Star Wars Adventures (2020) #3 - Comic Review

Check out the review of the previous issue before moving on.

IDW’s Star Wars Adventures (2020) #3 Tales of Villainy introduces us to two vignettes set decades and light years apart, and the first one uses a familiar (and, to some, infamous) galactic holiday as its backdrop. Set on Kashyyyk, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi amble amongst the Wookiees celebrating Life Day. An aside: fans who look for pre-Phantom Menace content about this Master and Apprentice shouldn’t be disappointed. It’s comforting to see Qui-Gon imparting his wisdom to Obi-Wan, but also the Padawan showing his own growth.

Back to the plot, Qui-Gon reconnects with and introduces Obi-Wan to old friend Brennonn, a charming Wookiee with a penchant for intense hugging. A member of their family, Balfus, has gone missing and, as we know, Wookiees don’t miss Life Day with their families unless something foul is afoot. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, surrounded by the strong living Force on Kashyyyk, quickly get to the bottom of the disappearance, but discovering the sinister forces behind it lead to more problems.

Fast forward to the second part, with Savage Opress and his soldiers leading an assault on a heavily fortified citadel on Bahlah. Jjan, leader of the Morubas crime family, watches as every effort to penetrate his stronghold is repelled. He watches, with Maul in chains at his feet. The former Sith apprentice, whose effort to absorb the crime family into his own burgeoning syndicate, seems to be the victim of his own hubris, stunned by poison and subdued, but looks can be deceiving. Jjan monologues about how he outsmarted the Dathomirians and, generally, it never ends well for a monologuing villain. Will Jjan follow suit or will his defenses remain intact against the brothers’ grab for power?

Life Day, written by Michael Moreci, and The Hostage, written by Shanes McCarthy, both feature art by Megan Levens, colors by Charlie Kirchoff, and letters by Jake M. Wood. Both mini-stories tell vastly different tales but, for readers young and old alike, there is a lot of action and suspense jammed in. The action scenes on Kashyyyk were top-notch, and I particularly enjoyed reading the machinations of Maul, easily imagining Sam Witwer’s voice calmly itemizing his actions with a seething rage and a touch of insanity just below the surface. Those kinds of moments help make Star Wars Adventures (2020) #3 a quick, fun read, and one worthy of inclusion into your own collection.