Canon Comic Review: Dark Droids – D-Squad #3

– Spoiler Review –

R2-D2’s efforts to save C-3PO from the Scourge affecting droids and cyborgs alike has brought him to unlikely allies and now…an old flame?! Find out who and if it’ll be enough in our review of another fun Dark Droids: D-Squad #3!

Artoo’s life is very complicated right now, but the Scourge situation helps simplify some of the other factors, as the now Scourged cyborg coming for Artoo helps band together the strange assortment of droids around the resourceful and committed astromech. The Ocean’s Eleven energy doesn’t relent this issue, as writer Marc Guggenheim provides some rapid-fire fun as IG-88, 4-LOM, Artoo, Triple-Zero, and the reawakened and Scourge-less Bee Tee navigate their own goals to come to a consensus on what to do next. IG-88 is still dead-set on taking in the murderbots for their crimes, but it’s Artoo and his access to a supposedly sizeable bank account access which brings him in line with the plucky astromech’s goals, while 4-LOM makes them aware of the droids of the Second Revelation and their recent attempt at fighting the Scourge, proposing they find them and make an alliance. The way Guggenheim brings out the spirit of all these droids is plain delightful, even if Triple-Zero sounds a little too one-note about murder at this point, overall their interactions are fun to follow, provide some laughs, and really get to the core of what makes each of them unique in their own way. For a series without any real organic characters, you won’t be missing them with the personalities of these familiar droids.

With a goal in mind, trying to find this Second Revelation, Artoo has a theory on where to start locating them…and it involves an old flame of Artoo’s, or at least he likes to say it isn’t but 4-LOM came pick up on his binary subtext. Artoo and crew head to Ryloth and he goes into one of its many humble homes alone to find: QT-KT! She was also part of the original D-Squad during the Clone Wars, created for the show to avoid “R2” confusion and honor the astromech R2-KT, one built by the founder of the 501st Legion for his daughter, whose spirit now lives on in the droids’ appearance at Celebrations, children’s hospitals, and more. Since the series isn’t translating binary for us readers at home, it’s up to Joe Sabino’s lettering to carry the resulting scene when Artoo and Qutee catch-up and he delivers, as it someone seems like it’s a sweet, jittery conversations between the two, lots of history and only so much they feel comfortable saying again to one another, right up until Triple-Zero’s role as nominated interrupter brings the meet-cute to an end. I liked the idea Artoo might be attracted to or interested in another droid and I hope Qutee not only makes it out of this series alive, but that we maybe get to see them interact some more in the future, especially as the comics and stories shift past Return of the Jedi.

With Triple-Zero’s interruption effective (his line about this is the funniest of the issue), the rest of the droids join the group inside, where we find out Qutee came to Ryloth after Order 66 took her Master, Jedi Aayla Secura, to live with Secura’s friend Loris Cona, an expert on droid culture. While he’d likely know where the Second Revelation is, Qutee at least knows about their leader, Ajax Sigma, a name which should be familiar both from this series back-up story in issue #1, but also the Dark Droids crossover overall. Before they get to follow-up on this new lead, the Scourge has found them and the group fights back, doing a mostly successful job right up until the issue ends, as Qutee sends out her little magnet drone and is vulnerable to attack, being shot down and dead, with Artoo in shock, in the final panel. If you read this month’s Dark Droids #4, you’ll already know the answer if she makes it or not, and it left me a little surprised the moment in said issue wasn’t here, so it means the final issue of this miniseries will be quite the epically packed one if it’s going to include such a scene and the overall finale to its part of the storyline.

As for the art, Salva Espín, with Israel Silva for colors and the aforementioned Sabino on lettering, it can’t be easy to have non-emoting faces and try to convey a conversation, but Espín uses lots of different angles and poses to convey much of the same. When they are all aboard IG-88’s ship, Scourged cyborg captured and Bee Tee still unconscious, the droids are hashing out what everyone’s goals are and what they should do next. To fit Triple-Zero’s often sarcastic and murderous tone, I like how he’s hunched over, almost conspiratorial in his poses, as he says something rather unkind about Artoo or other droids. 4-LOM we often see from a perspective where we have to look up at him, making it both feel like Artoo’s show but also fits with how demanding and direct he is, as he commands the room and often talks over the other droids. IG-88 is rather dispassionate about the whole thing, really only here to make sure he collects on the murderbots’ bounty, so he’s usually removed from the group and unmoving in most panels, but when he gets pulled in his pointing and getting closer to the group. Silva’s colors in Artoo and Qutee’s meet-cute really make her a vibrant, standout new character to the series, making it hard to look away from her due to the drab background and Artoo’s more neutral coloring, helping pull us around panels alongside Sabino’s great work getting us hear the excitement in their beeps and boops about being around one another again.

Here are a few other things:

• We won’t have to wait long to find out how this series all ends…as the next issue is two weeks away, releases December 6!
• Also, as a general PSA for Dark Droids crossover readers: Star Wars #41 (Vol. 2), also out December 6, will feature spoilers for the main miniseries’ finale, Dark Droids #5, which isn’t out until the end of December. It’s been suggested to hold off reading SW #41 until DD #5 is out, so it’s all up to you; we’ll have a review of SW #41 when it’s out!

Dark Droids: D-Squad #3 doesn’t relent on its funny and swift energy, making me wish it wasn’t over next month.

+ QT-KT and R2-D2’s reunion

+ Fun pace

+ Art team capturing droids’ personalities and making the meet-cute work!

– Overdoing it a little with Triple-Zero’s murderous remarks

Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Bluesky, Twitter @MynockManor, and Instagram @mynockmanor.

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