Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Star Wars: Darth Maul Death Sentence #3 of 4
Dark Horse Comics
Taylor, Redondo & Atiyeh
Darth Maul joins the natives to lead a revolt against the oppressive minor, Ja'Boag, who also happens to hold Maul's brother captive. All is not what it seems as Maul shows his true colors by the end of the book in what proves to be fast-paced and exciting read. The appeal of this book is not only that it is a tightly written story, but also that it ties into the cartoon series nicely. The series is definitely worth picking up.
Darth Maul trains the natives in what proves to be a brutal exercise in war. Clearly the natives have no idea who they have joined up with, but Maul also seems to show a softer side here that we may not have seen before. Maul seems to actually want the natives to succeed. However, Maul knows what he is after and it is not a revolution.
While Maul prepares for battle, the Jedi continue to recoup while they debate with Ja'Boag the next steps. Stupidly, some assume Maul to be dead while others are convinced he will return, especially armed with the knowledge that his brother is captive with them. The Jedi call in to the council and receive some aid in the form of a very familiar Jedi as they prepare for Maul to return. The cliffhanger is a great hook for the next issue.
The book is a very fast read and sets up things for a fantastic ending. The mini-series ending will be very interesting because we know Maul and his brother survive this because they are to appear in the upcoming season of the cartoon. The joy will be in watching them escape this predicament.
The artwork is simply terrific. To capture Maul's expressions and show any kind of range of emotions seems impossible but Redondo pulls it off. The style is a much cleaner look that sort of fits with the colorful and vibrant image portrayal that you might expect from a Star Wars comic book. The ending of the book is fantastic and I give the art the nod for making that happen.
Darth Maul is a strange character to warm up to. He barely had any time in the movies. He barely had any comics or novel action and he's had a taste of the TV show. However, as the boundaries continue to get pushed for this character, this comic series is proving to lead the way. This is a more cunning side to Maul and the comic book is highly entertaining because of it. I definitely recommend checking this out.
4 out of 5 geek goggles
