Star Wars Adventures: Weapon of a Jedi #1 - Comic Review

Star Wars Adventures: The Weapon of a Jedi is a reprint of 2017’s German four-part run Die Waffe eines Jedi which itself was an adaptation of Jason Fry’s 2015 junior novel by the same name. While the artwork may be the same (thanks to the talented Ruairí Coleman and colorist Chris O’Halloran), Fry has returned to his original material alongside Alec Worley to deliver an insightful tale of Luke Skywalker exploring his connection to the Force after the events of A New Hope.

The space action starts right away as Luke and Red Squadron hunt down TIE fighters in the lanes above the planet Giju. It’s during this mission that Luke can’t shake the feeling that the Force is trying to tell him something. He takes some time while traveling hyperspace to meditate on Ben Kenobi’s advice to empty his mind so the Force can fill it. His old Master’s advice pays off as Luke has a vision of his future self on a planet filled with the Force but also with darkness.

Aboard a filling station above Devaron, Luke’s latest orders directly from Mon Mothma have him partnered up with his old pals R2-D2 and C-3PO and for a young adventurer, it’s a pretty mundane task along the hyperlane Shipwright’s Trace. Tasked with a not so glamorous mission and aboard a brick of a ship Y-wing, Luke takes his orders like a true Lieutenant, but he can’t help but wonder why the Force seems to be calling him to the planet Devaron. En route to Shipwright’s Trace, Luke and his droid pals get into another skirmish with the Empire and upon their successful escape, Luke makes the very Han Solo decision to go rogue and decides to follow the Force and head back to Devaron. Now feeling like he’s on his true path, Skywalker takes steps to ensure he stays tuned to the Force and moving in the right direction, which he discovers leads to the ruins of a Jedi temple.

The remaining portion of Star Wars Adventures: The Weapon of a Jedi #1 feels like a western, and I’m not mad at that. Luke moseys into a new town and tries to wrangle up some locals to guide him on his journey. All of this nicely sets the stage for the second and final issue of the mini series.

As compared to other works in the Star Wars Adventures series, the artwork in The Weapon of a Jedi feels classic and straightforward, just stylized enough to not be distracting. Ruairí Coleman does a great job of conveying Luke’s emotions while keeping the pacing of the story moving steadily ahead. Equally impressive is his take on new aliens that populate the story; one Devaronian in particular, a female named Farnay, seems like a character Coleman surely had fun designing and drawing with her elfin ears and unique facial features.

Colorist Chris O’Halloran shines numerous times, especially in outer space and above the vibrant blues and greens of Devaron. There’s also some nice tonal shifts as Luke has Force visions, O’Halloran chooses to desaturate those panels, helping them feel otherworldly and mysterious.

As a standalone story, The Weapon of a Jedi is an entertaining look at a young Luke Skywalker finding his way. With the Force guiding him and his droid buds at his side, his mini adventure is off to an intriguing start.