The only good thing to come out of Episode I (and surprisingly good addition to The Clone Wars/Rebels animated series) is now getting his own Marvel series.
Star Wars: Darth Maul #1 (Marvel Comics)
Observations
- Maul vs. Lovecraftian monsters—and the ones from The Force Awakens, to boot! So far I’m quite happy.
- Nice to see our guy getting to stretch his legs again.
- (I totally hate myself for that last joke, by the way).
- Maul creepin’ on some Jedi. Kind of weird.
- No matter what era/media it is, Palpatine is still a dick.
- Darth Maul, on the other hand, is almost always a badass…
- …and also kind of a dick.
The Verdict
First off, the art is great. Not only is the line work pristine, but the action sequence and paneling are phenomenal. Can we please have Luke Ross draw every Darth Maul story from now on?
Story-wise, I really like how Cullen Bunn voices this pre-mental break down, cut-in- half version of everyone’s favorite Zabrakian sith. We get a strong hint of the rebellious/arrogant character we know today, but with a much different demeanor. It’s also cool getting to see Maul utilize his skills as a pilot, something that was only hinted at in most expanded universe tales.
Unfortunately, the story’s time period (taking place before the events of Episode I) make the possibilities for the plot feel very limited. It also feels incredibly predictable. Unless there are some big twists and turns planned (which is totally possible), you could probably map out the series’ overall story based on this issue alone. I’m not saying an awesome retcon/narrative insert isn’t possible, though—and if anyone can pull it off, it’s Cullen Bunn.
And even if this series does end up feeling inconsequential to the new Star Wars canon, the opening pages of Darth Maul #1 prove that we’ll at least get some exciting fight scenes to enjoy.
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