Some might say that Star Wars isn’t in the best place right now, but there was a time when Disney getting control of the galaxy far, far away was a cause for celebration. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story turns 10 in 2026 and Andor both showed fans that the Star Wars formula could be more than they thought it could, holding the standard for good Star Wars content in the modern day. With that anniversary around the corner, Marvel is putting out some prequel books for the film, with main characters like Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor getting their own books. It’s safe to say that after the reception to Andor, fans would most look forward to the issue starring the rogue and this week sees that issue drop.
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Star Wars: Rogue One – Cassian Andor #1 is a one-shot from the team of Benjamin Percy and Luke Ross. The issue finally tells the story of how we found Cassian in the movie. While it’s certainly an entertaining issue, there’s really not all that much meat on this bone for an entire story.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
| Pros | Cons |
| Percy’s story is well-paced and has cool moments | This doesn’t really feel like a comic that needs to exist |
| Ross’s art captures the Star Wars feel it needs to | Ross’s Andor always looks somewhat off |
Percy Entertains, but This Story Didn’t Really Need to Exist
Andor was a once in a lifetime show. While Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was always good, it couldn’t hold a candle to its spin-off; few things on the big or small screen can. Putting out a comic starring Cassian could seem like a good idea, but it’s going to be a problem because fans are expecting a higher class of story from the character after the show. Star Wars: Rogue One – Cassian Andor #1 is going to pull in a lot of readers who are hoping for more of the show, but what they’re going to get is something more like the movie – entertaining but also something that doesn’t really need to exist.
Benjamin Percy is one of Marvel’s better superhero writers and he’s mostly known for his work with grittier characters like Wolverine and Deadpool. He should be perfect for an Andor story, but there’s really not much story here for him to tell. Cassian is sent on the mission we see him completing in the movie, he’s spotted by a bounty hunter, has a fight where Kaytoo saves him, and the issue ends with him going to the rendezvous, where we met him a decade ago. Percy doesn’t really have room to anything interesting with the character. It’s literally just a prequel comic and that’s kind of disappointing, especially since Percy could have done better with a story starring Andor from another period. I never felt like this story needed to be told the whole time I was reading it, which is a problem.
Ross’s Art Is Mostly Good, but There Are Some Problems
Luke Ross has been working on superhero comics for a long time. He’s provided art for more books than you can shake a stick at, and has proven to be a versatile penciler. One of the best parts about Marvel getting the Star Wars comics license has been getting to see guys like Ross get to draw the setting. As far as it goes, Ross does a pretty great job with most of what he’s given. His ships look great, he nails the Rebel base complex on Yavin IV, and there are some really cool images throughout the book, but there are some problems with the art.
The biggest problem for me is the way he draws Cassian, which is an issue when he’s in most of the book. You can tell that Ross is trying to do justice to Diego Luna, but there are times when his face looks plain strange. It seems to have something to do with Ross’s references; you get the feeling that he didn’t have pictures for every angle, so there are times he draws the full face when only part of it should have been visible. On the one hand, it’s admirable that he was trying so hard to capture the actor’s likeness. On the other hand, it just looks off more often than not.
Both Rogue One and Andor are bright spots in the otherwise dreary post-Disney acquisition Star Wars landscape, and that makes this comic all the more disappointing. Percy and Ross are a really great creative team, but this issue just never really comes together. It’s fine turn your brain off Star Wars fluff, but it’s a story that never needed to be told.
Star Wars: Rogue One – Cassian Andor #1 is on sale now.
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