Artoo as a protagonist presents a very interesting challenge for any creative team. How do you convey emotion or motivation out of a character that's basically a walking, beeping trash can? How do you get inside Artoo's mind? Do you attempt some sort of bizarre Hawkeye/Pizza Dog story that hinges on visual symbols? Aaron and Salvador Larroca's solution is elegant and simple. They don't try. Rather, Aaron includes a running series of narrative captions that basically play out as a PR document for the R2 unit. This unseen narrator rambles on about the functionality and limitations of the R2 unit, even as R2-D2 himself defies those limitations in ironic and grandiose fashion. It's a surprisingly effective approach that really highlights how far Artoo has risen above his intended programming.
This issue relative of non-armored human characters is a welcome change of pace given all the problems with Larroca's art style lately. There are still pages marred by Larroca and colorist Edgar Delgado's blatant use of photo-referenced figures and oddly proportion Stormtroopers, but the problem isn't nearly as pronounced as in recent issues. And because of that, Larroca's flair for rendering cinematic action sequences is able to shine. Both Artoo's guerrilla war and the climactic dog-fight stand out as some of the series' better action sequences in recent memory.
Again, the real disappointment with this issue is that the capture of C-3PO amounts to so little. That twist was noteworthy for two reasons - because it put the Rebel Alliance in danger of having its secrets exposed by the galaxy's most talkative droid, and because it hinted at the chance for a reunion between Threepio and his maker. That latter element was especially intriguing. The Prequels beg the question of why Vader never seems to recognize his old droids. Has he buried Anakin Skywalker so completely that he truly doesn't remember them? Does he recognize them and choose to keep the fact hidden? Don't expect an answer here. Nor should you expect Threepio to be anything other than comedic relief. It's a little frustrating that a conflict that could have filled an entire, full-length story arc is instead swiftly dealt with in one issue.