– Spoiler Review –
The second in the long-ago announced and slowly releasing line of original graphic novels under Dark Horse, Hyperspace Stories: Grievous by Michael Moreci and Caio Filipe is worth the wait, as it attempts to capture some deeper themes and, between the writing and the art, delivers a dangerous, almost haunting depiction of the Separatist General.
General Grievous’ first impression was in an unforgettable horror-tastic episode of Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars micro-series, and while he was a hulking, dangerous foe in Revenge of the Sith, he was another in a line of villains meant to clear the way for the franchise’s most iconic. The Clone Wars had its moments with Grievous’ image, rehabilitating it at times, but more so making him seem a little less dangerous with mounting losses. And most recently, a one-shot comic Age of Republic: General Grievous deconstructed the general, in more ways than one, for a memorable take on his quest. Michael Moreci and Caio Filipe’s Hyperspace Stories: Grievous aligns more with the Separatist General’s first-ever appearance, laying the horror and shrewdness on thick, yet isn’t afraid of deconstructing him too, resulting in one of the more memorable depictions of Grievous in years. What I appreciate most is how the graphic novel goes about this, through both a foil character and his own internal struggle, while the art itself is what makes him as imposing as he should be.
Enter Jedi Knight Cardiff Baye, a showy, confident Jedi like Anakin Skywalker, yet he’s actually sure of his path and isn’t questioning his faith in the Force and his actions. Given Hyperspace Stories: Grievous takes place pretty early in the war, the General is still finding his place amongst its battles and the hierarchy of the Separatists. Yet he’s also trying to understand if his choices and actions, becoming this deadly mostly droid warrior, is actually worth it and if he’s still himself. Baye isn’t just another Jedi to take a trinket from, he’s a wall of hope and faith Grievous needs to break to better understand the questions before him. Is he really like the local beasts he uses to attack Baye and his clones, controlled by a higher power and just doing what they’re told, or is he the warrior he used to be, one which will steal the hope and faith of his enemies no matter who’s running the war? Baye’s relentless faith in the face of Grievous’ increasingly blatant attacks and subterfuge only serves to enrage the general, and it made their encounters throughout feel more than just Grievous gets to kill another Jedi. In fact, what Grievous ultimately decides about himself in the war, his role against the Jedi and hope itself, is a fitting ending and does what a lot of other stories about the character haven’t, giving him motivation and making him more than just a killing machine, all while showing him as a deadly menace too. It’s a tricky balance Moreci finds early in the graphic novel and never sways from, and it a great read about the character alone.
Anything about the themes with faith and the timeliness of its story regarding borders and shit? But there are deeper themes abound to, solidifying Moreci as one of the best voices of the Clone Wars era as of late, starting with his work on Star Wars Adventures (2020), his very own Star Wars Adventures: The Clone Wars – Battle Tales, several of the Hyperspace Stories maxiseries, the recent Hyperspace Stories: The Bad Batch – Ghost Agents, the current miniseries Hyperspace Stories: The Bad Batch – Rogue Agents. Not only does he nail the action and adventure of the era, but he understands what its bigger implications in the timeline can mean for the characters and how it can be used to explore our world as well. Jedi Knight Baye gets into a discussion about faith with Clone Commander Maximus, the latter curious how Baye has so much of it and is so sure of who he is and what he’s doing. Clones certainly have shown they wonder their place in the galaxy beyond the war, much like Grievous does in this story, and Baye’s hopeful views on trusting the Force is putting them right where they need to be gives the clone some peace of mind about what lies ahead. It’s also something people struggle with in our world and it offers that same hopeful message to the reader, that where we are and what we’re doing must be for a reason and we just have to trust where we end up, though we still have agency through it all. There’s a great part later in the issue where Max learns exactly what Baye all meant, trusting the Jedi Knight’s choice and managing to help where he’s needed most even if it didn’t feel like the right choice at the time. It’s not just faith the graphic novel touches on, but it manages to be even more timely now than when it likely would’ve initially released, as Baye’s arrival on the planet after heeding a distress call, is met with a cold yet understandable response. The locals aren’t happy about Grievous’ arrival, yet it’s not just because he’s killed many of their people and driven them from their home, they also blame the Jedi and their war for bringing him here. Kimi makes a prescient point, how not only do the people with power rarely see the damage they cause, but also how the Republic and Jedi never once stopped to ask if the galaxy needs their might and ideals in the first place. As the illegal and absolutely unnecessary war on Iran rages on due to the Trump administration and Republican culpability to their Fuhrer, did the people in power ever once ask those there if such invasive actions were necessary? It’s a universal idea though, is war ever necessary and is it really the ‘best’ way to fix someone else’s problems? What makes any country have any more right than the other to impose their ideals on another’s? It’s a timely, yet unending question that I wish the graphic novel did a little more with, but I did appreciate it pointing out, even without the Sith manipulating things in the background, this war isn’t quite as just as some of its character believe.
On art is Caio Filipe, with colors from Dan Jackson, and finally Comicraft’s Tyler Smith and Jimmy Betancourt on lettering. I think one of the best early images is Grievous’ entrance on Katou. At first, it’s all about the local hunters, out in the middle of the night and looking to hunt some local fauna. It’s a dark scene, only the light of the moon giving more depth to their hunt, but then Smith & Betancourt come in with the sound FX of a lightsaber, which Jackson’s colors react to accordingly, framing one of the hunters in a skinny panel in the same blue as the SFX. The next page begins with a big, tall panel, framing itself like the start to the next hunt, though its size compared to the panels on the rest of the double-splash it’s a part of, tells you all you need to know about what is coming next, like you almost don’t need to look at the rest of the double-page splash. This big panel shows a harrowing and fear-inducing image of Grievous, the full moon behind him and his body slightly hunched over, eyes yellow with teases of red on the edges, giving him a pissed yet deadly focused vibe, the alerting lightsaber a bright blue in the moon’s light. Smith & Betancourt allow the frightening image to do all the talking, a concerned local’s question over what Grievous is makes for a small, barely seen word bubble, the ignited lightsaber’s on-going hum more prominent instead, matching the spooky and frightening visage of the general. Readers know what comes next for the locals who spotted him, thanks to this panel alone, and one could miss what comes next and still know exactly what happens thanks to the teams’ work of making Grievous so intimidating. Another great scene is the firelit conversation between Baye and Maximus, as it delves into the light always shining on Baye throughout the graphic novel vs Grievous’ often shadowy and darker appearances. Jackson covers the scene in light from the fire, though the woods behind the two conversing aren’t as lucky, letting us focus on them during the moment rather than wonder what is out in the woods, waiting for them. There are smiles passed between the two men, as well as keeping them mostly in the focus on the fire’s light, making it seem like their conversation about faith is exactly what both of them need at the moment. Only a few pages later is where, as the clones are asked who drew the shortest straw for night duty, readers get the best look at Filipe’s artwork for the clones, as each clone has more hints of Temuera Morrison than I originally hoped for/imagined, as we get five panels of five different clones without their helmet on, so you see Morrison in a variety of unique ways The Clone Wars ended up being good at; it helps these look more like Morrison than the show did and have such fun iterations on his face. I really enjoyed the usage of Jackson’s colors throughout, as most of the Grievous panels are dark and ominous, the only eye-popping color usually his eyes (pun intended), while Baye’s panels are where the light is, as you’d expect for a Jedi. Yet as Grievous gets more bold and Baye seems less likely to win, this changes, as Baye is seen in a cave yet still somewhat lit by its natural lighting while Grievous, standing atop a local beast, is still first seen with shadows on his face. In their first full encounter with one another, there is no difference to the shade of colors on either, both being presented in a bright light. And then when Baye is injured, already knowing what his fate will be as he decides to confront Grievous once again, the light on and around him slowly fades, instead matching how we first saw the Separatist general as he gives a big speech to the locals to come out and help him, as he’ sent off his clones to help elsewhere. Once Baye’s turns to face the local monsters under Grievous’ machinations, the color is drained from Baye, Grievous’ eyes all ready for sacrifice, and yet when the droid general breaks into the action, it’s Baye’s lightsaber’s ignition which brings the light back to him. Overall, really appreciate the scary way Grievous was often presented, as it did a lot of leg work for Moreci’s script, while the little glimpse at concept art at the end was a really nice touch.
Here are a few other things:
- The next entry in the Hyperspace Stories graphic novel line is officially on the calendar! Hyperspace Stories: Mace, written by Justina Ireland with art by Georges Duarte, is scheduled for 9/1/2026 and will feature a younger Mace Windu. That leaves 6 more from the original 9 announced back in 2023. Hopefully more will be on the calendar soon!
- Heater, one of the clones fighting alongside Baye against Grievous, first appeared in Moreci’s Star Wars Adventures: The Clone Wars – Battle Tales #4 and later appeared in issues #9 and #10 of Star Wars Adventures (2020). He’s got an interesting backstory and I get why, in our interview prior to that series’ release, why Moreci picked the issue as one he’d have liked to see The Clone Wars adapt.
Michael Moreci and Caio Filipe’s Hyperspace Stories: Grievous is one readers will find a lot of depth to, not only for its eponymous character but its questions and themes as well, with art that heightens the story in memorable ways.
+ Grievous is really frightening, intimidating
+ The light on Baye and the shadows on Grievous
– Wish it went a little further with some themes
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky.
DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this comic from the publisher at no charge in order to provide an early review. However, this did not affect the overall review content. All opinions are my own.
HYPERSPACE STORIES (OGNs)
Qui-Gon