Darth Maul #3 Review

Pre-Episode I Darth Maul has finally located Eldra Kaitis, the Jedi padawan he wants to covertly slaughter. Unfortunately for him, she’s behind imprisoned behind a force field.

So now what?

Darth Maul #3
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Luke Ross
Publisher: Marvel Comics

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Comixology/Amazon

Observations

• Kaitis just asked the same question many of us had the first time we saw Maul on the big screen.
• Kind of weird watching Maul get busted (and subsequently scolded) by someone he could kill in two seconds.
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• I don’t think Maul thought the “auction” part of the plan through…
• …or maybe he did. Well played.
• Unfortunately for him and his crew, Xrexus appears to be a much better chess player than all of them.

The Verdict

While not as thrilling as the last issue, Darth Maul #3 does manage to weave one heck of a great setup for the next chapter.

Much like this first issue, it utilized the narrative more for setting up dynamics between the characters. This time, we get a personality behind the target of Maul’s wrath, who is just as defiant and overly confident as you’d expect a captured Jedi padawan to be. We also discover that Xrexus is a hell of a lot more cunning and ruthless than anyone expected.

Every moment with Maul’s crew is fantastic, especially when it features dialogue between Cade Band and Aurra Sing—or Tek-Tek doing anything. Their smart, dark, and snarky interactions help to negate Maul’s droning internal monologue, which began to decline a bit into Snidley Whiplash territory.

As usual, the artwork by Luke Ross is great. A lot of artists hate having to draw large amounts of background characters, but Ross seems to revel in it, providing plenty of beautifully rendered creatures and easter eggs. He also does a superb job of portraying Kaitis with the perfect balance of anger and fear.

It was a bit frustrating that we didn’t get much action this time around (aside from a bunch of defenseless aliens getting their asses kicked), but the cliffhanger at the end of the issue all but guarantees that next month’s installment will be all types of crazy.

Darth Maul #3

Is it good?

While not as thrilling as the last issue, Darth Maul #3 does manage to weave one heck of a great set up for the next chapter.

As usual, the artwork by Luke Ross is great. A lot of artists hate having to draw large amounts of background characters, but Ross seems to revel in it.

We finally get a personality behind the target of Maul’s wrath, who is just as defiant and overly confident as you’d expect a captured Jedi padawan to be.

Darth Maul's droning internal monologue is declining a bit into Snidely Whiplash territory.

Not a whole lot of action, but still one heck of a great setup for the next issue.

7.5

Good

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