The Fall 2020 Manga Guide

Star Wars Leia, Princess of Alderaan

What's It About? 

A young Princess Leia spends her days learning the ways of politics, aiding those in need and preparing for the traditional ceremony in which she declares her intention to one day rule Alderaan. But as Leia prepares herself to be named the heir of the throne, she becomes aware of the growing distance between her and her parents, who behind closed doors are leaders of the newly-formed Rebellion. Upon learning her parents' secrets, Leia must now make a choice between her responsibility to the people of Alderaan and her responsibility to save a galaxy crushed by the rule of the Empire.

Star Wars Leia, Princess of Alderaan adapts Claudia Gray's Leia, Princess of Alderaan novel, which Disney–Lucasfilm Press published in September 2017 as part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi series. The manga is drawn by Haruichi. Yen Press has licensed the manga and is currently selling Volume 1 in paperback for $13.00

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Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

Leia: Princess of Alderaan is the manga adaptation of the novel of the same name by Claudia Gray, and it was originally written as the lead-up to The Last Jedi, which, if you're a Star Wars fan, probably means something to you. As a casual consumer of Star Wars at best, I still found this volume easy to read and frankly a lot of fun, but I'm positive that there were a lot of references that I completely missed and that will enhance the reading of people more in the know. What can I say, I've always been more of a Spaceballs person.

The story follows sixteen-year-old Princess Leia as she comes of age and begins to truly be aware of what the political landscape of her world looks like. As the (presumed) child of Alderaanian royalty, Leia's upbringing has been safe and relatively pampered. She's aware that her parents are dealing with a lot of political strife brought about by Emperor Palpatine, but just what that is, and what it actually means for people living under his thumb, isn't really part of her education. Although Leia sees this as her parents ignoring her or coddling her, the reality is much more likely to be that they're protecting her, especially since the Rebels are beginning to move more openly. Unfortunately for everyone concerned, they've raised a very smart, compassionate, and motivated daughter, and there is absolutely no way that Leia is just going to sit back and let droids braid her hair.

Seeing Leia begin to come into her own as a person is the major draw of this manga, and the increase in capable and kickass female characters is definitely a welcome piece of that. This Leia isn't waiting for rescue or enslaved in a metallic bikini, this is the princess who will grow up to become a general, and the story does a good job of showing us that. Leia's headstrong, but doesn't act without thought, and if things don't always work out the way she's hoping or planning, that's mostly because people aren't giving her all of the information that she needs, as we see at least twice in this volume. There's a lot of trial and error involved in Leia's efforts, so knowing that they will eventually pay off is nice, but more rewarding is watching her begin the process of becoming the Leia who is a strong and capable leader. There's a nice bittersweetness in her being drawn to look very much like a young Carrie Fisher, and the art as a whole is nice although much more given to humanoid characters than interesting alien designs. If I enjoyed it this much as a casual Star Wars viewer, I suspect (and hope) that those with more investment in the series and the character will find even more to like, because even with my limited knowledge, this was fun.

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Caitlin Moore

Rating:

I've never really been much of a Star Wars person. I've seen most of the movies, although the balance on that threatens to shift every time a new one is released and I put off watching it too long and miss its theatrical run. I've never engaged with any of the books, cartoons, games, or other forms of media spun off from the series. It's just not my thing.

But young adult fantasy featuring spunky, complex heroines trying and sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding at navigating difficult situations? Oh yes, that is very much my thing. It is about as much my thing as things can get. Thus, Leia: Princess of Alderaan drew me in from its first pages and did not let go.

It's a bit of an unusual, though not unique, case: a manga adaptation of a novel that was originally written in English. This time, it's a novel of the same name by YA writer Claudia Gray, who has written several official Star Wars books as well as her own original works. She writes Leia as the young woman who would become the iron-willed leader we know from the films with great nuance. She's charismatic and a natural leader but still unsure of herself at times, intelligent and principled but still capable of judging situations poorly, still figuring out her relationships, and just rife with glimmers of future greatness.

The artist, Haruichi, strikes a bold balance between manga and Western comic traditions, creating a kind of appealing hybrid style that meshes well with the franchise's overall aesthetic. There's a lot of detail normally not found in manga, particularly in the character design, which is less stylized than manga tends to be. It's wonderful to see the late, great Carrie Fisher envisioned as a vivacious comic character, much preferable to the creepy CG doll that appeared at the end of Rogue One.

Leia: Princess of Alderaan isn't just for Star Wars fans – I'm living proof of that. It's a great choice for anyone who loves imaginative fiction featuring layered young women.