– Spoiler Review –
A Scooby-Doo like mystery takes over Mace Windu’s latest Clone Wars mission while Han and Chewie’s bad luck might not be Han’s fault for once in Star Wars Adventures #9 (Vol. 2).
“Separation Anxiety – Part 1″ Written by Michael Moreci, Art by Michael Avon Oeming, Colors by Chris O’Halloran, Lettering throughout by Johanna Nattalie
While it’s felt like the Clone Wars era has been mined significantly in the past few years, especially in the last two even in IDW’s comics alone, writer Michael Moreci’s return to the era felt fresh considering its spooky mystery. It always seems like Clone Wars stories are stuck with some type of violence, even if it’s against droids, so it’s a refreshing feeling for the mystery with Ridlay’s ghost-like inhabitants potentially headed to a non-violent resolution, though the action part will be covered in Part 2 of “Separation Anxiety,” thanks to the appearance of Count Dooku stirring up events. There was a real Scooby-Doo vibe to this opening part of the story, be it the spooky entities being misunderstood or there being a deeper layer to what’s really going on, to the reveal at the end Dooku is behind the disturbances, and I hope to see that continued in Part 2.
Michael Avon Oeming’s art, with Chris O’Halloran on colors, brought a Clone Wars micro-series like look to the tale, which was rather fitting considering it felt more like something from that series than The Clone Wars series. Such styling also recalls Scooby-Doo to some extent, so I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but everything was coming up zoinks this issue. The unique panel layout helped certain moments stand out more, while Oeming’s designs for the ghosty creatures are weird and spooky, plus I loved the dog-like look to the Ridlay natives. O’Halloran’s colors drench the scene in darkness, making the ‘ghosts’ pop even more and look unnatural, while I enjoyed how he threw light around by the locals’ fires. Nattalie’s lettering keeps the pace up but she also adds to the off-putting nature of the ‘ghosts,’ with her eerie SFX for their sounds, which match their odd colors and appear ghostly as well.
Bonus Thought: The clone trooper named Heater is integral to the 4th issue of Moreci’s The Clone Wars – Battle Tales miniseries from last year, which he was kind enough to do an interview with us about!
Tales of Villainy: “Trade Relations” Written by Vita Ayala, Art by Devaun Dowdy, Colors by Charlie Kirchoff
Vita Ayala weaves a slightly confusing tale with Han and Chewie in Star Wars Adventures #9’s back-up story that makes much more sense with a reveal towards its short end. Ayala’s take on Han Solo and Chewbacca’s friendship was spot on, not even needing Wookiee growls to get their humorous take across about the pair, from Han filling in Chewie’s silence to the Wookiee handing Han parts as he’s talking about them; it’s as connected as you’d expect between the two. As mysterious things keep happening to the pair, starting with a random blast punching a hole in their ship and rambling on to Han tripping over numerous obstacles, it felt a little weird Han didn’t even stop to think how suspicious most of the events were. Once Boba’s presence in events makes itself known, everything makes sense, but Han lack of questioning doesn’t. It’s the only small downside in a short, but fun tale.
Debaun Dowdy’s art, with Charlie Kirchoff’s colors reminded me of the Calvin and Hobbes comics, as characters often looked smaller than we’re used to while Chewie’s fur looks compact and well-rounded, but the style fit the somewhat goofy nature of the story well. Kirchoff’s colors really leaned into Dowdy’s work, as he uses a brighter palette to match the exaggerated looks of the world and characters. I absolutely loved the first panel right from the start, it’s giant yellow rings around a blue, wavy planet, the Falcon rendered in loving detail that sort of stands out from the rest of Dowdy’s work. Nattalie’s SFX really pick up in this backup tale and she contributes to the goofier aspects of it, especially in the memorable “DOOM” SFX for the rock crashing ahead of Han’s path at one point.
Star Wars Adventures #9 (Vol. 2) brought Scooby-Doo to the Clone Wars and I’m all here for it, while a slightly confusing Han and Chewie story has some fittingly unique art.
+ Scooby-like mystery
+ Han and Chewie gets appropriately goofy art
– Backup tale offers some confusion
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:
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