“Size Matters Not: The Belly of the Beast”
Creative Staff:
Story: Marc Guggenheim
Art: Alessandro Miracolo
Colors: Annalisa Leoni
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
What They Say:
WELL, HELLO THERE… The MEGADROID is on the march! And only Jedi Master YODA and ANAKIN SKYWALKER can stop it. •But what is the lesson Yoda is trying to impart on young Skywalker? •Guest-starring: OBI-WAN KENOBI!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With some Yoda-focused storytelling in the past from Marvel that was interesting, the first storyline worked well. With the second storyline, the creative team changed, which is something that has me more excited about the book so that we get more variety to it. With this storyline moving along, Marc Guggenheim has stepped into the writer’s seat and we get some pretty solid stuff as I expected based on their past work and familiarity with the property. Similarly, Alessandro Miracolo is on board for the artwork and that’s a big plus, especially with Annalisa Leoni doing the color work on it. Miracolo has done Star Wars work before but it was their work on Red Sonja that enamored me to them. It still feels very much Star Wars overall for the Marvel brand of it but there are some neat moments and layouts for how events unfold and the color design breathes some really good life into it as a whole.
This installment seems to draw the flashback storyline to a close and sets up the next issue, the finale, for one focusing on Yoga on Dagobah. That’s set up nicely here as we get Yoda finally acknowledging that it’s Obi-wan that’s sitting with him, coming after his fight with Vader on the death star. It’s not a long conversation but it’s done well in that Yoda is still feeling a lot of guilt over what happened two decades prior with Palpatine and what he wasn’t able to see, and how it corrupted Anakin. His view of being separate and uninvolved in the galaxy is something that he views for the better, but you know he has to make some internal confrontations in order to get into the right frame of mind to teach Luke, as that’s what you figure Obi-Wan will ask him to do. I do like exploring through some of this stuff and seeing how Yoda is being quietly cajoled into getting himself into a better place to handle what’s coming next.
The bulk of the issue focuses on the fight Anakin and Yoda are having against the Megadroid as it’s pretty well-protected. Yoda, of course, has an avenue to pursue that even surprises Anakin as he gets into the droid, which promptly seals itself and launches into space. It’s kind of goofy but it lets Yoda work through the situation and rely on Anakin mastering his own abilities a bit more in order to save him. This plays out a bit more information in the context of the larger war that’s going on and how this will impede the progress, but we all know that the whole thing is a ruse and is going to end badly for all involved. But the minor victory is a good one and it shows just how well both of these characters can work together and the always ongoing path of education and training that Yoda has done with all the Jedi he interacts with.
In Summary:
The Yoda series has been a lot of fun overall as it’s managed to be kind of low-stakes but has fit in well with the big-picture events going on. The framing elements have not been my favorite overall but it looks like it’s set up to go into the finale well so that we understand more of how Yoda came to get involved, even lightly and begrudgingly, when it comes to Luke. This issue wraps things up well with the Megadroid and it’s got some good action and another moment that helps to cement Anakin as an ace of a starfighter pilot. It’s well-written with enjoyable dialogue and interplay between the two and Miracolo’s artwork, as always, just delights with the expressions and layouts.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics
Release Date: July 5th, 2023
MSRP: $3.99
