Comic Review: Darth Maul #2

August 14, 2017, 1:17 PM, BST

The Creative Team:

Published By: Marvel Comics
Released On: March 22, 2017
Rating: Rated T
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Penciller: Luke Ross
Cover Artist: Rod Reis

The Synopsis:

A Jedi Padawan has been captured by sinister forces…and Darth Maul is determined to find her?!

This early tale of the galaxy’s deadliest Zabrak continues.

The Plot:

In the previous issue, Maul discovered that a Jedi Padawan has been captured by a crime cartel. The Padawan is to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Maul sets out to find this Padawan before the Knights of her order do.

The issue starts with Maul arriving on Nar Shadaa, the smuggler’s moon. He arrives in a tavern which may be familiar if you have read the main Star Wars comic. Maul questions the bartender about Xev Xrexus, who he believes is holding the Padawan that he seeks. The bartender refuses to answer Maul and politely asks him to leave the establishment. Stubbornly, Maul asks again. A quarren called Dirty Calgriz confronts Maul, saying that he knows about Xev Xrexus, but he isn’t telling anything. The quarren predicts that Maul is a Jedi, angering the Sith Lord.

The next thing we see, Maul has kicked down the tavern’s front window sending dirty Calgriz straight through it. Some of the tavern’s patrons jump through the window, and a street fight ensues. Instinctively, Maul reaches for his lightsaber, but does not ignite it as it would reveal his true identity. He beats up his opponents using his athletic skills and a bar stool, until Dirty Calgriz squirts Maul in the face with ink. Blinded, Maul is knocked to the ground by one of the fighters. Using the force, Maul picks up a knife on the floor and launches it at Calgriz, immediately killing him. The remaining tavern patrons are puzzled by how did this as he is blind and they did not see him throw the knife. Before they can consider this any further, they are all shot in the back by some mysterious figures.

A trio of bounty hunters steps out of the shadows: Aurra Sing, Cad Bane and a mosquito-like creature called Vorhdeilo. Cad bane informs Maul that the hunters have got passage to the party Xev Xrexus is throwing, where she will be selling the Jedi Padawan. The bounty hunters and Maul make themselves scarce, fearing that Jedi will be arriving at the scene.

On the way to the ship, Bane tells Maul that Xev has organised decoy events but that they have an invitation to the real deal. Maul asks Bane whether he is sure, which angers the hunter slightly. The group arrive at the ship, which has been stolen from the Haddrex Gang. Onboard, the last member of Cad Bane’s group, Troo-Tril-Tek, called Tek-Tek by his friends is torturing a protocol droid. The droid, who is known as Fee-Bee, will not reveal the location of the auction, as well as the verification codes needed to enter the event. However, after Maul removes the droids eyes, and threatens her with further torture, the droid gives in.

Maul’s ship arrives in the Drazkel System, where the auction is being held. The codes that Fee-Bee gave are reliable and they get through. Cad Bane and Aurra Sing discuss Maul’s intentions, believing that he is using them as patsies. Bane still wants to go through with the mission and believes that they will still get rich.

During this, Maul is in his own private chambers meditating. He thinks back to a time when he was on Malachor, the site of an ancient battle, with his master. Sidious informs Maul that on this world the Jedi struck a terrible blow to the Sith. He says that many of their order were struck down simply because they wanted to be free. Palpatine takes some ash from a frozen statue-like person and forces young Maul to breathe it in, filling Maul with hate. As a result of the inhaled ash, young Maul has a vision of Sith being slaughtered by Jedi. While the older Maul is meditating, he repeats a mantra that he was taught to help him focus his hate and anger: “Far above, far below. What once was great is rendered small.” Maul believes that he must avenge the dead Sith by killing the cowardly Jedi.

Once they have arrived on the station, Maul’s cadre arrive in the room where the auction will take place. In this room there is a collection of all the galactic criminals you could think of: Grakkus the Hutt, Hondo Ohnaka, the Pyke Syndicate, Black Sun etc. Cad Bane recognises that they could make a fortune by killing or capturing some of the people in this room as they all have large bounties on their heads. Maul turns this down. Money is of no interest to a Sith Lord after all.

Before any trouble can begin, Xev Xrexus appears, flanked by a group of droideka bodyguards. She talks about recent events: her scavengers stumbled upon a crashed republic vessel. Everyone onboard was killed, except for a Jedi Padawan, the one that Maul is after. Xev announces that the auction proceedings will begin in two hours.

Not wasting any time, Maul sneaks through the air vents of the space station in a search for the padawan. Maul believes that all the criminals on the station have reasons for wanting the padawan, but none of the reasons are as pure as his. One of Maul’s probe droids guides the way to the captured Jedi. Eldra Kaitis, the captured padawan, is standing behind a ray shield, looking confident, her hands on her hips. This is the closest Maul has ever been to his enemy and he knows it is time for retribution.

The Review:

Darth Maul 2 was an excellent issue that improved on the last issue, and really drove the plot forward. As ever, Luke Ross’s art was outstanding and Nolan Woodward’s colours brought life to the comic.

I loved seeing Nar Shadaa again and it was nice to see the tavern from the main Star Wars comic make its return. However, I hope that this tavern does not get overused in other comics as it will make the vast Star Wars galaxy feel small. On Nar Shadaa, there was a huge variety of familiar alien designs, as well as a few new ones. I think it is important that old aliens are revisited as well as new aliens introduced. In the two most recent Star Wars films, almost all of the aliens were brand new. I find it unrealistic that every single alien in the galaxy is a different species. There is not just one of each alien in the galaxy. This comic achieved a good balance of old and new.

The return of Cad Bane and Aurra Sing is a welcome addition to the comic, and how they interacted with Maul was very interesting. However, I thought the two new bounty hunters introduced were generic and they weren’t anything special.

The most interesting section of the comic was definitely Maul’s flashback to his time on Malachor. It helped to explain Maul’s deep hatred for the Jedi, and gave us some insight into what Sith training was like. We are also told more about the events that occurred on Malachor hundreds of years prior. The way that Lucasfilm is constantly dropping little hints and snippets about the Old Republic is really intriguing, and this comic continues to add to the puzzle. I enjoy that the events of the Old Republic era are shrouded in mystery, and I hope it stays that way for a number of years.

The next page of the comic is by far my favourite when it comes to the art. It shows all the potential Jedi-buyers in one room. This is an array of different crime organisations and cartels. Even Kyuzos dressed very similarly to the infamous Constable Zuvio make an appearance.

Towards the end of the issue Xev Xrexus finally appears. There is something about her appearance that I found weird, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Maybe it is the fact that she looks immaculately clean compared to the dirty criminals who occupied the rest of the room.

The issue ended with Maul coming face to face with the Padawan, who seemed strangely calm and confident in Maul’s presence. This last page was a great cliff-hanger and I was left wondering what would happen next between Maul and the Padawan.

Issue Cover Variants: