Published: May 15, 2024
Penciller: Georges Jeanty
Inker: Dexter Vines
Colourist: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover artist: Mateus Manhanini
The synopsis;
INTRODUCING THE SHROUD!
Just as MACE and smuggler AZITA CRUUZ arrive at her freighter, they’re beset by MURO, DIYA and the leader of their cult, THE SHROUD. The Shroud is something that Mace Windu was never trained for and isn’t prepared for – and might push a JEDI KNIGHT to his breaking point!
The review;
Mace Windu. He’s a character that brings so many thoughts to mind. He may have only appeared briefly in the Prequel Trilogy, but with all the books, comics, television shows and games, the character has become revered and adored by fans. The level of coolness that this character exhibits is not easy to replicate and although there are lots of appearances of the character in comics, there have been some truly awful stories involving him. This isn’t a character who is easy to get right. Thankfully, writer Marc Bernardin has been able to tread this line perfectly with the character. Mace doesn’t speak too much, he is more a man of action, and his coolness is always kept intact. Knowing that we need to know more about the character but with someone who doesn’t like to talk, Bernardin places Windu with a character from his same home-world. It allows us to know more about the character while maintaining the mystery. It’s perfect. Along with Bernardin is Georges Jeanty, the artist of this series, who has captured the settings and atmosphere brilliantly. The pair have created a series to enjoy by fans. Which brings us to the final issue. There are lots of questions, lots of things to go over that I’m not sure how this is going to get wrapped up so neatly. I feel this is a series that could have done with been extending, yet to do so would have perhaps knocked the pacing, which has been fast all the way through. Let’s find out how Bernardin and Jeanty manage to conclude this series.
We start learning a lot more about the Shroud in the first two pages than we do from the last three issues. The Shroud are a group who are against technology. It’s not the first time in a galaxy far, far away that a group have appeared with this thought. In fact, the whole of The New Jedi Order sees an alien race invading the galaxy with this exact belief. However, the timing of a group like that now seems very current with the political times. You can see the shocked look on Mace’s face when his lightsaber is blocked by something, as the Shroud member calls it, natural. There are things that can be done by nature but aren’t because we rely on technology to do it. In the real world, more and more people are realising that things can be done (and be done better) by a more organic approach that can also help with the issue of global warming. I like that Bernardin brings this in for the Shroud as it offers a lot of relatabilities.
If that wasn’t enough, Bernardin introduces us to the leader of the Shroud, a Devaronian. He stays nameless, a nice touch, but it’s how he talks about himself and his followers. He splits people into two, those that lead and those that follow. He is obviously leading his followers against technology and those who use it. Mace is very quick to point out that the Shroud might be against the use of technology, but the leader of the group uses it himself. Rather hypocritical. I can’t help but think this is Bernardin commenting on the political leaders who are telling us we need to reduce our pollution. They tell us what we should do yet most don’t do it themselves. It really adds depth and examines what is happening in our world. But this isn’t the only interesting thing about the leader. He was almost a Jedi. The way he talks, he knows what he is on about and has some immense power to back it up. I couldn’t help with his line about no light and dark, only power, as it felt like Voldemort was coming straight through the character. Now while the enemy of Harry Potter was completely unlikeable, this enemy has an edge to him that makes you want to know more. There’s enough mystery to his backstory that makes me very intrigued and hoping we see more of him. It is often said that a hero can only be as good as the villain he is facing. Bernardin has created a villain who is interesting, who has more to him than he’s letting on and has some semblance of truth to what he is saying to Mace. I want to see more!
Of course this is a series about Mace, who shines through brilliantly here. He again doesn’t say much, but neither do we need him to. When the Shroud are presenting their manifesto, Mace just doesn’t care at all. He is all action, doing what is necessary. I adore the fact that when something must be done, he isn’t hesitating about his decision, he doesn’t overthink it, he just does. Ok it might take a whole ship to do it, but it’s a simple thing to Mace and it gets done. I also like that in his early years, you can see that Mace is a bit more compassionate. When we see him in the Prequel films, he feels very cold and emotionless. Here he even has compassion for the villain (at least for a while) and doesn’t want to go the extreme if he doesn’t need to. Clearly, these sorts of events teach him that he’ll have to move away from this, that too much compassion is a weakness he can’t afford to have. The shocked moments he has in this issue – there are two – really just add to the character, to his sureness, to his coolness and his just general Mace Windu-ness.
The artwork by Jeanty I really have taken a shine to. The faces at times aren’t too precise but they don’t need to be. It is clear who the characters are and what I really like is that they capture the emotion of the moment so well. The details in each panel are immense, from the backgrounds to the detailing of the starships. It really reminds me of the old Dark Horse comics from the early nineties and I could happily admire more of Jeanty’s work in a galaxy far, far away. It is different from a lot of artists today and it makes a pleasant change.
A lot of the series start with an absolute bang, carry on the story, and have an enjoyable ending. For me, Mace Windu has an even better ending than the start (which was pretty darn impressive on its own!). This is the best issue of the whole series. We learn more about this new group, have a very interesting villain and we get to see Mace doing what he does best. It all comes together beautifully with a very satisfying ending. Visually, I am loving the work of Jeanty, the styling back to the early nineties feels just so nostalgic for me. The one issue? I want more, a lot more. I want to see Mace go back to his home planet, I want to learn more about this ‘almost Jedi’ leader, I want to see more of what these followers are doing. It’s what writers want from their readers and Bernardin has certainly got that. The ending alludes that there might be more to come, and I really hope there is. This has been a very enjoyable series both in terms of writing and drawing and really highlights how best to do an awesome mace Windu series.
Availability;
Star Wars: Mace Windu is a 4-part mini-series published by Marvel Comics. This issue reatails at $4.99 and is available from comiXology and local comic bookstores.
