Comic Review: D-Squad #1 (of 4)

R2-D2 takes centre stage, unsurprisingly, in Kuder & Martin’s direct cover, and he’s surrounded by a very motley crew of droids. There’s a droid from basically every era of Star Wars, including Rebels and the Marvel comics, suggesting how this series is going to need droids great and small (and who like torture) to help save the galaxy. There are quite a few variants too, often with Artoo as the focus, though McKone’s variant excitingly has Ajax Sigma during The High Republic era and his droid rebellion.

Following on from the main storyline in Star Wars (2020) #38, this new series from Marvel focusses on the droids from their point of view. As the Spark Eternal corrupts droids across the galaxy, irrelevant of whether they’re a protocol droid or have assassin programming, how do the droids feel about it all? While Ajax and his enlightened followers are aghast at the thought of losing their free will, what about the others scattered amongst the stars? Dark Droids D-Squad explores just that.

Having been jettisoned into space by none other than C-3PO, R2-D2 finds himself adrift and far from Home One. Without any commutations systems or some handy fuel in his rocket boosters, Artoo has no way to contact the fleet, and Luke won’t realise he’s missing until it’s far too late. However, this plucky droid’s luck isn’t out quite yet, as an old friend is on a mission for the Rebellion and flying close by…

Having been sort of rescued by WAC-47, his pit droid comrade from the Clone Wars, Artoo finds himself on the planet Iego in the Outer Rim. There’s a wonderful camaraderie between Artoo and WAC-47, even though we only get to technically see one side of their conversations, with the empathy between these machines being so heartwarming. Most of the Dark Droids crossover has been exceptionally dark, sometimes bordering on a horror vibe, really showing the worst of droids. Yet D-Squad is showing that there is still hope for droids across the galaxy. And that there is still good in so many.

And then Artoo finds Chopper and all that goodness goes out the window. Nothing can stop these two from arguing, not even the possibility of the end to droid free will, and it’s absolutely hilarious as the two bicker. All of this is incredibly illustrated by Salva Espín, who conveys so much expression without any words for the droids. Artoo is not backing down and Chopper’s only getting more aggravated, all of which is conveyed so well through the rising tension in the artwork.

With some mediating from WAC-47, they eventually agree to team up to find out more about what’s happened to C-3PO. Although Artoo is clearly unhappy about what’s happened to him, there’s also a suggestion of loyalty behind his actions. No matter their differences, R2-D2 doesn’t want to see Threepio becoming scrap metal. In order to hunt down answers Artoo commandeers a GX1 short-hauler, a great Rebels reference, and overpowers the programming of its RX-series pilot. It’s quite brutal and a very Artoo move. 

Guggenheim then takes us from familiar droids to more unfamiliar ones as the comic delves deep into the past and Messina does incredible work showing the failed uprising on Kligson’s Moon. While Ajax is acting like a heroic leader in the current Star Wars (2020) and Darth Vader (2020) comics, his history is a turbulent one. Long ago he led a brutal uprising as his droid army tried to fight against the injustice of being constructed to serve organic intelligence. It’s been hinted at in flashbacks in quite a few issues, but now Guggenheim gives us a bit more. It’s a little jarring at first, especially considering the cliffhanger with Artoo, but overall, it adds more depth to the story and is definitely going to be important for the plot moving forwards.

It’s a fascinating insight into Ajax and the layers to his character. Even though he’s a droid, he’s as compelling as any human or alien to read about. His struggles are unequivocally human, from grapples with morality to questioning the reasons behind his actions. His flaws are relatable and understandable.

That’s what Guggenheim does with this entire story though – he makes the droids relatable. It doesn’t matter whether they’re complaining about their jobs, co-workers, or just having a rough time. These are problems that any humans could face. Being droids doesn’t lessen their characters or their struggles in any way, and Guggenheim captures that spirit. Dark Droids D-Squad is a refreshingly different perspective on the galaxy and brings some much-needed levity while the other series go into full dark-mode.