Literature

Jedi News Comic Review: Kanan #11

April 14, 2016, 11:59 PM, BST

First Blood, Part V

It is a time of unrest. Fifteen years after the fall of the Jedi Order, Emperor Palpatine now rules the galaxy with an iron fist. Rebels have banded together to fight back.

Among them is former Jedi Padawan Caleb Dume, who now calls himself Kanan Jarrus. While searching for his ex-partner, Kanan is wounded and falls unconscious, recalling his earliest missions as Padawan to Jedi Master Depa Billaba.

Alongside a group of clone troopers, the Jedi defeat a Separatist army on Kardoa and continue to Mygeeto for their next mission. There, they again fall prey to a fleet of Separatist droids and await backup. Fighting vigorously, Caleb witnesses the death of his comrade Stance and must face the Kage warrior responsible. Meanwhile, his master has come face to face with her own personal nemesis, General Grievous…

The Review

Writer: Greg Weisman
Artist: Pepe Larraz
Cover Artist: Mark Brooks

Kanan #11 wraps up the Grievous arc as the Third Battle of Mygeeto comes to a close. Young padawan Caleb Dume faces a ferocious Separatist colonel while his master Depa Billaba squares off against General Grievous. Both sides dance with danger. Yet the victories of the past do not ensure safety for the future. As Kanan wakes up from his coma, he finds the crew of the Ghost at the mercy of the Imperials.

For the penultimate issue in this series, Kanan #11 actually does a really good job of wrapping everything up. In fact, they could end the series here and be perfectly fine. It finishes off the Mygeeto battle, the confrontation with Grievous, it ties up the flashbacks by leading into the mission to Kaller, and it wraps up the present day troubles as Kanan wakes up and saves his friends. I’m not really sure what Kanan #12 is going to do. Regardless, Greg did a good job with this one. It’s a satisfying story that brings a lot of closure, some action, and a little drama.

The artwork is about normal. There’s not a lot of really impressive panels, and Pepe didn’t kick the story off with any huge, two page spread. There’s still some panels spreading across the pages, and everything looks pretty decent for its particular style. There’s lots of colors to go with it and it does a good job of presenting an overall enjoyable comic.

That said, I’d like to point out the gorgeous cover by Mark Brooks. Mark has been doing some stunning work with the covers, and not just Kanan, but many of the Star Wars comic titles. This one, however, really stands out. The contrast of the red striped Clonetroopers with their white armor, the white background and even the red lettering of the comic title, is eye popping. Kanan, done in full color with his earthy tones, really stands out as the center of attention. It’s the kind of cover that catches your eye and pleases your sensibilities. Very nicely done.

I give Kanan #11 a four out of five. It’s pretty good and does a nice job of wrapping the series up. If you’ve been with it this long, you definitely have to check this one out.

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