Review: ‘Star Wars’ Spooky Season Kicks off With Dark Horse’s ‘Tales from the Death Star’
It’s spooky season, and that means the master of spooks and scares is back! Cavan Scott has delivered a deliciously frightening comic in Tales from the Death Star. This comic follows young Fry, a young kid on The Rise of Skywalker’s Kef Bir, who is hell-bent while onboard the wreckage of the second Death Star. Fry is no ordinary kid but rather a member of Jannah’s First Order defectors. Before setting out to the cursed wreckage, they are confronted by a mysterious being. Cloaked in black and speaking in what appears to be a croaked mystical voice (in my headcanon), the mystery figure gives a warning. This warning comes in the form of four haunting stories. Those tales are where we begin. It’s a fantastically fun ride from start to finish. Enjoy.
Spoilers Ahead…
The first story from the mystery-cloaked person takes us back to the first Death Star: an equally cursed and wretched place. The battle station hovers over the construction site of Geonosis, where a group of prisoners are being forced into a dangerous operation onboard. There are creatures loose on the Death Star.
They have been ravaging one of the levels. One would say the prisoners are not too keen on the operation. However, the shock collars on their necks don’t exactly give them much choice. Each time they begin to question orders or defect from the group, they are met with an intense body-shaking shock.
The group is led by a rather gruesome-looking alien named Jonram Dremel — an evil name if I’ve ever heard of one. He will be leading the prisoners on their mission to kill the supposed creature haunting the service corridors.
The prisoner group has a remarkably upbeat sense of humor about them, given the circumstances. Unfortunately, it won’t last long when they come face-to-face with the dreaded Dianoga. Yes… that Dianoga. The tentacled creatures attack and kill Jonram Dremel. Everyone is under the assumption that the dianoga is what has been terrorizing the corridors. However, we soon find out there are these bugs that are the true menace.
The prisoners had found the remains of what appeared to be a dianoga hatchling. Something had killed it, and Dremel suspected the parent Dianoga had been “grieving.” Of course, we don’t typically think of a dianoga as a creature who might grieve, but they are sentient nonetheless. It turns out these tiny beetles are the true killers. It’s only a matter of time before they all find out…
I genuinely think this is a brilliantly fun comic from start to finish. Of course, there aren’t any groundbreaking canon-expanding moments. But if you are coming into this issue expecting that you are here for the wrong reasons. Sometimes, Star Wars is best enjoyed just kicking back and wanting to have a good time. I am going to give a brief synopsis of the next few stories. I hope you pick up a copy and join everyone in the frightening fun.
Next, we dive into the Wild Squadron.
Wild Squadron’s tale follows a pair of Imperial pilots on Life Day. Put it on Cavan Scott to make Life Day synonymous with some terrifying events going on in the galaxy. This tale is a warning from the cloaked figure to Fry not to dismiss these stories lightly. There is a great danger in dismissing these tales. This is what happened to one Imperial pilot. On Life Day, Gatt and Rode, two pilots, were stuck on duty while plenty of others were off celebrating. During this time, Rode tells Gatt about the ghosts of “Wild Squadron.” As legend has it, Wild Squadron sweeps the galaxy every Life Day to claim more damned souls to join their hunt. Their chant of “Join the hunt. Join the hunt. Join the hunt” can be heard in comms throughout the galaxy from their next targets. Once one is forced to join the hunt, they will never leave. The Wild Squadron has claimed the lives of many.
Once again, leave it up to Scott to make us all look over our shoulders this holiday season. Of course, the Imperials don’t take these stories seriously. And why should they? A ghost story made to frighten pilots? Such child-like nonsense shouldn’t be believed. Well, let’s just say Bode and Gatt are in for a petrifying end to their shift. Join the hunt. Join the Hunt.
Continuing, we reach my two favorite tales. The third takes place on the second Death Star. It’s titled We Shall Double Our Efforts. Only Star Wars fans could giggle every time they hear a phrase like that. The first image from this one is that of the Emperor walking down the ramp of his transport ship to a kneeling Darth Vader.
Parm, the leader of the Engineer Corp onboard, is frustrated and scared. Moff Jerjerrod gave him a death sentence. They were working tirelessly as is, and it won’t be the Moff who takes the blame. No, it would be him, Parm, the one in charge of getting this battle station operating on schedule. Desperate people make desperate decisions, and that is exactly what Parm is going to do.
It wouldn’t be Halloween without zombies, right? After all, we just got another version of Star Wars zombies in the Ahsoka finale. In this comic, Parm steals a Sith relic from the Emperor’s special collection being brought on board. This ring has the power to resurrect the dead.
Entering into the morgue, Parm doesn’t see the bodies of his dead crewmates anymore. No, he sees what a fully functioning workforce could be. One that doesn’t tire, grow hungry, or thirst. This is his solution to his problems. This is how he saves his skin. Early on, it seems the ring works to perfection. The zombie-fied workers are helping Parm meet his timeline.
However, it doesn’t take long for the zombies to start getting appetites of their own. A chomp here, a nibble there, a tearing to bits over here, and suddenly, there is chaos in the engineering room. This draws the attention of Lord Vader. He’s seen some things in his day. He goes full Vader on the zombies and leaves Parm in a bit of a pickle. You’ll love reading this part of the comic. It’s a delight.
The final story follows one of my favorite characters in all of Star Wars: Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. It begins with a brief look at Tarkin leaving his brother for dead many years ago in his youth. I don’t know if that story has been fleshed out in another novel, but this is the first I have seen of it. Perhaps it’s time for me to finally read the Tarkin novel.
The issue follows the final moments of Tarkin’s life. The Death Star is approaching Yavin, the location of its destruction. Throughout the story, Tarkin hears voices and sees brief flashes of ghosts. His subordinates wonder what is wrong with their usual ice-cold, fully composed leader. Of course, Tarkin will have no one second-guessing his mental state, not even Darth Vader. Vader also senses something troubling the Grand Moff.
The ghosts of Tarkin’s past will catch up to him in this one. He is a destroyer of worlds, after all. The number of souls awaiting their chance at revenge is incalculable. I’ll let you see what ghost cameos are in store for you, but some of them are truly, in a word, AWESOME.
I must say, Cavan Scott once again nailed it. If you’re a fan of the spooky season or just in search of some comic fun, then Tales from the Death Star is for you. There is even a delightful twist at the end, so be on the lookout!!!
Rating: 9/10
Star Wars: Tales from the Death Star is available now wherever comics and graphic novels are sold. Special thank you to Dark Horse Comics for the copy used in this review.
Finding ways to nonchalantly incorporate Star Wars quotes into 8th grade classroom, Tyler lives and breathes Star Wars. His morning tradition is sending the latest number in the countdown for different Star Wars projects and loves engaging in uplifting Star Wars dialogue. If you are passionate about Star Wars you can follow him on Twitter at TyBrad5.
