– Spoiler Review –
Yoda, you seek Yoda! Seek no more, as the Yoda comic series begins here! Yoda #1 begins Cavan Scott’s contribution, as he’s the first of three writers bringing unique tales about the storied Jedi Master’s life to the series’ panels, who has set his tale during The High Republic era, where Yoda makes a surprising choice when a call for help goes out to the galaxy.
Before we jump into the past, the framing story for Yoda is set during his exile on Dagobah, where an old friend is reaching out to him but he doesn’t want to listen. According to the credits page, Yoda’s awaiting an important visitor on Dagobah, so I’m going to assume Luke (or Leia, like he hoped in From a Certain Point of View), which means this framing story is set sometime prior to The Empire Strikes Back. The Force Ghost talking to him could either be Qui-Gon Jinn or Obi-Wan Kenobi, the only two we know of who have this ability at this point, but I’m curious why he’s grumpy here. Is it because the long solitude is getting to him? Is it because he knows it’s Luke coming and not Leia like he hoped? Or is it because he knows he’ll die on the planet, never leaving, this being his final legacy? Either way, I’m intrigued enough about the framing story, and Yoda’s ghostly visitor challenging him if he remembers his lessons, that I look forward to eventually returning to it in the future.
To answer if Yoda remembers his lessons, we dive into the Jedi Master’s past to help him recall the important things he’s learned throughout his long-lived life. To start, Cavan Scott presents us with a story set sometime between Phase II and Phase I of The High Republic era (Phase II taking place 150 years prior to Phase I), as the Jedi Council receives a cry for help from the Outer Rim, debating their response to it until Grand Master Yoda says he’ll go. It surprises newly initiated Jedi Master Veter, not yet a Grandmaster like he is in Phase I of THR (my first hint on when it was set and Scott confirmed it), who doesn’t think someone of Yoda’s stature should go, but the little yet wise Master simply says he goes where the Force leads him. So where is he going and what’s the situation that requires help?
On the Outer Rim world of Turrak, the peaceful seeming Scalvi live a quiet life along the water front, their purple skin and amphibian appearance reminding me a bit of the Nautolans. We meet Bree and Litah, the former trying to coax a broken down machine to life to help with the chores within their village. Their idyllic afternoon doesn’t last long, as raiders cross the nearby water to pillage the village’s supplies, hulking life forms with gnarly teeth and Viking-like armor, who have big weapons compared to the Scalvi’s littler, less powerful ones. Bree rushes back to the machine he’s been working on, managing to bring it online enough to send out the call for the help that reaches the Jedi Order. Yoda arrives a few days later, in the middle of a nighttime raid, bringing the larger life forms to heel, casting them out of the little village and back to their ships in the water. It’s a fun sequence, Yoda lazily deflecting blaster fire as he talks to the Scalvi, the art helping both the comedy and the heart of these moments land. After saving the village, Yoda makes a surprising choice…he calls it “our home” and intends to stay. The Jedi Council, the Scalvi, and the raiders are left stunned by the choice, with the Scalvi, especially Bree, ready to welcome him in, while it only angers the raiders more. Why stay?
One of the best things about the issue is Scott’s writing of Yoda, capturing his playfulness and stoic nature at the same time, and in his dialogue maybe hides some hints on the reasoning behind the Jedi Master’s decision. During a brief respite in the battle, as a new, terrifyingly large machine appears, the Scalvi remark this being new but for him it’s not, as he’s seen this type of situation play out across the galaxy many times already. Often, when the Jedi help a planet, they resolve the situation and move on, as the galaxy might need them elsewhere or things seem fine afterwards, but Yoda’s likely seen or heard to much about the places he’s helped reverting back or running into troubles again. Around this time in the High Republic, while the Jedi still have their many satellite temples, things are already progressing a bit towards how they were in the prequels, so I imagine Yoda’s not been out in the galaxy as often as he’s accustomed/wanted too, and he sees this as his opportunity to no longer sit in the tower and be doing more (and in Phase I he gets to leave Coruscant by taking the Padawans out into the galaxy to learn). If he leaves now, what’s to stop the raiders from coming again? One defeat in these situations is never enough, so Yoda decides it’s time to stick around and make the change happen, becoming part of the village and defend it for as long as it takes. It’s quite the interesting choice, as part of me wonders if the situation isn’t as clear cut as we and Yoda have been lead to believe, while it’s great he wants to stay and help, what of all the other situations in the galaxy which could require his help as well…what is he not helping with by only focusing here? I’ll be curious to see how this all goes, but having read the solicitations for future issues I already have some idea, which has honestly made me more fascinated about what’s to come.
For Scott’s opening storyline, the art team consists of Nico Leon, Dono Sánchez-Almara as colorist, and Joe Caramagna on lettering. Nico Leon is new to me and Star Wars comics and I’m already quite enjoying his take on Yoda, as while I can sometimes tell he’s tracing, it’s not often and he provides his own overall Yoda the most. I particularly enjoyed the panels when Yoda’s holding out the raider’s axe he stole, effortlessly deflecting laser blasts, just casually holding out an axe that’s all tall as he is, asking Bree to hold it for him. Yoda’s body is turned completely away from the attackers, focus only on the two Scalvi in front of him. There’s a lot of pages set during nighttime, which is when the raid Yoda interrupts is taking place, and Sánchez-Almara provides just enough lighting to every panel, letting Yoda’s lightsaber illuminate certain scenes or the flames from the destruction the raiders have caused lighting them and their machines in a frightening, hellish light. Here and there in the nighttime battle it wasn’t always the easiest to follow along with a few events, and occasionally Yoda and the glistening look to his skin felt off, but these were few and far between. Overall, I liked the design of the Scalvi, which I said earlier remind me of Nautolans, especially in the eyes, though they have ears with little like wings over them and can grow hair. They are smaller, comfortably and simply dressed, showing how they are accustomed to a peaceful lifestyle, most of their homes and villages made from wood (hence all the burning flames in the battle). In the daytime, Sánchez-Almara’s colors really pop, as while nighttime feels like it’s at night, maybe too much, daytime is bright and cheery, like the Scalvi are before the raiders arrive. I also impressed by Sánchez-Almara’s work with the dusk on Coruscant lighting, bringing me confidence the team can work on a nice variety of time settings across the coming story, being moody or bright when they want to, something that’s not always as prominent in other comics, usually due to be in interiors, space, or always bright enough to see the action. Caramagna’s lettering never seems to let Yoda’s bubbles be anything but simple, the usual, displaying his even-keeled nature, a simple decision but an important one, as other characters shout or yell, and he’s too in control of his emotions to allow that to happen…yet, in this story. The big “foom” SFX when the raiders’ special new weapon strikes, maintains its sudden, shocking strike, while the one with Yoda as he hits the ground after being surprised and thrown by the explosion hammers home how hard the hit was, how surprised Yoda was. Does this mean he was just concentrating too much on slicing up the raiders’ guns, or that the Force is already hinting at staying here might not be the right choice?
Here are a few other things:
- Beyond The High Republic and its stories proper, it’s nice to have another comic out right now that isn’t connected to the same era as the other ones. And this issue already displays a way for more stories to fit in the centuries worth of time comprised by the High Republic era without anyone having had to read them beforehand, which considering all the empty space, will start happening sooner than later.
- Issues 2 and 3 will be out December and January respectively, while issue 4 is out February 2023, kicking off Jody Houser’s story that’ll see Yoda and Dooku together again! Still no word on when Marc Guggenheim’s final story will be set…
Yoda #1 sets up an intriguing tale about the little green Jedi, as he decides to stay with a little village to help them with their problems…but is he teaching them a lesson or will he learn one of his own? I’m invested enough to come back and find out!
+ Scott writes Yoda on the nose
+ Intriguing potential in past and “present”
+ Art helps bring out Yoda’s playfulness and serious side
– … though has some uneven moments
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.