The past surfaces once again.
Creative Staff:
Story: Charles Soule
Art: Jesus Saiz
Colors: Arif Prianto
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
What They Say:
The next steps on Luke Skywalker’s search for Jedi wisdom begin here! Following a mysterious vision he received on CLOUD CITY, Luke travels to a lost planet looking for a woman he believes may hold the key to his Jedi future and that of the entire Rebellion. But will he arrive at his destination in time to learn what he needs… or will the evil DARTH VADER get there first?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Charles Soule has been one of my favorite writers for a while and it’s enjoyable when he gets to mine some of his own material and get the payoff that works. This issue has a nice callback from Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith’s 14th issue with a character returning from there that will have a decent impact on Luke. There’s a lot to like in connecting pieces together in this property and the creative handles it so well. Jesus Saiz has done well with the first four issues and while we last saw this series back in March, it’s easy to get back into it with this creative team and how they open things in this issue. There’s just enough light recap on the move to make it accessible to new readers and lapsed ones alike.
While it’s a big galaxy and you’ve got plenty of people that don’t even believe in the existence of the death star, there are others that will take advantage of the names from such events. That’s how we get a cocky young pilot gathering up clients to make money by using the Luke Skywalker name at the start here. It’s not the smartest thing and we see how badly it goes when Vader arrives while tracking down leads on the Skywalker name. This keeps him within the series but without dominating it and it works well for just enough threat. At the same time, Luke and R2 are arriving at the planet Serelia where his vision hs suggested he go next. With his lightsaber search coming up dry, being directed here by a vision of a woman that’s tight with the force is a lead not to skip over.
It’s a pretty barren world by all accounts, though with some ocean to it, but it has a really neat rust feel about it. Luke, having no tact, comes across the person almost from the start and just asks out loud if they’re a Jedi. Is it any wonder they flee and get as far away as they can? It’s a nice chase sequence that we get overall and shows Luke handling it well but not without issues. Of course, he just walks right into a trap and we learn that the woman he’s been pursuing is Verla, one of these padawans from the Clone Wars that has stayed to the far fringes of the galaxy. And Luke is just going to bring down heat and attention on her. The whole thing almost becomes comical because her length of life and experiences has taught her caution like this whereas Luke just barrels into it. When she fills him in on things like Order 66 – all while keeping him trapped – she realizes even more how naive he is and how he shouldn’t be a part of this game at all.
In Summary:
The post-Empire period definitely offers up a lot of things to explore and I’m actually kind of glad that Han’s not around because a lot of writers lean into using him too much or his personality dominates too much. Here, it’s all about Luke and his journey right now which includes some real education about the Clone Wars and his father. It’s got some nice ties to the past and connects Luke a bit more to the Clone Wars while still dealing largely in theme with everything else. Getting a little more of the history of the Jedi into Luke is definitely worthwhile.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 9+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: August 5th, 2020
MSRP: $4.99
