– Spoiler Review –
While Marc Guggenheim’s written a fun Jar Jar Binks moment before, who better to join him to write a whole big one-shot about a pivotal moment in the Gungan’s story than Jar Jar himself? That’s right, co-written by Ahmed Best, Jar Jar #1 proves not only a silly good time on the surface, but has much more going for it than expected. Head below for the full review!
Since its announcement at NYCC ’25, the idea a Jar Jar comic would somehow feature Kelleran Beq, Ahmed Best’s other character, address the consequences of giving Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers in Attack of the Clones, and give the Gungan a role to play in the early formation of the Rebel Alliance felt like a fever dream. Could it possibly make all those ideas work and make them interesting enough it didn’t feel too shoehorned and rather came off as earned moments instead? Besides what felt like some shortcuts, Jar Jar #1 works on so many different levels and has a fun hand to play in dealing with all it promised. In short, the issue lived up to the hype! A lot comes from not mechanically ticking off the interesting list of ideas, but rather the characterizations and the overall thrust of the story. What starts off feeling like a typical Jar Jar focused story, with the hapless yet brave Gungan stumbling into another bombad situation, quickly pivots into much deeper events and then never really lets up, pushing through them with action and heart to boot. Both Jar Jar and Kelleran come off the page so well, yet Ahmed Best’s love and care for the Gungan manifests the most, from the dialogue, bumbling through a situation, and yet the depth the character actually has despite those other traits. It ends up making Jar Jar #1 not a series of jokes with the character as the butt of them, but rather a place where his particular brand of humor is what makes the whole thing work so well.
Of all the aspects Jar Jar #1 deals with, I feel like Kelleran Beq, while great to see again and fun to see with Jar Jar given the whole meta-ness of the situation, was its only weak link. Through Beq we see some of the one-shot’s shortcomings, as his inclusion and where he is at mentally as a character provides shortcuts. Beyond his time on the Jedi Temple Challenges and his brief yet brilliant return as Grogu’s savior during Order 66, we don’t have much to go on for who Kelleran Beq is as a Jedi and character overall. How and why he’s already sort of sensing the darkness of Palpatine’s ways and eager to build something to ensure any resistance is hard to track aren’t really explained and it ended up feeling like a narrative shortcut and less of building up who the character is. It would’ve been nice to get more about Beq and hear more from him about these choices, but I get space is limited for a one-shot and I’m sure more stories are to come for the character which should help flesh him out more. I was truly glad to see him here and watch him in action, and given his new mission by the end of the issue, I’d love to see that thread picked up in the future, where maybe, along the way, we’ll get to know more about him then.
Beyond the excellent characterization fueled by Best’s involvement, unpacking Jar Jar’s choice to help give Chancellor Palpatine ‘Emergency Powers’ was the best part of the one-shot. Instead of focusing too much on punishing Jar Jar emotionally, like the somewhat cruel clown ending the Aftermath book trilogy teased, we instead see him coming face-to-face with the consequences of his actions. Beq covertly summons Binks to Urubai, a new planet, where laborers slave away at mining the planet for all its resources. Binks didn’t realize what was all hiding in the nefarious ‘Emergency Powers’ list and basically being able to spirit people away, force them to work, and strip a planet to the point of destabilization all became far more possible and allowed given it’s all in the name of galactic security. The parallels to the current fascist governments across the world, especially here in the United States, where they use “security” to disenfranchise others because they aren’t like them, hits hard and helps really get the point across of how terrible things already were for the Republic before even the Clone Wars really got going. Jar Jar can’t believe this is allowed, but I appreciate how Kelleran points out to him, while Jar Jar did push for it, it’s Palpatine’s fault in the end, he clearly knew what he could do with those new powers and he’s wasted no time on it. After some hijinks and escaping with a familiar face, Jar Jar’s able to actually confront Palpatine about the situation. This final scene was very well done, as Palpatine’s words sound eerily like what all Republicans in the US do when taking the fascist side of things, yet Jar Jar approaches the conversation with such grace, he manages to outmaneuver Palpatine a bit in securing his placement as the voice of the affected planet and helping stop what’s happening there. That he and Kelleran decide to look for more “Unseen”, those who are largely forgotten or under looked by the larger society, and begin building an important radio network is a great way to give Jar Jar a more graceful arc and provide Kelleran with hopefully more appearances besides filling in more of Grogu’s backstory.
The big reveal of the issue ties into both Star Wars Rebels and Andor, believe it or not! On the Rebels side, it’s Mira Bridger, Ezra’s mother, who Jar Jar and Kelleran rescue, as she’s discovered and set up the earliest implementations of the fractal radio network. Said network is the very one Kleya Marki and Luthen Rael use throughout Andor for secure communications not even the Empire can really track. Mira and Ephraim Bridger were outspoken against the Empire’s atrocities and it doesn’t surprise me she’d be involved with the early days of such a vital radio network, so it was a great way to bring back a familiar character and add more to their story, while Jar Jar’s involvement, as I said before, makes for a more graceful story for the character. The network being the vital one used by the early Rebellion says so much about the importance of the people’s voices, in peace time or otherwise, and how important it is to always find a way to amplify them to help bring down the evil that always finds a way to rise.
On art, colorist Michael Atiyeh and letterer Joe Caramagna work alongside artists Kieran McKeown and Laura Braga! As far as I can tell, McKeown kicks off the issue and Braga steps in once Binks, Beq, and Bridger make it onto the Heyblibber Duck as they escape from the bounty hunters. McKeown first lent his hand to Star Wars comics for issue #4 of Doctor Aphra: Chaos Agent and what made his style so memorable shines out here too. McKeown does a really good job making Urubai look prosperous and pleasant, with the initial shot of the city making it feel like an advertisement, it seems so serene. Jar Jar doesn’t feel like he’s in trouble here, even when the being who offers him help seems a little out of place from those McKeown’s drawn around them so far. Yet as he makes the alleyways tighter and options for shadows longer, you get the sense we’re off course before Jar Jar suggests the same to his soon-to-be robber. Atiyeh’s colors are really helpful here, going for a prime almost sunset look when Jar Jar lands and then oozing in some gnarly greens and deeper blacks as they venture into the alleyway. Kelleran’s entrance is almost as fun as on The Mandalorian, with him pulling off his hood for some dramatic pizzazz that McKeown and Atiyeh really play into. Overall, his Kelleran seems very much like he’s on a mission, purposeful and stoic, and his Jar Jar is subdued but only because he’s less frantic during this part of the story. It’d be great to have McKeown back for more comics in the future! And Laura Braga, who has been no stranger to Star Wars comics thanks to her work on The High Republic and Ewoks, continues to excel as well and I hope she gets more issues too. Braga’s Jar Jar is overall my favorite, but it’s mainly because she gets to deal out some funny situations for him to confront, like trying to fly the starship as they’re pursued by the bounty hunters. The panel of Jar Jar’s tongue out, pulling the flight stick, his ears flapping out, and his eyes/mouth open wide, with Caramagna’s great bubble placement pulling us into the image, will live rent-free in the ol’ noggin for a while! The devilish grin she gives Palpatine towards the end was a great version of one he gives in Revenge of the Sith, the empty space around him implying his more nefarious side is hiding in plain sight. Atiyeh’s colors are a little moody for Jar Jar and Palpatine’s chat, giving it a chilling sensation, and then they get very bright, and therefore very hopeful, as Beq and Binks discuss the future and what they can do to help those who will need in most in the days and years ahead.
Here are a few other things:
- As you can see above, Jar Jar #1 sports one of two Black History Month Variant covers for 2026, a big connected image once you collect ’em both! The next cover is on the only other Star Wars comic out in February: Star Wars #10 (2025), the series finale. I’ll have my review of issues #6-10 of that series sometime following its release.
- If you’re curious about the lack of comics this year and why everything’s ending at #10 or less, don’t miss out on my 2025 Star Wars comics year-in-review, where I break down the whole sad, sorry state of things as best as I can. Also, some Top 5 Moments and Top Creatives to check out!
Jar Jar #1 unpacks some interesting things for the character and has plenty of fun along the way, all while setting up some interesting threads or exploring familiar faces and ideas!
+ The connections to the larger story, as well as the real world
+ Great characterizations and fun, well-done art
– Kelleran’s mindset ends up feeling like a narrative shortcut
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky.