Comic Review: Star Wars: Obi-Wan (2022) #2

As an aged Obi-Wan fills his journals, he reflects on the balance of light and dark and recalls a part of his past where the balance shift between the two was more literal. Obi-Wan and his master Qui-Gon Jinn respond to a vague call for help in the Codia System and what they find there is quite the bloody puzzle to solve.

I can’t overstate how much I loved this issue. If I assigned ratings to my comics reviews then this would be a solid 5/5. I’m never usually a big fan of anthology releases, finding the stories contained to be inconsequential and whilst this isn’t canon shaking stuff, Cantwell has given us a solid and unique adventure that honours the character and The Phantom Menace specifically.

The framing story has our dusty hero thinking back to the his final encounter with Maul in an unexpected reference to the Rebels episode “Twin Suns“. It’s bold and encouraging that Cantwell isn’t focusing solely on the easy reference points of the movies but rather looking at the canon as a whole. It’s beautifully and poetically written and told with a flourish reminiscent of Matthew Stover’s stellar work on the Revenge of the Sith novelisation. It’s a clear statement that this mini-series is much more than a cash-in on the Disney Plus show.

The main story is an atmospheric tale of bloodshed and intrigue and whilst it has the vibe of a punchy and macabre horror short story, like a galactic HP Lovecraft, the draw here is the fantastic characterisation of Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. I would say it was accurate to the movies but I’ll be honest, it’s better with the duo finally getting dialogue worthy of their characters. It made me pine for a canon comic series following this master and apprentice as each individual adventure informs Obi-Wans training and pushes him toward the Jedi we meet in Episode 1. Please consider that for your next series Mr Cantwell!

This issue also reveals the change in artist is an intentional move to reflect the story being told. In issue 1 the brilliant Ario Anindito playfully drew an 8 year-old Kenobi in a cartoonish style to reflect the youthful naivety of the character at that point in his life. In this issue Luke Ross really feeds into the dark nature of the story with a style that plays with shadows and light to really amp up the feeling of dread that permeates throughout the issue. The characters are depicted with much more realism than the previous issue which, with the darker tones and more industrial setting, makes me think that he was inspired by science fiction horrors such as Alien, Event Horizon or Dead Space.

Issue 3 looks to be taking us into the Clone Wars and I am more than ready for it. This issue has catapulted this mini-series straight to the top of my favourite Star Wars runs currently being published.

 

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi #2 (Sprouse Choose Your Desti) @ ForbiddenPlanet.com