Star Wars: Shadow Of Maul #1 (Marvel Comics)
Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I'm going to be reviewing the FIRST issue of Star Wars: Shadow Of Maul from Marvel Comics!
We are just about a month away from the premier of the new animated television show Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord on Disney+! So to get everyone ready and prepared, Marvel is getting everyone ready with a 5 issue mini-series that is going to serve as a prelude! So just what is Maul up to? Let’s jump into it!
Credit: Marvel Comics // Star Wars: Shadow Of Maul #1 by Benjamin Percy (Writer), Madibek Musabekov (Artist), Luis Guerrero (Color Artist), VC’s Joe Caramanga (Letterer) & Derrick Chew (Cover Artist) is a tremendous start to an interesting lead in series
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The Story
As I mentioned before, this comic series is going to serve as a prelude to the animated series Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord and it should be an interesting one! The animated series takes place just one year after the end of The Clone Wars, and the last time we saw Maul was him escaping from captivity at the hands of Ahsoka Tano & the Republic. Obviously we know he goes on to build his criminal empire Crimson Dawn, but there’s about 10 years of time that pass between there.
Benjamin Percy really starts this series off in an interesting way that I really enjoyed. It starts off almost like an episode of Law & Order but you missed the first five minutes. The story begins on the planet Janix, a planet filled with trouble and not enough law enforcement to help stop it. We meet Captain Brander Lawson, a member of the local tactical defense force, who is being investigated by internal investigations for an incident that recently took place.
The scene then turns to a week prior, where we then see the events that took place. I really like the way Percy set up the seedy underside of the galaxy we all know so well. We’re so intimately familiar with the surface level of the Star Wars universe, but there’s of course a nasty underside that we’ve only glimpsed a few times over the course of the years. The way Percy has set up everything with this story it feels so distinctly like the Star Wars we know and love, but it’s so different from what we’ve seen before.
I also really liked the sense of foreboding and dread that’s hanging over the entire issue that Percy has written into the issue. Maul’s name is on the cover of course, and we know this a prelude to his animated series. So it’s no surprise that he’s going to be featured heavily in this mini-series, and it’s a great sense of dread while waiting for Maul to appear in the next page. It’s a masterful bit of storytelling that enhances the issue.
The Artwork
Madibek Musabekov & Luis Guerrero did an incredible job with the artwork in this issue that works so well alongside Benjamin Percy’s writing. There’s a sense of familiarity with the art style that Madibek uses, but it’s an art style that works so well for the story being told. Also the use of color Luis uses is fantastic because it adds to the foreboding and dread set in the story by Benjamin Percy. Every panel is dark, mysterious and filled with anticipation for what’s coming next. Also the end of the issue might be the most excited I’ve been reading an issue in a while, and Madibek and Luis both did an incredible job with that ending that truly has to be seen for yourself.
FINAL POINT: As far as first issues go, this one is a smash hit that has me even more excited for the rest of the series. Benjamin Percy pens a masterpiece of a story alongside spectacular artwork from Madibek Musabekov & Luis Guerrero! If you’re a prequels, Clone Wars or Star Wars fan, you do NOT want to pass up on!
Overall Grade: 9/10
Thank you for taking the time to check out my review. Be sure to reach out to me on Twitter, and let me know what you thought of the issue!
