Despite the fact that Lucasfilm’s “New Jedi Order” saga was the most massively planned “Star Wars” saga – comprising 19 Del Rey novels from 1999 through 2003 – Dark Horse Comics was largely left out of the plans. Nom Anor, an advance scout for the Yuuzhan Vong, was awkwardly involved as a hooded figure in the confusing “Crimson Empire II” (1998-99), but that was the extent of the comics’ involvement with the Yuuzhan Vong and the “NJO” era for many years. (A Wookieepedia entry about Dark Horse’s original vision for an invasion storyline makes for fascinating reading about what might have been.)
Dark Horse’s absence from the “NJO” finally era ended six years later with the three arcs of “Invasion” (2009-11) — “Refugees” (Issues 0-5), “Rescues” (6-11) and “Revelations” (12-16) – with scripting by Tom Taylor and art by Colin Wilson.
Taking place during the first five books of the “NJO,” “Invasion” calls to mind Michael Stackpole writing “I, Jedi” in a way that included and gave additional meaning to scenes from Kevin Anderson’s “Jedi Academy Trilogy.” The difference is that we don’t see the precise events from the books (aside from a panel where Han recalls the moon descending on a defiant Chewbacca in “Vector Prime”). Instead, we see similar, parallel events from the Vong’s initial push into the galaxy, along with more logistical details — for example, the Vong use one conquered planet for growing food to feed their warriors.
The books hinted at the idea that the Vong were conquering several planets besides the ones we read about, and “Invasion” focuses on one of those: Artorius, which – much like the old Marvel comics – is ruled by benevolent monarchs, in this case the Galfridian family.
King Caled is a human who had two children, Finn and Kaye, with his first wife. His new wife, Nina, is a masqued former Yuuzhan Vong Shaper who is now a Shamed One. This is the first chronological appearance of a good Vong. The concept will come up again in Greg Keyes’ “Edge of Victory” duology (“NJO” books seven and eight), where Anakin Solo befriends a Shamed One, and Aaron Allston’s “X-wing: Mercy Kill,” which features a Shamed One raised by humans.
The idea that an individual Vong is capable of decent and moral behavior clears up the nature-versus-nurture debate in regards to this species. Their absence from the Force is not due to the species being inherently evil, but rather some other reason (which presumably will be explained by the end of the “NJO” book series, although I can’t recall what that explanation is).
Finn’s arc is the same as Luke’s in the original trilogy: He hasn’t completed his training at the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4, but he feels compelled to help his family. In an additional wrinkle, he can sense the Vong, a trait not held by any other Jedi, who can’t sense the Vong through the Force. Kaye, meanwhile, has super strength.
A reader can assume that Nina used her shaping skills to give these superhero traits to her human children, a positive spin on the human slaves with coral implants that turn them into mindless fighters — something seen in “Invasion” as well as Stackpole’s “Dark Tide” duology. However, we don’t see the specifics of how Nina gives them these traits, making me wonder if this series ended before Taylor intended it to.
While the Galfridian family is appealing, another hook of “Invasion” is that we get to see the descriptions of the “NJO” books brought to visual life by Wilson. This includes the interior of a Vong ship, a yammosk (war coordinator), villips (communication devices), blorash jelly (a binding gel) and grutchins (flying space wasps similar to the vulture droids from “Episode III”). Nina and Kaye, having commandeered a Vong ship, rescue refugees and proceed to use the ship to score victories against the Vong wherever they can. Nina and Kaye encounter a planet, Shramar, where the Imperials have made a deal with the Vong to use refugees as agricultural slave workers. It’s the same idea as Han and Droma’s adventures on Ruan in James Luceno’s “Agents of Chaos” duology.
In Issue 0, Taylor clears up something that was a bit vague in the books. A blue-skinned female who appears to be a Chiss notes that:
“My species has encountered the Yuuzhan Vong before. Even in small numbers they were almost unstoppable.”
This is certainly a reference to Timothy Zahn’s “Hand of Thrawn” duology that hinted of an alien threat in Chiss space at the edge of the galaxy. (The early outline for the multimedia invasion storyline may have intended to have the Chiss’ battles with the Vong be the first incursion that eventually became the Helska/Belkadan thread in “Vector Prime.”)
Taylor also adds something that’s a contradiction at first glance. A journalist named Cianba gives Holonet reports straight from the battlefield of the Outer Rim peoples’ battles against the Vong, yet we know from the books that Chief of State Borsk Fey’lya and the New Republic leadership refutes accounts of the invasion as being unreliable. Now we know they weren’t merely ignoring Leia’s first-person accounts of the Dubrillion takeover, but also live Holonet reports from other planets. I guess if the electorate is dismissing the news, perhaps politicians can, too. Putting “Invasion” and the “NJO” together, it could be read as a comment on our own society, where war on the other side of the globe is just something on the news channels, and we don’t think it will affect our daily lives unless it comes to our soil.
But in light of the EU being canceled, the biggest hook of “Invasion” is that it’s the only comic series where we get to see Jacen, Jaina and Anakin, aside from brief appearances as children in the “Dark Empire” saga and “Crimson Empire III.” Jaina has a cute almost-romance with Finn and shows her piloting skills. The older generation also features prominently: Luke finds time to teach at his academy, where Mara also makes a cameo. Leia is organizing refugee services while Han – who is drowning his sorrows in Coruscant’s cantinas during this time, according to Stackpole’s duology – actually does pop up at the Jedi Academy long enough to act like Jaina’s overly protective parent when he sees Finn’s interest in her.
The “Invasion” saga ends with the Galfridians and a chunk of New Republic military defectors forming an Outer Rim Alliance (General A’baht threatened take his ships and defect in the books; Admiral Blysma actually does so). Taylor runs into a continuity wall at this point. In the book series, the Outer Rim Alliance is never mentioned. I guess we can presume they are holding their own out there, but are kept busy enough that they don’t communicate with the Jedi or the New Republic military, which is more focused on the inner worlds. On a character level, Jaina and Finn’s relationship can’t be explored further because she never mentions him in any future book on the timeline (as those were already written).
I didn’t appreciate “Invasion” all that much on my first read, as I had forgotten the details of the “NJO” and also knew this story was constrained by the wider continuity. But reading it in conjunction with the first five “NJO” books gives the whole saga more heft. The comic series adds visuals to go with the novels’ words and also portrays an intimate story of a family whose lives are turned upside down by the Vong invasion.