Published: August 17, 2022
Rating: Rated T
Writer: Rodney Barnes
Penciler: Georges Jeanty
Inker: Karl Story
Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Kaare Andrews
The synopsis;
Battle with the beastly Mudhorn! Having tracked down a valuable quarry, the Mandalorian must now contend with thieving bandits. Will the Mandalorian battle it out with the Jawa’s or is an alliance in the cards?
The review;
The Mandalorian, a lightning strike just when the franchise needed it. It reinvigorates fans who were feeling little lost after the Sequel Trilogy and made the rest of the world sit up and realise Star Wars was back. It has paved the way for the rest of the series that are being released on Disney+ as well as carved out its own part of the timeline, let alone bringing back the Luke Skywalker of the Original Trilogy. Yet, the adaptation of issue one left a little lacking. The artwork was incredible, yet this couldn’t make up for the fact that the story was a straight up copy of the series. This use to work for Marvel when times were different, when on demand wasn’t even a concept, but times are different. We can access a show or film at any time, we can relive those moments at the touch of a button. Adaptations need to adapt to the time. I always point towards The Last Jedi adapted by Gary Whitta. It took the story we knew and gave it to us from a completely different perspective. It made us rethink what we knew. It gave us more. Because ultimately that is what we want: more. The opening issue of The Mandalorian didn’t do that but I am hoping that we might see more in this issue, some little extra pieces to bring depth to this character and story.
Unfortunately, I feel I hope in vain. There is not a lot more here bar what we see in Episode 2. The writing mirrors that of the episode almost perfectly (there’s not even any speech for the first half of the issue!). Now this is not to say that I blame Rodney Barnes for this, he is only doing what Marvel and Lucasfilm have requested of him. You only need to look at Lando: Double or Nothing and the incredible one-shot IG-88 for War of the Bounty Hunters to see that Barnes knows how to write Star Wars! I just wish they’d allow him to write more.
So, what does the issue do well? The artwork by Georges Jeanty is fantastic. It really captures the spirit of each moment from the episode and the pacing. Movements from panels is excellent, which makes it an easy read. Although we know what is happening, without much speech, it is Jeanty who is having to tell a lot of this story, simply with his artwork. This is the one part of the comic that I really enjoy, the artistic representation of a story that I know.
I wish there was more to say, I wish there was more in this issue. Unfortunately, there isn’t. The artwork is superb and if I was just reading a comic for the artwork then this would be enough. But I feel this series is for the die-hard fans who want to have an adaptation of everything that is Star Wars. For me though, it comes down to that one need I have in adaptations, I need more.
Exclusive Cover Gallery;
Availability;
The Mandalorian is an eight-part mini-series available from Marvel Comics. This issue is issue retails at $4.99 and is available via the Marvel App, ComiXology and all good comic book stores.
