Published: May 14, 2025
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Written by: Marc Guggenheim
Artist: Madibek Musabekov
Colour Artist: Luis Guerrero
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Artist: Rahzzah
The synopsis;
QUI-GON JINN AND OBI-WAN KENOBI BATTLE GIANT MONSTERS!
• ALL SPLASH PAGES! ALL ACTION!
• The most unusual Jedi Knights tale ever told!
• QUI-GON and OBI-WAN defy death in an epic attempt to save the life of SENATOR
• BAIL ORGANA on a planet full of skyscraper-sized monsters!
The review;
Last issue really laid out how writer – Marc Guggenheim – was going to present this series. One off stories with an overarching plot that may or may not appear each issue. As a child of the nineties, this format I adore. It’s what series like Star Trek (in its many forms), The X-Files and a whole host of others did to keep us tuning in each week. Just like those series, I love that I don’t know if we’re going to get a one-shot story or something to add to the tantalising story that involves Qui-Gon Jinn. Looking at this week’s cover, and all the variants, this seems like it will be a Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan comic. I would assume this would add to the grander story that Guggenheim is setting up. I have a sneaky feeling that actually, it has nothing to do with it and will again be a one-shot! We will have to see! Joining Guggenheim is artist Madibek Musabekov, who has done a tremendous job of bringing this new series to life. Let’s see what this duo has in store for us with the third instalment of Jedi Knights.
Let’s begin with the obvious. This is a one-shot that stands on its own and doesn’t add to the overall mystery that Guggenheim has started to set up. Not that I mind. The premise of this issue is that Bail Organa has crashed and needs rescuing. Bail at this point is a junior senator. Not only do I like that we get to see Bail and a rather familiar ship, but I imagine this is one of the first encounters between Bail and Obi-Wan. I also like that the story is narrated by Obi-Wan, recounting what has occurred on this out of the way planet, one… WG4587 (as I scramble to make sure that that is the correct designation!). All these things I really like about the story. There’s not much more to talk about in terms of the writing. The story is a fairly straightforward one.
So, what is there to talk about? A simple story with very little dialogue and not too much depth to the story. Yet, for me, I adored this issue. I have always been a huge fan of Madibek Musabekov’s work. I feel through his numerous works on Star Wars, I have watched his skill getting better and better and better over the years. When we open to the first page, I was in awe. The opening is a full page spread of the planet. The advantage of a planet that hasn’t been identified as of yet, means that Musabekov has full reign over what he presents to the reader. While that sort of openness might prove almost paralysing to some, for Musabekov he decides to give us something completely jaw dropping. The landscape, the definition, the lines, it all looks incredible. To then turn the page and find another full page spread with this incredible work was almost too much!
Then it happened again… and again… and again. I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. Every single page was a full page spread. In fact, the entire issue is one massive montage of Musabekov’s full page spreads. The fact that apart from the Jedi, Bail and the ships, Musabekov has had a free hand in designing this planet and creatures makes it even more perfect. He has held nothing back. I can’t remember reading a comic that allows the artist so much freedom, the space to go fully into it and a story simple enough to allow the art to take centre stage. It says something that Musabekov not only rises to the challenge but knocks the whole thing out of the park. I also think it says a lot about Guggenheim to put his trust in Musabekov to carry this story as much as he does. Clearly there is a great deal of trust between the two and it pays off.
The design of the planet and the creatures (the kaijura) look amazing. You can tell that Musabekov has enjoyed doing this, possibly as much as I have enjoyed gazing at the panels. That said, when the characters are placed within these scenes then something magical happens. Qui-Gon jumping into action looks sublime, the ship and creatures battling out look terrific. This is a comic to slow down and just admire the craft and care that has been put into each page. With so many pages dedicated to the planet itself, the panel – well page – that really struck home doesn’t actually have the planet in it. When Qui-Gon uses the force, the page feels like it’s slapping you in the face with its sheer brilliance. The likeness to the characters, the way the force is represented. It catches you off guard in all the right ways.
Every issue of this series has surprised me, this one more than any other. This is a comic that I would use to show what a Star Wars comic is all about. It might not have a lot of words, but it tells a simple yet engaging story that is so beautiful in its illustration that I think readers are going to keep coming back to it. The faith and freedom that Guggenheim puts into Musabekov is very well founded, the artist gives it his absolute all. I can’t believe we have been given an issue like this; it almost feels like a gift from Guggenheim and Musabekov. All I can think to say is thank you very much you two, this is an artistic treat that anyone can enjoy!
Availability;
Star Wars: Jedi Knights is an ongoing series published by Marvel Comics. This issue retails at $4.99 and is available online from Amazon (comiXology) and your local comic book store.
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