Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume 8 (The Last Siege/The Final Truth)
March 2nd 2008 21:50
Category: Graphic Novels/Comics
‘Two there should be; no more no less. One to embody power, the other to crave it.’
Darth Bane, Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader.
“Always two there are, a master and an apprentice.”
Master Yoda to Master Windu, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics.
Production Team: John Ostrander – writer, Jan Duursema – pencils, Dan Parson – inker, Brad Anderson – colours, Michael David Thomas – lettering and Tomas Giorello – cover art.
Cost: US $17.95.
Across the galaxy battles rage between the forces of the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS), all that seems to have been achieved is much destruction, carnage and the deaths of literally trillions of sentient beings on a multitude of worlds and systems for seemingly little or no advantage. The events that take place in this particular issue of Dark Horse’s Clone Wars series of graphic novels occurs approximately six months before the events that unfold in the movie Revenge of the Sith. It is at this precarious moment that everything on either side seems in balance, poised to tip either into salvation or damnation, a concept that is mirrored in the unfolding drama of the primary protagonist Jedi Master Quinlan Vos.
For those out there who have not had a chance to read my other reviews of this series and thus get an idea about the character of Quinlan Vos I’ll do a brief recap at this point. Quinlan is a member of the Kiffar species, a humanoid species from the planet Kiffu who are all too some degree force sensitive. Quinlan was discovered to be far more force sensitive than others of his species and eventually ended up being selected to train as a Jedi under Jedi Master Tholme. Tholme trained Quinlan not only to walk within the light but to move within the shadows as well and thus when the Clone Wars began the Kiffar Jedi Master seemed to be the likeliest candidate who could be used to infiltrate the inner circle of Count Dooku, leader of the Separatist forces fighting against the Republic. Unfortunately the mission had an unforseen side effect; Quinlan began to slip closer and closer into the dark side at the urging of Count Dooku. By the time the events in this graphic novel open Quinlan has come in from the cold and has been reconciled with his fellow Jedi and the Jedi Council but there are still secrets he has kept hidden and he is still as driven a character as ever.
The bulk of the protagonists within the pages of this particular work are original Dark Horse characters, the only significant characters from the films that make their appearances within its pages are Count Dooku, Master Yoda and Darth Sidious. This is predominantly original material with a an original ensemble cast and as a result its all very refreshing reading, after all the Star Wars saga is an epic one and to see new faces, new takes on familiar places, new worlds and races along with an original tale to add to the mythos only serves to breathe new vitality and vigour into a familiar universe. It is precisely these facts that make the Dark Horse publications such great works, along with the fantastic artwork and storytelling that is between the pages of each volume.
Within this particular volume the presence of the primary antagonists is limited to mainly to operate in camera or as holoprojections delivering orders to their minions. And considering that the attack on Coruscant with which Revenger of the Sith opens is only a few months away it is only natural that the primary villains are not able to be physically present for this episode in the drama that is the Clone Wars, they’re busy making their final plans and girding their loins for the penultimate move against their enemies. Naturally the Jedi, the Clone Army and the Republic are unaware of what is about to go down, instead they’re focused on the events of the now, on the various sieges going on throughout the Outer Rim.
For Master Tholme and Aayla Secura their focus is on the actions of a fallen Jedi Master; Sora Bulq, who has turned from the order and joined with Count Dooku and the Separatists. Bulq attempted to create a schism in the Order at the start of the conflict, driving a wedge between those Jedi actively fighting in the war and those who would not engage in the battles as they felt it was wrong for Jedi to be leading armies and waging war, it did not sit with their notions as peacekeepers and guardians. Mace Windu thwarted the efforts of Bulq but could not bring the fallen Jedi Master to justice, the Weequay Jedi returned to his master Count Dooku and though his attempts at fragmenting the order failed he still was of some use to the Count. Quinlan managed to discover that Bulq was involved in some new project and that his journeys in conjunction with this project took him to the world of Anzat, a world that has certain significance for both Tholme and his one time padawan Quinlan.
Whilst Tholme and Aayla are heading to Anzat Quinlan himself is back on Coruscant indulging in his quest to track down the Second Sith in order to try and bring about the end to all the fighting and carnage. Like any Jedi in the know he knows that their must be a second Sith Lord, what he has no idea of is that individual’s identity only the fact that the second Sith is someone with influence in the circles of galactic politics. Initially he had thought the other Sith Lord was a certain Senator Viento, a senator that Count Dooku ordered him to eliminate. Quinlan mistakenly believed that Dooku was making his bid for power, to become the master and not the apprentice but such was not the case. Instead Viento was simply a piece that needed to be removed from the field, not the second Sith as Quinlan had believed.
Still in spite of having made this grievous mistake Quinlan feels that Viento may have known the identity of the second Sith and thus along with his cohort and sometime lover, Kahleen Hentz, he breaks into the Senatorial tombs on Coruscant to conduct a psychometric reading of Viento’s remains. Finding the other Sith has become something of an obsession with Quinlan, in fact to a significant degree it has blinded him to what is happening to him, he is so focused on finding this individual and striking them down in order to bring an end to the chaos and despair that has engulfed the galaxy. It is also a justification, a thin straw at which he clutches to try and justify what he has done in order to become trusted by Dooku and his inner circle. Unfortunately it is not precisely a rational motive and in the end as everything does eventually end up teetering on a precipice it is almost the one thing that sends him over the brink and into the yawning abyss.
No doubt about this volume is a real page turner and when the dust finally settles and silence envelopes the battle field then there is a definite sense of closure and a story that has been rounded off nicely. By the way the battle that takes place in this graphic novel, the Last Siege briefly gets a mention in Revenge of the Sith where as Anakin walks into the Jedi Temple briefing room late for the briefing (a usual occurrence apparently) Obi Wan Kenobi mentions that Master Vos has moved his forces from Saluecami to Boz Pity with the end of the battle there. This is the world where Quinlan teeters on that precipice and all seems to hang in the balance, his own life and the existence of the Republic itself. Like I said riveting stuff and definitely worth getting a hold of for a few hours relaxing reading.
Darth Bane, Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader.
“Always two there are, a master and an apprentice.”
Master Yoda to Master Windu, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics.
Production Team: John Ostrander – writer, Jan Duursema – pencils, Dan Parson – inker, Brad Anderson – colours, Michael David Thomas – lettering and Tomas Giorello – cover art.
Cost: US $17.95.
Across the galaxy battles rage between the forces of the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS), all that seems to have been achieved is much destruction, carnage and the deaths of literally trillions of sentient beings on a multitude of worlds and systems for seemingly little or no advantage. The events that take place in this particular issue of Dark Horse’s Clone Wars series of graphic novels occurs approximately six months before the events that unfold in the movie Revenge of the Sith. It is at this precarious moment that everything on either side seems in balance, poised to tip either into salvation or damnation, a concept that is mirrored in the unfolding drama of the primary protagonist Jedi Master Quinlan Vos.
Within this particular volume the presence of the primary antagonists is limited to mainly to operate in camera or as holoprojections delivering orders to their minions. And considering that the attack on Coruscant with which Revenger of the Sith opens is only a few months away it is only natural that the primary villains are not able to be physically present for this episode in the drama that is the Clone Wars, they’re busy making their final plans and girding their loins for the penultimate move against their enemies. Naturally the Jedi, the Clone Army and the Republic are unaware of what is about to go down, instead they’re focused on the events of the now, on the various sieges going on throughout the Outer Rim.
For Master Tholme and Aayla Secura their focus is on the actions of a fallen Jedi Master; Sora Bulq, who has turned from the order and joined with Count Dooku and the Separatists. Bulq attempted to create a schism in the Order at the start of the conflict, driving a wedge between those Jedi actively fighting in the war and those who would not engage in the battles as they felt it was wrong for Jedi to be leading armies and waging war, it did not sit with their notions as peacekeepers and guardians. Mace Windu thwarted the efforts of Bulq but could not bring the fallen Jedi Master to justice, the Weequay Jedi returned to his master Count Dooku and though his attempts at fragmenting the order failed he still was of some use to the Count. Quinlan managed to discover that Bulq was involved in some new project and that his journeys in conjunction with this project took him to the world of Anzat, a world that has certain significance for both Tholme and his one time padawan Quinlan.
Whilst Tholme and Aayla are heading to Anzat Quinlan himself is back on Coruscant indulging in his quest to track down the Second Sith in order to try and bring about the end to all the fighting and carnage. Like any Jedi in the know he knows that their must be a second Sith Lord, what he has no idea of is that individual’s identity only the fact that the second Sith is someone with influence in the circles of galactic politics. Initially he had thought the other Sith Lord was a certain Senator Viento, a senator that Count Dooku ordered him to eliminate. Quinlan mistakenly believed that Dooku was making his bid for power, to become the master and not the apprentice but such was not the case. Instead Viento was simply a piece that needed to be removed from the field, not the second Sith as Quinlan had believed.
Still in spite of having made this grievous mistake Quinlan feels that Viento may have known the identity of the second Sith and thus along with his cohort and sometime lover, Kahleen Hentz, he breaks into the Senatorial tombs on Coruscant to conduct a psychometric reading of Viento’s remains. Finding the other Sith has become something of an obsession with Quinlan, in fact to a significant degree it has blinded him to what is happening to him, he is so focused on finding this individual and striking them down in order to bring an end to the chaos and despair that has engulfed the galaxy. It is also a justification, a thin straw at which he clutches to try and justify what he has done in order to become trusted by Dooku and his inner circle. Unfortunately it is not precisely a rational motive and in the end as everything does eventually end up teetering on a precipice it is almost the one thing that sends him over the brink and into the yawning abyss.
No doubt about this volume is a real page turner and when the dust finally settles and silence envelopes the battle field then there is a definite sense of closure and a story that has been rounded off nicely. By the way the battle that takes place in this graphic novel, the Last Siege briefly gets a mention in Revenge of the Sith where as Anakin walks into the Jedi Temple briefing room late for the briefing (a usual occurrence apparently) Obi Wan Kenobi mentions that Master Vos has moved his forces from Saluecami to Boz Pity with the end of the battle there. This is the world where Quinlan teeters on that precipice and all seems to hang in the balance, his own life and the existence of the Republic itself. Like I said riveting stuff and definitely worth getting a hold of for a few hours relaxing reading.
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