The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #1 Review

 

Writer: J Michael Straczynski

Artist: Pere Pérez

Colorist: Guru-eFX

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Adam Hughes; Aaron Kuder & Morry Hollowell; Lee Garbett; Javier Garrón & Rachelle Rosenberg; Pere Pérez & Marte Gracia; Mark Bagley & Frank D’Armata; Mark Chiarello

Designer: Carlos Lao

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: October 8, 2025

 

Sandman is attacking the United Nations. It's just business. Nothing personal. Still, Spider-Man doesn't stand by when people are in peril. If only he didn't have to fight Sandman after pulling an all-nighter to keep up with his classes. Then there's Mary Jane Watson. Peter Parker wants to pursue a relationship with her, but something holds him back. Can Spider-Man triumph over Sandman? And can Peter forge a connection with Mary Jane while maintaining his GPA? Let's thwip into The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #1 and see!

 

Story

Not only is Peter intelligent, but he also boasts numerous scholastic achievements. So, when Empire State University forces him to take a math class beneath his abilities, he can't fight back his exhaustion. He's trying his best, but he's not an expert in every subject. And some of his instructors are taskmasters.

 

In The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #1, Peter Parker looks forward to an evening with his friends. Only tonight, their conversation opens a can of worms. Universities have their fun side, but they also make you study. Additionally, they force you to look ahead and make decisions that will affect your future. Peter Parker, Harry Osborn, Mary Jane Watson, and Gwen Stacy reveal their uncertainty over their future when they should be enjoying their evening together. And when his friends try to pry a confession out of him, Peter can't restrain his negativity. It's just the pressure of trying to do well in school. Nothing personal.

 

Like many prestigious universities, the library at Empire State University holds a few literary treasures. When Evangeline enters the library, she makes a beeline for a rare 13th-century text. Lauren, the librarian's assistant, doesn't give it to her. So, Evangeline attacks her. It's just business. Nothing personal. 

 

 

 

Art

While Spider-Man engages in acrobatic thwipping, Sandman swings a morning star-shaped fist in The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #1. Later, Peter rests his elbow on his desk and props up his head with his hand. After his eyes close, Peter inadvertently does something that makes Gwen smile. The buildings rise around Peter and Gwen as they leave class, conveying their stature and grandeur. When a professor approaches, Pere Pérez shifts the camera away from Peter as he and his nemesis share frowns.

 

While Guru-eFX shows Spider-Man in his familiar red and blue, Peter disassociates himself from his superhero alias at school. While he wears yellow, orange, and brown, Gwen wears a red dress, Evangeline a red blouse, and Lauren a red scarf. Despite their differing economic status, Harry’s green blazer and Sandman’s green shirt remind us of their broken homes. As the setting sun casts orange and purple into the sky, Peter sits on the beach beside the red-haired Mary Jane Parker. But instead of gazing at her, Peter’s eyes fix upon the yellow flames in The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #1.

 

Amid Pere Pérez’s detailed art and Guru-eFX's loaded palette of vivid colors, Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The words grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and rarely shrink. Balloons squeeze words Peter wants to tune out, while sound effects heighten accidents, battles, and Peter's latest attempt to give Sandman a bad day. It’s nothing personal. Just ordinary Spidey business. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Even the most seemingly invulnerable people have their breaking point. As Peter Parker struggles to meet the demands of Empire State University, his behavior reveals worrying fractures. In J Michael Straczynski's The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #1, Peter is anything but his carefree, optimistic self. Perhaps he never will be again.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

The Spectacular Spider-Men #3 Review

 

Writer: Greg Weisman

Penciler: Humberto Ramos

Inker: Victor Olazaba

Colorist: Edgar Delgado

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado; Derrick Chew; Lee Garbett & Yen Nitro; Stephen Segovia

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 22, 2024

 

Miles is dating Kamala Khan. Peter and Gwen are married with children, but Aunt May and George Stacy are going out on the town. Did the Time Variance Authority transport us to another Earth? And why couldn’t Miles and Peter find Cedric Harrison in the sewers? Let’s grab our lattes, thwip into The Spectacular Spider-Men #3, and find out!

 

Story

Cedric wanted to earn bucks while having a blast. Turk hungered for his next rush. Kenny and Shelly needed extra cash to rent an apartment for the next semester. Now, Cedric and Shelly explore America in a red convertible. Kenny is back on the football team. Turk makes money hand over fist as a mob boss. The lovers’ European tour continues. An actor achieves popularity and acclaim. And Miles and Peter are living their fondest dreams.

 

Or are they? Do we dream about what we desire most? Or do we explore paths previously rejected to ensure we made the correct choice? In The Spectacular Spider-Men #3, Peter enjoys domesticity with Gwen. He plays with his children, and his career as Spider-Man is a bad memory. Miles and Kamala take their friendship to the next level. Sorry, Starling. It’s been real.

 

 

 

Peter and Miles’ Spiderific adventures began with their weekly visits to The Coffee Bean at the ESU campus. After Dr Seymour Krepps opened Miles Warren's old laboratory, Miles and Peter fought a Hulk-like version of the Jackal. Miles Warren experimented with cloning. He made clones of Gwen Stacy after she died. And then there was that familiar black, white, and pink form thwipping away from a foiled bank robbery. Why wouldn’t Gwen be on Peter’s mind?

 

Kamala's death hit Miles Morales hard. Her return to life and help fighting villains like Rabble has reinvigorated him. Miles has started surprising Kamala with hugs when she least expects it. Is Tiana Toomes falling off Miles’ emotional radar? Or is this just one of those unspoken things Miles has to explore before deciding where he belongs?

 

In The Spectacular Spider-Men #3, past and present tumble into a cauldron of churning dreams. Even if they’re not living their ultimate fantasies, Peter and Miles are happy. They don't want to check out. But why would they ever want to leave?

 

Beware those steely knives, guys!

 

 

 

Art

Peter and Miles separately face their front doors. Gwen hugs Peter from behind as her father offers Aunt May a bouquet of roses. Miles seems taken aback by the wonder in Kamala’s eyes. Yet in the morgue, Carlie Cooper regards Detective Sebbens and Coroner Jane Foster. Ignoring the skull X-rays on her desk, the Police Forensic Scientist crosses her arms over her chest as she and Jane Foster report their findings.

 

Miles and Kamala hold hands across the table of a restaurant's outdoor seating area that intrudes into the street. Peter sits with his children as they play, tickles and wrestles with them, and gazes at them while they sleep. Yet, as Miles and Peter enjoy their evenings with the women in their lives in The Spectacular Spider-Men #3, a familiar form lurks in the corner of their eyes. Can you hear the mission bell, guys?

 

Edgar Delgado lavishes a loaded palette of appealing colors on Humberto Ramos and Victor Olazaba’s art. Shadows stretch across a shiny tile floor. Background fades in closeups, replaced by a haze of diffused, colored lights. The Eiffel Tower glows yellow as lovers gaze upon the City Of Light. Blue and purple characters stand before a red control bank and gaze up at faces arrayed on a wall of monitors.

 

Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase letters into white balloons and colored narrative boxes. The appealing font rarely shrinks. Dialogue often grows bold, changes color, or enlarges. Musical notes nestle in fanciful balloons as Peter sings and plays with his children. Red laughter surrounds his head as Peter tickles his son and daughter. Yet screaming fills a panel as sparks fly, turning the air red in The Spectacular Spider-Men #3. 

 

Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

While students go missing at Empire State University, two emotional vampires suck the life of people by fulfilling their cravings in The Spectacular Spider-Men #3. But is this real life or just a fantasy that could detonate every cell in their bodies?

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Amazing Spider-Man #27 Review

 

Writer: Zeb Wells

Penciler: Ed McGuinness

Inker: Mark Farmer

Colorist: Marcio Menyz

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Ed McGuinness & Marcio Menyz; Lee Garbett; Claudio Sciarrone; Lucas Werneck

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: June 14, 2023

 

Spider-Man and Black Cat pursue the Shocker. As they hurtle above the streets, Black Cat wants him to relax and enjoy the chase, but Peter treats it like an obligation. Mary Jane—the woman he imagined spending his life with—has given her heart to someone else. Ms. Marvel died protecting them from the Emissary, the mad math man whose actions tore them apart. Can Peter recapture the lighthearted joy he once felt protecting his fellow New Yorkers? Let's thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #27 and find out!

 

 

Story

Peter may be hurting, but he knows his love of crime fighting will return. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn struggles with how being a hero means reexamining your decisions and living with your actions. Doctor Octopus also embarks on a new odyssey: to vanquish equipment that developed a mind of its own. Even the indomitable J. Jonah Jameson comes into play when an unexpected guest darkens his door. 

 

 

 

 

After Dark Web and the Emissary Epic, Zeb Wells resets the board in Amazing Spider-Man #27. Some readers will claim it's just another game. Yet Peter, Black Cat, Norman Osborn, and Black Cat remain relevant. As their journeys continue, we watch, rapt, as they take the hits life deals them and move on.

 

Some may fixate on the return of a seemingly vanquished villain. What hits me hardest is Peter's concern for Norman. Even though he's hurting, Peter comforts and supports him. Like the 12^th Doctor and Missy, Peter serves as a guide while Norman seeks to make amends and become a force for good. They may never be friends, nor may Peter ever trust the man. But he understands what the former Green Goblin’s trying to do and seeks to aid him on his new journey.

 

 

 

 

Art

While Peter and Black Cat emerge as powerful superheroes in Amazing Spider-Man #27, their faces reveal their emotions. Perhaps their features look soft, but Norman's almost seem too sharp. Shadows and light play across every wrinkle and contour. At times his face verges on caricature. Doc Ock resembles a villain in an Old Time melodrama. What if he tied his disloyal appendages to the train tracks? Would he cackle with glee? 

 

As for the returning villain, she bursts toward you like a force of nature, intent on taking back all she’s lost. Perhaps it's good that Ed McGuinness and Mark Farmer aren't drawing a 3D comic: they might bring on heart attacks!

 

 

 

 

Marcio Menyz delivers bright, bold, and beautiful colors in Amazing Spider-Man #27. Light sources are apparent, and shadows deepen the drama. Proportions and scale walk together down the aisle toward creating a beautiful new comic, their union guided by invigorating composition. 

 

Black uppercase letters accompany the participants in white dialogue balloons and narrative fields. Extreme emotion swells words, turning the letters red, and dynamic sound effects accentuate each exciting, dramatic moment. From Spider-Man and Black Cat's battle with the Shocker to Norman's memories of death-dealing and Doc Ock's vicious revenge, Joe Caramagna ensures you don't miss a step as we embark on this new phase of Peter Parker's epic journey.

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

As characters struggle to accept their pasts, reinvent themselves, and control their destinies in Amazing Spider-Man #27, a vicious villain returns to crush their hopes and upset their plans.

 

Rating 8/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Star Wars Yoda #6 Review

 

Writer: Jody Houser

Artist: Luke Ross

Colorist: Nolan Woodard

Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Phil Noto; Lee Garbett with Marte Gracia; Takashi Okazaki;

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 19, 2023

 

The Force showed Wookie Padawan Krrsish visions of Trandoshans attacking Wookies. One was Gheyr, his fellow initiate. Master Dooku interpreted these as a warning. On a padawan field trip to Corvair II, the Wookie takes the Trandoshan aside. Their conversation becomes an argument. They exchange blows. Krrsish draws his lightsaber and attacks. Will visions from the Force lead to tragedy? Let's leap into Star Wars Yoda #6 and find out!

 

Story

Gheyr insists she would never attack him, let alone turn to the Dark Side. Krrsish refuses to listen. When Jak’zin, the Tiger-like Togorian, intervenes, the Wookie attacks him too. While Yoda arrives in time to end the fight, this doesn't resolve the conflict.

 

The conflict between Krrsish and Gheyr in Star Wars Yoda #6 explores the rift opening within the Jedi Order. Yoda’s concern for his former padawan Dooku—who works in the murky world of politics and worries unduly about the future--prompted him to reassign Dooku to the Jedi Academy in issue #4. Yoda and Dooku taught Krrsishl. Yet the Wookie relied on Dooku’s advice. From a certain point of view, Krrsish and Gheyr pay the price for Yoda trying to save his friend.

 

 

In the absence of overt signs, I assumed this three-issue story arc transpired over a brief amount of time. Yet after Yoda brings the younglings back to Coruscant, he claims he spoke years ago with Krrsish about this matter and thought the Wookie had put it behind him. Is Yoda referring to the conversation in issue #5, in which Krrsish didn't tell Yoda about his visions? Or another conversation years before events in Yoda #4 that took place before the Force showed Krrsish these dark visions?

 

In any case, the duel has tragic results for the participants. Dooku and Yoda's reactions also resonate. Yoda’s takeaway reminds me that, while anyone can instruct, the best teachers care about their students and never stop learning.

 

Art

Luke Ross' first page of Star Wars Yoda #6 reveals the planet's tranquil beauty, the students honing their control of the Force, Krrsish’s rage, and Yoda’s realization that something on Corvair II is very wrong. After this impressive start, the art falters. Faces remain highly detailed. Minimal penciling suggests grass, plants, and backgrounds. Direction lines imply movement. Often background scenery fades away, and silhouettes stand in for characters. Nor does Ross reveal Jak’zin’s injury. The Togorian covers it immediately. Krrsish’s lightsaber sliced through a tree! Yet on Coruscant, clothing covers Jak'zin's arm, or he holds it. It seems the Force is strong with this one's arm.

 

Nolan Woodard paints Corvair II in purples and pinks. He shades and highlights clothing without delving unduly into gray. Blank backgrounds receive eye-catching colors. Yet some panels—such as when he paints Gheyr’s body and clothing green, or Krrsish entirely blue—resembled initial color holds. After the highly detailed tropical beauty of Alaris Prime in issue #5, I expected more from the Jedi students' field trip. While the Coruscant imagery returns to near-past efforts, the minimal foregrounds and backgrounds of Corvair II robbed me of willing disbelief in these fantasy worlds. That probably explains why Gheyr and Yoda didn’t quite seem to inhabit the practice yard by the yellow-striped tree at the Jedi Academy. 

 

 

 

No blue block letters locate scenes in space and time in Star Wars Yoda #6. Thankfully, uppercase letters in spherical dialogue balloons still make for easy reading. Krrsish’s growls and roars burst from white balloons like exploding TIE Fighters. Lightsabers hiss like Gheyr, hum like Aunt Beru’s blender, and whoosh like Luke Skywalker’s speeder. On the final page, blue letters in white balloons lacking arrows suggest someone shares Yoda’s thoughts and wishes to speak with him.

 

Final Thoughts

A battle between students highlights a growing rift in the Jedi Order. Star Wars Yoda #6 reveals the legendary Jedi Master's concern for others, how hard he works for the institution he loves, and how harshly he judges himself.

 

Rating 7.4/10  

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi—Ewoks #1 Review

 

Writer: Alyssa Wong

Artists: Lee Garbett & Java Tartaglia; Paulina Ganucheau; Kyle Hotz & Rachelle Rosenberg; Caspar Wijngaard

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Ryan Brown; Lee Garbett & Laura Martin; Peach Momoko; Chrissie Zullo; Kyle Hotz & Rachelle Rosenberg

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: April 12, 2023

 

C-3PO and R2-D2 told the Ewoks stories about Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi. These stories helped the Ewoks understand their guests and invite them into their tribe. What stories might the Ewoks tell each other to entertain their young and strengthen their sense of community? Let's climb into their village among the trees with Star Wars: Return of the Jedi—Ewoks #1 and find out!

 

Campfire Sequence I

In Alyssa Wong's framing story, the Ewoks gather around a communal fire. Their shaman Logray, wearing a bird skull on his head, raises his bone-topped spear and looks at the infants sitting together. These younglings, known as woklings, have yet to receive their hoods. So the first story of the evening is known as the Woklings’ Tale.

 

Artists Lee Garbett & Java Tartaglia evoke the appeal of the Ewoks' tree village in this prelude story. As Endor's blue sky darkens, torches and fires cast a warm yellow glow among the trees. The Ewoks wobble along their rope-and-board bridges, and a parent picks up a wokling when it stumbles. While Wong doesn't translate the Ewoks' speech or suggest music throughout this issue, letterer Joe Caramagna helps us hear the bonfire with a sound effect.

 

 

 

 

Wokling’s Tale

One morning, parents watch as a wokling leaves home to play. They envision members of a malicious green species abducting her. The youngling meets a horned pony. She shares the snacks she packed, and the friends explore the forest. When they meet a green youngling, she greets the wokling and the pony warmly. Could it be that not all Greenies are as despicable as Greedo?

 

While Wong’s first story in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi—Ewoks #1 suggests My Little Pony, artist Paulina Ganucheau’s children's book style reminds me of Dr. Seuss. Sunshine filters through the trees as the youngling packs her snacks in a basket and pulls the strap over her shoulder. The wokling’s parents imagine Grinches menacing their child with wooden clubs. Faces and movements express thoughts and emotions in the Woklings’ Tale. Inset panels reveal the Ewoks' reactions as the leader relates a story intended for those whose hearts are not three sizes too small.

 

Campfire Sequence II

Another Ewok arises. His movements suggest that his story will differ from Logray's, but he must tell it. This Ewok, Paploo, aided Han Solo and the rebels by stealing a speeder bike. His inspired action caused Imperial troopers to leap on their speeder bikes in pursuit, which helped the strike team enter the generator building in Return of the Jedi. 

 

 

 

 

Paploo’s Tale

The shaman portrayed the forest as a safe and happy realm. As a scout, Paploo knows its dangers. In Star Wars: Return of the Jedi—Ewoks #1, he shares a tale inspired by his experience. Paploo wanders through plants and trees. He's always on his guard. Suddenly, a monster appeared. It growled through enormous fangs. Claws--as large as an Ewok hut--grasped at him. It pursued him through the forest!

 

Artist Kyle Hotz portrays this story in stunning Black & White. His style reminds me of a nightmare journey through Tolkien's sickened Mirkwood and the enormous beasts in Kong: Skull Island. Whether or not colorist Rachelle Rosenberg enhances Hotz's inking with shades of gray to give it incredible depth and mood, she helps Paploo stand out by making his hood vibrant red. More red seeps into the haunting Black & White panels as this story races to its conclusion. This allusion to Red Riding Hood reminds us that Grimm's Fairy Tales were more horrific than their Disney adaptations, and children often delight in being scared.

 

 

Campfire Sequence III

Logray's reaction to Paploo’s story demonstrates his concern that his tribe never displease the forest spirits. The way artists Lee Garbett & Java Tartaglia introduce the evening's final tale suggests the magic woven by powerful storytellers.

 

 

 

 

Peekpa’s Tale

Remember how the Ewoks strung rope between trees in Return of the Jedi? The Ewok Peekpa separates an Imperial from his speeder bike in this third tale in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi—Ewoks #1. Afterward, the Ewok gathers parts from the wreckage and clubs the injured rider. Aided by her friends, Peekpa uses these parts to construct something with which she will pursue her dreams.

 

Artist Caspar Wijngaard fills panels with childlike drawings and soft colors that convey speed, the fury of fire and explosions, and the majesty of the surrounding trees. Silhouettes enhance action while downplaying violence. Throughout, Peekpa remains a wide-eyed innocent, amazed by everything around her, and anxious for discovery.

 

Joe Caramagna helps us hear the racing speeder bike, the snap of the rope, the consequent explosion, and much more in a story that celebrates the power of wonder, invention, and discovery.

 

Campfire Sequence III

A youngling tries to sleep in the last two pages of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi—Ewoks #1. When she cannot, she climbs from her hammock. A few simple items—from the Wokling’s Tale and Return of the Jedi--help her confront the terror Paploo’s tale instilled and ease her mind. 

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Silent five-minute reads like this make rereads effortless and fun. I found Hotz and Rosenberg's black, white, and red panels rich in detail and nuance. Peekpa reminded me of Luke Skywalker and Saru in Star Trek Discovery. Aspects of Paploo and Peekpa's tales reminded me of Alan Dean Foster's novel Splinter Of The Mind's Eye. You'll likely find other joys and associations as you savor this all-ages special.

 

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi—Ewoks #1 reminds us that the inhabitants of Endor were much more than teddy bears with spears. As in the film, they represent an ordinary person confronting a more powerful foe. Like David challenging Goliath, or the thirteen colonies taking on the British Empire, bravery and determination can help anyone achieve victory. Perhaps that explains why, forty years on, the Ewoks still speak to Star Wars fans.

 

Rating 8/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi--Jabba's Palace #1 Review

 

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi--Jabba’s Palace #1 Review

Writer: Marc Guggenheim

Artist: Alessandro Miracolo

Colorist: Dee Cunniffe

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artist: Ryan Brown; Lee Garbett & Laura Martin; Peach Momoko; Alex Maleev

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: March 29, 2023

 

In Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker gifts Jabba The Hutt See-Threepio and R2-D2. The droid tasked with assigning duties mentions the last protocol droid angered Jabba and disintegrated him. C3PO watches as the droid gets torn apart. What's that droid's story? If you've got the mojo to enter Jabba’s palace, let's walk into Star Wars: Return of the Jedi--Jabba’s Palace #1 and find out!

 

Story

His name was Eightyem. He handled all of Jabba’s dealings. He was proficient at his job. Like Luke, the droid often gazed up at Tatooine’s twin suns at sunset and wondered if he could do more with his life. Remember the Twi’lek—the guy with the head-tails--who discovers Luke after he enters Jabba’s palace? When Luke says he wants to speak with Jabba, remember how the Twi’lek responds, "Jabba, no bother?" One day another Twi’lek joins his fellow. His name is Silvan Kaan. Like Luke, Kaan will eventually bother Jabba too. But first, Kaan will ingratiate himself with the master of Tatooine.

 

 

 

Kaan is a smooth talker who makes friends. He encourages Eightyem’s dreams of freedom and promises to remove his restraining bolt in return for three favors. The droid's actions—deviations from his duty to Jabba—give Kaan access to information that solidifies his position with Jabba. But not everyone is happy with the new order, and Eightyem is too naïve to realize the risks he’s undertaking.

 

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi--Jabba’s Palace #1 isn't a dialogue-heavy comic. Nor is it a five-minute read. Marc Guggenheim sprinkles in enough dialogue to help us feel what Eightyem experiences. The little protocol droid relates his story as a memoir. He understates and explains the accompanying visuals without drawing undo attention to his thoughts or feelings, waxing poetic, or blaming others for his errors in judgment. 

 

 

 

Art

Alessandro Miracolo’s art seems the perfect fit for the kid-friendly toy focus of Return Of The Jedi. He fills Jabba’s with all the aliens and bounty hunters we remember, including the little elephant musician. Eightyem looks cute but wistful. Clad in striking attire, Kaan affects dramatic poses. The Twi’lek’s eyepatch suggests he’s a pirate at heart. While most of the aliens look action-figure fun, Jabba never seems less than imperious. He is a Hutt and commands a criminal empire. Even more than in the movie, in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi--Jabba’s Palace #1, Jabba reminds me of Leto II Atreides, who ruled Arrakis—and thus, the civilized universe--for thousands of years in Frank Herbert’s novel God Emperor Of Dune.

 

Dee Cunniffe’s coloring may not be bold and vibrant, but his softer shades blend well with Eightyem’s memoir. Each character stands apart from his fellows. Nothing gets murky or lost in the shadows. His cinematic style makes Kaan and Jabba stand out as the orange rays of sunset stream through the circular windows of Jabba’s court. He even spotlights characters by subtly adding background light amid surrounding darkness. 

 

 

 

Clayton Cowles makes Star Wars: Return of the Jedi--Jabba’s Palace #1 easy to read with large print and bold stressed words. While most characters get circular dialogue balloons, Eightyem speaks with rectangular ones, and his connecting arrows resemble lightning bolts. Once, when Jabba is outraged, his giant words inhabit a white dialogue balloon outlined in red. But mostly, we follow Eightyem’s commentary of white letters in rectangular blue narrative boxes. Like Hansel and Gretel’s breadcrumbs, we follow the fragile protocol droid's footsteps until his journey ends.

 

Final Thoughts

This tale of a droid with grand dreams will charm lovers of Lucasfilm lore. Star Trek fans may hiss when Kaan makes his entrance; like Captain Kirk in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, they may feel compelled to yell, "Kaaaaaaaannnnnn!" Eightyem reminds me of Yoda's words to Obi-wan in The Empire Strikes Back. While the droid's thoughts are always far away, he has patience. And while Luke has anger in his heart, Eightyem doesn’t.

 

Droids fill the Star Wars universe. Some, like R2-D2, have great character. Others—like C3PO—have great comic potential. Most merely do their jobs—clocking in and out of their duty shifts—without drawing attention to themselves. Eightyem reminds me a little of L3-37 in Solo: A Star Wars Story. He would have cared about droid rights. He might even have fought for them. Who knows what he might have done but for the restraining bolt that held him captive in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi--Jabba’s Palace #1?

 

Rating 8.7/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch