Comic Review: Rogue One – Saw Gerrera #1 (One-Shot)

How has a month already passed is beyond me. We are onto the next one-shot comic to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Rogue One – a fact that my brain is still trying to comprehend. Has it really been that long? The first two one shots for this celebration have been wonderful, filling in blanks that just add a little more detail, add a bit more appreciation to the wonderful movie that is Rogue One. This month is a little different because this time around it is Saw Gerrera. Having read two of these so far, I’m assuming that the story will take place within the confines of Rogue One, but the reason Saw is different is that Rogue One was not this character’s first appearance. There is his introduction in The Clone Wars as well as his several appearances in Rebels. In other words, there is a wealth of backstory for this character that most readers will already be aware of. That is either going to really aid this one shot or be a bit of a hinderance. The writer having to try and figure it all out is Marc Bernardin, who wrote the latest Mace Windu series and one of the awesome stories for Darth Vader: Black, White and Red. Joining him is artist Gabriel Guzman, who was most recently in the Star Wars galaxy with Doctor Aphra: Chaos Agent, with some fantastic artwork. What the two will bring us I’m not sure, but there has been a high bar set by the previous instalments and I’m sure this one will be no different…

How wrong could I have been that this is set within the confines of the movie. I mean, one could argue that it is – barely – but Bernardin has taken us seventeen years before the Battle of Yavin, to a planet called Gyndine. The planet does not really matter; it’s the actions of Saw Gerrera. So let’s start with the opening page, because the whole idea, conception and execution of this is flawless. We open to a single, full-page panel by Guzman, that captures the realistic, gritty style of Gerrera (more on the artwork in a moment) so perfectly. Then Bernardin writes Saw narrating the whole issue, but the opening is him telling us that we can’t judge Saw because we haven’t gone through what he has. It is a perfect setting of tone and character, and you can perfectly hear Saw Gerrera talking within those words. It is one heck of an opening that tells you immediately that this is a comic that is going to wow.

So, let’s start me break down why the opening works so well. The most obvious is that statement: you can’t judge me. Yet through the whole comic, that is exactly what you are doing, which is why the opening works so well. There are times when Saw’s logic works, you understand it and to win a war it makes sense. Bernardin always makes sure to put this logic first, to have you agreeing with Gerrera. As soon as you think you can see his point, Bernardin that explains the cost, what has been spent in terms of lives and people, that suddenly makes you do a huge U-turn and start judging Saw. It works really well. It is how this character has always operated in Star Wars and Bernardin has captured that morale grey area perfectly. You can see with how the work is written that he is really pushing this view that Saw is a terrorist. As we have all gotten older, we have all realised that the Rebellion are technically terrorists, but that they are fighting for good. Not only that, but they do so with a moral code that sets them apart. Yet Saw does not have that moral code, he is the extremist that makes us fear everyday terrorists as opposed to the Rebels fighting the good fight.

Bernardin further enhances this by having Saw square off against Bail. Bail has always been presented as a moral compass in Star Wars. He always does what is right, he knows what right and wrong are and he is someone audiences can trust. Having him square off against Saw, to have him judge Saw, allows us – the reader – to feel safe in judging him, even though we know the very evil he fights. If Bail says it’s too far, it’s too far. This meeting shows just why Saw was labelled as an extremist by the Rebels. Whether this is the encounter that starts fragmenting that relationship is not clear (and I’m glad it isn’t), but it is one that shows the sheer lack of control that Bail has over him and why the Rebels have to start distancing themselves from him.

We also get to see more of the medical facilities that the Imperials use. We have seen bits and pieces throughout published works, most recently in Andor. But I want more. Seeing the different areas, how triage is conducted, what happens to the bodies afterwards. They are just little snippets but they are ones that add to the realism of the galaxy.

Bernardin also makes a point of showing just how fearful the Imperials are, of how they follow the command structure to the letter. It’s how saw can make his plan work but I almost feel there is a slight in joke here. The Imperials rule by fear so don’t question Saw, who is conducting his business as a terrorist to instill fear. It’s like a never-ending cycle.

Throughout all of this is the amazing artwork by Guzman. From the opening panel, to the shipyards, to the medical facility, Guzman’s gritty style really captures what this one shot is all about. It’s dark, it’s dealing with dark themes, it’s got lots of death, and the style really sets that atmosphere. There is a cinematic quality to a lot of these panels. The crowd in the background while Saw is front and centre, the perfect shipyards that has the same panel with an explosion, it just has a flow that your brain can read so well to create that cinematic feel.

Which then brings us to the end to link it into Rogue One. I have to say that I appreciate why it is there, how it then links to the movie. But honestly, I didn’t need it! The story, the atmosphere, the character development is so fantastic in this comic, that I don’t need that loose thread linking it to Rogue One. This is one of those times when I’m reading a one shot and thinking, this needs to be a series. Bernardin is able to write the hard story, Guzman is able to capture the feeling Bernardin is trying to convey, that one comic is not enough!

I said at the start that the first two one-shots had set a high bar. Bernardin and Guzman clearly didn’t see the bar and jumped right over it. This is an incredible comic that is everything you would want from a comic celebrating the tenth anniversary of Rogue One. The insights into the character, the insights into the morally grey area and the insights into just day to day life for Imperials is engaging and interesting. All I can say is get these two a series on the exploits on Saw Gerrera because I want more!