Any Star Wars book set during the prequels era has to overcome a few of my biases, namely a lack of interest in the setting that keeps increasing with each further movie George Lucas produces and a feeling that there's only so much licensed books can do in settings that are still being produced in their primary medium. However, as I sample the various stories in this universe, whether in mini-series, these Jedi one-shots or in the Republic ongoing series, it's clear that there's an editorial and creative vision at work that ties them all together, telling one cohesive story while also keeping most of the stories pretty accessible to new readers. That sort of vision is impressive, and though I'm not as invested in some of the lead characters of these stories as I might be in other properties, the creative team does a pretty good job of moving forward the overall story of the Clone Wars as well as telling a story that reflects the solo focus on Jedi Aayla Secura.
One of the really cool things about an established universe is being able to name-check stuff and have people recognize it as if it were current events, rather than having to re-establish everything with every issue. Star Wars has a fairly rich tapestry to play off anyway, but the creators and editors at Dark Horse have built a tapestry on top of that one, such that names like Quinlan Vos, The Dark Woman and Aurra Sing sound familiar, they resonate, thanks to the previous experience I've had with them. And yet, I'm not what you'd call an expert on these characters, but I still had no trouble picking up on who they were based just on the information in this issue.
Like so many stories being told in the Republic era, this is a war story, set during an intergalactic war, which leads to big metaplot type tales. Fortunately, Ostrander doesn't lose sight of the focus of this story, and this story is more about how Aayla Secura learns and grows as a result of a battle during the Clone War rather than how a battle in the Clone War is decided. Certainly the revelations about the similarities between Aayla and Aurra Sing, whether it was for the first time here or just a reminder, makes for an interesting conflict, and I'm grateful for any story that can deliver a pretty solid lightsaber duel.
The names on this book are not unfamiliar to me. Ostrander and Duursema worked on a lot of stuff together at DC during my earlier comics-reading years, and I have a fondness for that work. Duursema's work has really gained something as the years have gone on, though, probably helped by the inks of Dan Parson and certainly by the beautiful saturated colors of Brad Anderson, but at any rate, the work here is pretty impressive. Emotive faces, beautiful clothing and settings and exceptionally strong storytelling, especially in regard to the action-packed duel between Aayla and Aurra, makes for a very attractive book.
There is a certain goofiness to Star Wars that I didn't notice so much as a kid, but which does tend to grate on me a little now. Having a character named "The Dark Woman" is probably no sillier than a bad guy named "Darth Vader," but when even her companions are making fun of her name, it doesn't help sell me on it. In addition, the politics and mystery that theoretically drive the plot of this story are pretty simple, unavoidable when you're dealing with an all-ages property like Star Wars but disappointing from the writer who constructed such intricate political plots in the pages of Hawkman and Suicide Squad. For the most part, though, this is a strong character focused story that helps move the overall tale of these different characters along, and if nothing else it serves as evidence that Dark Horse retains their long-standing commitment to putting out licensed titles that do the license proud.
