Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Star Wars Legacy #17
Dark Horse Comics
Ostrander, Duursema & Parsons
Perhaps my favorite ongoing series delivers another rock solid issue. Cade drifts further into his Sith training, but is he really turning towards the dark side? Deliah and Syn are teaming with Cade's mother, Corde, to find Cade and rescue him. All this and the Sith begin to question their master, both in secret and to his face about bringing in Skywalker. I'm telling you, this issue is really good.
We start with some Sith discussing the presence of Cade Skywalker among them. Darth Krayt is dying of an affliction that is curable by those that can touch the healing on the dark side of the force. Cade possess this ability. The discussion, although brief, is very similar to the distrust that the Jedi felt bringing in Cade's great-grandfather, Anakin. Only this has shades of jealousy and power-hungry Sith, whom you aren’t sure if they want their master, Darth Krayt, to live or die from his disease.
We cut to Cade doing some saber training with some robots and a Sith that eventually seduces him. Not to the dark side but to the bedside. She reports back to Krayt how Cade is simply pretending to be a Sith. This is important because isn’t that what Vader was really doing all those years, basically?
Krayt and one of his council, Wyyrlok, discuss Krayt's actions of bringing in Skywalker. Again, all the Sith are warning the leader about Cade and how he is dangerous, just as many of the Jedi warned Qui-Gon about bringing in Anakin. Ah, symmetry.
We also see some small plot advancement among the two Grand Moffs: Nyla and Morlish. They have been players in some arcs more than others, but basically they are faking their alliance with the Sith, so something will eventually go down with that.
Back among the pirates, Deliah, Syn and a couple of new players are scheming with Corde - who happens to be a bounty hunter. She acquired some vong bugs from the untrustworthy Grand Moffs. The vong bugs will allow them to track Cade in the Sith temple. Cade's mom dresses up like a Sith and uses the bugs to shield her from the Sith in the temple. She plants the bugs and leaves, seemingly undetected.
To give us even more to chew on we get a little more info about Darth Krayt and his dissention into the dark side. Basically, its Obi-Wan's fault, but we found that out in the last issue. But this part of the story is still really good.
Finally, we watch the hidden Jedi on Ossus trick the Stormtroopers off the planet using that old Jedi mind trick. However, the Sith running the show from the Star Destroyer wants the planet bombarded anyway. That cant be good for people on the planet, now can it?
Excellent issue. My only grip is: where is R2? He's somewhere, but where? My guess is he will be doing some gimmick as he did in Return of the Jedi with the old hidden lightsaber trick. That old gag.
Beyond that I loved this issue as much as any in this series. The artwork was perfect. The few action sequences were depicted well and the complex plot advanced on many, many fronts. I cant say enough good things about this series. You even get a run down of the era and the series arc on the back of the front cover. Not bad.
If you have any interest in Star Wars and have been intimidated by the novels, this series is a great way to get Skywalker descendants in a fresh story.
5 out of 5 geek goggles.
Star Wars: Legacy #17--Claws of the Dragon pt. 4
Dark Horse
AUG070132D
