The Art: I am really liking these colorful covers. This issue features a scene from the Yibikkoror team as they try to escape a floating platform. The style is growing on me, too. The artists even manage to make the reptilian faces of the Yinchorri bear recognizable expressions. Some of the color work here is inventive. I liked the use of shadow and light with the lightsabers, for instance. The arrangement of panels in this series is less varied than in some of the other Star Wars issues --it's very linear, except for the centerfold with the Yibikkoror floating platform -- but with a story this complicated that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Comments: This issue is worth the price just to see the Jedi kick butt against a horde of Yinchorri in two separate battles. "Enter our temple unbidden, you have," Yoda says at one point. "Leaving it will not be easy, you will find." Understatement of the year! You don't have to wait until Episode II to see why Yoda is a master ... he proves it here, even without a lightsaber in his hand. I loved the gentle humor among the Jedi. As their flaming cruiser hurtles down to the surface of Yibikkoror, Micah says, "Just fly this thing as if there's nobody at the controls!" A struggling Plo Koon replies, "No problem there ... I just hope we don't need the escape pods!" Plo's explanation to K'kruhk of why the two friends continue to bait and taunt one another is full of good humor: "The taunts are our way of reaffirming that trust by making light of the danger. Master Giiett would be more concerned, I believe, if I said nothing." To which Micah mutters, "Small chance of that happening." Micah is a cool character -- I really like his sense of humor and his two yellow lightsaber blades.

However, I think the story suffered from having to switch among so many viewpoints. We've got Maul & Sidious, the Jedi Temple, three planets, and the bad guys all vying for space in a 22-page book. As a reader, I found it hard to keep track of all the characters and planets. The writers did the best they could at giving us clues about the names of the various Jedi, but still, it took a lot of focus to get through this one.

Star Wars: Jedi Council - Acts of War #3 (of 4)

The Story: I like what Dark Horse has to say about this issue: "What began as Mace Windu and the Jedi Council's covert search for the secret government headquarters of the warlike Yinchorri has turned into a confrontation with the military might of an entire planet. The result is a full-scale battle pitting a vast army of heavily-armed alien warriors against but twelve lightsaber-wielding Jedi. Pity the poor Yinchorri!"

Ah, yes, lots of lightsaber fighting. It doesn't get any better than this. As this issue opens we get to find out what's going on with the third team. Mace, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Saesee Tiin are on Yinchorr, but they've been pinned down by patrols and their ship is destroyed. Meanwhile, Adi shows up to rescue the Yibikkoror team from a massive battle atop a balloon, and Yoda discusses with Yaddle the implications of the Yinchorri attack on the Temple. What did they have to gain? The answer: nothing, which means somebody else is pulling the strings. But why? Maul and Sidious make a brief appearance, clearly directing events both in the Yinchorri system and in the Senate. Adi and the others fly to Yinchorr, with their Devaronian prisoner along for the ride. The Jedi jump into the fray to rescue Mace's team, but soon find themselves in need of rescuing from a well-equipped and vicious army. It is a desperate battle against terrible odds. They seem to be doing well -- Plo takes out a tank single-handedly -- but then K'kruhk hits a cortosis shield and is vulnerable. Lilit steps in to save him and is cut down. This galvanizes the Jedi into action; as one they lift their hands and blast their opponents back with the Force so they can get to Lilit. They carry her to the ship, where we are left on the last page with Adi and Tsui gazing mournfully at another fallen Jedi, Tsui's padawan Theen.

The Art: I am puzzled by the cover. Okay, I get Saesee Tiin fighting the Yinchorri, but why is Depa Billaba on the cover? She's not even in this series except in the background. As for the inside, they seem to have a lot of trouble drawing Obi-Wan; everyone else looks fine. Again, the layout is pretty linear, but there are some nice visual moments. The Republic Cruiser arriving to save the day is one. A huge battle scene with dozens of Yinchorri and a handful of Jedi that looks like a page from "Where's Waldo?" is another.

Comments: Darth Sidious has a little holoprojector atop a table that looks remarkably like a piece of Trade Federation walking furniture to me. A subtle bit of "foreshadowing"? On the down side, there are a few things I just didn't "get" about this issue's events. One, if the Jedi could Force Push their opponents out of the way, why didn't they do this before? It makes no sense. If their objective was simply to rescue the team members, it seems to me a bit of Force Push would be all it took. (But then we wouldn't have this huge battle, now would we?) Two, it looks very much to me as if Lilit is cut in half by the Yinchorri scythe. Yet the Jedi are anxious to "get her to safety." That, and the fact that she didn't disappear, hint that she is still alive. Of course, Theen did not disappear, either. It's all quite confusing.

Star Wars: Jedi Council - Acts of War #4 (of 4)

The Story: The Jedi carrying Lilit reach their ship, only to find Theen also dead. (It's pretty clear now that Lilit is dead, although I still find their haste to get her to "safety" in the last issue a bit puzzling.) Tsui Choi goes to put in a call to Yoda for help and discovers the Devaronian prisoner talking to his cousin Villie. They are able to trace the transmission to a lifeless fourth planet -- just as Yaddle is coming to the same conclusion in her research on the Yinchorr system. The Jedi give the coordinates for the headquarters to Valorum. Meanwhile, Micah, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Plo Koon face a renewed battle with the Yinchorri as they play rear guard for the others' retreat. During the fight, Micah is mortally wounded. He convinces the others to leave him, and to delay their pursuers, he sacrifices himself, using his lightsaber to blow up a tank. What's interesting is that everyone seems to be able to feel his death ... the Jedi on Yinchorr, the Council, and even Sidious. The Jedi take their cruiser to the fourth planet, but it seems the Yinchorri are ready for them. Unarmed, they are about to be so much scrap metal when the Navy finally arrives. In a bold, yet totally incomprehensible move, the Jedi crash their ship into the Yinchorri installation, jump out, and capture the commanders. I'm not sure I quite understand the battle tactics, but hey, it worked. Back on Coruscant, the Council debate who will take Micah's place (we know it will end up being Ki-Adi-Mundi), and Sidious gloats over his "small victory."   

The Art: Wow, the cover really gives you a flavor of the terrific battle played out on Yinchorri. I liked the colors, as always. The brighter the better in my opinion. Inside, the layout breaks away from the linear approach for the final battle scene to awesome effect. I didn't really understand why the Navy ships were painted in diplomatic colors, though.  

Comments: This story shows us the corruption of the Senate, that Valorum should have to call in so many favors just to get them to act in this situation. And it gives us insight into the Machiavellian antics of Sidious, that he can use the Yinchorri situation to his advantage in so many ways, all without risk to himself. Very clever. I was troubled that the Jedi took so much trouble to get a dead body back to their ship, but they were willing to leave a living Jedi behind to sacrifice himself. It seemed to take very little effort for the rear guard to get back to the ship, and Micah didn't really seem all that badly hurt to start with, so it made no sense that they left him to die. Oh, well, I suppose one shouldn't look to comic books for perfectly consistent logic.

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(Toryn Farr knew everything about Star Wars back in 1977 thanks to Starlog Magazine. She's been trying to keep her know-it-all reputation ever since. During the 90 minutes per day her preschooler is napping, Toryn attempts to run an internet design business and write fantasy fiction.)