– Spoiler Review –
As lingering tensions erupt between the once close Padawan friends, will Yoda be able to stop things from going overboard before it’s too late? Regardless of what happens, what’s the lesson Yoda learns from the situation? Find out why the answers to those questions lead to Jody Houser’s tale being the one to beat in Yoda #6!
Krrsish’s lingering vision and Dooku’s counsel boils over and he attacks Gheyr, who he’s seen fall to the dark side of the Force and decides he’d rather prevent it now than let it happen later. Gheyr is of course shocked over his actions, unclear of his motivations and struggling to reason with him, doing everything she can to protect herself yet not hurt him. She manages to disarm him, destroying his blade, but he launches himself at her, choking her until Yoda calmly interjects. I love Yoda’s approach here and it’s just the beginning of what makes Jody Houser’s tale the best yet and a tough, tough act to follow. He sits down in the grass nearby where the two fight, asking Krrsish to explain himself, piercing through the Wookiee’s convictions and pointing out the problems with visions, with trusting them, and how acting on fear is the dark side, so who’s the one everyone should be worried about right now. Separating them, Yoda says they’ll return to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant as Krrsish has much to learn.
At the temple, we don’t pick up with the Padawans, but rather see Yoda and Dooku meet, discussing what happened between Gheyr and Krrsish. I’ve loved how Houser has dived into theses dueling ideologies and approaches throughout her arc of the Yoda maxiseries and it all culminates in the lovely, packed conversation in issue #6. There’s a familiarity between the two which Houser captures so well, it makes sense Yoda and the others would be almost blindsided by Dooku’s fall to the dark side, having been good friends and able to hold such nuanced discussions on the Force. When Yoda finds out Dooku didn’t tell him Krrsish spoke to him about the visions as well, he’s surprised, though Dooku brings up how his friend Sifo-Dyas was treated (as seen in the excellent Dooku: Jedi Lost) to explain his hesitation, hoping Krrsish would make the right choice. And while Dooku agrees the Wookiee’s actions were inexcusable, he points out Krrsish might’ve prevented Gheyr from going down the dark path by making this future known to her. Yoda isn’t so sure, still believing such thinking can lead to dangerous paths, but the two end the conversation, as we see it, on almost jovial terms, as Dooku claims no lasting harm was done. Yoda’s narration afterwards not only suggests Dooku’s positive view is incorrect, but it’s just one of many things his old friend was wrong about.
Yoda’s later approached by Gheyr, who tells the Jedi Master she wants to leave the Temple and join Dooku on his next trip, revealing she understands it means she won’t ever be a Jedi. Yoda tries to talk her out of it, pointing out she bears no burden for Krrsish’s choices, but he can’t tell her the Wookiee’s vision won’t come true. This is what prompts this choice from her, as she sees it as a way to protect her friend, and herself, from going down the dark path. As she makes leave of the Order, hugging her friends Jak’zin and Krrrsish goodbye, Yoda’s narration takes over and leads to my favorite part of the issue and what made Houser’s work feel so special. He admits, while he was busy cautioning his students about being certain with the future, he made the same mistake with Gheyr. While the Force might’ve led him to her, assuming it meant she was to be taken to the Temple and become a Jedi was him being certain about the future when it might not have been why the Force led him to her. Dooku certainly had a point, but Yoda’s thought points out why caution is so necessary with Dooku’s kind of thinking, as even the best of intentions aren’t necessarily the will of the Force. It goes back to his conversation with Krrsish as he talked the Wookiee down from hurting his friend, how the fight with the dark is never done, the temptation is always there, and learning never stops for a Jedi. It’s a message a lot of people miss when they look at Jedi characters, assuming them being Jedi Masters seemingly means they are all powerful and incapable of making mistakes, but time and time again we see and hear how they can and will make mistakes, as in the end, they are beings interpreting the Force and in interpretations lies complexity and misunderstanding as much as understanding. Seeing Yoda learn from this moment so acutely and show us what it really means to be a Jedi, and a Jedi Master at that, is to keep learning, is what really sets this tale above the opening one from Cavan Scott and gives Marc Guggenheim quite the act to follow.
With Yoda #6, we have the final appearance on the series from artist Luke Ross and colorist Nolan Woodard, though letterer Joe Caramagna will carry on. By centering this arc on non-human characters, the burden already on art teams seemed extra weighted, as making them look too human to convey emotions could ruin the look and feel of their species, while too alien and it might be hard for readers at home to connect. On this front, the team balanced on the rope wonderfully, helping make me instantly invested in these characters and concerned about their fates in the beginning of the issue. With Krrsish, there’s a determination and conviction to his actions, though as Yoda starts to talk to him, the doubt starts seeping in, first in his hand gestures to help us know what he might be saying, and eventually across his face, his anger gone and instead surprise when Yoda says his actions are rooted in the dark side. In the same moment, Yoda has no emotion to his face, no judgement, as he walks Krrsish through what he’s doing and why he shouldn’t be. And for Gheyr, when she comes to Yoda to tell him she’s leaving, she’s holding her arm, no looking Yoda in the eyes, though it’s important the moment she finally does, it’s when she confirms to him she understands she’ll never become a Jedi, as she makes her conviction clear. Woodard’s colors rob her of some light here, but I imagine this panel is supposed to be from Yoda’s point-of-view, so to him, her not becoming a Jedi like he assumed she would, darkens his perceptions of her. Speaking of colors, I loved how we got the orange-yellow to the panels when Krrsish dives in to tackle Gheyr, matching his rage and anger, but the colors subdue again the moment Yoda arrives. In Yoda’s conversation with Dooku, it’s often in shadows, a darkness around them from what they are discussing but also hinting towards Dooku’s future, of the rift to grow between these two. Lastly, I enjoyed the sunset colors as Gheyr leaves, as if the sun is setting on Yoda’s ideal for the young Transdoshan. With Caramagna’s lettering, while I know this is the final page and the final insert panel on it, but I really like the placement of the Force Ghost’s word bubbles, just hanging outside Yoda’s Dagobah hut, haunting him as he turns his back on them. And I know a Wookiee’s Shyriiwook is always larger than normal text in word bubbles, but having Gheyr’s initial words to Krrsish when she takes up her saber being so small, and off to the side, show her righteous conviction to stop him, her calmness in readying herself to deal with the problem.
Here are a few other things:
- While the issue ends with another glimpse of the Force ghost bugging Yoda on Dagobah to talk with him, we found out when the Ghost’s identity will be revealed, among other things, at the Celebration Europe 2023 Marvel panel! Issue #9 will reveal the Ghost’s identity, while #10, the final issue, will see the return of Scott as the series sends Yoda in the Dagobah cave!
- Next arc, written by Marc Guggenheim, takes us to the Clone Wars and sees him facing off with General Grievous and teaming up with Anakin Skywalker, eventually tying into the brief moment he and Anakin appear in the Revelations one-shot (also written Guggenheim).
- I was a little surprised to find out it had been a few years between when Yoda and Dooku talked to the young Wookiee and the eventual confrontation with Gheyr, as while I could tell time had passed, but I didn’t pick up it being years.
Yoda #6 ends its best arc yet the same way it started, with intriguing conversations between two old friends, while providing a lesson anyone can learn from.
+ Yoda learning as much as he’s teaching
+ One more Dooku and Yoda debate for the road
+ Art team knocked it out of the park with all the non-human characters!
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.
YODA MAXISERIES REVIEWS
Light and Life: #1 | #2 | #3 — Students of the Force: #4 | #5