Published: May 3, 2023
Rating: Rated T
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Madibek Musabekov
Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Artist: Stephen Segovia & Rain Beredo
The synopsis;
THE BROKEN SABER OF SKYWALKER!
• LUKE SKYWALKER searches for one of the rarest substances in the galaxy…KYBER – the living crystal that powers LIGHTSABERS!
• Does it hold the answer to the unpredictable thing the Force has become (see HIDDEN EMPIRE #5!)?
• What long-lost secret is he about to uncover?
The review;
This is the Star Wars series for Original Trilogy fans. The depths that Charles Soule has taken the characters that we all love has been incredible. In particularly, Luke’s journey has been essential. When we first see him in Return of the Jedi, it is in huge contrast to where we see him at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. It has always been a period that has begged for further exploration, for us to learn what happened to Luke for him to evolve so much in such a short amount of time. Soule has taken on this task, and it’s been wonderful to see Luke evolve. Even with slight detours, Soule always comes back again and again to Luke, rightfully so. The last arc combined this series with The High Republic, providing a gateway for both sets of fans, as well as questions arising for fans of this new era. For this series, it provided an important break for our characters from the Empire, to deal with other issues that sometimes have to take a back seat. Now, Soule is back in the known galaxy, ready for a new arc. He is joined by returning artist Madibek Musabekov, who I’m very excited to see his panels for this issue.
This issue, this entire arc, is one where Soule comes right back to the routes of this series: Luke. Having lost his lightsaber, Luke is in desperate need of another one. Right away, we see him trying to learn all he can about Kyber crystals from the text that he has. It’s this sort of fundamental teachings of the Jedi that I love to read, and that Soule is so good at presenting to the reader. It builds upon everything we know from The Clone Wars to The High Republic (particularly if you’ve read Cataclysm). Ever since the original Legends timeline was created, readers have always been presented with the argument that Luke has never been trained properly, that it was very focused to allow Luke to defeat Vader and the Emperor. Soule really expands on this and shows just how incomplete his training from Yoda and Ben was. Luke has a lightsaber, so this part of the training was never given to Luke. Yet I’m doing so, they miss out the crucial connection between a user and their Kyber crystal. It goes beyond the simplistic view of, what Luke calls, ‘a tool’ and provides a connection that works with the user to better use the weapon and control of the force. It’s very much for Luke’s detriment that he hasn’t constructed his own saber and it also explains why Vader is so impressed when he sees Luke’s own lightsaber in Return of the Jedi. It’s a rite of passage and a crucial one for the Jedi. Of course, Luke doesn’t have the right book that he needs, and I love that Soule alludes to more volumes that Luke needs, perhaps a way for tales in the future as Luke continues his journey?
When I was young, there was an image of Luke on The Courtship of Princess Leia, nothing more than Luke and Artoo, going off on adventures. Soule always shows huge respect for the droids in his series, more than most, and this image was reawakened in me reading this story. The friendship between Luke and Artoo is undeniable, and you can see just how much Luke relies on the droid. Even having to explain to Leia that if he’s with Artoo, he’s not alone, something that seems foreign to Leia. It shows a stark contrast between the two. Leia has always been surrounded by people, whereas Luke lived in the middle of the desert, sometimes droids were all he had to talk to. Luke appreciates them far more than most and it’s one of the things I love most about his character. Throughout this issue, he continuously treats Artoo as his equal, as someone he can discuss anything with and values his opinion.
Following on from this is the artwork by Musabekov. He captures Luke and Artoo brilliantly. The look and feel, the way Luke looks at Artoo, it captures this friendship. For me, the panel that really spoke to me is when the pair land on Christophisis and they are looking out on the city. Luke in his black robes, cloak flowing and Artoo loyally next to him. It was the perfect shot beautifully depicted by Musabekov.
As mentioned, Luke travels to Christophisis, another throwback to the Clone Wars. I don’t know if it’s even possible, but wouldn’t it be great to see Luke find something about what his father did there, maybe even Ahsoka. While on the planet we meet new characters, Gretta being a very interesting one. She was born on Jedha and although not a force user, believes in the Jedi. It’s another side to the belief system of the galaxy we don’t see much of. The Jedi provided peace and protection for so many, would all those people who had faith in them completely disappear? Soule answers this and I’d love this to be further explored at a later date. Soule also name drops the experts in Kyber research, which of course, brings the name of Eros up. It’s all these little mentions, from across the Star Wars timeline, that really show just how much Soule knows the galaxy in its every form and how he weaves it easily into his stories to create a feeling of a complete galaxy.
The adventures of Luke and Artoo. It never gets old. It’s this pair that I always want to follow, to learn more about their relationship but also to learn more about the Jedi, to see what has survived, what’s still out there. This opening for this new arc shows tremendous promise for all of that and I can’t wait to see how Luke finds the information and resources he needs to build his own lightsaber. Soule really is the master of the galaxy; he proves it again and again. If you are a fan of the original movies and need a jumping on point, look no further (although why you wouldn’t want to read the whole series I wouldn’t even dare imagine). For fans who have been here since the start, this is one of those storylines we’ve wanted answering for a long time, and it looks like the answer is not going to disappoint!
Availability;
Star Wars (2020) is an ongoing series available from Marvel Comics. This issue retails at $3.99 and is available via the Marvel App, ComiXology and all good comic book stores.
