Star Wars: Mace Windu (2024) #2
UNDERGROUND
In the time before the fall of the Republic and rise of the Galactic Empire, Jedi Knights are keepers of the peace. Before joining the Jedi Council, one brave Jedi travels the galaxy on a daring mission. He’s known as….
Following a daring undersea mission, Mace Windu returned to the Jedi Temple only to learn of yet another danger on the horizon: A formula for a special type of coaxium, a rare and valuable material used for fuel, has fallen into the hands of pirate AZITA CRUUZ. Mace found his way to the refinery moon of Ro Mira, where, after a brief chase, he confronted Azita….
Writer: Marc Bernardin
Penciller: George Jeanty
Inker: Dexter Vines
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse
Cover artist: Mateus Manhanini
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Release Date: March 13, 2024
We’re back in the dark with Mace Windu for the second issue as after catching up with trouble magnet Azita Cruuz they enters the tunnels on their way to locating the ultra coaxium that is so desirable. They discuss their own respective pasts, Azita always on the hunt for credits while living on the edge of danger while Mace is powered by his Jedi responsibilities. Travelling through hot blue lava fields, they move into a vast cave, just as a huge Bore Worm looms above them to attack. Mace moves in to keep them back, learning that their skins are impervious to the blade of his lightsaber, and uses his immense skill in the Force to put them to sleep temporarily. A second attacks and he repeats the process, knocking it out as he follows Azita and we switch to Tatooine where we meet Curthus, a human lackey of Jabba who offers the job of bringing the coaxium back to Jabba to a diminutive Anzellan called Yaya. The Hutt gangster doesn’t know about the mission, something Yaya is told in no uncertain terms in order to protect them both should Yaya fail.
We return to Mace and Azita as the worms wake up and they reach a chasm they desparately need to cross, and using a tiny blob of the ultra, they blow a stalactite from the ceiling of the cave and using the Force Mace manoevers it into position so they can cross before the worms return. All the time they’re travelling they are talking, Azita calmly explaining her criminal ways while Mace looks on disapprovingly, but ever suspicious he freezes when she mentions how they’re both from the same homeworld of Haruun Kal. She explains how she saw the innoculation scar children of their world carry, and as they climb yet another ice wall we see they are being watched from a distance by two figures, an man and woman who are Dusk Weavers of the Had’le Path and as they watch on it seems clear their intentions are far from pure as they promise to ‘purify the galaxy with fire‘.
While on the face of it very little happens in this issue, most of the action taking place in squalid tunnels and crystal caves, we do get the chance to delve into the characters and their motivations, learning about new character Azita and the younger Windu. He’s unmoved by life choices being made on his behalf as a youngling, his place in the galaxy and the path he travels enough to satiate any inklings of discomfort at his life being steered by the Jedi when he was but a child. She’s a chancer, ready to grab any opportunity that comes her way, so the realisation that they share a homeworld is a smart pin, to show how destiny can steer two people to such disparate destinies. The script is tight, the art clear and crisp, and while it is frustrating that these days there are more and more things resistant to lightsaber blades (including people who survive attacks by these devastating weapons more and more often) there’s little to gripe about in a tale that has such a key goal – ultra coaxium, a fuel we saw used to such great effect in the criminally underrated Solo: A Star Wars Story.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Bernardin, Marc (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 23 Pages - 03/13/2024 (Publication Date) - Marvel (Publisher)
