Star Wars Ewoks (2024) 4
THE GREAT DEVOURER’S RAGE
Long, long ago, deep in an enchanted forest on the distant moon of Endor, an evil group of outsiders set up their strange machines, bringing a war from the outside galaxy. Another group of outsiders, seeking only peace for the galaxy, fought them off and restored the natives’ village to its once-serene nature. But even after the heroes leave and new threats loom, the forest moon will always be protected by….
After the fall of the Empire, it is a time of peace and rebuilding on the forest moon of Endor. But following the invasion of their home by what the Ewoks call “cruel ones,” the native villagers of Bright Tree Village are at odds–are all outsiders bad? Or, as young Wicket proposes, is it a balance of openness and cautiousness that is the true way forward?
As the Imperials, with their reluctant guide Wicket, made their way through the many dangers of Endor, they finally came upon the weapons cache they’d been looking for all along…guarded by the ferocious GORAX!
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artists: Laura Braga, Álvaro López
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Antonio Fabela
Cover artist: Pete Woods
Editor: Michael Basso
Publication date: January 29 2025
There’s brave, and there’s brave, but when a huge Gorax steps from a cave and stares right down at a fear-frozen Ewok, it takes a special kind of nerve to leap from the rocks and slam into its side, but that’s the action we see in the opening pages of Ewoks #4 as the hulking Orvenk hurls himself at the Endorian giant to give young Wicket the chance to flee. Flee he does, right into the metallic legs of 4-LOM, who stops Wicket from running for help only to be told the Gorax will come for him first. The droid bounty hunter is not impressed, which gives Asha and Meedro the chanced to leap down on the droid and for the Condor Dragon to attack the Gorax.
It looks like they have the upper hand, until Zuckuss appears and draws them off with a hail of blaster fire, while the Gorax gets control of the Condor Dragon and slams it into the ground. Zuckuss checks on 4-LOM who is injured and asks where Koyatta and Fornot are, but the turn of the page reveals their whereabouts as an AT-ST steps out of the cave firing its blasters and Fornot swoops in on a speeder bike. We’re treated to a memorable image as the Gorax and AT-ST go head-to-head and Fornot swears revenge on Endor and all it has taken from him as he blasts at Asha and Meedro, grazing her as Meedro shoves her out of the way. He swings round for another assault, only to be knocked off his speeder by Asha who leaps into him with her club, leaving the speeder free for Wicket to leap on and tear off as the battle continues.
Suddenly, the tide turns. Just as the Gorax appears to have disarmed the Chicken walker, Koyatta opens the hatch and using his EPS-6 superheavy blaster cannon he kills the creature, leaps down and clips the speeder, knocking Wicket – the ‘errant guide’ – to the ground and orders Orvenk to kill Wicket. He refuses, and Wickets makes a run for it but 4-LOM, Zuckuss and Fornot do not and attack the Ewoks, until another great moment as Wicket returns with the Yuzzem, in huge numbers. Wicket tells Koyatta to leave, mentioning the danger he brings to his own clan and says ‘You are no General‘. That unnerves Koyatta and puts the bounty hunters on edge. 4-LOM sees inconsistencies in what Koyatta has said, while Fornot gets angry at the usual upper brass behaviour. Koyatta signs and reveals the truth. he is indeed Imperial, but stole his rank and uniform to do what needed to be done – he was a maintenance technician, but given the uncertainty surrounding the Empire post-Endor he was never checked, and most vitally the money they were all promised would be paid.
They doubt him and his word, but as Wicket yells to stop more bloodshed and knocks the weapons out of Zuckuss, 4-LOM and Fornots hands,Koyatta takes his chance and shoots Fornot. Meedro leaps at him, knocking Koyatta to the ground and we then learn what happened next. The bounty hunters took Koyatta back to the Empire to turn him in for his crimes after the Yuzzum helped repair their shuttle, leaving Endor alone while Orvenk and XX-7 went into the woods to commune. As for the Imperial horde, the Ewoks closed up the Gorax cave and destroyed them, and we see Meedro and Asha leave to head into the forest together. The Ewoks and the Yuzzum cone to an agreement of peace and we cut to Koyatta being presented in handcuffs to Adelhard as he is told he is back on cleaning detail, starting with the dianogas.
We end the series with a poster-worthy image as the ewoks and their many and varied fellow forest dwellers – Ewoks, Teeks, Yuzzum and many more – celebrate their victory, bringign to an end a series that I for one would very much like to see more of. Endor has always been a fascinating location for stories, and with the care and craft brought by the creative team on this one a return to Endor would be most welcome. Great work, and a lovely change of pace as we head beyond Jedi and into the next era of the saga.
