Star Wars: Princess Leia

• 1. A Medal Ceremony And A Missing Emotion

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  At the medal ceremony concluding Star Wars: A New Hope, Princess Leia of Alderaan speaks a few words about her destroyed planet. She faces criticism for what appears to be a lack of emotion during this public moment. The Empire hunts any surviving citizens of Alderaan immediately after this event. A bounty on her own head prevents her from actively participating with the Rebellion forces. Leia convinces Rebel pilot Evaan Verlaine to join her mission. They take R2-D2 along to find and protect remaining Alderaanians. X-wing fighter pilots Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles pursue them across the galaxy. The trio escapes to Naboo where they meet an old acquaintance named Lord Junn. This meeting leads to a trap set by the Musical Order. Their leader Pareece keeps knowledge of Alderaan's destruction hidden from his group. The Order maintains a cloister vow to interact only with other Alderaanians. This cultural purity becomes a central conflict in their survival efforts.

• 2. Cultural Purity Versus Survival Needs

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  On Sullust, Nien Nunb helps locate Alderaanians hiding within cave systems. These survivors have forsworn Alderaanian culture entirely. They remain wary of Leia's party when Imperial ships arrive in orbit. Jora Astane leads these refugees who distrust the newcomers. Tace contacts her sister Tula without knowing Tula has joined the Empire. Jora identifies Tace as the traitor responsible for leaking their location. Leia realizes Tace was unaware of Tula's alliance with the Empire. Reunification talks on Espirion fail when Jora reacts with disgust at interbreeding between Alderaanians and alien natives. The Preserver proves too easily convinced to join Leia despite earlier resistance. Evaan and Nien Nunb rescue Leia during a planned double-cross. Countless ships piloted by other Alderaanians arrive to join the fight. They face overwhelming Imperial forces that plan to destroy all Alderaan ships. A space battle ensues where numbers seem impossible to overcome. R2-D2 broadcasts Leia's message to allies across the galaxy. The Alder-Espirions view this speech and join the fight. This turns the tide against the Imperial fleet.

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• 3. Editor Jordan White Recruits Mark Waid

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  Seeking a writer, editor Jordan D. White approached Mark Waid about the project. Waid identified Princess Leia as his favorite character from the Star Wars universe. Marvel Comics announced the series alongside ongoing titles Star Wars and Darth Vader in July 2014. Terry Dodson served as artist while Jordie Bellaire handled coloring duties. The five-issue limited series ran from March to July 2015. It functions as a self-contained miniseries set in the same rough time period as other new comics. This timing allows readers who want more content to get a broader picture of the story. The trade paperback collected these issues for release on the 3rd of November 2015. Critics later considered it the weakest of three initial comic releases at that time.

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• 4. Mixed Reviews From Industry Critics

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  IGN's Joshua Yehl ranked Princess Leia sixth among eight then-existing Marvel comics. He noted every Marvel comic released was good if not great overall. Alice Castle rated the first issue 6.8 out of 10 for Multiversity Comics. She called it the weakest of the then-released Marvel Star Wars comics available. Castle praised the premise behind the comic but criticized stilted dialogue. She felt the issue did little to connect readers with Leia personally. Nonetheless she lauded the art and its vibrant colors as best looking so far. IGN's Jesse Schedeen gave the issue a 7 out of 10 rating. He praised characterization and scenes where Leia interacts with Luke Skywalker. Schedeen felt Terry Dodson's art failed to distinguish between two leads clearly. Comic Book Resources' Doug Zawisza also praised the initial issue published. Schedeen gave the third issue a 7.9 out of 10 score later. He continued praising characterization while noting increasing endearment of Evaan Verlaine. Maltby rated that same issue 7 out of 10 despite some flaws. He complimented characters of Leia and Evaan as well-realized throughout. The Preserver character proved too easily convinced to join Leia according to critics.

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• 5. Top Sales Figures For March 2015

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  Princess Leia number one became the best-selling comic of March 2015 overall. It ultimately ranked tenth among all best-selling issues for Diamond Comic Distributors in 2015. The trade paperback sold an estimated 6,782 copies to comic specialty stores. This occurred during November 2015 when Shattered Empire had just released. Princess Leia came after Star Wars: Shattered Empire as third highest-selling graphic novel that month. These sales figures demonstrate strong commercial performance despite mixed critical reception. The series maintained popularity through its visual presentation and core premise. Readers responded positively to the artwork even when dialogue faced criticism. The trade paperback collection extended the life of the story beyond individual issues.

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