– Spoiler Review –
With only four issues, Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s Allegiance wastes no time, ramping up the tension and action everywhere in its second issue.
The not so friendly greeting on Mon Cala for Leia, Rey, Rose, and Chewie is cut short when an ally breaks the tension: Aftab Ackbar! That’s right, between the peace after Endor and Leia starting the Resistance, Ackbar managed to find some time to have a child, though from what Aftab says, it seems the elder war hero was distant. It didn’t stop Aftab from respecting and looking up to his father, cough Kylo Ren cough, and it sounds like he might be just as good of a General due to how he’s studied all of his father’s battles. The reveal Ackbar had a son originally broke on Triple Force Friday, October 4, in Justina Ireland’s Spark of the Resistance (my review will be up Friday), though the official site’s preview last week made his appearance more prominently known, giving a name to a nameless cardboard standup of a Mon Calamari for The Rise of Skywalker promotional material, meaning we’ll likely see Aftab in December as well! Leia and Aftab take a moment to honor Ackbar at the planet’s very pretty and unique Mourning Shrines, though it doesn’t last long as they head right into the political intrigue. A descendant of King Lee-Char, Ech-Char now sits on the throne, though he looks he’s in as rough of shape as Lee-Char was towards the end in Imperial jail, and while he seems willing to help, Nossor Ri, the head of the unfriendly welcome committee who opposed Lee-Char (and Padmé, so it’s cool to think Leia’s butting heads with her mom’s adversaries too) back in the Clone Wars, is once again stirring up the waters. As the King decides to debate another day, Nossor tries to scare the rebels away, sending another unfriendly committee of warriors, but one of his underlings takes it a step further and alerts the First Order to the Resistance’s presence on Mon Cala.
Part of me is a little disappointed in this development, as it would’ve been interesting for the Quarren and Mon Cala to debate this and come to a decision without outside forces forcing their mandibles. In the past, first it was the Separatists showing their true colors to Nossor Ri back in the day that caused him to change tides, and then Lee-Char only fights the Empire after a rogue Jedi forces the conflict, and currently with the arrival of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren’s First Order, which now has a scorched-planet first, ask permission later approach, will force the Mon Cala and Quarren to stop the debates and rise to Leia’s call to stave off the tyranny of the First Order. Obviously this approach is more exciting than a good ol’ fashioned debate, and this isn’t called Star WARS for nothing, plus this is only 4 issues long, so this development was inevitable.
Last issue, we learned Rey struggles with her connection to the Force, and the pressure she feels from everyone’s hopes on her reigniting the Jedi Order in some way hasn’t helped matters, and now we see it makes her rather restless, Skywalker-style. She’d rather be out there making a difference than debating safely on Mon Cala, and welcomes the warriors as she gets to let some of her frustrations out. The aforementioned Spark of the Resistance takes place after this miniseries, and her struggles with Force continue there a bit, but she isn’t as concerned with expectations anymore, so maybe the end of Allegiance will give her some guidance on that front. Either way, Rey probably understands some of Luke’s jaded outlook from their time on Ahch-To together, specifically his words about becoming a legend. I’m assuming we might not see how Rey rises to that challenge until The Rise of Skywalker.
During all this, Finn, Poe, and a few other members of the Resistance are raiding an old weapons stash, tempting fate as often as possible by talking about just how easy the mission has been. We know it won’t be easy for long, as the Kendoh gang is close on Finn and Poe’s heels, already beginning the attack before issue’s end. When Finn realizes the bounty hunters are only looking for him, with no clue Poe is along for the ride, he begins to cook up a plan we’ll have to wait and see unfold next issue. These two together have been fun, a counterpoint to the struggles the rest of the group faces on Mon Cala.
Allegiance continues to feature the wonderful art of Luke Ross, with colors from Lee Loughridge, and there were some truly stellar panels this issue. For starters, the already mentioned Mourning Shrines, which capture the beauty of the ocean and yet feel appropriate for a monument to grieve at, and then the big splash of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, lightsaber drawn, ready to chop off some heads…literally, where you can see his conviction as he continues to slide further down the dark side. The action scenes, like Chewie bashing bucketheads together, Rey doing some cool tricks with her staff, and even Finn diving around to safety, are also all strengths in Ross’ style.
Here are a few other things:
- While Leia is facing her mom’s adversaries, she’s still dealing with the fallout of the galaxy learning she’s Darth Vader’s daughter, as Nossor tries to pin his father’s sins on her. It’s a minor moment, but I love seeing more fallout from the revelation first made known in the excellent Bloodline, as the films haven’t dealt with the event in any way.
- Peer ahead at what’s next in the official site’s preview of the third and penultimate issue!
Allegiance #2 feels a lot like the third issue of a 5-part miniseries, propelling the story and characters into the real heat of the action.
+ Rey’s restlessness
+ Fun with Finn and Poe
+ Ackbar legacy
– With only 4 issues, already feels like its going too fast
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
ALLEGIANCE
#1 | #3 | #4 | Full Miniseries Review
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