Originally published on Patreon
The Star Wars: Obi-Wan series feels like it's been a bit of a mixed bag. There have been some absolutely fantastic moments, but some of the mains stories that Obi-Wan has been writing in his journal feel a bit dull at times if I'm being honest. The story with him and Qui-Gon in the mining complex didn't do much for me, for example.
However, this issue is easily my favourite of the series so far, as we get a dark and interesting Clone Wars era story that sees Obi-Wan and Anakin in a kind of situation we've never really seen before.
The two Jedi are called into a secret mission with Admiral Yularen, who gives them a top secret mission, to track down and eliminate a former ally, who's gone rogue and is performing terrorist attacks. Our to Jedi heroes hate the idea of being sent in as executioners, and this seems to further build towards Anakin's eventual feeling's that the Jedi have become corrupted.
The two of them travel to the planet where their target is located, having taken refuge in an old Sith temple. The two of them make their way down the jungle river, past effigies made from Clone Trooper armour, and come face to face with a man they once fought alongside, who now wears old Clone armour, sits on a throne, and wields a sword made from the bones of Clone Troopers. Despite trying to talk him down Anakin is forced to kill the man in a moment that feels very much like suicide by cop.
This is easily the darkest story in this miniseries so far, and might compete for one of the darkest stories in Star Wars mainly because it's clearly taken its story from Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now. This isn't the first time the series has done this, with the old Shatterpoint novel also being loosely based on those stories.
The thing is, it works so well in a universe that seems to be perpetually at war, where regular people are either forced to fight and do terrible things, or live under fascist regimes. Of course some people are going to be pushed too far and will end up becoming monsters.
The artwork on this issue is also phenomenal, and has some truly creepy and unsettling moments scattered throughout. the Clone Trooper effigies look disturbing, the Sith temple looks amazing, and I knew it was Sith before the story told me because of how well designed it is, and the sword made from Clone bones is one of the darkest, and coolest looking weapons in the saga by far.
This is the kind of thing that I wanted from this series, stories that show how Obi-Wan has been challenged and pushed in unexpected ways. He's been through some incredibly dark, and harrowing things, yet never strayed from the light or the path of the Jedi. This story showcases just how much strength that took him at times thanks to the things he's had to deal with, and it really elevates the character.
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