The importance of truth.
Creative Staff:
Story: Charles Soule
Art: Giuseppe Camanucoli, Daniele Orlandini
Colors: David Curiel
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
What They Say:
Vader and his Inquisitors lead an elite squad of clone troopers to flush out the Jedi traitor beneath the waters of Mon Cala…and the oceans will burn with their fury.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With the present day storyline for this event on Mon Cala not doing a lot for me in the last issue or two I’ve found myself far more engaged with this period and what Charles Soule is working with. I’ve really enjoyed what he’s dug into in playing with this era (and my constant reinforcement of how excellent his Lando series was). The Vader run has also been bolstered by the work that Camanucoli and Orlandini are doing here as each installment feels like they’re getting more comfortable, more creative, and more defined in a way. The way the flashbacks are handled in this installment, especially with Curiel’s color work, reinforces that view that everything is coming together beautifully.
The nature of the fight at this point is still spread to different areas and it’s fairly chaotic. Tarkin knows that they’re making progress but he’s also careful of his own reputation and the quickness that the Emperor wants this show of force to present in being over with. I do enjoy that he admits that Raddus has executed a brilliant and unexpected defense but that defense may not be what’s really needed. With Vader and his group hunting the Jedi below as their mission, Tarkin’s beginning to set the tone more for the relationship that the two will share as he “requests” aid from him in finding the king and capturing him, which would settle all of this. Vader’s moment of making it clear that he doesn’t report to him is crucial because both see how the other can be useful having them in their debt while also ensuring that their master is pleased.
The bulk of this issue focuses on Barr and his group as they flee Vader and his inquisitors, however. What Soule does is to take this group of people we know nothing about that are getting cut down and introduces us to why we should care in flashbacks, showing their lives before the Empire and why they chose to resist. It presents some strong connections to the past that make sense and fit right, though not without some irony in the case of one that was previously saved by Anakin. What really works is Barr himself as we see how he’s drawn them to him over the period since the Temple fell and how he’s been working to understand a lot of what happened and why so that it can be used to his advantage. It’s a fantastic end sequence, one that you know won’t end too well overall, but it’s the kind of creativity that I definitely enjoy as a surprising moment.
In Summary:
As an expansion of the overall Star Wars universe, Charles Soule is playing in the right areas and building some neat things that helps to cement how it all happens and the dark paths that leads us to A New Hope (among other things). As a story itself, Soule is working some good stuff here with Vader and the dynamic between him, Tarkin, and the Inquisitors while also showing how Tarkin and the Empire are taming worlds in different ways. The leash is being tightened across the galaxy and this series is show how, along with other good pieces of how the surviving Jedi operated. This is a strong issue that delivers a lot of good material that should please the fans that are looking to get a big picture idea by filling in more details while also being just a solidly fun story executed with great artwork.
Grade: A-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: May 9th, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
