“Underground”
Creative Staff:
Story: Marc Bernardin
Art: Georges Jeanty, Dexter Vines
Colors: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
What They Say:
INTO THE STORM AGAINST THE BORE WORM! MACE WINDU & AZITA CRUZ must work together to escape the menace of the BORE WORM! But what else lies in their path and who is following them? And what is COAXIUM ULTRA?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
I’ve generally liked Mace Windu as a concept and parts of the character from the films but it’s never felt like they found a way to make him function well within it, both as seen in the film era and in the new material when he’s younger. This series takes place when he was a younger Jedi Master with Marcn Bernardin writing it. Bernardin captures some of the inflection and tone of how Jackson existed in the character and that works well here. The artwork from Georges Jeanty and Dexter Vines looks good and the color design from Andrew Dalhouse helps to give it something that feels like its own time period pre-Clone Wars by a couple of decades but still part of the larger Star Wars universe that helps to make it feel lived in.
The opening issue had a lot of stuff to get done after it did the fun little cold open piece but it mostly set us with Mace Windu on a mission with a high priority to it. Getting the formula and material for Coaxium Ultra before it falls into the hands of syndicates and other bad parties is certainly understandable though not exactly a standard mission for a Jedi instead of the Republic proper. Mace’s mission introduced us to the world where the woman who nabbed it is trying to both survive and balance options and that kind of dominates this issue outside of a few pages. It is, by and large, the two of them trying to survive through a maze of underground blue lava tunnels dealing with bore worms as the main threat. It’s not bad or anything but it’s straightforward action without too much real meat to it. Not that there isn’t dialogue and banter to be had but it does provide for a connection between the two and a few more hints about Mace’s past as well.
I do like that Mace basically makes it clear he doesn’t think about other paths or anything since he was brought into the Order and they do some decent things in his explanation of the Force and how it operates – and how Jedi use it. In a lot of ways, this feels like a Juvenile story that’s aimed at somewhat younger audiences. The book does introduce us to a couple of challenges that will come in the back half of the run as we get a bounty hunter of sorts at Jabba’s palace that’s setting things in motion himself to try and get the formula while Mace and Azita are being watched by another group that’s attempting to get it as well as the material that Azita has. Of course, they’re religious fanatics looking to set the galaxy on fire with it in order to purify it, but you know, a little of column A and a little of column B.
In Summary:
I’m not sure where I stand when it comes to this series at this point. Everything is competently done with solid artwork and scripting while being placed against an interesting concept. We get some disturbing elements, such as Azita talking about what she did to the guy behind the formula, but it also feels like a very safe book overall that’s not doing anything challenging. I know there’s some intent of creating a kind of semi-romantic tension of sorts here because we’d see this in every other story but there being none of it just creates an even odder feeling. It’s hitting the right marks to move along but it’s lacking a certain rhythm to make it feel alive and engaging.
Grade: B-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics
Release Date: March 13th, 2024
MSRP: $4.99
