Published: June 24, 2020
Writer: Michael Moreci
Artist: Derek Charm (1-3; 19-20), Megan Levens (4-18)
Colourist: Luis Antonio Delgado (1-3; 19-20), Charlie Kirchoff (4-18)
Letterer: Jake M. Wood
Cover Artist: Derek Charm
The synopsis;
This exciting weekly series explores a time of great upheaval in the galaxy—the Clone Wars! While Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and other Jedi Knights fight against incredible odds, Commander Cody, Captain Rex, and other clones, pinned down for the duration, swap war stories that feature your favorite characters from The Clone Wars animated series, such as Padmé Amidala, General Grievous, and many more!
The review;
It has been very strange not having a lot of new comic releases lately, yet it reminds me of the nineties, when the release schedule was a lot slower than it is now. Every release felt like an event and I feel the same way about Battle Tales. It’s a new release, something for all of us to talk about and marvel at how amazing it is. Not that we need an excuse to do this, as Moreci, time after time, has shown that his work deserves the ‘event’ treatment! Last issue, Morcei gave us a character driven story set during The Clone Wars and it couldn’t have been a more perfect start to this series. Mixing in flashbacks, it was like watching an episode of Lost or going even further, reading Crimson Empire for the first time. My expectations couldn’t be higher for issue two…
Although not the focus of this issue, we open to a fight between Dooku and Asajj against Obi-Wan and Anakin. Even knowing these characters, it’s great to see them once again in again. The humour is superb and very well written. Even though they’re enemies, Dooku and Obi-Wan still share a bond through Qui-Gon and Moreci uses the humour to show that they are not so unlike. What really comes across in these first few pages are the voices. Timothy Zahn (the godfather of the Legends universe) said he use to listen to the Star Wars films in his car again and again to get a feel for the voices of the characters. When you read his work, you can’t help but hear the character voices perfectly, because the words are so well chosen to fit that character. It’s a skill that very few have, particularly to the level Zahn did. Moreci is one of the few who has this skill. You can tell he is a huge fan just by the way he is able to do this. The sentences, the interaction, the particular words chosen, all fit each beautifully. You can’t help hearing Dooku in your mind, Obi-Wan’s sarcastic tone or Plo Koon’s deep, calming voice. Moreci makes it seem effortless. Because of this, I really lost myself in this story as I was so absorbed.
The main focus of this story is Commander Wolffe and the Wolf Pack. The way the issue is set up, we get to see Cody being very unsure of himself, whereas Rex and Wolffe aren’t, they know what’s expected of them from their commanders. We haven’t had a flashback for Cody yet, but it did make me pause. Is there an issue with Cody and Obi-Wan’s relationship? Is that why he never fights against Order 66? Looking even further into it, we know that Obi-Wan feels he didn’t train Anakin well, could the same be said for his training of his own group of clones? It is something that I have never really thought about yet seeing Cody’s lack of independence compared to the other clone commanders gave me pause.
The flashback belongs to Wolffe and shows the growing relationship between him and Plo. Not only that, but we get to see more of Plo and the type of Jedi he is. In the television series, I always wanted to see more of him and the same can be said for Wolffe, particularly when we know how far his journey will take him. Plo feels like how a jedi should be. He’s not Yoda, but he’s not far off! He has principles and values all forms of life. You get that sense in the tv series and Moreci reiterates that here. We also get to see him doing what he does best, flying around in his starfighter. You really get the sense that this is the Plo Koon from The Clone Wars season one from Dave Filoni. The feel of the character, his actions, they all fit so well.
Moreci may write the incredible story and words, but they wouldn’t have quite the impact if not for the artwork. The ‘real time’ events are drawn by Derek Charm. I said last issue, I can’t think of anyone better to do this series, there is a true animated feel to his work that adds to the feeling that this is something lifted straight from the Tartakovsky series. It works as a bridge between the older and newer series, as a huge fan of the older, I couldn’t want anything more!
The more I am seeing of this series, the more I really like that there are two artists in every issue: Charm doing the main thread, with other artists picking up the flashbacks. This issue, it is Megan Levens. Her work in this issue is tremendous. Her composition of panels within panels really worked for the flashbacks. A full page of art with panels that are similar to the backdrop but provide a close up of the action. She does it several times and each time, it blew me away. You could almost see it as a television show, going from a wide shot to the zoom in of the camera. And that really sums her work up for this issue, the television quality. The shots, the angles, they all feel straight from television. I’ve mentioned the Tartakovsky series, and I could be wrong, but I’m sure Levens was inspired by The Clone Wars episode with the first appearance of the ARC troopers. The way she sets the shots out just feels so in keeping with this and I for one love it.
Moreci brings in cameos from The Clone Wars over and over again. I won’t mention names as I don’t want to spoil anything, but it is what fans have come to expect from Moreci. He knows the toybox well and is able to bring forth any number of characters and references. I always refer to Moreci as the master weaver, weaving any number of ideas, characters, and stories together in a seamless fashion that never fails to impress.
This series is yet to put a foot wrong. There are many, many fans of both The Clone Wars series out there and the incredible writing of Moreci is able to satisfy all in one single stroke. Coupled with the masterful artwork, you can’t help but feel completely immersed in this story. Both the writer and artists understand this era of Star Wars, the style, the voices, the expectation, and are able to deliver a comic of the very highest quality. I’ve never made it a secret of how incredible a writer Moreci is and this issue only goes to show why I think that. The fact that Moreci is also now writing a story for The Empire Strikes Back Anthology later out this year shows the people at Lucasfilm have also come to this conclusion (and about time). With so little out, Battle Tales is sure to get a lot of fans’ attention, to be the sort of Star Wars event we use to have and rightfully so, this series demands to be read.
Availability;
Star Wars Adventures: Clone Wars – Battle Tales is a five-part series available from IDW Publishing. This issue is available from all good comic bookstores in the USA and from Forbidden Planet in the UK. This issue retails at $3.99.
