Published: October 2, 2024
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Rated: T
Writer: Rodney Barnes
Artist: Ramon Rosanas
Colour Artist: GURU-eFX
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Nick Bradshaw & Neeraj Menon
The synopsis;
JEDI LEGEND TENSU RUN CONFRONTS THE INQUISITORS…AND THE DARK SIDE ITSELF!
• Seething at his INQUISITORS’ failure to eliminate Jedi TENSU RUN, DARTH VADER turns up the heat – and the bodies pile up.
• While eluding his hunters, Tensu remains dedicated to rebuilding the JEDI ORDER.
• But as those close to him face greater risk, he has no choice but to face his fate head-on!
• Jaded by his pursuers’ disastrous rampage, what path will Tensu take? And what will it mean for the future of the Jedi?
The review;
Mark: It doesn’t feel that enough time has passed to be talking about the finale of Inquisitors. It has been an interesting series, one that I don’t think that any of us were expecting to play out in this way. Writer Rodney Barnes has woven the legend of a Jedi with the execution of hunting them down by the Inquisitors, all of it beautifully brought to life by artist Ramon Rosanas. While I enjoyed the previous issue, with its slow leisurely pace, I know that not everyone did. With only four issues, to go at such a pace when there seems so much to tell, may seem a bit odd. Kat, as you weren’t able to join us for the penultimate issue, how did you find it?
Kat: I have to agree with the previous issue being too slow. It didn’t progress the story very much, and with only such a short amount of storytelling available, each issue needs to contain as much as possible. Slower paces work well for longer series, yet I feel in a mini-series there needs to be more of a rush. While I have loved the feeling of mythos in the way Inquisitors has been written, the fairytale-like language has only added to the feelings of this story going slowly. There’s a lot of talking and I wish these characters had had more time to actually tell their tale.
Mark: I couldn’t agree more! While I enjoyed the previous instalment, when you then look at this finale, it feels so rushed, so much that is given just a little nod, whereas if you condensed issue three, there would have been more room to tell this tale. The deaths, Vader joining the fight, the ending itself, it was gone before it even began. It became rather frustrating towards the end. I’m not quite sure why the issues were split the way they were, but the effect of issue three I think has had a rather detrimental effect on the finale.
Kat: I was questioning whether the character deaths were impactful? Do we know these characters enough to care about them? Four issues to become attached to brand new faces in the galaxy is a tough task, and while I liked Tensu and his gang of Force users, I didn’t feel connected to them enough in order to feel sad about what was happening.
And considering this was a story focussing on the Inquisitors themselves, Vader waltzing in to steal the glory felt obsolete. Seeing the Inquisitors as mere puppets and pawns in their Master’s game was interesting and I was expecting them to fight over the glory of who got to defeat Tensu Run. Instead, Vader doesn’t even give them a chance when this mission was supposed to be one where they could prove themselves.
Mark: That is where I really struggled on both counts. The characters for the ‘good’ guys, I was very much like, oh there goes another one. Let alone that their deaths happened in the blink of an eye and then we swiftly move on. We all know about the famous dead ewok in Return of the Jedi, where the camera lingers on him for a few extra seconds. It pulls at the heartstrings. The way the story was presented, meant that it was, there you go, they’re dead, back to the story. The deaths were meaningless.
As for Vader, this is called Inquisitors for a reason, to showcase this group. Who looks the best? Vader. The full-page panel done by Rosanas is incredible, you can almost see the lightsaber glowing. It’s an incredible piece of artwork, let alone a comic panel. Yet it is the perfect example where this issue goes wrong. Vader should not be overshadowing the main title of the series. ‘Vader and the Inquisitors’ seems like a better fit for what we had. It makes them seem incompetent and a group to not worry too much about.
Kat: Exactly! The reason Vader’s appearance is so impactful in Star Wars: Rebels is because his interference is a last resort. Multiple Inquisitors have been outwitted by not only a rogue Jedi but a whole crew of rebel insurgents. There’s a reason Vader then appears. And while Tensu did have a small group of followers, they didn’t seem to be causing as much trouble for the Empire as the Ghost crew.
If this was supposed to be a test for the Inquisitors, then they absolutely failed. They look like a group of students who couldn’t complete a class assignment, so the teacher must step in! Even Tales of the Empire demonstrated just how formidable these fallen Jedi are – and the lengths of their training in the dark side. It’s frustrating because there’s a lot I liked about Star Wars: Inquisitors and we need more stories about these warriors. Not more stories about Vader. (Please Marvel – let the Sith Lord have a rest)
Mark: I feel Barnes has fallen into that trap of using Vader too much. Involving him too much. The Inquisitors need space to breathe and be their own thing. Well rather just focus on what could have been, let’s look at the one thing that has never felt let down through this series, the artwork. I’ve already mentioned the one panel from Rosanas, with Vader. However, the whole issue – the whole series – has been a joy to admire. The artwork has really shone through, particularly when it’s set in an Imperial location. Rosanas seems to be able to capture the shadows very well in his work, which adds a level of darkness that I think a series like these needs.
Kat: Yes, I couldn’t agree more. I completely geeked out when I saw the Delta-class T3 Imperial Shuttle! That’s the triangular shuttle Krennic uses in Rogue One and it makes total sense that the Inquisitors would use one too, so it was fantastic to see Rosanas include that. I also thought the fight scenes were so interesting in the compositions, changing from close angles to wide panels, adding so much dynamism to the lightsaber battles. Keeping it detailed yet not overly complicated with so many characters is extremely challenging, and Rosanas made it cinematic every time.
Mark: It started so intriguing, offering the potential to learn so much more about this rarely utilised group in the Empire. While the artwork may have always maintained a high standard, I don’t think the same can be said for the story. While the pacing I enjoyed, when you look at the ridiculous fast pace the last issue had to take on to fit the story in, it wasn’t worth it. This series could have been so much more and yet I feel Barnes has fallen into the all too familiar pattern of bringing Vader in. It overshadowed the Inquisitors in a series that should have highlighted them. Hopefully, they will one day get the series that will really bring them to the forefront of the storytelling.
Availability;
Star Wars: Inquisitors is a 4-part mini-series published by Marvel Comics. This issue retails at $4.99 and is available online from comiXology and your local comic book store.
