After the disappointments that were The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, my interest in the third and final installment in the Star Wars movie Franchise, slated for release later this month, is practically nil. Sure, it would be cool to see Darth Vader back on the big screen, to hear James Earl Jones's evil voice, but I fear sitting through the remainder of Revenge of the Sith would be too high a price to pay. So I wasn't exactly elated when I sat down to read this Sith spinoff comic book. To my surprise, Dixon offers up a strong story about war, difficult decisions and conflicts between idealism and pragmatism. On top of that, readers get an advance look at a supremely cool new villain.
A trail of jedi Jedi warriors is left across the galaxy, marking a path forged by General Grievous, evil commander of a droid army. Grievous was once a man, but he now inhabits a droid soldier's body. He has a penchant for cruelty and for besting Jedi. A padawan, Flynn Kybo, loses his mentor to the fiend, and he proposes that a permanent solution to the Grievous problem must be found. He suggests one -- assassination -- but the masters of the Jedi Council reject it as being without honor. There are those, though, who are receptive to Kybo's idea, setting into motion events that will further fracture the Jedi Knights.
Leonardi delivers some strong art here. The chaotic opening scene captures the sci-fi war feel nicely, but it's the quieter moments later in the issue during which he really shines. The artist conveys the sleek and stylish look of the world of Star Wars while also including the grittier side of it as well. The looseness of Leonardi's style shows here, but it's not so loose so as to look rough or rushed. he does great justice to Grievous. He oozes evil and sadism despite his cold, metal exterior.
I like that the true conflict in this story isn't the fight with Grievous and his forces, but rather the division in the Jedi ranks. The story moves briskly, but Dixon doesn't sacrifice anything with the faster pace. What's led Kybo to such drastic action, to such a life-altering course, shines through clearly, and there's a logic to what he's doing with his new, secret allies.
This story mirrors what's going on with Anakin Skywalker, his corruption and inevitable conversion to the Dark Side of the Force, but one needn't be familiar with the first two episodes of the Star Wars or the premise of the upcoming big-screen release in order to appreciate this story. Dixon offers a thoroughly accessible script that even someone who's never heard of George Lucas can appreciate. 8/10
Note: This comic book was not among this week's new releases.
