Canon Comic Review: Dark Droids #2

– Spoiler Review –

After a successful first month of each series telling its own part of the crossover, the Dark Droids miniseries returns for an illuminating second issue, leaving me invested and on edge for what comes next.

The opening issue of this miniseries left me with a lot of questions and actually curious to learn the answers, and while Dark Droids #2 doesn’t answer them all yet, which isn’t a shock, it did more than I expected. For what it answers, it opens intriguing theorizing for the Scourge’s past and it provides plenty investment on where this will all go, despite us knowing the larger ending. The other series caught up in the story didn’t quite reveal much on their own throughout August, but they proved each one will have a fun time with the premise and horror theme, and I’m glad this miniseries feels more vital and only necessary to read than relying on multiple POVs of the same situation from each series’ pages like some of the past crossovers have felt. All in all, this is shaping up to be a big story, with a manageable scale that seems to make sense in the timeline leading up to Return of the Jedi, something I was concerned about before this ever started. Or maybe I’m having just enough fun with the horror, as Charles Soule and Luke Ross really amp it up here compared to the opening, and promise more unsettling energy along the way.

We learn a lot about the Scourge in Dark Droids #2, even as much of its history remains vague enough to be filled in later in this series or some other project, and it’s through this new knowledge we understand its goals and motivations. Made eons ago as a weapon meant to consume everything, at least as far as it can remember, hence its hunger and desire to spread itself across all the droids, its defeat is a burning reminder it has to succeed and succeed quickly if it hopes to keep its enemies at bay. Last time it was unleashed, the Sith* were the ones who stopped it, sealing it away in the Fermata Cage, until it was opened at the end of Hidden Empire. It knew then that it would need to jump from not only assimilating the metal, so other droids, but also the meat, the fleshy, non-droid sentients in the galaxy. We see the Scourge attempt to meld metal and meat in some grossly fun images from Luke Ross and team, and it even mentions Fryzen Gor’s efforts from the rather wonderful Last Shot novel by Daniel José Older, but it continues to fail in its efforts at this time. There are two reasons the Scourge wants to make the jump to the meat as well: 1) because if it can consume both metal and meat, it can be all its enemies at once, therefore negating the need to fear destruction and allow itself to let go and relinquish control over the torrents of data it’s receiving already from all its various new host bodies, which it admits is hard not to just do now. 2) if the Scourge can make it into the flesh, it can gain usage of the Force, therefore being able to stand up to whatever Force-wielders might come for it like the Sith did all those years ago. We often think of the Jedi as the ones who protect the galaxy, but even the Sith recognize threats to their rule and destroy them, sort of saving the galaxy in the process, and this is now the second instance we know of, the other being the Drengir threat they sealed away but was reawakened during the High Republic era. Both times it’s good intentions which lead to the unleashing of a threat to the galaxy and bad intentions for locking it away, ironically enough. Either way, the insight into the Scourge’s past and path forward is fascinating in a dark, horrific way, and it certainly leaves me eager to see its efforts, as often scary or unsettling as they may be, since it’s such an interesting premise. The biggest question I’ll have is how the galaxy feels about droids afterwards and if we’ll get a glimpse of the lingering effects of this event in any way, as we have yet to see much blow-back from this event in stories already released after this (though I know it’s because they didn’t know about this event when released). But for now, it’s rather fun, dark, and enjoyably different than all the other crossovers we’ve had so far, so the future is a minor qualm I’m not that concerned about anymore.

It helps that in the horror is some fun or even funny aspects to the Scourge’s mission, mainly in regards to its control of Threepio. As one of the least assuming droids in the galaxy, always shouting in fear or eager to do anything else than head towards danger, though has moments of bravery (especially in The Rise of Skywalker), seeing him as a menacing presence is hard to swallow, which is what makes him such a great droid for the Scourge to focus its efforts through. While most citizens of the galaxy wouldn’t suspect the droids around them, as we see a road traffic painting droid kill the being watching it and who would ever suspect that of going homicidal, Threepio being evil is the hardest pill to swallow, and not even Luke or Artoo pick up on what’s happening. For Artoo, it’s a bit too late, as the Scourged Threepio decides it would be too hard to fight for the astromech’s mind at this moment and instead sends him shooting out an airlock! This is set up for the launch of this month’s latest miniseries to join the crossover: Dark Droids: D-Squad! D-Squad sees Artoo reactivating the Clone Wars era squad, bringing back WAC-47, while also recruiting new members like Triple Zero, Bee Tee, IG-88, and more, to help save Threepio and find out what’s happening to droids everywhere! Its first issue (preview out now!) will include a backup story about Ajax Sigma, exploring how all the previous stories mentioning him all connect, while his part in this issue answers some questions I had and promises a bigger role in the issues ahead from him, but we’ll get to him momentarily. As for Luke and Threepio’s interactions, he initially isn’t too surprised about the droid’s line of questioning about the Force, as after all, he’s usually with Artoo doing Force-related things so the protocol droid misses out on it, but he does start getting suspicious after they end up discussing cyborgs using the Force and mentioning Darth Vader. I love the following scene, Scourged Threepio considering killing Luke, which we see in a scary, nearly violent two panels as they swarm the young Jedi, only to choose not to, Luke’s source of Force knowledge too valuable to destroy. The Scourge knows it can’t control its many bodies, as it’s growing too fast and too large already, so it decides to lean into the chaos it could create to help hide its actions, letting its many droids let loose as it steals a very unique ship (I need to know more, pronto) from the Rebellion and heads off to take over the one being who is more machine than man and has frightening control over the Force: Vader! Will the Scourge gain control over Vader for awhile or will Vader be able to keep it at bay, as right now he’s battling tons of Scourged droids on the Executor (though this issue shows him comfy in his Mustafar home, so potentially Darth Vader #38 {Vol. 3} will show how he comes to rest safely there before the Scourge ding-dong ditches his house).

Last issue, whether you learned about him in the Revelations one-shot or not, Ajax Sigma was introduced to fans everywhere as the leader of a droid religion, the Second Revelation, which focused on self-aware droids. He cast his robes aside to pick up his warrior past, which includes being put down by the Jedi in the High Republic era, and in this issue we not only see his upgrades, but also his plans and learn more about the intriguing religion. The opening issue gave us just enough of an idea about the Second Revelationists to know it championed self-awareness in droids everywhere and in Dark Droids #2 we come to understand it further, as the first Revelation is “I,” the first thought the “visioned” have when they break past their programming and become aware, and the second is “We,” as in how there are more out there. Ajax talks about these tenants and how, if there was a third, it would be protecting all the other droids who may awake soon, so they have an obligation to fight the Scourge the little mouse droid Petyr told them about. This is not just an information dump in the issue either, as this is during Ajax having his outer chassis removed and replaced with a really awesome warrior outfit, including a big plume of sorts from the new headpiece, so it helps move the plot along and reveals more about this group. While Ajax might look intimidating, the ship they built themselves, which they put the brain of Ajax’s assistant into, is a purple monstrosity of the most intriguing proportions. The Second Revelation is poised for battle, ready to save droid-kind and do their best to escape the Empire’s notice, so that another purge will not be enacted on self-aware droids. It’s a dire situation for the group and it leaves me curious how much deeper we’ll get into the discussion about droids and how Star Wars has treated them with this storyline, as while the Scourge has certainly been interesting, I’m hoping we’ll get more time with Ajax and the others going forward to better explore what it means for them to free and how they feel about how beings treat those who aren’t. Either way, a big clash is about to go down, droid against droids, and I wonder if being self-aware and autonomous are the only ways droids can avoid the infection.

From Scourged Threepio’s demented thoughts on killing Luke to the nightmarish contraptions Sid from the original Toy Story would be proud of with human and droid parts being melded together, artist Luke Ross, colorist Alex Sinclair, and letterer Travis Lanham really amp up the horror. The page of Frankenstein-ed droids has been living not rent free in my brain, but making me pay it rent for living in there, as there’s nothing quite like seeing the two arms coming out of the front of an astromech or the protocol droid head on a stormtrooper’s body; it doesn’t help I’ve always been skeeved out by becoming something you aren’t, like changing into a bird or a fish, so this hits a particular niche of horror for me. Sinclair lets shadows rule the page and the overall layout makes it feel like the medical droid at the bottom is watching us readers, judging us, as Lanham guides us from atrocity to atrocity, letting us pass by the droid’s purple eyes and then making us see the human arm it holds, its look going from creepy to menacing and judging. The two panels where Scourged Threepio thinks of Luke’s death, which Sinclair drenches in a unnerving red like has been done in the Darth Vader (Vol. 3) comic at times, are chilling to say the least, the image of Luke trying to push the overwhelming numbers back only for the next panel to be a harrowing look at them beginning to crush his face, all staring on with dispassionate faces, giving me the shivers. It’s very interesting how scenes set at the Second Revelation colony look, as well as the droids there, as there’s almost a whole different vibe or completely different series happening. Everything, especially the droids, is vibrant, both in their colors and various, unique designs, clearly giving us a look at the lively nature of these self-aware droids against the drab, dreary world for the droids controlled either by the Scourge or their programming. It’s almost a little too jarring, these differences, but given how it plays into the theme of the story it’s more than acceptable, to the point I’m going to be very interested to see how these visual differences will play into the coming clash between Revelation-ed and Scourged! Also, the panels of Threepio dragging Artoo to the airlock, Lanham’s SFX telling us all we need to know about the astromech’s confusion, are both unexpected and funny in their own way, as it’s just not a visual we’d see for the two droids, or even the awkward nature of Threepio’s body, which even the Scourge comments on.

Here are a few other things:

• *With The High Republic’s final Phase about to begin, the question starts to appear: what comes next? Another big initiative to a different part of the timeline? Whatever it may be, I have a growing suspicion it’s going to focus on the ancient Sith, as not only are more and more Sith being named and referenced, but wouldn’t it be interesting to balance powerful light (THR) with powerful dark (Sith in their prime)? I’d personally love it but I’m game for whatever they decide next!
• There have been endless characters, outfits, and designs ripe for the picking for new action figures thanks to the comics for a very long time now, with Aphra and one of Leia’s outfits being the few that have made it, and I’ve been stumped about no new Qi’ra figure based off her return outfit. With Ajax and the Second Revelation, as well as some creepy kit bashed Scourge droids, nothing’s felt more like a toy line (in a good way) then what we are getting here! They used to make comic duo packs and other non-movie characters into figures, and I fear it’ll never be at the same level again, but one can hope!
• While it seems Star Wars Outlaws’ team knows about what’s been going on in the comics at the same time their game is set, I’d love a small moment of Outlaws to turn into a horror game as Kay Vess has to deal with the Scourge for a moment or something! I can’t recall ever really having a horror game in the franchise’s history, so why not a taste of what that could like in the upcoming open-world game?!

Dark Droids #2 proves most of the initial worries about another crossover have good reason to dissipate, as sitting back and enjoying the spooky atmosphere should be quite the ride.

+ Amping up the horror

+ The differences in color of the “visioned” droids v the Scourged droids

+ Having fun with Threepio’s turn/new information

– Still curious how deeply it’ll explore sentience/behaviors towards droids

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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