– Spoiler Review –
Star Wars Adventures #2 (Vol. 2) ends its ‘will it, won’t it’ release finagling and finally gets to fans’ hands! Rey, Poe, and Finn’s run-in with pirates finds a enjoyable end, while the latest “Tales of Villainy” offers a glimpse into Kylo Ren’s time as the Supreme Leader.
“The Obstacle Course – Part 2” Written by Michael Moreci, Art by Ilias Kyriazis, Colors by Charlie Kirchoff, Lettering (in both tales) by Jake M. Wood
What I enjoyed most about the second part of the tale was how everyone got a little chance to be helpful in the escape from the pirates: Finn got them free of their ropes, Poe got a gun to give them some cover, Rey proved herself immensely as a Jedi by taking out the remaining pirates, and BB-8 disabled their long range communicator so the First Order wouldn’t show up! In a way, this highlights the whole strange decision to “ground” Rey, forcing her to run obstacle courses instead of joining the Resistance on vital missions, as she more than proves herself here. Poe and Finn are in agreement she’s already a great Jedi, so that she must continue to be on obstacle course duty just feels so strange. Regardless, that’s not anything Moreci can change and he makes the most of the limited situation here, showing off how she’s grown her abilities, while providing us with more great banter between these characters.
Kyriazis’ kinetic art really shines in this action heavy issue, from Rey’s staff flying through the air or her stick moves to take out some pirates, all translated really well onto the pages within, making it easy to follow the action; in particular, I loved the long/tall panel of her rushing towards the fray, as overall it fit well to establish the depth of the challenge before her to help her friends. Kirchoff’s colors continued to give the planet such a unique and memorable hue, while subtle shadows add some extra dimension to the proceedings.
Tales of Villainy: “Follow and Lead” Written by Sam Maggs, Art by Davide Tinto, Colors by Rebecca Nalty
Kylo being a man of few words, believing his determination and will are enough to see his regime and rule grow, is a great way to present some of his time as the Supreme Leader between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. The hopeful aspect to the story reveals itself in the selfless rebel who lets Kylo know what he should’ve learned from the past (aka his parents), instead of killing it: that as long as one spark lights, so will others, until the galaxy will rise up against him. It’s a small story that takes on the larger point of Star Wars, so bravo to writer Sam Maggs for distilling it so well.
The art, by Davide Tinto with Rebecca Nalty’s colors, adds to the oppressive atmosphere of the First Order and Kylo Ren’s determination to rule it all, whether it’s the angles they choose or the hard, straight lines for the FO’s ships, while there’s a freedom-hinged quality to the chaotic, colorful planet Kylo visits that attempts to fight against the FO’s rule. Even in the art, the struggle between light and dark is clear as day, and I enjoyed how they presented it. However, there was one minor aspect that threw off the whole story for me…
Since Kylo Ren is the Supreme Leader of the First Order at this point, he shouldn’t have his signature helmet on, at all. Even if he did have it, the red cracks from the reforging are missing, while it’s clear this story simply doesn’t take place in the middle of The Rise of Skywalker because he’s curious if there’s anyone else to follow under (which he’d have an answer for in Palpatine). Normally, I could handwave a little mistake like this away, it’s a minor tale and the helmet is his signature bad guy look, but to me this feels like a missed opportunity. Imagine seeing this little vignette about Supreme Leader Kylo Ren without his mask: we’d get to have this great art team provide angst, determination, and/or doubt in Ben Solo’s face as he tried to spread his rule or battle wills with the woman who rises against him here, but instead we got the unmoving, emotional mask. There’s plenty of small and subtle ways they try to convey his reactions and emotions, but it’s not quite the same when you realize it’s due to a simple mistake.
Here are a few other things:
- The great Annual 2020 just released last week, something well-worth checking out with its Jaxxon tale and the back-up story’s intriguing new species!
- Two goodies from IDW in December: we should see the release of issue #3 on December 30, while the two part Smuggler’s Run should drop Dec 23.
Star Wars Adventures #2 (Vol. 2) wraps up a fun sequel-trilogy focused tale in effortless fashion, while it’s back-up Kylo Ren tale has some highlights but feels like a missed opportunity in one aspect.
+ Rey, and team, saving each other
+ Capturing all of Star Wars in a short little tale
+ Art in Kylo tale matching oppressive nature of the First Order…
– …but missed opportunity from honest mistake
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.
IDW’S STAR WARS ADVENTURES (Vol. 2) REVIEWS:
#1
Shadow of Vader’s Castle (one-shot)