Monday, July 22, 2024

Ahsoka #1 Review!

 August 2023 was the debut of Ahsoka spinning out of The Mandalorian season two episode, "Chapter 13: The Jedi" (2020); FC-TM2/5. Her character was introduced in The Clone Wars (2008) movie; GC-CWM. The Marvel Comic adaptation of Ahsoka has arrived with the first issue by Rodney Barnes and Steven Cummings. Barnes is the writer of The Mandalorian comic including Season Two #5 that adapted “The Jedi.” He also writes the Inquisitors comic. Cummings is one of the artists on The Mandalorian comic including Season Two #8. The regular cover by David Nakayama has Ahsoka wielding her lightsabers, a wary Sabine’s face to her side, Huyang is behind them, below is the smiling face of Hera, and the figures of Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati. It adapts the pilot, “Master and Apprentice” that was written by Dave Filoni. 

The rollup title, in red, is repeated on the title page of the comic bringing the audience up to speed. The New epublic replaced the Galactic Empie. The search for Grand Admiral Thrawn who would bring togther the Imperial emnants. Ahsoka Tano discovered a secret map with her capture of Morgan Elspeth who is taken to trial. We see the New epublic cruiser profile with the approach of a ship reported by the navigation droid. Captain Hayle asks for identification from the ship. We do get the shot of the Eta-class shuttle approaching the cruiser. The comms officre tells the captain that the signal is an old Jedi code. He says they want to see the prisoner. Captain Hayle says that he wants to see the “Jedi.” The shot is shown of the captain with his six security offices standing at attention with the landing of the shuttle. 


The duo are in robes and the bearded leader, Baylan Skoll, greets Captain Hayle. The show has them as mysteious, but the comic has them fully revealed. Baylan is stopped by the captain in the show, the comic has the dialogue, with Hayle telling him that he is no Jedi. We see his apprentice, Shin Hati, at his side in the series. He thinks they are former Imperial imposters. He calls for the Mon Calamari officer, Jakris, to have them identified. The swirling effect of Shin’s lightsaber almost looks like the lightwhip. She cuts down security officers and then deflects their blaster fire, this is not in the live action show. Their lightsabers have an orange look in the show, but look red here. Baylan holds the Hayle’s blaster, say they are not Jedi, and then runs him through with his lightsaber! Some of the likenesses are good. First Officer Jensen Corbyt gets the report as the bridge is in red alert.  



We get a medium panel of the appearance of Shin, a closeup would have shown her menace. Then a long panel of Jensen pew pewing as she blocks the blasterfire, but not her swing killing the first officer! We see the security officers struck by their reflected blaster bolts. There is a great, but small panel of Baylan swinging his lightsaber. I like in the episode where he casually blocks the blasterfire in closeup. Four panels show Baylan finishing them off, the effect could be compressed since the panels are small. He uses the Foce to open the prisoner cell door evealing Morgan in orange fatigues. They walk the hall, there were sparks falling in the show, and she tells about the Jedi who looks for the map, knows about Thrawn, Ahsoka Tano! We see Ahsoka among the ruins of Arcana, the planet was later identified, but this is not noted in the comic.


We have a large panel of Ahsoka with her two lightsabers standing in front of the circular disc.  I like the show’s reveal of Ahsoka pulling back her hood to reveal her face. She uses the Force to slice into the ground to drop down. An eerie sound is heard and Ahsoka goes to unlock a stone column. Left out is the witch holding the map globe which is a great clue that is a foreshadowing. Also, the sound only occured when Ahsoka touches the column and it is a quiet sound. Then, the show has the stone figure of the globe glowing. The clicking sound effects were more important in the show. Strange use of sound effects. It is not made clear in the comic that another column rises and that she takes the golden map globe from it. There was a great shot of Ahsoka regading the globe like Indiana Jones. Ahsoka tries to contact Huyang and then Force leaps up and sees a red, HK assassin droid with an electrostaff.  


Four other assassin droids surround Ahsoka, but she has faced droids before! She drops down and then three of the droids fall from lightsaber cut holes! Ahsoka finishes off the others and the severed head of a droid says a self-destruct has been activated as well as two droids climbing out of the holes! Ahsoka runs and is contacted by Huyang who is going to land the T-6 Jedi shuttle, this is compressed in the comic. This turns into a firestorm that envelops the ruins and Ahsoka has Huyang continue to fly and lower the shuttle’s ramp. In a splash page, the explosion fills the page as the shuttle flies away! We get a detailed large panel that details Ahsoka’s equipment and the cockpit as Huyang notes that he kept the ship away as per Jedi protocol. She points out that the Order doesn’t exist. Ahsoka shows him the map globe saying that it is where Morgan had told her. She says she got the information by not following Jedi protocol and in the show clonks Huyang’s shoulder, funny! 


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