Staying at hotels, B&Bs, and even Airbnb’s there are often concierge services available about what to see and do in the area you’re visiting, so we’ve opened the concierge desk at the Manor to offer suggestions on what to read, watch, and enjoy when wanting to find out more about your favorite Star Wars characters now that you have the free time to do so! The prequels were full of villains, many easy to see from a parsec away, but one who could hide in plain sight, and look quite dashing while doing so (even in pjs), was none other than the luxurious Count Dooku! While a key component in Darth Sidious’ plans, Dooku wasn’t always a dashing looking Sith and Separatist leader, he was once even a Jedi! If you’ve ever wondered how he went from Jedi, to Count, to Sith Lord, then read on for a breakdown on what exciting tales explore the Count’s varied careers!
Disclaimer: Since most people have likely already seen the Star Wars films, the Manor Suggests series will focus on the various publishing aspects of the GFFA. We also highly suggest, if a local comic shop or book store is still open/offering curbside service or other social-distancing options, please consider picking up many of the suggested titles below from them!
CANON
Dooku: Jedi Lost (Audiobook; Script Written by Cavan Scott; Dooku voiced by Euan Morton; Del Rey 2019)
If there’s one definitive “text” about Count Dooku, look no further than Dooku: Jedi Lost. A story spanning many years of Dooku’s life, it has everything from Harry Potter-like journeys in the Jedi Temple to beast-riding, with a giant cast of characters and intriguing new details about Dooku’s time as a Jedi. In fact, there’s a giant portion of missions Yoda and Dooku go on that are only hinted at, showing the potential left in diving into Dooku’s past. It’s not just about his time with the Jedi however, as it even introduces his family and how they are mixed into his story about leaving the Order. Jedi Lost never makes Dooku a good guy per se, but it adds many layers to his story and makes him a well-rounded villain fitting of Sir Christopher Lee’s legacy. Dooku: Jedi Lost originally released as an audiobook, and while there is a book with the audio drama’s script in it, if you are able to listen to the audiobook version, I’d highly suggest doing so. I’m not a big fan of audiobooks nor listen to them often, and I had a few small issues with some of the voice acting here, but it’s an absolute delight to listen to compared to the script, which loses a little magic without the performances. I could almost end this article here, as Jedi Lost is expansive in its details about Dooku, and Asajj Ventress as well (!), but there are other great Dooku stories out there one should give a try too!
Age of Republic – Count Dooku #1 (Issue in Age of Republic miniseries; Written by Jody Houser; Art by Luke Ross; Colors by Java Tartaglia; Lettering by Travis Lanham; Marvel 2018)
If you want to look for a short tale that perfectly captures the duality of Dooku’s life, his Sith goals and public Count persona, look no further. Writer Jody Houser produces entertaining ways for Dooku to act the old, ailing Count out of practice with the Force, only for his vicious darkness to strike when others least expect it, while Luke Ross and Tartaglia’s work plays with shadows on the Count’s face that help play up his dual roles and a little nod to his Hammer Horror past (but more on that later). This issue won my favorite Age of Republic villain issue and overall villain issue for the Age of Star Wars maxiseries, and it absolutely deserves it.
The Clone Wars (TV show; Dooku voiced by Christopher Lee in The Clone Wars movie, Corey Burton in the show proper; 2008-2020)
Seeing as the show is set during the war Dooku started with his Sith Master, he obviously plays a prominent role in the show, from taking center stage with Sith machinations or checking in on his various interests via hologram. There’s 7 seasons of the show, so I tried to narrow down some key episodes/arcs to watch when wanting to learn more about Dooku.
S1 Ep. 11/12 – “Dooku Captured/The Gungan General”: Dooku getting captured by Hondo, seeing it as his best possibility after crashlanding, fun…and of course them all working together was a real blast, especially with the dialogue teasing him about age and his comment, “I would kill you both right now if I did not have to drag your bodies”…always truthful to Obi from cpov Early into the show, we got quite the treat: Dooku captured by pirate Hondo Ohnaka and his men, as a calculated play to get back to the Separtists after crash landing. Hondo captures Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi shortly after, leaving the three tied together as Hondo looks for the greatest profit. Having these three together was an absolute blast, as the bickering between one another through several failed escape attempts offers plenty of laughs, like my favorite line of the two episodes (in “The Gungan General”) from Dooku: “I would kill you both right now if I did not have to drag your bodies.” Enemies teaming up to overcome some common enemy or situation is always one of my favorite tropes and they did it lots of justice in these two episodes, while it was great to have more interactions between Dooku and Obi-Wan due to their connection via Qui-Gon.
S3 Ep. 12/13/14 | S4 Ep. 19 – “Nightsisters/Monster/Witches of the Mist/Massacre”: These series of episode, three of which take place in S3 and one in S4, finds Dooku charged by Sidious to kill Asajj Ventress, his most trusted pupil and asset, due to her growing strength. In the S3 episodes, Dooku complies and a series of brutal and surprising events unfold: Asajj returns to Mother Talzin, the Nightsisters’ leader, to hatch a plan of revenge against Dooku and his Master. First they attempt to assassinate him, but while only in the most exquisite PJs in Star Wars ever, Dooku holds them off despite being blinded; the PJs are worth the price of admission alone in “Nightsisters.” The second plan involves Maul’s brother, Savage Opress: Ventress and Opress team up to attack Dooku but not even both of them are a match for the Count’s might. By S4, Dooku sends General Grievous to wipe out the Nightsisters of Dathomir, who retaliate with zombie nightsisters and Talzin putting a curse on Dooku, which includes her tearing out of Dooku’s body to appear as the most frightening “hologram” in all of SW. Talzin is killed (or so Grievous, Dooku, and Sidious believe), and Asajj leaves her anger and the war behind to become a bounty hunter. It’s a transformative series of episodes for Dooku and Ventress, as Dooku solidifies his power base by taking out a powerful entity threatening his Master’s plans and Ventress makes a turn towards the light. It’s unfortunate what happens when they meet again, but you’ll need to read Dark Disciple for those events.
S4 Ep. 13 – “Escape from Kadavo”: The whole arc is intriguing, built off a Dark Horse TCW comic, but its finale brings Count Dooku into the mix on Sidious’ behalf to essentially save his replacement, Anakin Skywalker. The irony is strong in this one!
S4 Ep. 17/18 – “The Box/Crisis on Naboo”: Also part of a bigger story arc, these two episodes find an undercover Obi-Wan struggling to conceal himself while in the Count’s presence as part of a mission to assassinate Palpatine. And in “Crisis on Naboo,” Dooku finds himself involved in Palpatine’s first big attempt at luring Anakin to the dark side, much like the fateful scene in RotS, but he’s still too powerful for Anakin to overcome alone.
S6 Ep. 10 – “The Lost One”: Very little do you hear Dooku go by his Sith Lord name, Tyranus, but it’s the only name he isn’t well-known by so he uses it to keep the Jedi and his many other enemies guessing about who is doing what. In “The Lost One,” Dooku’s secret Sith Lord identity is revealed to the Jedi, and since Obi-Wan knew a Tyranus recruited Jango Fett for the creation of the Clone Army, the Jedi finally realize their enemies gave them an army while simultaneously creating their own to battle it; Dooku didn’t lie to Obi-Wan on Geonosis in Attack of the Clones, from a certain point of view. Since it’s too late in the war and the Jedi’s thoughts are clouded more and more by the dark side, they don’t quite understand what it all means; Just when Dooku’s identity as Tyranus gets out, it doesn’t matter enough to change Sidious’ ultimate plans, but it was very cool to finally have our heroes figure it out and Dooku gets off scotch free.
Son of Dathomir (Comic miniseries; Written by Jeremy Barlow; Pencils by Juan Frigeri; Inks by Mauro Vargas; Colors by Wes Dzioba; Lettering by Michael Heisler; Dark Horse 2014)
Dark Horse’s final Star Wars comic has the distinction of also being the first canon comic of the new storytelling era, as it’s based off unproduced scripts from The Clone Wars. Sidious and not-so-dead Mother Talzin play a dangerous game, with Maul and Dooku at the forefront, to eradicate one another. Talzin and Maul tell Dooku the truth, on how Sidious will betray him much like he betrayed them, but his arrogance regarding his importance in his Master’s plans doesn’t let him absorb the truth. It makes the shock on Dooku’s face when Palpatine orders Anakin to kill him all the more palpable because he never saw it coming, no matter how many people warned him. Dooku also gets used by Talzin again, as this time she inhabits his body and fights Sidious through him, trying to steal his life-force to become whole again; Dooku has had it rough when it comes to Nightsister encounters! This comic also gives the Jedi the misleading nature that Dooku is the Sith Lord they’ve been searching for this whole time, further helping Palpatine hide in plain sight.
Dark Disciple (Novel; Written by Christie Golden; Del Rey 2015)
I have my issues with this novel, but I can’t deny how great it was to see Dooku in full on Sith mode, manipulating a Jedi into joining the dark side and using them against the Order, while handling the assassination attempts by Quinlan Vos and Asajj Ventress with relative ease, showing his true might as the War neared its end. The book also offers displays of Dooku’s statesmanship as we see him gain awards from the Separatists and decrying the Republic with words that aren’t exactly far from the truth. Dooku is dangerous with a saber, but he’s just as dangerous with his words, something Dark Disciple highlights well.
Tales from Vader’s Castle – “Count Dooku: Prince of Darkness!” (Issue in miniseries; Written by Cavan Scott; Art by Derek Charm & Kelley Jones; Colors by Derek Charm & Michelle Madsen; Letters Tom B. Long & Robbie Robbins; IDW 2018)
Honoring the Hammer Horror legacy of Sir Christopher Lee, “Count Dooku: Prince of Darkness!” offers Dooku (Lee) a chance to show his vampire fangs (once again), as Obi-Wan and Adi Gallia come to the aide of villagers ravaged by a vampyric creature known as Lord Ravna. Dooku tries working with Ravna for the Separatists’ benefit, but of course it wants to rule the galaxy instead, infecting Dooku. Artist Kelley Jones brings ‘Dracula’ Dooku to life wonderfully for the few panels he’s in, making it a fitting tribute to Lee’s past in both words and art. Since turning all stories to canon, the chance for Infinities type stories like in the Dark Horse days of the comics has gone, but these horror miniseries by IDW reopens the chance for fun what-if stories and this tale about Dooku is a great example of the possibilities! The entire miniseries, Tales from Vader’s Castle, and its sequel series, offer plenty of all-ages horror delights and a fun way for the Saga to explore the histories of some of its renowned actors.
LEGENDS
Clone Wars, Chapters 6 & 7 (TV show; Dooku voice by Corey Burton; 2003-2005)
The original animated show focusing on the Clone Wars released on Cartoon Network from ’03-‘05, in the stylish productions of Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack). Chapters 6 and 7 of the first season contain Dooku meeting and recruiting Asajj Ventress, two characters forever linked be it Legends or canon. While not canon anymore, these episodes were shadow-canoned by Dooku: Jedi Lost, and are well-worth watching regardless of their status for some great Dooku action scenes, rivaling The Clone Wars’ moments simply due to the series’ unique and memorable animation style and sound design.
Yoda: Dark Rendezvous (Novel; Written by: Sean Stewart; Del Rey 2004)
Dooku calls for a potential truce in the grinding, long Clone Wars, which Yoda is unable to ignore in case it turns out to be a faithful attempt by his former student. Whereas canon has Dark Disciple, where the Jedi actually decided to assassinate Dooku, Legends has Dark Rendezvous, where Yoda nearly gets Dooku to renounce the dark side. It’s a wonderfully written book and the dialogue between Yoda and Dooku covers lots of ground and hits a few emotional notes, letting us see a vulnerable Dooku for once. Dooku: Jedi Lost might end up uncovering different facets of the Count’s life in far greater detail, but this was an interest attempt to pierce the veil. You can read in more detail about the novel in Chris’ Legendary Adventures entry for it here at the Manor!
The movies might not have given someone of Sir Christopher Lee’s legacy the most fitting of roles, but the various publishing and animation projects out there made it his next illustrious character! If you have a character you’d like us to cover, please reach out in the comments or the social media options below! And mainly, I hope you found something new to enjoy in Star Wars and make sure to return to the Manor for more Suggestions on what to look into next.
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.
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