Chris' Midichlorian Corner for August 29nd, 2012

Welcome back Star Wars fans. This week's Star Wars book is Darth Maul: Death Sentence #2 by Tom Taylor & Bruno Redondo. Last time we saw our horned hero, he and his brother, Savage Opress, had tracked down the one responsible for the bounty on their heads. Before they could dispatch retribution though, they were confronted by a trio of Jedi sent from Coruscant to investigate Maul's return.

As you may remember, I was a big fan of the previous installment. I thought the story and artwork wonderfully captured the incredible savagery that is Darth Maul. It confirmed that Maul should have been the prequel trilogy's equivalent to Vader, and how it was a criminal mistake to cut him out after only 10 mins of screen time. I mean come on Lucas, if you're going to base the bulk of your marketing around a single character, the obvious choice is to let said character come back in future films. Luckily though, there are other media formats for Maul to continue his legend.

This issue picks up right where the last one left off and jumps right into battle. We're shown quite a bit: the power of the two brothers when combined, Savage's lack of control or foresight, the capability of Maul's new legs, and the fact that there is most likely no line that Maul won't cross. Maul is taken by surprise and wounded in the confrontation, causing him to flee and leave behind his incapacitated brother to the mercy of the Jedi. The heat of the desert beyond the mines proves too much for him though and he loses consciousness.

Maul begins to hallucinate and struggles against his doppelganger with the body of an enormous spider. Spider-Maul then transforms into a creepy as hell Obi-Wan and declares that Maul will never be able to stand against him. I really enjoyed how this scene harkened back (or is it forward?) to the cave scene from Empire Strikes Back. Maul eventually awakens from his nightmare among the people of the desert. They inform him that he is the "Demon in the Light" the elder foresaw coming to “lead their people against Ja'boag so that they can return to their homes in the caves before the day of the three suns burns them all alive.” Maul accepts this role, hoping that these people can help him save his brother from the Jedi.

This issue did a great job of keeping up the intensity. I always wanted to see what the next page had to offer. Whether this is because Darth Maul is just so inherently badass or because it's just such a well written and drawn book, I'll leave to you to decide. A few interesting new questions were introduced: What will the Jedi do with Savage Opress? What do the desert people mean by "Demon in the Light"? Will Maul help the people overthrow Ja'boag or does he have some ulterior motive? Guess we'll have to wait the four torturous weeks until next month to find out. 

Until that time everyone, May the Force be with you.