Star Wars: Visions #1 Review!

Star Wars: Visions #1 recounts an early tale of The Ronin in a manga style with touches of Star Wars! There were nine episodes of the animated anthology, Star Wars: Visions (2021), and a popular story was “The Duel” was written by Takashi Okazaki. It introduced The Ronin and his droid, B5-56. The character also appeared in the novel, Ronin: A Visions Novel (2021) by Emma Mieko Candon. Okazaki is the writer and artist of the comic book. His cover has The Ronin walking with B5-56 in a black and white world except a red lightsaber that divides a looming face of a man in a Kabuki-style mask. The title page explains that The Ronin, “slaying Sith”, first encounters his astro droid companion. Two droids walk a desert with the sun overhead. 

There is a R5 astomech with a cyclops eye next to a humanoid-like droid with a cane. The astromech has a chest-like armor and bands of cloth. The other droid is a CZ-secretary droid, the same that was in the Jawa sandcrawler with a pointed nose, bulging “eyes”, and strips of shoulder armor. He also has a wild, straw on his head. This is a nice reflection of C-3PO and R2-D2 walking Tatooine. Two warriors face each other, one in robes with a monk-like hat, Okinaa. The Ronin stands with his cane. They are both on a flat plateau. He is about to draw his lightsaber, but the monk says it is a holy place. B5-56 heads down a rocky path and Okinaa says that the droid will be the witness of the duel. 

They plunge over a cliff, slices of panels show them leaping down on platforms. The Ronin ignites his Sith lightsaber blade, but the other man says it is not time for him to draw his blade. Okinaa has reached the rocky floor. The Ronin brings down his lightsaber. His rival takes out his lightsaber to block. The story and artwork look like samurai manga with things of the Star Wars world. Okinaa sends The Ronin back with the Force. B5-56 rolls down a path as the monk brings his lightsaber in a blur of swings. The Ronin hurtles back and crashes into a beach! Okinaa stands on a tree above him. It shifts to “Then” when the monk fishes off a rock. He finds B5-56 wrapped in straw, pulls it from the water, and then drags it along a beach strewn with ships. 

There are scavengers at the beach including an Ewok. The group cheers with drinks along with the droid. Similar to The Ronin, B5-56 is called boy, and the others like his honesty. The monk and droid go fishing and spend time with the others. There is a vision of The Ronin and B5-56 seen by the Sullustan. The former battlefield is empty which is said that Okinaa has been there with the droid for ten years alone. They walk up to an offering table filled with pieces including flowers and beads, tributes to the others, and they pray. Okinaa says to B5-56 that he won’t live long with the pollution and wants the droid to give him a “send-off” like the others, B5-56 beeps to Okinaa to give him a new leg before he dies. 

Okinaa tells the droid that he had a dream that he saw B5-56 with a young ronin and he had a new leg! This shifts back to “Now” with Okinaa leaping down with his red lightsaber as The Ronin brings up his lightsaber. He brings it down to send up steam. The fight continues in the mist. The two pass each other slicing with their lightsabers. A samurai move. Okinaa congradulates The Ronin says that Sith die by lightsaber before he falls! The Ronin drags Okinaa’s body back, B5-56 tries to wave his grasper arm, but Okinaa is gone. At night, a firre is made at the edge of a cliff, this is similar to Luke burning Darth Vader’s body and Qui-Gonn’s funeral pyre with the Jedi. The Ronin prays as B5-56 watches. 

It moves to”Then” as B5-56 says he doesn’t understand dreams to Okinaa’s laugh. They ae found by The Ronin in a cone hat covering his face. He says Master Okinaa is “one of the four sword saints.”  Miyamoto Musashi was given the title of Kensei, sword saint. The Ronin wants to duel, but Okinaa says on of them will die. He reveals his face and Okinaa sees that it is the man who was traveling with the droid. This is an interesting shifting back and forth to tell the story of The Ronin and his droid. B5-56 wears the straw hat of Okinaa as a tribute to his friend. Okazaki fills in the world of The Ronin and we hints at his quest to defeat Sith masters. Star Wars: Visions #1 has the first meeting of two companions, The Ronin, Sith hunter, and his droid companion like a samurai epic!

Five Lightsabers out of Five! 

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