The mysterious warrior of Dathomir was Darth Sidious’ apprentice long before the rise of Vader. Discover his journey in Star Wars: Darth Maul – Black, White, & Red #1 by Marvel Comics!
STAR WARS: DARTH MAUL – BLACK, WHITE, & RED #1
Writer: Benjamin Percy
Artist: Stefano Raffaele
Colorist: Stefano Raffaele
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: April 24th, 2024
Previously in Star Wars: Explore the famous movie series and its spin-offs featuring fan favorite Darth Maul. Maul, a Zabrak, became the apprentice to Darth Sidious and mastered the dark ways of the Force. Now, he carries out Dark Sidious’ orders as an assassin.
Star Wars: Darth Maul – Black, White, & Red #1 begins with Darth Maul being dispatched to a transport that has come under attack by the Final Occultation, a group promoting chaos. Darth Sidious’s order is simple: bring them in for questioning. Their leaders are Heidi Cerebron, Vasik Aldritch, and an unknown entity. On the transport, Darth Maul first encounters Heidi, who can infiltrate people’s minds and drive them insane, but Maul’s training enables him to resist. He then faces Vasik, who is durable and wields a powerful gun. However, his weapon poses no threat to Maul’s double-sided lightsaber. The final adversary is a doppelganger capable of transforming into a dark mist. Realizing he cannot allow these individuals to survive, Darth Maul steers the transport into a nearby planet, leaping to safety at the last moment and eliminating them all.
I was pretty perplexed while reading Star Wars: Darth Maul #1. The artwork, featuring only black, white, and red, was captivating, particularly Darth Maul and his lightsaber. Darth Maul has always been a visually striking character. However, I struggled to follow the plotline. The Final Occultation advocates for anarchy, whereas Darth Maul favors order. Yet, the portrayal of this conflict left me uncertain about which side to support. With Darth Maul as the focal character, his motivations seem somewhat unclear, and his decision to defy Darth Sidious and destroy the ship feels slightly out of place. We’re almost there with the thematic elements, but the final connection eludes us. Considering this comic book’s high price, I expected a more cohesive narrative.
I’m not entirely sure of the intended purpose of this story. While the concepts are intriguing, they weren’t presented in a manner that resonated with me. Star Wars: Darth Maul – Black, White, & Red #1 earns 3 out of 5 stars from me, but perhaps it’s setting the stage for a broader storyline in future issues.
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Star Wars: Darth Maul – Black, White, & Red #1
Star Wars: Darth Maul – Black, White, & Red #1 delivers a unique narrative but falls short of hitting the mark.
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Christopher Rondeau is a storyteller based in Tulsa, OK. Finding himself with little work, he ended up creating a job as a Game Master full time on the internet. Chris spends most of his days reading everything he can, writing bad fiction, and watching old Digimon cartoons with his daughter. Sometimes you can find him Dungeon Mastering a podcast or streaming on twitch. Recently, he has completed his Master's degree with a focus on collaborative storytelling. Find out more at https://rondeaucreator.com