Prisoner of Bogan Part Two
The planet Tython’s ten-thousand-year isolation from the rest of the galaxy ended when an alien spaceship crashed there. Xesh, the sole survivor of the crash, was a powerful warrior attuned to the dark side of the force. Subdued by the Je’daii, he was sent into exile on the moon of Bogan.
There he met the moon’s only other prisoner, Daegen Lok, a Je’daii obsessed with visions of power – which included glimpses of Xesh’s alien Forcesaber. Together, Lok and Xesh reactivated a wrecked spaceship and escaped their prison.
Unaware of their prisoners’ escape – or that Xesh’s former masters have dispatched one of his brood mates to hunt him down – the Je’daii are focused on unlocking the secrets of Xesh’s mysterious weapon…
That’s how writer, penciller and scripter John Ostrander and Jan Duursema, inker Dan Parsons, colourist Wes Dzioba, letterer Michael Heisler and cover artist David Michael Beck set up the second issue of Prisoner of Bogan, but where will the tale go from here?
The Review
For those hoping for an action packed adventure in the second issue of the Prisoner of Bogan arc, I’m afraid these are not the droids you’re looking for. Instead, strap in for a lot of back story explanation and future plot foreshadowing.
Starting with Master of the Forge Tem Madog attempting to penetrate the mysteries of Xesh’s forcesaber, he quickly admits his inability to do so. He requests Shae Koda to ignite it, as she had done so earlier during the heat of a battle. She declines, admitting she is uncomfortable drawing on the dark energies necessary to power up the energy blade. Ranger Hawk Ryo takes the blade himself, quickly focusing his negative forces into an energy source. Madog questions Hawk’s ease and quickness to summon such darkness, but Hawk shrugs it off. Remember, this storyline takes place in the earliest days of the Jedi, when the group was known as Je’daii. At the time, they sought a perfect balance of dark and light as opposed to the polar distinctions that later would become prevalent. I think it’s safe to infer that Koda will come to represent a more pure form of “goodness” and that Hawk will struggle with the darkness.
Next, the narrative shifts to Trill, still searching for Xesh. She flashbacks to her history with the missing former Force Hound, recalling how they first bonded in the slave camps before he defeated her in combat and seemingly discarded her and denied her a warrior’s death. Using these foul memories as a perverse, reverse homing beacon, she eventually picks up her quarry’s scent.
The action, such as it is, turns to the Ryo clan, specifically Baron Volnos, a clan lord with an apparently shady past, Kora, Temple Master of Kaleth, and their daughter, Tasha. The parents have separated, and each wants the child for him or herself. According to the mother, the father only wants his daughter to use as a weapon. While the two argue, their offspring rummages through the Temple of Knowledge on a quest for something. She is interrupted by Mster Ters Sendon, who proceeds to lead her to an even more ancient temple that houses an equally aged holocron. While the Master has had no luck accessing the device, it opens immediately for the younger, female Twi’lek.
Switching now to the titular prison planet, Bogan, a security droid finally realizes that two of its charges, Xesh and Daegen Lok, have escaped. It only has time to relay this information before becoming Terenta food itself. A search posse comprised of Hawk, Koda, their Journeyer companion, the Sith, Sek’nos Rath, and Masters Jake Fenn (is one of the writers an Adventure Time fan, perhaps?), his sister, Rori, and Bel Zana, a ranger and expert tracker, is assembled. The group splits into two, one group (Rath, Jake and Zana) headed to Lok’s compound on Bogan, the second ( Hawk, Koda, and Rori) to track Xesh.
The closest we get to any real action quickly reveals itself to be a dream of Xesh’s. His dark side powers fuel the ship on which he escaped Bogan along with Lok. Naturally, the vessel loses control with the surge in negativity that the nightmare created. The two escape before the ship crashes. Luckily, all of this occurs in the low level atmosphere of their destination plaent, Krev Coeur, and not the empty blackness of space. Making good use of a couple of chute packs, the duo survives and makes its way towards a crystal mine to build new forcesabers.
Neither group of Je’daii have any luck tracking down their prey, but we do get more back story on Hawk’s history with Lok, and how both had stared into the Chasm, known to drive any that look upon it too long mad. Hawk proceeds to lose himself in his memory and attacks Rori in his madness. Again, more foreshadowing of Hawk’s struggle with darker tendencies. Finding at least temporary balance, the groups agree to set off to track the escapees, confident of the path they’ve taken.
The first arc of this series profited from exploring uncharted territory thousands of years before the movies, setting the stage with rich possibilities, vibrant philosophies and fast pacing. While issue two provides arguably necessary back story, it would have been nice to have at least occasional action to keep things progressing nicely. It would be a shame for the series to start suffering under its own weight so quickly.
Next Issue: The First To Fall!
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