GONK reviews last week’s only Star Wars comic: Issue #3 of Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm
Somehow I managed to skip over last week’s issue of Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #3. But never fear, your review is here…
Three Jed’aii are called by the Force to the wreckage of the Rakatan ship in the Tython’s Abyss, only to encounter Xesh, the Force-sensitive hunter, and sole survivor… but who is outclassed in the ensuing battle, especially when the stranger’s weapon can slice through the Jed’aii swords? Meanwhile, a second batch of Jed’aii sense a growing threat and investigate the last known site of the trio of Shae Koda (and her winged rancor, Butch), Tasha Ryo, and Sek’nos Rath. And that’s all I am going to say right now.
John Ostrander’s story takes off in this issue as the key characters face off and we see our heroes really interact with each other – they don’t quite get along with each other, but recognize that Xesh is a real threat, and that their only way to best him is to work together — as the intruder says, “You are meat.” And Xesh gets his own story advanced: he’s all alone, stranded in a hostile environment, and eventually he’s going to wear out.
Jan Duursema captures the characters and creatures well – both in the combat scenes, and in their vulnerabilities – Xesh goes from tough warrior to lost in the wilds, while Tasha Ryo has issues with her comrades. My favorite panels from this issue center on the fight, especially when Sek’nos and Xesh square off, and later when Shae tags into the action with a new toy. There’s also a great shot of Butch appearing later in the issue, surprising some of the characters.
Overall, glad to see this story moving along, and hint of some other players moving in to the game. Good stuff.