See my note on it in my blog:

http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/2006/04/booknote-star-wars-dark-empire-i.html ( )

I've not read much of the expanded universe, admittedly. I listened to this in Audiobook format and the voice acting was pretty much the only redeeming quality of the story - even had Billy Dee Williams as Lando! I thought the overall story was pretty weak - no real explanation of why Luke would be tempted by the Dark Side. ( )

The comic that launched a new generation of Star Wars comic books. The story is good and so is the art. It's just that feeling of Star Wars that makes this a good comic to read. ( )

I remember really enjoying this story when I first read it, of course that was years ago and I think it was the first Expanded Universe story I ever read. Reading it now after finishing Timothy Zahn's fantastic trilogy, it falls a bit flat. The back cover says it is now six years after Return of the Jedi, but didn't the Thrawn trilogy run that long? And the events of Zahn's series, even though Veitch claims in the introduction to have communicated with Zahn to get details right, feels like it's been almost wholly neglected. Where's Mara? Luke seems to have already forgotten any lessons he learned dealing with Joruus C'baoth. This book feels like it wanted so much to be the one and only sequel to Jedi, and it just doesn't do enough to make that claim. And the Emperor's sudden return as series of clones is 1) way too much deus ex machina and 2) far too surprising to Luke after he, again, JUST dealt with Joruus C'baoth (a clone), Thrawn's thousands upon thousands of cloned troopers, AND a clone of himself!

This whole book feels like Veitch wanting to take things in his own direction and just neglecting the work that Zahn has already put in, and that infuriates me. Still enjoyable, but way too many problems after reading what came before. ( )

Graphic novels are not my thing. I felt like the story was so simplified that it was hard to enjoy it. But it did fill in some storyline details. ( )