– Spoiler Review –
With Yoda #3, Cavan Scott and Nico Leon’s opening arc “Light and Life” comes to an intriguing close, imparting a message everyone can benefit from.
Last issue, when Bree and team come to rescue Yoda, and kill the Crulkon leader Riak in the process, I felt like it would only deepen the war between the two species, preventing any chance at peace. Issue #3 proves me very wrong…from a certain point of view, as we skip ahead a decade or so to find Bree all grown up but his nephew sounding much like he did when Yoda first met him: eager to prove himself and show the Crulkon who’s boss. In the years since Riak’s death, the Crulkon haven’t attacked at all, while Yoda hasn’t returned, leaving Bree that night with a sense of failure in his heart, seemingly set on never returning. While the peace can’t be overstated it has let bigger problems leak in, like the growing sentiment in the Scalvi youth and Bree’s own struggles with his actions, which everyone makes to be heroic but time has shown him otherwise, threatening to reignite the cycle of violence. Then two things happen at once: Yoda returns and warning sirens blare, the first potential attack from the Scalvi since Yoda left. Did Yoda know? Why is he back now? Will he help once again, fight if necessary? Will fighting be necessary? Most everyone but Bree seems dead-set on the fight, as he cautions against aggression and instead suggests defense, but his nephew, disgruntled by the lack of action and his chance to shine and prove himself the hero like his uncle, takes off in secret with his friends and steals one of the Crulkon children. The Crulkon, who don’t even raid the Scalvi this time, have no choice now, charging at the islanders’ now formidable gates in hopes of getting back what was stolen from them. Bree is beside himself when he finds out what his nephew did, but through time and patience, he’s finally learned what Yoda tried to teach him all those years ago, listening to the young child and finding out the Crulkon only raid because they are devoid of resources where the Scalvi aren’t thanks to being on the island. Bree offers peace and food, calling for an end of hostilities and for them to live together in harmony, which the Crulkon accept.
Whatever caused the schism between them long ago, which I believe we had our first hint of with the machine young Bree was messing with to make the call to the Jedi, it mattered little to those currently living, but fighting what they hate has been passed down generation after generation regardless, fermenting and extending long ago conflicts. These exact sentiments, stuck in a mindset passed down by those before us instead of forging our own paths is one of many aspects which lead to situations facing our world today, time and time again. Many of the younger generations are seeking change, as they should, but too many of the older generation, especially entrenched in places of power, are resisting those changes, leading to dystopian headlines, wars, and the so-called “anti-woke” agenda. Not many in those positions can see past themselves, see the harm they are causing, or what their hate is fermenting, but here in Yoda #3 we see Bree struggling with his past, knowing his actions aren’t as heroic as everyone thinks they are but can’t coalesce what to do about it to actively fight the sentiments. Yoda’s return, with his even more aloof nature and unwillingness to answer any questions, is the spark which ignites the path forward for Bree, as he finds the opportunity to pass on the real message to those younger than him, to help them see a world without violence and instead acceptance and peace. I feel like the final words in the lesson even Yoda learns are Cavan Scott’s way of telling readers that as terrible as things look, as frightening as the decisions of those in power can be, we have to have patience and trust the light, will shine in the end, as it always does. It’s an important message to impart to readers, while in the universe itself, it’s a good one for Yoda to remember as he sits in his hovel on Dagobah, the future unknown and uncertain, darkness overcoming the galaxy at the moment.
Yoda #3 also marks the final issue for artist Nico Leon and colorist Dono Sánchez-Almara, though I imagine letterer Joe Caramagna will be around for the remainder of the series. I liked how the team played with expectations by making Bree’s nephew Tren and niece/daughter (it’s unclear) Carli look so much like younger Bree and Litah, so the reveal lands when Bree shouts their names, appearing in the doorway as an adult, making the jump in time jarring yet intriguing. It immediately begs one to wonder what’s happened in the intervening years and how Bree’s now seemingly heroic efforts changed things. I also like the usage of lights and shadows, specifically with Yoda, as when he’s feeling down about his influence on the group after Bree’s “victory,” Yoda’s face is blocked by shadow, by darkness. As much as this is Bree’s failure, it’s Yoda’s too, and by acting like he does, but being angry and disappointed, he’s turned to the darkness instead, as Leon and Sánchez-Almara make clear in his shrouded face. When Yoda returns to the planet, his face is bright and visible, having returned to the light, to hope, though the shadows sneak in a bit later when he agrees he’ll fight with Scalvi once again if it really, truly comes to it, showing he’s made peace with what’s happened but will still be there for them if necessary. The panel of Scalvi and Crulkon sharing food at the table, the POV of which is from above, so all we see is the bountiful meal and the hands reaching for it, highlights how much their differences or what they look like matter, and all that matters is how they are unified now through peace, through helping one another, not hating one another. Caramagna’s SFX for the Scalvi alarm is boisterously large, breaking through the pages and panels, highlighting how much of an upper hand they have now, how ridiculous it is for any of them to ever be worried about the Crulkon if their warning system is so loud and over-the-top.
Here are a few other things:
- Jody Houser, with artist Luke Ross, will bring us the next arc of the Yoda maxiseries, which centers on the dark side spreading through a new batch of younglings…and Count Dooku returning to the Order to help his old Master with the problem! We still don’t have any word on what Marc Guggenheim’s final arc will be about, but in February we’ll have the solicitations for May 2023 comics and we’ll get our first hints then!
- The series is included in the two coming variant cover programs, Black History Month in February and Women’s History Month in March. For February on issue #4, Mace Windu will grace the cover, while Yoda #5 in March will see Gheyr on the cover, a new character set to debut in issue #4!
Yoda #3 closes out Cavan Scott’s “Light and Life” with a message worth listening to.
+ Liking the message for us and for Yoda
+ Shadows and light in the art
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.