Phasma is Haunted by Her Past in Marvel’s Star Wars: Captain Phasma #3
We’re now three issues in to the four part mini-series starring the First Order’s chromed out poster child, and the climax is in view on the horizon. Hunting down a fellow officer who escaped Starkiller Base after witnessing her actions in lowering the defensive shields, Phasma has traveled to the harsh planet of Luprora, along with stormtrooper TN-3465, to silence Lieutenant Sol Rivas and cover her own sins against the First Order. Read on for the full review…
Spoilers ahead (scroll down to skip)…
On the rocky planet, Phasma has encountered a group of natives who informed her that another hostile group has captured her missing “friend”. Although Rivas may be as good as dead, she knows she can’t leave his survival to chance. The only problem – seemingly uncrossable monster-infested waters lie between her and the lieutenant.
As this issue begins, Phasma is trying to formulate a plan to get to the island. Wanting to minimize the danger and the distance she must travel across the water, she decides to take action at dawn, when the tide is low and the creatures slumber. But when the locals warn her that the creatures are not sound sleepers, she is forced to come up with a way to remove the monsters from the equation. Using their TIE fighter is not an option as its weapons systems were not functional, having been in the middle of a repair when they were forced to evacuate from Starkiller.
When Phasma spots a local girl with a necklace that alludes to them having access to old technology, she inquires about its origin, and the girl takes Phasma to her grandmother, the oldest living person among their people. Phasma’s questioning eventually leads her to the wreckage of an old ship that resembles a Clone Wars era Republic gunship. On the ship, Phasma and TN-3465 find what they need to carry out their plan. Done with blending in, Phasma puts on her armor once again and delivers a rousing speech to the locals, promising victory over their oppressors. Moved by Phasma’s words, TN-3465 expresses her admiration, only for Phasma to ridicule her for being absurd. Phasma discloses the bleak reality that she only needs the people to supply canon fodder for her attack, nothing more.
Using an old generator, Phasma orders a continual current be sent into the water which electrocutes the giant creatures, allowing them safe passage to the island on their boats. After arriving at the cliff face of the island, the ascent begins as Phasma leads the way – proving an exceptional climber, a skill afforded to her by her past life on Parnassos. On the way to the top, ghosts from Phasma’s past begin to haunt her, as she has a moment of déjà vu, wherein she recalls former members of her Scyre clan.
In the memory, we see three people climbing the cliff beneath Phasma, one of them is a woman called Siv, and the others are presumably Torben with Frey on his back (see the Phasma novel for more on these characters). Siv’s handhold slips and Phasma warns the girl that the the rock is weak along the ridge. When TN-3465 asks the Captain who “Siv” is, Phasma realizes she spoke her name aloud and dismisses the trooper’s question as no concern. At the top of the cliff, Phasma looks down on the enemy and the impending battle that is about to begin.
End of Spoilers…
After an explosive first issue and a story building second entry, the third chapter of this story serves as a bridge between the discoveries Phasma made in the previous issue and what promises to be an exciting climax in the final chapter. That being said, this issue is a slow burn and although it doesn’t really stand out as anything spectacular on its own, it serves to set the stage for the final act quite nicely, giving us a little glimpse into Phasma’s past along the way while showcasing her unquenchable resolve and her utter lack of sympathy for others.
This isn’t one of those issues that you need to rush to the comic shop for, but it was a decent issue on its own and should definitely be read before tackling the series finale, especially if you’ve already read parts 1 and 2. However, if you are not reading this mini-series at the moment, I recommend you wait for the trade paperback in November and enjoy the four parts together as one larger story. The comic is better than I expected for a story about Phasma (I never thought I needed to know more about the character and I still don’t), and the art from Checchetto is, as always, a feast for the eyes. This series is definitely worth a read (if only once), and ultimately, the trade paperback will look great when displayed on your book shelf. I can’t imagine this story is one I’ll revisit a lot in the future for story purposes, but for what it is, it’s been fairly well executed and pretty entertaining up to this point.
Score: 6.5/10
Marvel’s Star Wars: Captain Phasma #3 is available now in a comic shop near you or online at Comixology. Happy reading comic fans!
Jordan Pate is Co-Lead Editor and Senior Writer for Star Wars News Net, of which he is also a member of the book and comic review team. He loves all things Star Wars, but when he's not spending time in the galaxy far far away, he might be found in our own galaxy hanging out in Gotham City or at 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, NY.
Goodbye comic. Good review. It’s still hard to believe all this happened in the tiny amount of time between force awakens and the last jedi