It was gone, lost like the Old Republic to the Empire. My love “Star Wars” left me.

As a child, I loved the original trilogy. I even loved the prequels— but then I got older. The movies lost some of their charm, and all I was left with were fond memories of the films.

Once Disney bought “Star Wars” from Lucasfilm, however, countless “Star Wars” fans found a new hope.

“Star Wars 1: Skywalker Strikes,” by writer Jason Aaron and artist John Cassaday reignited my passion for all things “Star Wars.”

Set after the Death Star explosion, Aaron and Cassaday give the Rebel Alliance crew of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2 a simple mission: destroy the Empire’s biggest weapons manufacturing plant on Cymoon 1. Sounds simple enough, until Darth Vader shows up. I won’t go into anymore plot details, but I will tease that lightsabers make appearance.

Aaron’s wit and humor fits perfectly into the “Star Wars” universe. Like Solo yelling to C-3PO, “Threepio, you worthless rust bucket, you better not have damaged my ship!”

The exposition writing in one scene explaining how the Rebel crew arrived to Cymoon 1 could have been written to sound more natural, but that’s a minor quibble. The story is fresh and moves at light speed.

Cassaday’s art looks like a screen capture from the movies and replicates the pure jubilation one felt when first watching “Star Wars.” The art looks inconsistent from panel to panel, but besides that, this is a gorgeous book to behold.

With Star Wars #1, Aaron and Cassaday bring back the sense of wonder associated with “Star Wars.” It’s safe to say The Force has awakened.

George Johnston can be reached at [email protected] or @gjohnston786 on Twitter.