In his foreword to the many pages of illustrations that make up Star Wars: Galaxy of Colouring, designer Nicolas Beaujouan aptly explains this seemingly new trend of adult colouring books by saying, “Drawing and colouring are really healthy hobbies, and there is no conflict between adulthood and the creative reverie of childhood”. In his full-page intro to the images ahead, he also sets out the tone of this nicely assembled and (and surprisingly thick) book, by passionately (albeit briefly) discussing the impact of Star Wars, ending with “Star Wars is not just a dream, but a waking dream”. And in this colouring book, there is certainly scope to dream.
Across over 100 pages, images from the Lucasfilm archive and illustrations by Ronan Toulhoat and Kanthesis, fill this large colouring book and give us a great deal of un-coloured characters. From Han Solo, Princess Leia and Darth Vader to General Grievous, Devaronian and Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes, this book boasts quite a few character diagrams for the pleasure of the avid Star Wars fan. It is also nice to see the level of affection that went into a project like this, evident in both the aforementioned foreword and some images affectionately taken directly from set pieces in the films (Battle of Yavin, Battle of Hoth and the Endor Speeder Chase, The Boonta Eve Classic Podrace).
However, some of the illustrations do come stylistically shaded to the point that, say, the odd Death Star Officer or Darth Vader comes mostly filled with deep shadow, and may not require much further colour assistance. Also some of the prequels are less focused on than the original trilogy and, while understandable and unavoidable considering the film was not out during the books making, you can’t help but feel the absence of images from The Force Awakens, now that we have practically all seen the film. There are also some lacking names like Jango Fett (though Boba unshockingly features heavily) and the Max Rebo Band- who else among us couldn’t wait to get our coloured pencils on Sy Snootles? No? Just us then…
However these are really minor quibbles in a book that, like the Clone Troopers (prior to Order 66 that is) does its job well. Featuring mostly great illustrations, with almost a Sin City like graphic novel feel to a few of them. As well as others inspired by the posters of some of the films in the series (the last image in particular is taken directly from the 1977 original posters). Some may not even want to colour in some of these pages (in these days of unspoiled Star Wars merch being our future pension getters) but for the majority that do, there is plenty to enjoy, with some redux images leaving open backgrounds where you can really grab yourself a sketching pencil and let your imagination go wild. Presented with a golden fold out cover and back, this is an attractive colouring book for the more artistic of Star Wars fans. Just keep out of reach of the younglings…
STAR WARS: GALAXY OF COLOURING / ARTISTS: RONAN TOULHOAT, KANTHESIS / PUBLISHER: EGMONT / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
