Star Wars Dark Legends
Read on if you dare! This unique in-world collection hallows the spooky tales and ghost stories that would have kept young Luke and Leia up at night.
Created by George Mann and Grant Griffin–the same team behind the stunning Star Wars: Myths & Fables–these six frightful fables have been carefully woven from the expansive fabric that is the Star Wars galaxy (including the thrilling landscape from Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and Disney World), and beautifully painted in a lush illustrative style that feels intergalactic yet innately archetypal and timeless.
Author: George Mann
Artist: Grant Griffin
Release dates: July 28th 2020 (standard edition), August 30th 2020 (Target-exclusive edition)
Pages: 224 (standard edition), 285 (Target-exclusive edition)
ISBN: 9781368057332
In recent years Star Wars has really doubled-down on their interest in the Halloween season, bringing toys, pins in the Disney Parks and most noticeably comics via Marvel’s Vader: Dark Visions and the charming run of IDW Vader’s Castle comics from Cavan Scott and co. Given that, it’s hardly surprising that Lucasfilm would be interested in a book delving into that side of the Star Wars story, a book that is tinged with Brothers Grimm style horror and a Universal Pictures edge that is ripe for plundering in the format of an in-universe bed time book for kids. Once again George Mann tells these tales, as he did in the excellent Myths and Fables but this time around we’re pulling the covers up to our faces, checking every corner for shadows and wondering whether or not your friendly family pooch will turn into a ravenous Shistavanen the next time there’s a full moon.
Dark Legends, while small in stature (and yes, it’s jarring having the book so compact and small compared to the physically larger Myths and Fables and Life Day Treasury) is big in concept. We open with the first of our seven tales The Orphanage, as Order 66 survivor Kira Vantala arrives to save orphaned children (and there would be plenty of them in the wake of the Clone Wars) by defeating the dark character abducting them who is leading them to an ancient temple – the Grand Inquisitor.
It’s a strong start that leads into the second story, Buyer Beware. We’re in the sequel trilogy era of the First Order as arrogant diplomat Slokin buys a strange mask from Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities on Batuu. It’s cursed he’s told, but that arrogance is too strong to pay heed and naturally that is his undoing as in classic Sheev Palpatine style his assistant is watching closely and once a fortune has been amassed kills Slokin, takes the fortune and returns the mask to Dok-Ondar.
The Predecessor is a smart one, told from the point of view of an Imperial officer called Algor Denholm who, like so many before him, wonders why officers go missing and others get promoted when Lord Vader arrives. He gets so het up about the invisible hand of the dark side throttling him that when Vader actually does arrive on his ship the Exactor he sees the ghost of his predecessor Marsden who befell the same fate. Very Tales of the Unexpected, but perfectly in keeping with how terrified Imperial officers are at the mere mention of Vader’s name.
Blood Moon is our classic werewolf tale, as an expedition travels to the world of Lupal (great name) circling a star with a heart of kyber that is fractured and leaking radiation on the former paradise planet. The kyber affects the team, none more so than Vrak the Shistavanen who battles valiantly against his darker instincts but cannot resist and so the carnage begins as Vrak works his way through the team until a dramatic finale leaves the surviving members of the team alone in the cockpit of the escaping ship, their battles not yet over. Great writing; often, saying less says far more – the printed word can’t hope to compete with the horror beyond the imagination.
The Dark Mirror, set during the time of the Old Republic, tells another chilling take as a Padawan Sol Mogra loses his master while he is off-world, inheriting his masters amulet and himself becoming a great Jedi. However, dark deeds are being carried out in the lower levels of Coruscant and Mogra learns to his horror that he is the killer – the amulet is turning him to the dark side, just as it had his teacher Jedi Master Nil Idyth.
The sixth story The Guilded Cage takes us to Dathomir and the legendary Night Sisters as they pursue a returning character – Darth Caldoth who has stolen one of their mummified dead to learn the secrets of their necromantic abilities. As a sith he is beyond their powers, but when he is weakened by a Jedi defeat Night Sister Zeldin begins to assault his mind slowly until their impatience leads to a direct attack. However, Caldoth was aware of their ploy all along and turns the tables on her, trapping her in his own evil mind for eternity.
We end with the final story A Life Immortal and a journey to Exegol centuries ago as Darth Noctyss, a sith lord on the hunt for immortatlity, arrives at Exegol only to be greeted by a Gollum-like creature who steers her towards ancient texts and dark knowledge. After years of study she is ready to carry out the final ritual, sacrificing the creature for its blood, but as she does its visage transfers to her as she learns the creature is actually Darth Sanguis. That leaves Noctyss to exist in this state until the next sith lord finds the hidden world of Exegol.
As with Myths and Fables, this is an impressive collection of stories that serve the dual purpose of telling engaging Star Wars stories but also masquerading as entirely believable tales told to kids in the galaxy far, far away. Though perhaps parents in the GFFA and here on earth might want to check how jittery those younglings are before reading these in a darkened room on the night of a full moon….
- Hardcover Book
- Mann, George (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 224 Pages - 07/28/2020 (Publication Date) - Disney Lucasfilm Press (Publisher)
