BOOK REVIEW: STAR WARS: The Adventures Of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight – by Tony Diterlizzi, Illustrated by Ralph McQuarrie

BOOK REVIEW: STAR WARS: The Adventures Of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight – by Tony Diterlizzi, Illustrated by Ralph McQuarrie
Disney Lucasfilm Press
7 October, 2014
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
10/10

The Adventures Of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight couples Tony Diterlizzi’s interpretation of the original Star Wars trilogy with Ralph McQuarrie’s early visualisations of the characters and sets of George Lucas’s iconic and epic tale of heroism against oppression.

Before any film is made, storyboards must be done and in the case of something as fantastical as Star Wars, illustrations of characters, sets, costumes, etc all need to be done.

McQuarrie’s sketches and paintings provide a fascinating insight into the creation of the end result we are all so familiar with on the screen – much like a demo recording can show a glimpse at the early stages of a song.

Diterlizzi’s text focuses on Luke Skywalker’s “epic journey from farm boy on Tattooine to the greatest Jedi Knight ever”, and seeing it in this format feels like looking at an old favourite from a new angle.

Furthermore, in this day and age of CGI, it’s wonderful to see how the physical needs of the costumes further moulded the designs into those we now cherish so deeply.

Category: Book Reviews