– Spoiler Review –
Jody Houser comes out swinging in her final month writing the Age of Republic with Age of Republic – Padmé Amidala #1, an excellent examination of the complex character.
One of the best things about Age of Republic – Padmé Amidala #1 is the way it displays the complex, multifaceted life of its title character. Padmé definitely is married to Anakin, but compared to her life as a Senator, it’s a minor thing addressed simply in the opening moments. Padmé is far more than that: she is a Senator who knows when diplomacy is needed and aggressive negotiations will work better, and a friend and companion to her closest confidantes, her handmaidens. She’s kind and compassionate about trying to bring good to the galaxy, even if it’s misplaced in a government that’ll use all her hard work against her, but can fight with the best of them, as Bria LaVorgna points out in her great essay at the end, she has the highest hit percentage with a blaster of the film characters. Through her convictions in her mission to help the greater good of the galaxy, Padmé’s able to make a newly elected delegate, as the previous one was assassinated for even talking to her, stand up to fear and potentially assist the Republic’s efforts to unite the galaxy through some type of aide, though not through fighting. Padmé proves she doesn’t need much help with the fighting though, as she finishes this issue taking out a sniper who attacked her when she first arrived. Padmé is many, many things, and in a few short pages, Jody Houser breathes that complexity to life in a fun and exciting way.
This week also saw the release of the YA Novel Queen’s Shadow (by E.K. Johnston), and while I’ve only begun to read it (and will have a review up in a week Update: it’s here!), I know it focuses on Padmé’s time transitioning from Queen to Senator, between Ep. I and II, and her relationships with her handmaidens. Having any handmaidens with Amidala this issue was an awesome change of pace, as most stories with the Senator have her paired up with either Anakin or Ahsoka during the Clone Wars era, and it was beginning to feel like all she did was hang out with them and not do anything on her own. The handmaidens haven’t gotten a lot of material, usually functioning as plot devices or human shields, but there’s a real relationship there between Padmé and her crew which should be explored, and while this issue doesn’t dive too deep, it’s definitely already more than most stories. Seeing Moteé and Dormé chat about Padmé’s life choices, considering said choices affect them and their job, was highly intriguing, as this was not an aspect I truly considered about the handmaidens. I understand Moteé’s misgivings about Padmé being with Anakin, but Dormé makes a good case for them being together regardless, and it adds a new layer to the handmaidens being around so often, as they were truly good friends and utter professionals to have kept such an explosive secret.
Jody Houser really gets to the nitty-gritty of Padmé’s character and explores all aspects of her life, giving us one of the better, well-rounded approaches to the character; she does such a great job it makes me a little nervous for the female characters in the next two “Ages” as they have male writers so I don’t know if they can reach the same level Houser does here. On art this issue was a lot of helping hands: Cory Smith and Wilton Santos (who will be taking over as Doctor Aphra‘s artist later this year) on art, Walden Wong and Marc Deering on inks, and Java Tartaglia for colors. There’s some really great, giant single panels from the team: like Padmé and Anakin kissing with Coruscant’s skyline as the background or Padmé, Moteé, and Dormé badassing down the ship’s ramp, their hoods up. I still enjoy the villain’s team better, but this was solid work for the final hero outing of the “Age.”
Here are a few other things:
- This is the penultimate issue of Houser’s Age of Republic, with the finale being a General Grievous issue hitting next week. Since each villain/hero pair has rhymed per month, the rhyme for Grievous and Padmé will likely have to do with how they approach their missions in life: Padmé for the greater good, and the outcomes of fighting for what is right and just for all, and Grievous being out only for himself, and how such a path ends only in sorrow.
- Age of Rebellion begins next month, and you can check out the solicitations for the issues dropping in April (only a few) and May (A LOT).
- Expect a miniseries review of this “Age of” sometime before April, and eventually there will be a maxiseries retrospective once Age of Rebellion and Age of Resistance finish.
- The last Padmé content we had was her appearance in Thrawn – Alliances last year!
Jody Houser’s final hero outing, Age of Republic – Padmé Amidala #1, is the best of them yet.
+ Padmé’s many
hatsgowns+ Handmaiden exploration
+ Worthy final art showing for hero team
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
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