– Spoiler Review –
Star Wars #9 (Vol. 2) begins the “Operation Starlight” arc, which sees the Rebellion enacting their big plan to unite the broken fleet and find an encryption key the Empire can’t crack, which means a visit to…the Imperial Museum on Coruscant?!
While Star Wars #9 (Vol. 2) is a lot of set up, writer Charles Soule keeps it quick, snappy, and even gives his big cast all a chance to say something, while the artist team of Janeth Bazaldua and Rachelle Rosenberg, with Clayton Cowles lettering, add to the quick moving sensation of the opening pages with short, purposeful panels and fun reaction shots of characters taking in or explaining the plan. I feel like I always give the script a little more credit than the artists on making expository panels snappy and enjoyable to read, but the choices of the art team are what really brings the script to life, from the pace and humor; the writer is the comedian and the art team is the mic/sound system, ensuring everyone picks up what the comedian is putting down. This certainly felt like the opening of a heist movie, Leia in charge and getting the troops rallied for the mission ahead, Threepio as the smart/geek with the strangely specific but perfect thing to steal/solve their problem, Luke as the eager but too recognizable member of the group, Chewie as the voice of reason, Lando (and by extension Lobot) the unwilling participant, and the Pathfinders as the highly skilled grunts who can get the heist done. The splash page, stitched together with the smaller panels of the team and plan being explained, really added to the heist atmosphere, as the big shot of the room and everyone around the table feels ripped straight from an Ocean’s Eleven movie.
Threepio’s plan to circumvent the Empire’s ability to crack their codes relies on a form of communication not even he knows, which he ever so humbly (see: not really) admits to lacking, and there’s only one known source left which does: an ancient protocol droid hiding in the personal collection of the curator of the Imperial Museum on Coruscant. To me, the language of Trawak sounded a bit like a joke about us humans, considering it came from a cave-dwelling species which evolved independent of other species on their planet, but I love how Artoo cuts through the interesting though trivial history lesson to get them back on point; And so shall I!
With Leia and Luke too important and too recognizable to go to Coruscant, the Pathfinders take the mission, dragging Lando along because of the Falcon and Lobot’s hacking abilities. With this being a shorter arc,* the issue hops right into the action, with the crew already on Coruscant and at the museum. Their plan is simple but complicated, keep the curator busy long enough for them to break in and steal the droid in his personal collection, and it falls to the Quermian Needle (think Yaddle Proof of the Jedi Council, with the long neck and bulbous head) to be the distraction, yelling about a piece of Quermian cultural art on public display. Taking down guards and hacking into the collection takes a little longer than expected, forcing Needle to take things to drastic measures to keep the curator and guards’ attention. Needle has some of the issues’ best lines and moments, particularly when bantering with Lando, so it was a shame to see him captured, his punishment death. I wish we had gotten more time with the character, as his death doesn’t feel that important of a moment…but then again, I’m not even 100% sure he’s dead. We have a panel where we learn his sentence for “thievery” is death, but we never see it happen, so the possibility, despite the rest of the Pathfinders saying he’s dead, is still there. Plus, I was a tad confused, due to the pace of the issue, as to why there seemingly was no rescue attempt, though I guess it does make sense they had to leave due to the urgency of getting a new code system the Imperials can’t hack, but it still seemed off we were back to the Rebellion Fleet so quickly.
In fact, I was looking forward to the Pathfinders to get their due this issue, and while it showcases some of their talents, they didn’t quite get tons of time to do so. It’s unclear if they’ll factor into the remaining two issues of this arc, but after this issue, I really hope so, as their quick appearances were strong and intriguing, as they seem like a well-worn crew with tons of skills and possibilities. Plus, with only one member protected by plot-armor (Kes Dameron), the stakes will feel much higher for the group and any mission they take, much like it did here, so it will add to any and all tension as we grow to know them and they get into crazier or more interesting missions. That I’m so eager to spend more time with the Pathfinders is a testament to Soule’s ability to build complex, convincing, and detailed characters in a short amount of time, which also even applies to the museum’s curator, a crude, misguided villain of sorts with a distinct eye on the goods which make the galaxy so special; I hated him but wanted more time with him too! Of course, it was mainly to see what other goodies he had stowed away in his private collection, full of items he begrudgingly enjoys despite them coming from species he feels are inferior.
Threepio activates the Translator Droid Mk II, colloquially known as a Talker Droid or Talky for short back in its day, and its databanks are…corrupted! This pisses off the Pathfinders, and understandably so, considering their friend Needle died for what seems like nothing, considering Threepio has no idea how to fix it (too bad we’re not to the part in the timeline where Kes’ son, Poe Dameron, could bring them to his pal Babu Frik!). I’ll be very curious to see where they go to solve this problem, be it someone we’ve met before or a new character, but I imagine it won’t be easy, because of course this wouldn’t be as easy as stealing a centuries old droid and turning it on. Regardless, I hope we learn a bit more about the time it came from, as well as get to hear it be a tad bit…unprofessional, compared to Threepio when it finally gets up and running.
I’m not done mentioning the art team, by the way, as I’m really enjoying the work from Bazaldua, Rosenberg, and Cowles. In particular, I loved how they brought reactions and expressive moments to life, with my favorite being the switch from Needle’s calm, happy face as he’s saying “Perfect,” and flipping the page, now we see his angry, burning face as he’s yelling “Ridiculous.” This moment hit just as well on digital as it does in the printed page, as you won’t see it coming either way, but it’s a fun way to play with the turning of the page/swiping of the panel. I also appreciated the trust in the reader, calling back to the first panel we see the translator droid during, stuck in its cage, when showing its spot empty now in a very similarly framed and drawn panel; it rewards paying attention and watching panels closely.
Here are a few other things:
- I honestly loved Chewie getting a say, as far too often I feel like he’s left silent or not involved beyond, “yay, let’s bring the Wookiee into the comic” type stuff. He got a real memorable time in the Star Wars comic at the very end of Vol. 1, debating with Threepio their sentience and place in the story, as well as some other big, fun moments.
- *Turns out “Operation Starlight” will be three issues long, per Soule. It felt like a longer arc from the opening, but the fact the team grabs the droid and gets it back to the Rebellion already, does make this being shorter make sense.
- This has absolutely nothing to do with anything, but I did find it neat the 9th issue landed on the 9th of the month.
- And this is the final issue of the series in 2020, but it’ll be back in January, fret not! Before the next issue arrives, don’t forget to check back at the Manor for our comics year-in-review, as I have a good feel one moment from this series will crack the Top 5 Moments of 2020!
Star Wars #9 (Vol. 2) might be focused on set up, and feeling a little rushed as it jumps right into the action, it’s a fun, well-paced, heist with a great cliffhanger with what could come next.
+ Heist feeling and pace
+ New art team impresses, adds to pace/tone
+ Pathfinders on a mission…
– …but it feels like their time is over before it started
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
STAR WARS (Vol. 2)
The Destiny Path: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 / Arc Review — The Will of Tarkin: #7 | #8/Arc Review —