– Spoiler Review –
A surprising announcement, but a welcomed one, was the news the man behind the Afro Samurai manga would be writing a comic prequel to Kamikaze Douga’s Star Wars: Visions short “The Duel.” Takashi Okazaki presents us with Star Wars Visions #1, a stylistic addition to “The Duel” that honors all that came before it.
One year ago today (October 12), saw the release of Ronin – A Visions Novel, an effervescent, unique book set after the short which blew up the world of “The Duel” with dazzling, memorable story choices, giving us one of the best Star Wars books of all time. Between the short and the novel, it’s a tough act for Takashi Okazaki to follow, but he proves it’s such fertile ground for storytelling, even this prequel to “The Duel” can hold many gems and live up to what came before.
One of the simplest, yet very important ways Okazaki dazzles with Star Wars Visions #1 is how his illustration of the issue adheres so closely to the memorable black and white design, with hints of color throughout, of “The Duel” by Kamikaze Douga, the studio behind the short. Okazaki’s illustrations are arresting, packed with little details he makes pop even in black and white, and I often found myself stopping at each panel and taking in the littlest of designs he highlighted. I really loved the way he pulls readers down a page, showing the planet hanging in space in one panel, the next is the edges of the night sky, and finally we’re at the ground with our characters. It’s a small trick, but it keeps the scale of things in perspective, and sets the mood or stage, the relaxing nighttime sky for the relaxing chat between the Ronin and a blind stranger in some hot springs, and the bright, shining sun waking us up to warn action may be on its way, truths will be uncovered. Another page has the blind man, submerged in the way, his memories of the wars in the past playing out beneath him, like he’s floating in them, unable to escape them even in the hot springs and with the Ronin sake. That the clone troopers wear ronin armor in these memories is another awesome design choice that feels like it fits well with the world’s aesthetic. As he recalls how he was blinded, the lightning crackling across his body and the page, marking the separation of panels, followed by a full page of the spirit of the Father visiting him, revels in the weirder and unique aspects of the short’s universe. And on the funny side, I loved the insane little AT-ST head armor B5-56, Ronin’s droid, wears in the opening, using its many armaments to take out a group trying to kill Ronin and take FiveSix, as well as the look of the droid playing dice with a bunch of cute little Ewoks.
And even still, there are pages I’m almost able to still see while blinking, so clear and memorable they are hard not to think about. The first is the collection fellow Sith Ronin has killed, the character designs instantly begging to be seen again and explored in future works, exploding on the promise of Kamikaze Douga’s work and their designs. I feel like I’m already ready to write some fan-fiction for some of them, their designs holding so much promise, just like the Bandit Leader, who became even more memorable in novel. The other standout one is the “duel” between Ronin and the blind man, revealed to be a Jedi Master, the Jedi’s purple blade and the Ronin’s red exploding through the sizzling snow, the pages backed in black instead of the issue’s normal white as the primary background (same thing for all the other Sith page). It’s short, quick, and while a little hard to follow, dazzling nonetheless, but I put “duel” in quotation marks because I’m not totally sure if it actually happened or if it’s just the two playing out the scenario in their minds, or just Ronin. Considering his blade is shattered by the Master in the “duel” but he still has it in “The Duel,” makes me believe it was just an internal scenario, shared or otherwise. Regardless, it was a great way to showcase the quick, efficient types of duels masters of their caliber would get into, much like Star Wars first finally brought to the table in the short and devastating showdown of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul on Tatooine. All throughout this art, long-time Star Wars letterer Joe Caramagna retains his usual look, and while you’d think this would look out of place, the opposite is true, as it adds a little extra hint of the galaxy far, far away to ground the story. He mainly provides SFX for the droids, which is delightful, especially the goodbye FiveSix shares with the Jedi Master’s droid, but the way he ensures Okazaki’s intent with certain panels remains attainable is much appreciate due to the shear level of care in each panel. A big thanks to Aki Yanagi, who handled the English translation, as well!
Minus my confusion over the issue’s duel, I really enjoy this as a prequel for not just the short, but the novel too, further placing Ronin’s life into the one envisioned further in the novel, though only watching the short is enough to understand the comic more. However, one can start with Star Wars Visions #1 and later watch “The Duel,” the storytelling here adding extra context to the short, also wetting ones appetite for the short itself, while it can make one want more of the world and therefore discover the novel as well.
Here’s one other thing:
- There’s more Visions to enjoy! Recently announced is the Star Wars: Visions Original Manga, “coming soon,” while season two of Visions will be out 2023!
Star Wars Visions #1 by Takaski Okazaki will be a hit with fans of Visions overall, especially “The Duel,” but also an excellent place to begin your journey into its larger world.
+ Stunning art
+ Fitting prequel and addition to “The Duel” universe
+ Seriously, the illustrations make it hard to put this down
– Minor confusion
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.
STAR WARS VISIONS REVIEWS
Season One: “The Duel” | “Tatooine Rhapsody” | “The Twins” | “The Village Bride” | “The Ninth Jedi” | “TO-B1” | “The Elder” | “Lop & Ochō” | “Akakiri”