– Spoiler Review –
Star Wars Adventures #13 (Vol. 2) pulls us back to the sequel trilogy with a tale starring Rey, Finn, and BB-8, while the Tales of Villainy turns Darth Vader into a horror-movie character.
“Repair Stop” Written by George Mann, Art by Butch Mapa, Colors by Charlie Kirchoff, Lettering throughout by Johanna Nattalie
Rey, Finn, Chewbacca, and BB-8, sometime between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, ferry Moebin on the Falcon in hopes of gathering his intel about sneaking around the First Order. Considering the ship they’re on, it’s no surprise it breaks down and the team is forced to land on the nearest planet, where Rey, BB-8, and Moebin go searching for parts while Finn and Chewbacca stay behind to fix the ship until they return. It doesn’t take long before someone after Moebin catches up with them, causing Rey and the smuggler to flee through a crowded town, but Moebin ends up captured and for some reason the Falcon takes off, leaving them behind! Rey gets to show off some Force abilities and her ingenuity, though I hope Finn isn’t as sidelined as he was this issue after it focuses on Rey and Moebin searching the town. I liked Kief Varris, the bounty hunter chasing down Rey and Moebin, especially his hookshot weapon and I can’t wait to see how Rey manages to take him down and save the day.
Was it just me, or did Varris look a lot like Hellboy?! It was a cool choice by Mapa, and a fun design to see in Star Wars to some degree, while I loved the chase sequence, from the big splash page with the little panels inside showing different moments of it, while the final page certainly sets up what looks like the worst odds for everyone involved. Kirchoff’s colors are bright, really giving the new town a sense of wonder like the way Rey sees it, while Nattalie’s lettering lets the art do much of the talking.
Tales of Villainy: “A Last Chapter” Written by Danny Lore, Art by Simone D’Armini
Making Vader into a horror-movie villain, who stalks its characters through the halls at an even pace as they run like hell, was a choice that writer Danny Lore absolutely nails! The story of unnamed Archivist, one of three left from an ancient tradition, as she attempts to outpace Darth Vader and secure their protected knowledge from him, is told via second person point-of-view which only adds to the frightening nature of Vader as he gets closer and closer despite her and her team’s best efforts. It’s not the happiest of endings, which helps maintain the dangerous nature of Vader, but it’s a nice change of pace for a series of comics that often ends with villains losing, no matter the story. A lot of what makes this story work so well, beyond the second person choice, is D’Armini’s art, as though it often look ashed out, it was fitting considering the old nature of the Archivist’s work and later Vader’s flame-throwing troopers burning the place down. But it also used Vader only when needed, much like horror movies do with their killers, helping make his appearances even more impactful.
Star Wars Adventures #13 (Vol. 2) has a stellar spooky Vader tale and has some fun with the sequel trilogy characters.
+ Writing and art combine to make Vader horror-ific
+ The chase scene with Rey, Moebin, and Varris
– Holding out some hopes for part two of main story
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.
IDW’S STAR WARS ADVENTURES (Vol. 2) REVIEWS:
#1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | #11 | #12