BOOK 1, PART 2
THE LAST PADAWAN
It is the dawn of the Rebellion. Growing tired of the Emperor’s iron rule, groups of people have begun to dissent in secret to fight for freedom – including the mysterious rebel KANAN JARRUS.
It has been fifteen years since the fall of the Republic and the birth of the evil Galactic Empire, when Imperial clone troopers purged the peace-keeping JEDI ORDER by the command of the Emperor.
Now, Kanan – once a young Jedi Padawan by the name of CALEB DUME who fought alongside his Jedi Master DEPA BILLABA during the Clone Wars – has returned to the planet KALLER and is forced to remember the day the JEDI PURGE began….
Every now and again a comic comes along that puts a smile on your face. For me, it’s titles that bring with them class, quality and a bag full of nostalgia and I’m once again very pleased to say that Kanan is doing just that. But how can a comic featuring a character who is only a couple of years old at best do that. Ahhh, therein lies the trick….
The Review
Here in May we are celebrating not only the 19th anniversary of The Phantom Menace but – almost impossibly – the 10th of Revenge of the Sith. A whole generation of kids who were 6 (as I was when I first saw A New Hope) when the prequel era began in 1999 are now 22 years old. It’s easy to forget how much time has passed and even though I’m a generation 1 Star Wars fan, I am very nostalgic about the prequel era and Kanan not only fills in some increasingly relevant back story for the character heading into season 2, but gives prequel era fans a hefty dose of the good stuff they might be missing these days as we forge on towards The Force Awakens and the sequel trilogy.
But I digress (as usual). What makes this such a good second issue? Apart from the art and colouring, which is again the tightest and most visually pleasing of the four series released so far (and none of them are slouches so take that as nothing but praise for Kanan, not a slight on the other three titles) it gives us a unique insight into the moment when the galaxy turned on its head. Trusted beyond doubt by the Jedi, the ticking timebomb that was the army of the Republic went off and we see close up just how devastating that was. Not on a galactic level – we’re all well aware of the historical ramifications of Order 66 – but down in the trenches, literally, where young padawans like Caleb Dumme saw their lives ripped apart. Many died. Most of them died, but Caleb didn’t and watching his shock and fear as Grey and Styles turn their blasters on him saying “Good soldiers follow orders” (and yes, you can hear the amazing Dee Bradley Bakers voice as you read it) is palpable.
It’s clear that the death of Bilaba is still an open wound to Kanan, even a decade and a half later and here we see why. He feels he failed her by following her orders to run, even though he knew she was lying by saying she would follow after him. Her life is given for his, and the young padawan doesn’t know why but in his fear and confusion he runs and runs.
He’s desparate and hungry until a pilot called Kasmir Janus offers him temporary shelter and food. But then he recieves a message from the Jedi, which we know to be Obi-Wan Kenobi’s now infamous message, sent through the stars to any remaining Jedi. But Caleb believes it’s the beacon to return home. Following the advice of Los Guerreros Caleb opts to lie, cheat and steal. He’s resourceful, even at this tender age and he evades capture and makes his way off planet in Janus’ starship (who we will no doubt see again at some juncture). En route he listens to the message which warns the Jedi away from the temple and into hiding. It’s too late as he arrives at Coruscant and into the waiting arms of a slew of Imperial vessels as the issue ends.
It’s clear that this series won’t stop for breath. It’s confident, secure in the era it’s telling its tale in and clearly eager to throw young Caleb into predicament after predicament. One minor criticism is, like the other titles, it is very light on plot in each issue, but Kanan makes much of little in that regard. And where Darth Vader, Princess Leia and Star Wars have yet to settle with plot and character (for example, if Ackbar was on Yavin during the Death Star battle why wasn’t he seen in A New Hope? Why didn’t he assist? Why include him at all? Why would Luke, who still has sand between his toes at this point, face Vader when just a few days after Yavin he’s had no training other than with a remote? Why would Vader tolerate Aphra and her Whedonisms? Or understand why the third issue of Vader is littered with Indiana Jones references?) Ironically it’s Kanan, the title with the newest lead character of them all, that is nailing the era it’s set in and giving fascinating background to both his personal motivation and the show it’s based on, unlike the others which risk contradicting their source material. I’m sold on this title and I’m eagerly waiting by the letterbox for issue 3 to drop.
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