Story: Obi-Wan leads a mission to assist Ohma-D’un, a Gungan colony moon orbiting Naboo. Upon their arrival, they discover the entire Gungan population dead, poisoned by a new Confederacy weapon. When Asajj Ventress and Durge turn that weapon on the Jedi, Obi-Wan and his fellow Jedi must fight their own bodies as well as their opponents, to prevent a horrific attack against Naboo and find an antidote for the deadly gas. Meanwhile, poor intelligence leads the Republic forces into a trap attacking the world of Brentaal IV. Shaak Ti must lead a small band of escaped prisoners, including old enemies and old allies, in a last ditch effort to turn the tide.
Review: The individual pieces in this compilation continue the generally strong record of Dark Horse’s Clone Wars comics. With two writers, three pencillers and at least two unconnected storylines, I’m not sure that the whole is equal to its parts, but that’s a risk that collected volumes always run. Blackman’s story of the swamp gas plague on Ohma-D’un is a good one – using Naboo sets up some obvious psychological conflicts for Anakin, and the use of biological weapons is somehow a little more viscerally horrific than, say, blowing up planets from afar. And there’s even something for the slightly more sadistic fan, who are sure to enjoy a two-page spread filled with lots and lots of dead Gungans. The third chapter of the story is a bit of a jarring shift from the first two – there’s a different artist, a sudden jump forward in time, and an awkward use of flashback – but it’s still a solid story.
Ostrander’s story is also good, connected fairly closely to the themes and characters he’s set up in his ongoing run. I’d have much preferred that Dark Horse find a way to collect more of the Ostrander/Duursema work into a more cohesive volume, which would undoubtedly make it easier for newer readers to pick up on some of the references.
Year: 2003
Writers: Haden Blackman, John Ostrander
Pencillers:Tomas Giorella, Brian Ching, Jan Duursema
Inkers:Curtis Arnold, Joe Weems, Dan Parsons
Colorist:Joe Wayne
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Pages: 112
