Star Wars
We are heading into the darkest time in the history of Star Wars. Order 66 has been executed. The majority of the Jedi have been decimated and the few remaining are in hiding. Emperor Palpatine is working to solidify his power with his new apprentice. These comic series tell stories from the start of this new era from two distinct perspectives. If you're a "Star Wars Rebels" fan (and honestly, how could you not be), you are familiar with Kanan Jarrus. This is his story when he was still Caleb Dume, Jedi Padawan on the run. Then, we pick up with the former Anakin Skywalker, now Darth Vader, after his resurrection post battle on Mustafar. This is Vader before he was one of the most feared men in the galaxy. These are stories that we haven't heard before. And the reason why I think these ancillary comics and books exist. Let's get to it.
"Kanan: The Last Padawan" #2-3
Caleb Dume is with his Master, Depa Bilaba, when Order 66 is executed. Depa Bilaba is killed, but Caleb gets away. He steals a ship from Janus Kasmir and heads to Coruscant. Right before dropping out of hyperspace, Caleb gets the message from Obi-Wan Kenobi, telling him to stay away. Caleb is able to get away from the Clone Troopers and return to Kaller. He attempts to return to Janus but is turned away. Caleb scrapes by, but eventually he saves Janus from some fellow scoundrels and Janus agrees to take him in. Caleb removes the physical traits that mark him as a Jedi and he goes out on his first mission with Janus, but is quickly betrayed by him.
If you're a fan of Kanan Jarrus from "Star Wars: Rebels," then I'm sure you're excited to read more about his life before he joined up with the remainder of the Rebels crew. It's always kind of chilling when you flash back to the direct aftermath of Order 66. Even in a few short panels you see the trust and camaraderie that Depa and Caleb have built with the clones so when the troopers turn on them, they don't see it coming. It's interesting to watch Caleb go off on his own. It's pretty clear that for all the power that they have in the Force, these Padawans don't really know how to fend for themselves. They haven't had to. They live in the Temple. They are trained and protected by their Masters. So, as Caleb blunders around in issue 2, it makes complete sense.
Issue 3 begins with something that Filoni "Star Wars" animated universe is known for which is great space battles. I think the art here by Pepe Larraz is really phenomenal. It's really fluid. You can hear the blaster bolts whizzing through space. Can hear the music swelling. When Caleb returns to Kaller, he immediately returns to Janus because his natural instinct is to latch on to someone who he sees as more knowledgable. Janus is not receptive to this seeing as how Caleb stole his ship when he helped him the last time. Despite this, Caleb does eventually end up back with Janus and we start to see the transformation from Caleb to Kanan. The twist that Janus is going to betray Caleb doesn't come as a huge shock, but I'm sure there is more to it.
Greg Weisman puts forth a solid story here. He's not re-inventing the wheel, but he doesn't really have to do that. I feel like this story probably hits a bit harder if you've watched "Star Wars: Rebels" but it never feels like you're missing something if you haven't. And I do think that this is a great entry point for folks who are on the fence and it will be great to see where this mini series goes.
Grade: B+
"Darth Vader" Vol 2 #1-7
Right after the events of "Revenge of the Sith," Anakin Skywalker, the Sith newly minted as Darth Vader is not in a great way. He lashes out at his master who handily dispatches him. Palpatine tells his new apprentice that the next step in his training is to construct a new red bladed lightsaber. He has to go after the kyber crystal of a living Jedi. Vader tracks down a Jedi named Kirak Infil'a and the two of them face off against each other. Back on Coruscant, Vader meets the Grand Inquisitor and Palpatine puts him in charge of the Inquisitorius. The Grand Inquisitor has a vendetta against the Jedi Archivist Jocasta Nu. He is ready to hunt her down and kill her, but Palpatine has other plans.
This is the second "Darth Vader" comic series since Disney purchased Lucasfilm. The first series took place between "A New Hope" and "The Empire Strikes Back." This is a much different Darth Vader than the one that we saw in that first series. This is a Vader that is unsure of himself. He's still coming to grips with what he has done, what he has lost. He doesn't even have a lightsaber in the first few issues. This is a Darth Vader that we haven't really seen. He's not the scourge of the universe yet. His name isn't spoken in hushed, feared whispers. People are walking up to Vader in these issues which is kind of unfathomable. When Palpatine drops Vader off and Vader finds that his shuttle is missing. He quickly locates them and murders them. The same thing happens when he goes to the Jedi outpost to try to locate a Jedi that is still alive. He slaughters the Clones and it feels like he is just doing it because he can. He is taking is anger out on everyone that he meets.
Kyber crystals are a cool part of "Star Wars" lore and I think that the first few issues of this series really add more to that. The Emperor impresses upon Vader multiple times that they are living things and that they way that a Sith gets their crystal is basically to kill a still living Jedi and then corrupt their kyber crystal with the Dark side. Vader finds a Jedi named Kirak Infil'a. Infil'a is a cool Jedi. He's taken the Barash Vow, so he's basically removed himself the Jedi Order so that's how he was able to avoid the purge. Infil'a is a great foil for Vader. He's not a pushover and initially he pretty easily takes Vader down and even tosses him off the mountain. A great moment in these first seven issues is when Vader uses the remnants of Infil'a's droid to repair himself.
Infil'a makes a mistake here which is underestimating Vader and it costs him. We see Vader really becoming Darth Vader here when he threatens the innocents to one up Infil'a and even once he has what he wants he brings down the dam killing multiple innocent people. The rest of this arc falters a bit. Vader heads back to Mustafar to prepare his lightsaber and the visions he has showing other choices he could have made feel a bit perfunctory.
I don't know why but I've always been a fan of Jocasta Nu, the Jedi Archivist, so it's nice to see that she survived Order 66 and the purge, even though it's doubtful she'll survive this series. We get to see Darth Vader's first meeting with the Grand Inquisitor which teaches Vader a lesson about his former friend, Palpatine. He always has a back up plan and will never stop testing Vader. These first couple issues are mainly set up but there's great things here. The antagonistic relationship between Vader and the Grand Inquisitor. Vader slicing of Inquisitor's limbs to teach them lessons during training. Jocasta Nu working to create a school seemingly for the next generation of Jedi. The reveal that Palpatine is looking for Jocasta and wants her brought in alive because she has knowledge that he wants. It will be interesting to see how this all comes together particularly since Jocasta is heading right into the lion's den.
Charles Soule has been a great addition to the stable of "Star Wars" writers. He's been heavily involved with the High Republic era materials and he has a deft hand here with a Vader that is still finding his footing and is building his reputation within this new Empire. He never makes Vader look like a chump. He puts Vader through his paces but you never forget who we are actually dealing with. The art is handled by Giuseppe Camuncoli, who is one of my favorite comic artists working today. He draws some of the most expressive faces. Take a look at his Palpatine. Unhinged in the best way.
All in all, this is an impressive start to a series that focuses on a Darth Vader that we don't really see that often and I'm excited to see where it goes from here.
Grade: A-
Next up, we are switching gears for the first two episodes of the most recent Dave Filoni animated "Star Wars" series, "The Bad Batch."
What did you all think? How are you feeling about a Kanan solo series? Is it deepening the character? Are you interested in Vader focused stories? Let me know in the comments.
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