SWNN REVIEW: Marvel’s Star Wars: Kanan #10

swkanan10coverI’m really going to miss this series.  This series is certainly not going to close quietly, if this issue is to be judged.  This may be the most action we’ve seen yet from the Kanan series.  Also, if you are a regular Rebels viewer, this issue connects nicely to this week’s latest episode, serving as a reminder a nice, tidy canon can be a cool thing.  Spoilers ahead, both for the issue and potentially for this week’s episode of Rebels

 

 

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Rebels is not for every Star Wars fan.  Let’s get that out in the open.  I think it’s great, I know a lot of fans that do as well, but for some, this series has yet to hit it’s stride.  That’s okay, there’s plenty of Star Wars to go around these days.  I like to tell people that are either naysayers of the show or have not yet seen it that it’s not imperative to watch, but if they ever decide to give it a go, there’s plenty to enjoy.  One thing I absolutely try to push on people has been the Kanan issues.  If you are a Rebels fan, the opening page of this book gives you a great frame of your favorite characters ala Pepe Larraz.  It’s nice to see them in two-dimensional ink.  Kanan is still floating in that Bacta tank, and whether Stormtroopers are upon him and the crew of the Ghost or not, his thoughts drift back to the days of Caleb Dume, the Last Padawan.

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Welcome to the third battle of Mygeeto.  Jedi Master Depa Billaba and Padawan Caleb Dume have arrived, Clone Troopers in tow, with a mission that seems simple enough:  destroy all Battle Droids on that part of the planet.  As you can see above, Mygeeto has been a planet under fire for some time.  Larraz and colorist David Curiel do a great job keeping this hue of fire-on-smoke orange consistent throughout the issue, enough to let us know our heroes are surrounded by battle from all angles.

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Caleb, Padawan that he is, gets his first glimpse of the future through the Force.  His vision is something we all understand, but at this point, makes no sense to Caleb.  It’s a pretty big reveal by the Force, considering where the galaxy is headed at this point.  It makes me wonder if Kanan’s fore site through the Force is especially strong, and if we will be seeing it highlighted more on Rebels.  I don’t want to spoil what he sees, but it’s a pretty big deal, and I hope the Story Group chooses to focus on this ability more.  I enjoy seeing how the Force speaks in visions to those sensitive to it.

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If you noticed the previous frame of Mygeeto, the fighting in this third battle primarily takes place on elevated platforms and bridges. As Depa and Caleb make their way into the battle, the bridges are blown out around them, leaving the pair trapped on this single platform.  The droid swarm is a nice effect here, as the Jedi duo and their Clone companion do their best to stop the infestation-like onslaught.

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Here’s our Rebels connection.  Big thanks to fellow reviewer Hard Case for pointing this out to me so I could watch the episode before I wrote this review.  General Fenn Rau and the Skull Squadron will meet Caleb again, only under much different circumstances.  The contrast of how we meet them here, saving the Jedi, demonstrates how strange it must have felt to so many in the galaxy when the Republic twisted into an Empire and the Jedi were labeled traitors.  Though I warned of spoilers, I think this week’s episode of Rebels was one of the best, so you should seek it out to see Kanan and Rau’s next meeting.  As it’s concerned in this issue, the Mandalorians are plucking off these droids to buy the Jedi a couple minutes as they wait for extraction.

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Depa and Caleb make it back to their gunship.  The battalion is prepared to continue on with the battle after a close call.  That close call was not the last one, and the ship is suddenly shot down, putting  the Jedi and Clones back into danger.  Unfortunately, Stance, Caleb’s Clone counterpart, does not meet with a pleasant end.

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I doubt many Jedi are excited about the prospect of Kage warrior General Sear showing up to proclaim their end.  I can only think of another Separatist general that could make it worse.

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Well, it looks like Caleb Dume, Depa Billaba, and the Clones will have their hands full in the concluding issue.  I imagine Depa may be looking forward to a second chance of defeating General Grievous.

 

This issue is very well worth your time and money.  Greg Weissman continues to add layers to the complicated past life of Kanan.  The art by Pepe Larraz and colorist David Curiel may be a bit more cartoonish than other Star Wars titles out there, but in my opinion it is excellent.  I think this is my favorite art of the Kanan series, so far.  If you’ve been following the series there’s no reason to skip this issue, and if you’re a Rebels fan who’s been holding out, this one should catch your eye.

 

As I said before, one more issue to go, and I will very much miss what has been a solid entry into the Star Wars Universe.

 

CORRECTION:  There are two more issues left in the Kanan series.  Thank you to reader Max Jensen for catching that.  Good news!  We get TWO more issues!

 

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Purchase this issue at comiXology, Marvel.com, or your local comic shop.

 

+ posts

Kyle Larson lives in Portland, Oregon. When he's not running trails, he's reading and writing.

Kyle Larson

Kyle Larson lives in Portland, Oregon. When he's not running trails, he's reading and writing.

24 thoughts on “SWNN REVIEW: Marvel’s Star Wars: Kanan #10

  • January 29, 2016 at 2:08 am
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    i was wondering if the back story from last night’s rebels was already in the comics and then here it is. perfect timing by lucasfilm. 🙂

    • January 29, 2016 at 5:50 am
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      Well the writer for season 1 of Rebels is has been doing these comics so the relationship to deep collaboration is there.

  • January 29, 2016 at 2:50 am
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    Uh, I thought this was ongoing…?

    • January 29, 2016 at 3:41 am
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      It was until it wasn’t selling enough, tis the way of the comic book world my friend, at least it will get a proper conclusion though.

      • January 29, 2016 at 4:53 am
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        Yeah, I know but this was my favorite title 🙁 Hope they don’t give up on non OT related titles.

    • January 29, 2016 at 5:49 am
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      It is being replaced by the Poe Dameron ongoing.

      • January 29, 2016 at 1:52 pm
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        That one is not going to be ongoing, either.

        • January 30, 2016 at 5:01 am
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          I believe it will be.

  • January 29, 2016 at 4:10 am
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    There are actually two issues left. #12 will conclude the rebels’ story on Kaller.

    • January 29, 2016 at 6:47 am
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      Thank you! That’s great to hear there are 2 more issues. I’ll change the article to reflect that. Thanks for letting me know.

  • January 29, 2016 at 4:39 am
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    Am I the only one who likes these comic books but really can’t deal with the dumbed down Rebels kiddie crap ? And no disrespect to people that like the show but it IS very childish, I’d like it if I was 5.

    • January 29, 2016 at 5:51 am
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      Yeah when you see half destroyed A-Wings jumping through hyperspace, AT-AT getting taken down by single lightsaber blades, etc etc yeah it gets really ridiculous at times. Also Chopper sucks.

      • January 29, 2016 at 10:53 am
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        Half destroyed ship making trip was featured in nearly every sci-fi tv series, like Stargate, Star Trek or Andromeda. And it is lightsaber it should be able go through walker legs like knife through butter.
        Chopper that just your personal opinion. Some people dont like R2D2.

        • January 29, 2016 at 5:00 pm
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          Have you not seen any other iteration of Star Wars where it takes a Jedi painstakingly long to cut through a door? Also you have never seen a half blown up ship jump to lightspeed before anywhere else in Star Wars. I could not care less what happens in Star Trek, or any of that other crap, it’s not Star Wars.

          • January 29, 2016 at 5:18 pm
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            If these doors not built to withstand lightsaber or truly sturdy they should go down really easily.

            Kanan just slice to not ver sturdy looking legs. Moreover we know how high quality have things mass produced by Empire.

            Hera ship was damaged but weapon vehicles are built to be sturdy. Moreover she may have been just lucky.

            Your grips are truly stupid. And i have feeling you hate Rebels just because you want hate them not because quality of the show.

            Or you just like The Force unleashed 1 and 2 more. In which case: They are non canon badly written fanfictions deal with it.

          • January 29, 2016 at 7:42 pm
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            I can’t even understand what you are trying to say in the first two sentences here. Hera has plot armor, I get it, but like we have seen A-Wings get blown up in the movies, and have seen ships take way less damage not be able to jump to hyper space. See: Strikes Back, The Empire. The show has it’s cool moments, like the space battle at the beginning of the episode was awesome, but I have a critical eye and I call stupidity when I see it. I am not a Star Wars fan that just blindly accepts that everything is amazing just because it says “Star Wars” on it. I have some dog poop over here with a Boba Fett sticker on it, please tell me how awesome it is!

            What does The Force Unleashed have to do with anything? Get better at arguing with someone and come back when you can either: 1) Write a complete sentence 2) Grow pubic hair

      • January 29, 2016 at 2:50 pm
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        Chopper RULES. That is all…grumpy, pissed-off midget droid. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE Chopper…

        • January 29, 2016 at 5:50 pm
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          Really? That really surprises me that anyone likes him, to be honest. I like the show in general, but I commonly think of Chopper as the single worst thing about the show.

          No accounting for taste, it’s kind of what makes our world so fun/diverse 🙂

          • January 29, 2016 at 6:18 pm
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            …and I affectionately refer to my youngest (3 y/o) as ‘Chopper’, especially when she’s being a grumpy midget droid (!)

    • January 30, 2016 at 12:41 am
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      Same deal with the CW comics in the old EU. It’s an unfortunate so much of western animation panders to children while the comic medium has matured with them.

  • January 29, 2016 at 8:20 am
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    Oh good… because… we’re still at issue 5, and I was afraid this was a permanent series. They merged it in italy with darth vader issues, so. there would have been no room for other ongoing series to feature

  • January 29, 2016 at 8:54 am
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    Gaming – it’s the best part of star wars

  • January 29, 2016 at 8:54 am
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    Gaming – it’s the best part of star wars

    • January 29, 2016 at 10:45 am
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      TFU really ?! First game was first was mediocre at best and second was just insult. Moreover story was worse than badly written fanfiction in both.
      One of reasons why i glad that Rebels exist. So shit like this is no longer canon and it totally rewritten.

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