End of the Republic (R78-80). These are nice stories for how they paint on a wide canvas with lots of one-off characters. "Loyalties" is the better, probably due to Ostrander's writing, but also because it shows the Empire's officers being forced into their new jobs, in a way that gives you sympathy for them [8/10]. "Into the Unknown" instead shows the downfall of the Jedi, and that it's not as surprising or tightly written, it's still a nice piece about a changing galaxy [7/10]. Both of these stories have very attractive art too. 
 Purge. The Empire ascends and Vadar kills a bunch of Jedi. It's a nice bit of continuity, following on from Episode III, but it really doesn't make for a very suspenseful plot. Ostrander's stories exemplify the problem: they're good enough, but after writing the story once in the original Purge, he then has to play wacky games with chronology in his second outing ("Seconds to Die") to keep things interesting. (Admittedly, he succeeds.) Blackman similarly has to offer a big twist ("The Hidden Blade") to keep his readers on their toes. Nonetheless, all of these stories are shallow, repetitive, and not that interesting [5/10]. 
 Purge: The Tyrant's Fist. Freed is the only author to do anything interesting with the Purge, possibly because he has two issues to tell his story. As a result, he gets to detail minor characters and create a deeper story. However, he also offers a big twist on the Purge and uses it as a bookend to the entire sequence [7/10] 
 Darth Vader & The Lost Command. This is a nice arc mainly for its depiction of Darth Vader. I'm not convinced that it matches the other comics from the immediate post-III period, but Blackman does a great job of depicting a Vader who is still uncertain of himself and unrespected by his fellows. It's a really nice transition between III and IV, between Anakin and Vader. This arc's only problem is that it's too decompressed. Too many pages go by with few words and many pictures, making this a very quick read. [7/10] 
 Dark Times (1-5). This is a nice continuation of the characters and plots from issues #79-80 of The Republic. I particularly enjoy the Jedi Dass Jennir, who's being painted with a delicacy that Lucas could have wished for in the prequel trilogy. The plotline and art are also great [7+/10]. 
 Overall, I love this careful collection of a variety of material set in the same time period. Unfortunately, it also shows off the weaknesses of this sort of compilation. Vader, the Emperor, and their relationship seems all over the place throughout this volume, without the consistency I'd like to see. Still, there are lots of good stories here, that feel like they have more depth than recent Marvel publications because the Dark Horse authors were painting on a larger canvas.