Mark Waid’s “Star Wars: Princess Leia” collects issues #1-5 of the titular series written by Waid, illustrated by Terry Dodson, inked by Rachel Dodson, colored by Jordie Bellaire, lettered by Joe Caramagna, and with cover art by the Dodsons. The story begins mere minutes after the end of “A New Hope,” with Princess Leia finding herself seeking a purpose in the wake of Alderaan’s destruction. She recruits fellow Alderaanian pilot Evaan Verlaine for her personal mission as the last surviving member of the Alderaanian Royal Family to seek out and rescue any surviving Alderaanians before the Empire can eliminate them in retaliation for the Death Star’s destruction. Leia’s travels first take her to Naboo, offering a chance for her to encounter a Force-vision of her mother, the late Queen Amidala. Similarly, Artoo-deetoo has a homecoming, though without the fanfare. From there, they travel to Sullust, where Leia finds a group of particularly paranoid Alderaanians. She wins their loyalty, but needs their skills to find a spy in her midst. Evaan also helps introduce Nien Nunb to Princess Leia. Once Leia learns the identity of the spy, she demonstrates her willingness to risk her own life to preserve every remaining Alderaanian life. Meanwhile, her emissary to a different Alderaanian enclave encounters difficulty due to the fact that the Alderaanians have married and had children with the local population. Some want to accept anyone with Alderaanian heritage in order to keep any trace of their people alive while others reveal their racism. The story is a great Leia-centric “Star Wars” adventure, taking place shortly after the original film. The connections with Nien Nunb help connect to Cecil Castellucci and Jason Fry’s novel, “Moving Target,” while the setting neatly parallels Marvel’s relaunch of the “Star Wars” comics. Further, Leia’s brief glimpse of a Force-vision of her mother is a moving scene. Both Luke’s wardrobe as well as that of Evaan help to establish a style that appeared in Kevin Hearne’s novel, “Heir to the Jedi.” Waid is an able storyteller and uses Leia’s quest to rescue Alderaanian survivors as an introduction to explore Leia’s character. The Dodson’s art works particularly well with Waid’s writing, capturing character likenesses and imbuing scenes with a dynamism befitting “Star Wars” storytelling.

In “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – A Stitch in Time,” author and actor Andrew J. Robinson explores the backstory of his character Elim Garak. The novel alternates between three different time periods. In the present, Garak is dictating a letter to Julian Bashir after the events of “What You Leave Behind” as he helps with the clean-up on Cardassia Prime, finally able to return to his homeworld but finding that it is no longer his home. In the recent past, Garak is struggling to decode Cardassian codes prior to the invasion of Cardassia. His meetings with Dr. Julain Bashir force him to examine what it would mean to return home while he hopes for a chance at redemption both for himself personally and for the Cardassian people after actions such as the occupation of Bajor. Odo similarly begins to wonder what it would mean to return to the Founders. Finally, in the distant past, Robinson explores Garak’s life from a young boy through his time in the Bamarren Institute of State Intelligence. Following the lessons he learns there, he goes on to the Obsidian Order, eventually learning the truth about his father Enabran Tain and becoming enmeshed in Tain’s webs of intrigue. Robinson reads this audiobook adaptation himself, bringing the author’s voice to his own story and adding a touch of verisimilitude to these entries as a voice message for Dr. Bashir. Of great delight is hearing Robinson switch from his melodious voice to imitations of Julian (Alexander Siddig), Quark (Armin Shimerman), and Odo (the late René Auberjonois). In addition to the regular “DS9” cast and recurring guests, he incorporates other Cardassian characters such as Gul Madred as portrayed by the late David Warner in the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” two-parter, “Chain of Command,” revealing that Madred survived the Dominion War and seeks a new position in the changing Cardassian society. Garak in Robinson’s writing does not understand Sisko’s guilt over the death of the Romulan senator – as seen in “In the Pale Moonlight” – but attributes Sisko’s breakdown at the end of “Tears of the Prophets” to a combination of these actions as well as the loss of Jadzia Dax. Seeing Garak’s side of these events is particularly poignant given the larger role his character took on in later seasons of “Deep Space Nine.” This novel is a must-read for any “DS9” fan with the audiobook being a particular treat!

Devin Grayson’s “X-Men: Evolution – Volume 1” collects the first four issues of the comic featuring artwork and colors by Udon with Long Vo, Charles Park & Saka with letters by Randy Gentile. The issues serve as a prequel to the series of the same name that aired on Kids’ WB from 2000-2003. The series, based on the early “X-Men” comics, features a younger version of the team set in contemporary times that debuted shortly after “X-Men: The Movie.” The stories focus on Charles Xavier forming his school and recruiting other mutants to the cause of peaceful co-existence with humanity, beginning with Ororo Munroe, Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Kurt Wagner. Each issue focuses on a specific character. It also briefly showcases the ideological split between Magneto and Professor X. It’s a fun companion to the animated series for fans of the show and works well as a prelude to the series episodes.

Paul Jenkins’ “Wolverine: Origin” collects issues #1-6 of the comic of the same name written by Bill Jemas and Joe Quesada with pencils by Andy Kubert, digital paint by Richard Isanove, and letters by John Roshell, Wes Abbott, Oscar Gongorra, and Saida Temofonte. Prior to publication, bits and pieces of Wolverine’s history had been revealed in Chris Claremont’s tenure on “Uncanny X-Men” and beyond, with Weapon X, Department H, Logan’s time in Japan, and some adventures in World War II being the most well-known. Jenkins, Jemas, and Quesada take Wolverine all the way back to the beginning, revealing that he was born James Howlett, the son of a wealthy Canadian family in early-nineteenth-century Albert. His family haunted by tragedy, James’ powers awaken the night his family dies with his claws appearing and his wounds healing quicker than normal in the following days. Taking the name Logan as he flees with his companion, a redhaired Irish girl named Rose, Jenkins, Jemas, and Quesada imply that his memory issues partly result from the early trauma of his powers manifesting in addition to whatever Weapon X and Department H did decades later. In addition to his powers and the name of Logan, his experiences on the run with Rose also gives him his nom de guerre of Wolverine as he digs in the mountains and mines of British Columbia’s northern frontier (part V). The story ends with more questions than answers, but it was bold in exploring Wolverine’s earliest years when previous writers had embraced the ambiguity of his past, casting him in a similar mold to the Man with No Name from Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy. The success of this story coupled with Wolverine’s continuing popularity led to a spin-off, “Origin II,” and an ongoing series, “Wolverine: Origins.” The story itself is well-crafted and Kuberts pencils with Isanove’s colors perfectly evoke nineteenth-century images like those that accompanied Mark Twain’s writing, Mathew Brady’s photography, or the images in Harper’s Weekly. “Origin” is essential reading for any Wolverine fan and elements of the story even made it into the opening sequence of Gavin Hood’s 2009 film, “X-Men: Origins – Wolverine.” This edition also includes afterwords by Jenkins, Jemas, and Quesada, story and scripting discussions, and art breakdowns by Isanove.

“Star Wars: Vader Down” collects the titular one-shot issue, “Star Wars” #13-14, and “Darth Vader” #13-15 written by Jason Aaron and Kieron Gillen with art by Mike Deodato and Salvador Larroca, colors by Frank Martin Jr. and Edgar Delgado, letters by Joe Caramagna and Chris Eliopoulos, and cover art by Mark Brooks. The story begins with Darth Vader in pursuit of Luke Skywalker following the destruction of the Death Star. Having learned from Doctor Aphra that Luke is on Vrogas Vas, Vader stumbles across three Rebel X-Wing squadrons at a secret refueling base with Luke among them. He destroys two squadrons only for Luke to commence a kamikaze run at Vader’s TIE Fighter, downing the Dark Lord of the Sith on the planet’s surface. While the Rebels work to take Vader down, Aphra works to ensure Vader gets Luke Skywalker as his prize in order to prove herself to Vader. Meanwhile, Han Solo seeks to save Luke while Princess Leia supports the Rebels troops in the field. All find themselves in a trap when Mon Calamari cyborg Karbin reveals himself as the architect of the conflict in a bid to usurp Vader’s place in the Empire. The story proves Darth Vader’s prowess in a way that few have, showcasing him defeating an entire Rebel base single-handedly. Meanwhile, the plot focused on Luke Skywalker helps fill in elements of his early Force instruction between “A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back.” Leia continues to prove herself a leader as Han demonstrates that, for all his swagger, he remains loyal to his friends above all. Finally, Dr. Aphra steals the show as a secondary character continuing to build her own narrative. The result is a solid story within the larger narrative of the “Star Wars” comics set between Episodes IV and V. A great treat for fans.

Esmé Louise James’ “Kinky History: A Rollicking Journey through Our Sexual Past, Present, and Future” explores the history of sexuality in a compelling manner that will entertain and educate readers from academics through to casual readers while building on her social media and graduate work. She structures her book into five main subjects: sin, pleasure, queer identities, kink, and pornography. Each explores these works using classical texts as well as current historical analyses. Discussing contraception under the heading of sin, James explores historical forms of contraception, many of which may horrify modern readers. In the modern era, she links contraception to syphilis in the early sixteenth century following Jared Diamond’s research (p. 24). Similarly, in exploring sexual toys as a form of pleasure, James argues that correcting the false history of the vibrator is of critical importance. She writes, “It matters how we tell history. In linking the story of hysteria and the vibrator, we achieve a story that is funny, cheeky, and a little bit sexy – perfect for Hollywood and Broadway adaptations. It’s also insanely harmful. It paints women from recent history as mindless creatures who would allow doctors to essentially assault their bodies because their husbands said they’d been acting irrational. This isn’t the story we should be telling” (p. 84). Addressing queer history, James argues, “These stories have always been in the history books – we just need the right reading tools to be able to find them again. This is a task of great importance” (p. 95). To illuminate these stories, James highlights the lives of Elagabalus and Julius Caesar from ancient Rome, Anastasia the Patrician from sixth-century Byzantium, François-Timoléon de Choisy from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and an unnamed person from newspaper reports in the 1930s (p. 121-123). Further, she highlights cultures that recognized an intersex or third sex including the Galli in ancient Rome, the Mahu from pre-colonial Hawai‘i, and he Muxe people among the Zapotec community in pre-colonial and modern Mexico (p. 125). Though she cautions against mapping our current concepts of gender onto the past, James illuminates how LGBTQIA people have always been part of the human tapestry and have played a role throughout history while understanding gender as much more than a simple binary in their own times and terms. Turning to kink, James uses sources from the ancient world through James Joyce. She questions, “How much more could we learn about the function of a human if we stopped treating these desires as ‘freaky quirks’ and instead worked to show that they function in a holistic view of a human?” (p. 166). She moves from body parts to clothing to pain and more, alternating between literature, letters, scientific studies, and evidence from the ancient world through early modern history. In her final section, James examines pornography, though she touched on notions of pornographic materials throughout her study. She writes, “While we have a range of erotic art and literature dating back to the ancient world that we now classify as pornography, this was not even considered as a distinctly separate category until the early nineteenth century” (p. 210). Further, “pornography – a genre now often associated with heteronormative depictions of sexuality – was actually popularized as a genre by two (likely) queer men who wrote through the eyes of female sex workers” (p. 215). Above all, ethical production and consumption is important and James notes how one may healthily consume the material under these conditions, bringing her to her conclusion. James argues that sexuality is a form of empathy, best understood as a way to connect and worthy of understanding while dispelling myths. “Kinky History” is critical reading for the public with research that straddles the boundaries between popular and academic writing.

Joe Sacco’s “Paying the Land” tells the story of the Dene around the Mackenzie River Valley, whose livelihoods are threatened by the oil, gas, and diamond industries in the Canadian Northwest Territories. Industrial and economic changes transform the landscape while dividing communities between traditionalists, those who embrace the new systems, and people who remain conflicted but undecided. Elements of the environmental story and its impact on the locals resemble Kate Beaton’s recent book, “Ducks,” though the indigenous perspective sets “Paying the Land” apart. Sacco interviews members of the Dene in order to bring their words to the world. In addition to the costs of resource exploitation, Sacco recounts how the residential school system represented an institutional effort to destroy First Nations cultures (pg. 121-149). Like his other graphic novel journalism projects, Sacco acknowledges the observer’s paradox and how his entry into these communities and interviews only capture his own perspective or others’ perspectives filtered through him and the limitations that process involves. He notes that his interviews are another form of extraction similar to the oil industry on Dene land (p. 107). He also acknowledges that processing First Nations’ experiences through a western medium can repeat – albeit on a smaller scale – the cultural genocide of the residential schools and their efforts to force Euro-Canadian culture upon the Dene. Despite these concerns and his somewhat disarming portrayal of himself in a self-deprecating manner reminiscent of R. Crumb or Harvey Pekar, he strives to illuminate stories that might not receive as much attention in the standard press. Sacco concludes with a look at different efforts for decolonization work that members of the Dene are undertaking. The result is the type of work that Sacco’s readers expect and that sheds light on the lingering effects of colonization.

In “Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space,” Adam Higginbotham examines the history of the Space Shuttle from its initial concept and early experiments conducted by Maxime Faget and Dottie Lee through the selection of Astronaut Group 8, nicknamed “TFNG,” which included the first American woman in space with Sally Ride, the first African-American man in space with Guion Bluford, the first American woman to perform a spacewalk with Kathryn Sullivan, and the first Asian-American in space with Ellison Onizuka. After the wind-down from Apollo and the Moon, the Shuttle opened up a new way for Americans to envision space. Despite technical and historic achievements, the portrayal of the Shuttle as safe and entirely reliable by NASA, its contractors, and politicians belied the complex system at the Shuttle’s heart and how thoroughly it depended upon new technologies with little to no room for error. Higginbotham continues to demonstrate how Morton Thiokol underestimated the danger of their O-ring system at a management level while NASA’s own management sought to meet impossible launch schedules in order to appease government and private interests. Of a Morton Thiokol presentation on O-rings, Higginbotham writes, “obscured amid the blizzard of charts, data-filled binders, and Viewgraph slides, the rocket engineers failed to realize that they had reached a critical inflection point. Over the course of the years they had been developing and flying the solid rocket motors, the men at Thiokol and Marshall had slowly expanded the parameters of what they regarded as acceptable risk in the joints” (p. 206). Even when the quick-thinking of Jenny Howard saved a Shuttle launch with an abort-to-orbit, NASA did not pause to seriously examine and reconsider every part of the launch equipment (p. 239). In the end, Richard Feynman’s conclusion proved particularly prescient given the latter disaster involving the Columbia: “For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations… for nature cannot be fooled” (p. 450). Higginbotham’s book is an authoritative account of the Challenger disaster for those who don’t remember it or who want a book that explains the technical information without aiming for a technical audience. Eminently readable, he manages to balance a cast of hundreds and weave their narratives together as part of an organic whole that inexorably led to disaster amid institutional failures. “Challenger” is a warning to all such institutions to carefully examine their systems and avoid allowing outside pressures from business or politics to influence their decision-making away from safety.

In “American Born Chinese,” Gene Luen Yang alternates between a fictionalized account of his youth, the story of the Monkey King from Wu Cheng’en’s “Journey to the West,” and a satirical account of Chin-Kee, who represents the unkind way that Anglo-Americans view Chinese and Asian immigrants as well as personifying the identity that Chinese-Americans seek to repudiate in order to be seen as more than their ethnicity. His use of humor and dynamic character designs will help this story reach all audiences and give them a greater understanding of the immigrant and first-generation experience, though filtered through Yang’s unique perspective. Disney+ recently adapted this series, but they left out Chin-Kee. Even though the character fulfills a valuable narrative purpose, such an overtly racist caricature would not work well for a corporate streaming service’s production.

Erik Larson’s “The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War” chronicles the last months of the Buchanan Administration and the growing threat of Civil War as South Carolina seceded from the Union and demanded the forfeiture of Fort Sumter. Despite all the bluster of various Southern officials, Larson argues that every contemporary knew slavery to be the true cause of the posturing and eventual conflict. He writes, “…For all the South’s efforts to blame the crisis on Northern tyranny in imposing tariffs, collecting revenue, and ordaining ‘internal improvements,’ the crux of the crisis was in fact slavery. This was obvious to all at the time, if not to members of a certain school of twentieth-century historiography who sought to cast the conflict in the bloodless terms of states’ rights” (p. 274). Further, other contemporaries similarly understood that any mention of other causes was merely a disguise for slavery’s place in the body politic as “a cancer whose inner damage was masked by the victim’s outward appearance of health” (p. 345). Larson employs his research background to dramatize historical events, alternating between different principals in the federal government as well as the southern states and even diarists and newspaper writers. Many soldiers left records behind so that Larson can share their insights and actions as well as those of the political leaders. He uses honor culture as his insight into the Southern mindset, with his work demonstrating the influence of Gerald Linderman’s “Embattled Courage: The Experience of Combat in the American Civil War” or Bertram Wyatt-Brown’s earlier text, “Southern Honor: Ethics and Behavior in the Old South.” The code duello further punctuates each section, helping to frame the conflict as a duel of sorts. Despite this framing device, Larson reminds readers that the conflict held deeper meaning as to the nation’s character. As an example, Abner Doubleday, part of the United States defense at Sumter, viewed the battle over the fort as a fight “for the survival of the United States. ‘The only alternative was to submit to a powerful oligarchy who were determined to make freedom forever subordinate to slavery’” (p. 429). Larson concludes, “Here lay the greatest of ironies: In thirty-four hours of some of the fiercest bombardment the world had ever seen, no one was killed or even seriously injured, yet this bloodless attack would trigger a war that killed more Americans than any other conflict in the country’s history” (p. 463). Amid our currently rising political tensions, Larson’s work finds an readership yearning to understand how a civil war begins. Readers should be wary of mapping sectional boundaries onto current events, but may look to Doubleday’s comments to draw comparisons to the class-based masculine posturing that inspires much of contemporary political furores.