– Spoiler Review –
Tensu Run has, well, run out of space to run, with the Inquisitors launching their final push to bring his legend down to size. Inquisitors #4 reveals how the physical legend ends but doesn’t quite cover what that means for his overall legend, making this a solid yet not fully realized finale.
Last issue I was feeling the strain of the series’ formula, “Inquisitors attack, Tensu brings them down,” while it also brought out some questions about Tensu’s relationship with his seemingly fellow Jedi survivors Pan Delesec and Jed Uhron. The finale only exacerbates a need for answers by opening even more questions, which similarly left unanswered, make this final issue feel incomplete, like vital pieces are out there, which our characters know, but we were never privy to. I understand Marvel is likely set to announce what its plans are for 2025 and beyond soon, and maybe Tensu’s fuller story will find expansion then, or even, as I’ve been theorizing, we’ll get to know more in The Battle of Jakku maxiseries (the first issue of which released the same day as this), but will we truly get a chance to learn more? According to one of the current Marvel Star Wars editors, that might just be the case, but what seems to be missing in this series future stories could hopefully illuminate? For starters, going back to Tensu’s Master, we never learned how they went from being on the run together to Elan being on the Jedi retirement ship (and how Elan was allowed on there). We still don’t know how Pan and Jed ended up with Tensu and what they were to one another. But the biggest is the huge hints at a much darker past for Tensu then what was ever really let on by the series, as in Tensu’s supposed final moments, his conversations with the Grand Inquisitor and Darth Vader himself hint he was either previously an Inquisitor or agent working for the dark side to some degree, as ol’ Grandy seems to know him from before, while Tensu says coming to the Jedi was a path of redemption for him. These are tantalizing hints at a much more intriguing character than Inquisitors was ever able to present, as he seemed like the shining Jedi star who never could do any wrong, played by Chris Pine, so this extra dimension coming so late leaves us feeling like we weren’t allowed to have the full story. Without a hint more could come, this might make the series feel incomplete to most readers, especially if they aren’t plugged in online all the time or seeing editors laying hints or having/reading wild theories for Tensu like mine, which add some life to the series. Despite what happens to Tensu here, I still believe my theory could bear fruit: in an upcoming issue of The Battle of Jakku maxiseries, Luke Skywalker will supposedly face a new Inquisitor, which I’ve theorized will be Tensu! Given his supposed death here, it seems very unlikely, but…given the strangeness around an Inquisitor like Marrok, turning into mist once his suit is pierced (as seen in Ahsoka), as well as the Inquisitor’s form haunting Luke (as seen in Star Wars {Vol. 2}), maybe Tensu could still end up being one through such dark magicks. Whether my theory comes true or not, I hope some sort of answers for these lingering threads come in the future (especially if fans still want them), however they do, so fans aren’t left in the dark.
My other problem with the finale is how, as much as the legend of Tensu Run was talked up and vital to why he had to be stopped by the Inquisitorious, the finale never touches on the impact he might still have or if his supposed death was enough to end it. It was one thing I was looking forward to the series covering, as I hoped Rodney Barnes would show us how it would take more than just killing Tensu to stop the hope he started. Without seeing if he started any real hope beyond the village in the first issue, or getting even a hint how his legend could inspire or still would, even in those who looked for him but weren’t able to find him ever again, Tensu’s death and this finale reads like a swift and sudden end that was only just the inevitable we expected all along. Maybe this was the point, after all the series is called Inquisitors not Tensu Run, so in the end it’s set to be a story about them darkly victorious, but given how they didn’t seem deadly enough in the first three issues and there’s no confirmation their victory was anything more than what we expected, he’s dead now, was this really that important of a hunt/victory for them? For us to read? Taking down Tensu without the context of what it means for the Jedi’s supposed legend leaves the ending hollow. Maybe it’ll be answered in a future story or a reappearance by Tensu via my theory (or maybe it’ll be Jed who faces Luke, as he was the only one who didn’t have as seemingly final of a death as the others), but by itself this ending seems too sudden given all that’s come before, while again I’m thinking about readers who picked this and aren’t online/hearing there could be more, as what are you supposed to make of something which feels incomplete? It reminds me of the Dark Droids: D-Squad miniseries, which didn’t even get show the ending to its characters’ story, and if you weren’t on top of how it all connected, the fun story about droids just sort of…ends with all these loose threads unanswered. The lack of larger context is what brings down this promising finale.
Overall, I still enjoyed the story for the series and stuff like seeing the Inquisitors come out in force, the other Jedi with Tensu upholding the tenants of the Order while facing certain death, Tensu coming to doubt there’s any other way for his story to end, and getting Vader out in the field in the most intimidating way thanks to the art team. There’s certainly context which could lead to more stories I’d be interested in, so if this is just a primer for more, I’d be able to forgive more of the above I’ve pointed out.
Once again, another great showing from artist Ramon Rosanas, colorist Guru-eFX, and letterer Travis Lanham, especially in regards to making Darth Vader’s presence have a heavy weight of finality to it. We’ve seen him throughout the series, in various seats of power, barking his orders like he does in the early parts of this issue, but when he first arrives on the scene before Tensu, it’s such a stark, almost oppressive change. In a full page, Vader looms over us given the point of view, eFX’s colors giving their best Obi-Wan Kenobi impressions, dark and moody, with lots of blank space, full of deep blacks, while Lanham places Vader’s speech bubble at a length from the character, letting the word hang there before you find yourself unable to look at anything else but the Dark Lord’s imposing visage. I enjoyed the way the Inquisitors are lit up by their blades when they first get into Tensu’s makeshift Temple getaway, as you can almost tell that it’s basically the same artwork, except just shadows, and then their red blades are added and eFX and Lanham do their work, lighting the scene in reds and giving the blades their signature opening sound FX, while Rosanas fleshes out the shadows with his great character detail. The next panel we see what they see, which is not what they hoped, but rather a troop-load of droids, giving us as much surprise as it gives them.
Inquisitors #4 is a win for the baddies, but without the full context, it doesn’t leave much impression.
+ Vader’s imposing presence
+ Art team aiding Vader’s appearance and always delivering on the action
– Context lacking
– What was the impact of this dark victory?
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Bluesky, Twitter @MynockManor, and Instagram @mynockmanor.