The Invasion has begun!  The Yuuzhan Vong are descending on the peaceful planet of Artorias and they have no idea about what’s coming.  Read the full review after the break, but be warned there are spoilers ahead.

Nearly six years after the conclusion of the New Jedi Order with The Unifying Force, Dark Horse enters the fray with Star Wars Invasion.   For me this issue was everything I wanted it to be.  It introduced the main characters, it captured the intensity and fear of the Yuuzhan Vong, and it moved fast enough that it was over before you knew it.

The Galfridian family will take us through the Yuuzhan Vong war but they aren’t an ordinary family, they are royalty.  To make matters worse the Yuuzhan Vong invasion has seperated the family from each other.  With the father, Caled, helping to evacuate the citizens of Artorias and Finn being recruited by Luke Skywalker to join the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4.  Meanwhile Finn’s mom and his sister Kaye have been captured by the Yuuzhan Vong.  Very high tension stuff for 22 pages worth of story, but it fits this era well.  Caled doesn’t expect to survive the invasion, he wants Finn to leave so Artorias will still have a king and we don’t know where the female Galfridians will end up now.  There is one glimmer of hope, young Finn will be trained in the ways of the Jedi. 

The Yuuzhan Vong look like I expected them to look, or how I envisioned them while reading the NJO series.  Fierce, deadly, efficient killing machines that should be feared.  The one thing that I hope is answered within the next four issues is who the Yuuzhan Vong infiltrator is from the Official Site two issue preview.

As much as was I looking forward to this issue I was worried about Luke Skywalker’s appearance.  Would he come off as weak and indecisive?  Would he falter and show apprehension in dealing with the Yuuzhan Vong?  Luckily Tom Taylor and Colin Wilson knew how to make Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker again.  At this point we don’t see Luke struggling with the problems that seemed to bog him down in the NJO series.  He was just Luke Skywalker.  He made a grand entrance and salvaged the day for Artorias.  Now all he has to do is train a Prince to be a Jedi.

Overall this issue was a great start to the series and I can’t wait for the Invasion to continue to unfold.