– Spoiler Review –
After a riveting start, could Jedi Knights keep up the momentum in its sophomore issue? With the deepest of deep cuts introduced in memorable fashion, Jedi Knights #2 proves lightning can strike twice for Marc Guggenhiem and Madibek Musabekov!
The title of this issue “The Deepest Cut” works on different levels, from something the newly introduced villain Atha Prime says which informs us about his ways and mindset to how Atha Prime himself is one of the deepest, strangest cuts to make its way to canonization. Kenner Products imagined Atha Prime as part of their “The Epic Continues” line, which would pick up the story after Return of the Jedi and come with a whole toy line to support the story, but it never came to fruition and shelved. The concept art and ideas for “The Epic Continues” circulated regardless and over the years there were attempts to canonize the story or its characters in Legends, and I know I’ve seen Atha Prime art before but never quite understood its story until the team at Marvel started teasing his upcoming appearance in this issue. Several aspects of “The Epic Continues” carries over into canon: Prime’s still a mad geneticist who is cloning warriors, though the warriors here are much different and more intriguing; his double-decker, strange looking ship seems to be intact, given the angle we see it at; and the droid Blue-Tark is still his assistant. Plus, through his introduction here, we might even be gaining a glimpse at the future of the comics…but more on that later!
The Jedi Order sends Master Yoda and Jedi Knight Vetna Mooncrest, first introduced in issue #1, to investigate rumors of dark machinations happening on a remote moon that Atha Prime calls home. The issue begins in media res, the Jedi battling monsters, but as it flashes back, we see Prime runs a deceiving operation on the surface, though the Force itself queues Yoda in on dark happenings beneath. The two find creatures which seem not unlike the xenomorphs from the Alien franchise, with Yoda-like ears and small differences, and a fierce battle ensues, yet Yoda leaves Vetna to fight them as he confronts Atha Prime. While the deadly creatures Prime’s creating are cool, what really sold me on his first appearance in canon is the battle between him and Yoda, as we learn about the new villain’s dangerous intentions and he pulls off some impressive moves against the wizened Jedi Master. Prime wants to wield his creatures against what he considers the ills of the galaxy, making a good point along the way that it’s not so different from the Jedi deciding who or what these ills are, but we don’t get to learn who or what his targets are before he ends up fleeing. He stabs Yoda early in the battle, surprising the Master, but the humbling allows Yoda to strike back, splitting open part of Atha Prime’s helmet to give us a glimpse of the person beneath, yet despite it, Prime’s able to beat back the Master and take off. While the Order cleans up the remaining creatures on the moon so they can’t cause any problems, Prime’s still out there somewhere, biding his time, as we see a glimpse he’s got plenty more creatures growing, ready to one day attack the galaxy as he sees fit. This tease left me wondering, given how Atha Prime was originally envisioned for a post-Return of the Jedi storyline and the mainline Star Wars comic series, relaunching May 2025, is set after RotJ…was his introduction here to tease his eventual return in Star Wars (2025)?! It would be a fun way to finally make the spirit of the original storyline come to life, and who knows, maybe Atha Prime will finally get an action figure after all because of it! Could be we find out at the Publishing panel at Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 later this month! Either way, whether he’s just set to return to Jedi Knights later on or he’s a big push in the post-RotJ comics, he’s a formidable foe and I’d be happy to see him again, as this was a great intro for the character in canon!
Vetna Mooncrest gained my interest in the first issue and her time in the second issue leaves me even more eager to see her pop up throughout the series. Introduced before the series premiered as a Jedi with a disability, we get our first hints of what it is this issue, as it seems she has implants, likely the markings on her body, which are keeping some type of congenital disorder at bay. When it comes to representing those with disabilities, visibility is one factor, and it might be the only spot where I felt like there’s room for improvement, as without being told beforehand or her dialogue here, it wouldn’t be obvious and some readers might miss it, while it’s still not clear if the markings are the implants she references. But not all disabilities are visible, and therefore shouldn’t be treated any less if they aren’t, so it’s more about how the character is used and treated that matters the most and I felt like Guggenheim does a great job with this aspect, as while she’s dealing with some type of congenital problem, this doesn’t define her. Instead, issue #1 defined her as tough and a touch aggressive and her prowess is clear in the second, while the fact it’s only introduced now and is but one factor in her story means it doesn’t define her story nor her and such characterization goes a long way in helping normalize disabilities. I look forward to more of Vetna Mooncrest and how this series handles her going forward!
Connecting this early part of the Jedi Knights series is the mysterious assassin out for Qui-Gon Jinn’s blood, who made his presence known last issue in a direct attack and later in the revelation Obi-Wan Kenobi had a Force vision the assassin will kill Qui-Gon. Before issue #2 closes, we revisit this thread, as Obi-Wan reveals his vision to his Master and he’s identified the man: Corlis Rath. Qui-Gon’s just as bewildered over the name and image of the being (it’s a new species, as far as I can tell) as he is about someone wanting to kill him, so I’m intrigued to learn Corlis’ motivations soon!
Madibek Musabekov provides the art, with Luis Guerrero coloring and Clayton Cowles lettering. While early in the issue we see Atha Prime from the shadows, from the moment Yoda jumps up to face him, this team is deadest on making it damn clear he’s a formidable and dangerous opponent while framing him in such a way it’s clear the spotlight is on him. In the first panel of his full reveal, we’re behind Yoda and angled in a such a way that Prime towers over an already small Jedi Master, making him seem so large, while his stoic stance tells us he isn’t intimidated by the lightsaber lit before him. When he first strikes, when it’s clear Yoda isn’t leaving him alone, it’s an epic single splash page image, his red cloak billowing up around him to show how swiftly he moved to make his strike, and he’s still the dominate figure in the image despite the point-of-view shifting, as Yoda is on the other side and still very small, only his blade looking bigger to show the might he still brings to the table despite the size differences. Guerrero’s choices for the colors of the spark when Prime’s staff impacts with Yoda’s blade aids the sense of speed and agility, as the yellow spray from the attack creates the sense of a lighter being flicked, a snap of the fingers, as the surrounding area is pitch black and only the characters and the floor beneath their blades is illuminated. Cowles really gets involved after this, from the exaggerated sound FX for Prime’s strikes and swings to the skin-piercing “shunk” as Prime sinks his staff’s pointy end into Yoda’s skin, the Jedi Master looks small and powerless against the onslaught and his work helps highlight it. Even after Yoda strikes back, and Atha Prime’s face is somewhat visible, the kneeling Prime looks massive still, something the next panel signifies with the tiny toy Yoda which goes flying after Prime strikes out. I also really enjoyed that Prime has a unique word bubble situation, one that hues close to Darth Vader’s throughout the years, as while the Dark Lord’s is filled in black with white lettering, Prime’s is grey with white, and I felt like this helps denote his voice is similarly enhanced and yet it tries to compare the two; we’ll see if his return ends up being as big as I’m imagining, as then it’s a good comparison to make for Prime! I couldn’t unsee the Yoda-esque way the ears on the fully-grown Xerexi looked, so while it made them somewhat silly and a little less threatening than the xenomorphs from Alien, the barbed tail, wide, sharp-tooth mouth, and empty black eye-pits on the fully-grown and still growing ones were more than enough to make them a palpable threat and fitting reference to the iconic xenomorph.
Here are a few other things:
- I’m starting to be more and more hyped for issue #3, out May 14, as it’s all splash pages and deals with kaiju! June’s fourth issue has a lot of familiar bounty hunter faces coming to the series!
- And don’t forget, there’s a Jedi Knights short story in May 3’s Free Comic Book Day 2025: Star Wars 1! They’ve been releasing FCBD issues online, so keep that in mind if you can’t snag a copy, otherwise it’ll be part of one of the series’ TPB releases.
Jedi Knights #2 provides Atha Prime with a grand entrance almost 40 years in the making!
+ On this alone, Atha Prime, you were worth the wait
+ Vetna’s layers
+ Musabekov and team make Atha Prime a palpable threat
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky.
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