feature the usual articulation points (head/neck, shoulders/elbows, and legs; however, the design of Thrawn's Imperial uniform tunic precludes any obvious hip joints, while Karrde's less-restrictive and more informal outfit does allow for multiple joints in the figure's legs. 

Unlike Thrawn, Karrde does get himself involved in several sticky situations where brainpower needs to be augmented by firepower, so his figure wields a small silvery blaster pistol.  In the package he is shown holding it in his right hand, but it can be placed in the gun belt's holster if one wants to take the figure out of its package and posed differently.

The Star Wars Comic Pack's final accessory is a reprint issue of Issue #1 of Dark Horse Comics' six-part adaptation of Zahn's novel.  Featuring a 29-year-old Luke Skywalker, a stylized portrait of Thrawn, and two Imperial Star Destroyers, the cover art carries on the striking visual tradition of the various posters created for the seven feature films.

My Take: Though - as I stated earlier - I tend to stick to figures based from the films and/or more recent TV series, the Thrawn Trilogy of Expanded Universe novels ranks high in my list of favorite Star Wars books, so when I was browsing at Wal-Mart for new figures and I saw this, I couldn't resist. 

The packaging alone is so attractive and displayable that any serious Star Wars collector would go ga-ga over this or any of the other Comic Packs.

 At first, I was disappointed that I couldn't get two Thrawn-Karrde Comic Packs; there was only one left at the Walmart where I bought mine and it cost (in 2009) $10.99 plus tax.  I like keeping my figures in the packaging, but since I had not read the Dark Horse Comics adaptations by Mike Barron, I was curious to see what the comic was like.   

Luckily, I managed to keep my curiosity in check and the package intact, because in January of 2010 I bought the omnibus hardcover edition of The Thrawn Trilogy, which contains not just Issue # 1 of Heir to the Empire but the complete comics adaptations of the series, including Dark Force Rising and The Last Command.

As with any Star Wars collectible, parents are cautioned that this Star Wars Comic Pack contains small parts that may be a choking hazard for very young children.  Hasbro suggests this product is suitable for kids four and up; I think it's better suited for older children (11 and up) and serious adult collectors.