Poe Dameron #15

Poe Dameron #15 shows off a love for ships and Xexto as the First Order goes after pirates and the Resistance goes all out for fuel. There might not be anything shocking or revealing in this issue, but if there happens to be a Xexto fan out there, this one is a must have. Seriously, there’s a lot of Xexto in this usse.

For the most part, this issue doesn’t do anything too crazy with the story. The Resistance is low on fuel, Poe is set out with Black Squadron to get some from some pirates in a pre-arranged deal, and the First Order beats them to it, thus setting up a trap. Black Squadron deals with the issue and tries to turn the day into a victory, but the issue ends before that victory is sealed. There’s some action with the First Order attacking the pirates, and there’s some action with Poe flying a freighter through an asteroid field. Nothing too far out of left field.

Then there’s the Xexto.

Remember all the weird alien podracers in The Phantom Menace? One of them was a little four armed guy named Gasgano. Now Gasgano didn’t get a ton of screen time, but he did finish second in the race and he got an action figure. But his species, the Xexto, are not a very prevalent species in Star Wars, be it the comics, the books or on tv or film. They’re a rare sight. Poe Dameron #15 goes outside the box by bringing these aliens in and letting them take the spotlight in a bunch of panels. The issue has a whole pirate crew of Xexto. For some fans, this might be too weird to handle. The Xexto are a very odd design with their spindly arms and long necks. For prequel fans, this might be a really fun nod. And then there are people like me who just appreciate something weird. It doesn’t get much more weird that an issue full of these strange aliens. I rather liked it.

Xexto aside, there’s not a ton to talk about with the story. We get a line about how Han is helping the Resistance out by giving them info on smugglers who can help them with supplies. We see Terex falling into his new role of emotionless pawn for the First Order. We see Black Squadron working together despite the loss of L’ulo, showing off a lot of their teamwork skills and Poe’s leadership. Aside from all of that, the only other thing that struck me about this issue was the artwork of the ships. It’s pretty impressive.

Angel Unzueta and Arif Prianto do a good job with all of the characters, illustrating the story, and showing off the action. But they really shine when it comes to the ships. The shots of the Romary, Black Squadron and space are just gorgeous. From the linework and detail to the exquisite coloring, it’s one of the highlights of the issue. Part of me would love to see these two artists do an entire issue of just ships in space. With artwork this good, it should have the opportunity to shine.

The story in this issue is fine. It pushes things along, it keeps things fun, and I’d give it a three out of five. Tossing in the Xexto is strange and weird and amps up the fun factor. For that, I toss in another point. But the artwork…that pushed me over the edge. Some of the panels in this issue are just gorgeous. For that, I round this one up for a five out of five metal bikinis. It’s skewed and atypical, but this issue earns it.