Star Wars
We have reached the end of the Clone Wars and as we reach the end of the Clone Wars that also means that the Republic has come to an end and the Empire will rise. The majority of the Jedi will fall to Order 66 and the man they thought would be the Chosen One. Brothers will clash. Lovers will fall apart. The darkest time in the history of the galaxy will begin. We are going to start off with a collection of one-shot comics spotlighting key characters of the prequels that occur throughout the prequel era. Then, we'll move on to the end of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader with the novelization of "Revenge of the Sith." Let's get to it!
"Star Wars: Age of Republic" by Jody Houser, Ethan Sacks & Marc Guggenheim, Art by Cory Smith, Wilton Santos, Luke Ross, Paolo Villanelli, Carlos Gomez & Caspar Wijngaard
This graphic novel is a collection one-shots that focus on eight of the major characters from the prequel era and an issue with three short stories. In anthologies like these, the stories really vary in quality. We are going to look at each one and talk a little bit about them. These are going to be just quick reactions to each one. Nothing too deep.
Qui-Gon Jinn
Qui-Gon is sent to mediate a dispute between a metal clan and a tree clan. He ends up bringing the rep from the Tree clan back to Coruscant where he seeks advice from Master Yoda. He follows the Force to a strange planet where he has a vision. I love Qui-Gon Jinn and I'm never upset about him getting a spotlight, but this issue was kind of boring? It felt like an episode of "The Clone Wars" that I have seen a few times. Qui-Gon has the same conversation with Yoda that we've heard him have before about the direction the Jedi are going. The vision he has when he's on the planet is cool. He is seeing things that will happen after he dies. And the art in that sequence is relatively dynamic though it's pretty paint by numbers everywhere else.
Darth Maul
Darth Maul is in the shadows still being hidden by his Master. He spends his time in slums of Coruscant murdering Force sensitives. Darth Sidious takes Maul to Malachor where he experiences a strange vision. Much like Qui-Gon Jinn, I'm a big Darth Maul fan. This one shot is probably my second favorite of the anthology. I'd probably watch a mini series about Maul hunting down Force sensitives since he can't go out and kill Jedi. A lot of times these visions that they have in stories like this are meh, but it was interesting watching Maul cast in the role of Jedi. Luke Ross is a great choice for artist on an issue like this. It's gritty and perfect.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan is struggling in his role as Master to Anakin's Padawan. He is reluctant to take the young boy on missions, but Yoda encourages him to take Anakin to retrieve a Jedi holocron unearthed on an archaeological dig. While there, they are ambushed by pirates. I love Obi-Wan Kenobi and I never tire of reading stories about him. So, I'm a little biased here. I wish they would tell more stories about this time between "The Phantom Menace" and "The Clone Wars." Dave Filoni let's get an animated series about these two during this time. Please and thank you. This is a really heartwarming tale that shows us the foundation of Obi-Wan and Anakin's brotherhood being built. If you're a fan of the two, I'd definitely give it a read.
Jango Fett
Jango Fett and his son, Boba, meet up with a ragtag group of bounty hunters to retrieve a girl for her father who is ready to run off with a guy getting ready to join up with the Black Sun. They are of course turned on and Boba learns a life lesson. I think Jango Fett is a really interesting character. He's the genetic template for the Clones. He's the father of Boba Fett. I think there are really cool stories you could tell using him. Like, how'd he get the Mandalorian armor. What did he do before being approached by Dooku? Instead we get this, which is more a story about Boba than about Jango. Not great.
Anakin Skywalker
During the Clone Wars, Anakin and Admiral Yularen learn of a droid manufacturing factory and they are going to bomb it. Anakin learns that there are innocents and won't let Yularen blow it up. Once Anakin gets there, he makes a shocking discovery regarding the people working there. This definitely felt like a mini episode of "The Clone Wars" and I'm not mad about it. It demonstrates that Anakin was a good person and makes you wonder what it would be like if he hadn't turned to the Dark Side. The workers are slaves which is kind of a cheap twist, but it works. This isn't reinventing the wheel but if you're a fan of "The Clone Wars" or Anakin, you're going to dig this. Though the art is a little shifty. There is a panel where Obi-Wan's jaw is so swollen you'd think he'd just had all his wisdom teeth removed.
Count Dooku
I keep saying it, but I won't stop. Even though the movies are mid, there are great characters in the prequel era and Count Dooku is one of them. Again, broken record, but I'd watch a series about Dooku anytime. Again, I'm going to appeal to Dave Filoni. This is early on in Dooku's tenure working with Sidious. He goes to work on a deal with a local conglomerate and runs into a Jedi Knight, Rav'nik. Rav'nik is cool. I want more humanoid tiger Jedi Knights. That is my vibe down. It's great to see Dooku being spry and subversive. We are at a time where Dooku still believes that he is doing the right thing and he initially hopes he can convert Rav'nik to his side. It's a bummer when he does. This is a solid entry in this anthology.
Padmé Amidala
Padmé is contacted by the leader of a neutral world asking for help. She sees this as a chance to bring an ally into the Republic, but when she arrives with her handmaidens, she realizes that something is terribly wrong. Padmé is probably my favorite prequel era character even though she is the one that is shafted the most. It's like George Lucas hates her in the movies and she doesn't get many chances to shine in "The Clone Wars." If you haven't read E.K. Johnson's trilogy of books about the Naboo queen turned Senator and you're a fan of the character, what are you waiting for? This is probably my favorite of the one-shots. Padmé really shines. She's smart. She's tough. She has agency. She's not waiting for Anakin to show up. She is the one that takes out the sniper. Like, I didn't want it to end. If you're an Amidala fan, you owe it to yourself to read this.
General Grievous
General Grievous tracks two Jedi to a distant planet and after killing them discovers an abandoned Jedi Temple. He attempts to discover the Temple's secrets, but the Temple gets the better of him. Grievous is a cool looking character, but unlike a lot of these other characters, I'm not sure that he is strong enough to carry a story on his own. There are some cool things here. I enjoyed watching Grievous Indiana Jone's his way through the Temple and it was cool to see him before he became the mechanical monstrosity we know him as, but this story doesn't give us anything new about Grievous. And it's not super engaging. This is probably my least favorite one-shot of the anthology.
Age of Republic Special
This special has three short stories starring Mace Windu, Asajj Ventress, Captain Rex and Jar Jar Binks. Mace takes down a sleazoid trying to make an army of child soldiers, Ventress helps two sisters while she pursues Ahsoka Tano though Coruscant and Rex and Jar Jar Binks work together to take out a shield generator. This special is just OK. I think my favorite is the story of Ventress saving the two sisters because it has real emotion behind it. You feel her pain at losing her sisters and her want to be better. Ventress is such a great character and this small story enriches her. The other two are just kind of inconsequential. Mace Windu could have been replaced with any other Jedi. And why do we continue trying to make Jar Jar Binks happen? Rex deserves better.
Grade: B
Chancellor Palpatine is kidnapped by the Separatists and Holonet heroes, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, are sent to rescue him. They end up facing off against Count Dooku who is killed by Anakin at Palpatine's urging. Things seem to be going well for Anakin. He's a hero. The war seems to be winding down. He has an ally in Palpatine. He learns that his wife, Senator Padmé Amidala, is pregnant, but soon things begin to unravel. The Jedi Council believes that Palpatine will not give up his chancellorship with the end of the war. There's a group of Senators that believe that too including his wife. The Council doesn't trust Anakin, refusing to make him a Master and their trust in him dwindles even more when Palpatine appoints him as his representative on the Jedi Council. The Council decides to have Anakin spy on Palpatine but that falls to the wayside when Palpatine reveals himself as the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious and tempts Anakin with knowledge that will save Padmé, who he keeps having visions of dying. When the Jedi come to take Palpatine out and it looks like Palpatine is going to die, Anakin succumbs to the Dark Side and it looks like the time of the Jedi is over for good while the Galactic Republic becomes the Galactic Empire.
I've really liked the other two novelizations of the prequel films. I think that they really enrich the story. They add nuance and backstory to films that are extremely blunt and inelegant. They benefit by having two brilliant sci-fi/fantasy writers authoring them. But not even Terry Brooks and R. A. Salvatore can make George Lucas's dialogue not cringe. There's no polishing that particular turd. All that to say, I was excited to re-read this book. Sadly, Matthew Stover is no Brooks or Salvatore. He was part of a stable of "Star Wars" authors of the time which is why he was chosen to write this book. This novelization is serviceable, but it doesn't elevate the material like the novelizations of the first two prequels do.
There are things that Salvatore does that I think are really cool. I like how he will start certain sections with a "This is..." this character. It gives you insight into the characters that you wouldn't get otherwise. It's an interesting gimmick. I particularly liked the beginning how Stover talked about how Anakin and Obi-Wan have become so recognizable with their exploits that they have become famous through the Holonet. That's something I've never thought about, but makes a lot of sense. I can almost see them starring in like old time-y news reels. This is really the culmination of Anakin's story, so I did enjoy the insight we get into Anakin's psyche. I like the talk of the dragon inside him. I do think that Stover kind of downplays some of the savagery of Anakin's slaughter of the Jedi. There's no mention of him killing the younglings until Obi-Wan plays the recording from inside the Temple. I understand trying to keep that as a shocking reveal, but I think more passages focusing on Anakin killing actual Jedi would have made his turn more impactful. Stover goes all out with his murder of the Separatist leadership, but those are already people we hate. Why wouldn't we cheer Anakin taking them out?
My biggest issue with the prequels in general and especially "Revenge of the Sith" is how they treat Padmé Amidala. I've talked ad nauseum about her lack of agency and how her story is Anakin's story. That is never more apparent than in this movie and this novelization. When Padmé gets her "this is..." introduction its all about Anakin. Everything that happens with her is about Anakin. It's extremely frustrating. And this isn't Stover's fault, but I'll never get over that she died of a broken heart. It's so extremely stupid. And it makes her entire life about some guy and I hate it so much.
The rest of the book is fine. The chapters go along a little too long for my liking. Matthew Stover wrote a book that's no longer canon about Mace Windu called "Shatterpoint" and there is a lot of talk about shatterpoints. A lot. This is part of the reason why I'm glad for the rebooted continuity. They were getting a little too in the weeds here. Also, this is one of the most poorly edited books I've ever read. Words are missing. Words are repeated. Some sentences don't make sense. It's wild that it got published like this. But overall, kind of a weak ending to the prequel novelizations, which is strange since the third movie is probably the best one.
Grade: B-
Next up, we are checking in with Kanan as he flees after Order 66 and Anakin Skywalker adjusts to his new role as a Dark Lord of the Sith in the first 7 issues of the second volume of the "Darth Vader" comic from Marvel.
There you have it. We are moving away from the Republic era and entering the Empire era. There are some books that have came out that take place during the prequel era that I'll circle back to at some point. What do you all think? Have you read the one shots? What do you think? Did you read "Revenge of the Sith?" What do you think? What's your favorite parts of the prequel? Let me know in the comments.
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