Darth Maul is one of the most popular Star Wars characters ever. When he first appeared on the cover of Time Magazine back in 1999 in the run-up to Star Wars: Episode One: The Phantom Menace, fans were rabid for him, and he was a beloved part of a movie that not everyone loves. He “died” at the end, but would return in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and has since shown up a few more times in Star Wars: Rebels and Solo: A Star Wars Story, and several comic series. Fans have waited a few years for more of the broken Sith Lord in live action, and with Maul getting a Disney+ series, Marvel is putting out a prequel comic to lead into it.
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Darth Maul is one of Star Wars’ greatest villains, and Star Wars: Shadow of Maul #1 is the kind of awesomeness you can only get from the galaxy far, far away. Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Madibek Musabekov and colors by Luis Guerrero, this issue is short on the Dark Lord but long on awesome Star Wars action, with gorgeous art. It’s one of those books that will make you happy that Marvel publishes Star Wars comics.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
| Pros | Cons |
| A cool story that digs into the seedier side of the Star Wars Universe | Needed more Darth Maul |
| The art is fantastic and the best part of a great comic | |
| Percy knows how to tell a gritty, police story in the galaxy far, far away like he’s been doing it his whole life |
Star Wars: Shadow of Maul #1 Shows Why Percy Is One of Marvel’s Best Current Writers
Benjamin Percy has long been Marvel’s best-kept secret. He was tapped to write Wolverine (Vol. 7) after doing the comic adaptation of the Wolverine: The Long Night podcast, giving him an A-list book not long after he made his way to the House of Ideas. His time writing the ol’ Canucklehead and X-Force proved how great he was; neither book was rebooted with a new number one throughout the five years of the Krakoa Era, and he’s been writing Marvel’s grittier characters ever since. He broke his teeth on Maul in Star Wars: Darth Maul: Black, White, & Red #1, and this issue shows that not only can he write stars like Wolverine and Ghost Rider, but also does a fantastic job with the Star Wars Universe.
Darth Maul is a storied character, and if you pick up this issue hoping to see some old-school awesome Maul action, you’ll be disappointed. However, you will get some great Star Wars action. The issue kicks off with Captain Brander Lawson being questioned about his latest case. From there, Percy takes us into the crime-ridden planet Janix, following Lawson and his droid partner Two Boots as they investigate a smuggling ring. This issue is a very well-structured crime comic; Percy is a pro at these types of stories. There are several cool twists and turns, Lawson is a fun character, and the action in the book is pretty exciting. The ending is perfect, setting up the rest of the story expertly.
Madibek Musabekov’s Art Is the Best Part of an Awesome Comic
One of the best things about Marvel publishing Star Wars comics since the Disney purchase is that we’ve gotten to see some of the greatest artists in the medium tackling the property. In the early years, we got A-list artists on the books, but since then, the artists have been of lower stature (it doesn’t help that Marvel doesn’t really spring for the best creators anymore very often), and the art on the Star Wars books hasn’t been as great. However, that’s not the case in Star Wars: Shadow of Maul #1, because Madibek Musabekov starts killing it from page one and never stops.
Musabekov does a fantastic job at everything, honestly. The issue looks like a high-budget Star Wars show from Disney+, and its characters are fantastic. The art often has the same kind of look as Salvador Larocca’s work on Star Wars: Darth Vader (Vol. 1), but it doesn’t look as obviously lightbox-traced as Larocca’s did. The action is spectacular, he’s able to capture the tone of the script beautifully, the detail is nearly flawless, and his figure work is gorgeous. This guy has the goods, and it makes a great book even better.
Star Wars: Shadow of Maul #1 is Star Wars to its core. Percy builds us a cool character in Lawson, nails the kind of “hive of scum and villainy” that Star Wars fans love, and builds a page-turner of a story. Musabekov is outstanding; Percy works well with artists and Musabekov has the goods. I would have liked more Darth Maul in this issue, but this is the type of Star Wars story that fans will love.
Star Wars: Shadow of Maul #1 is on sale now.
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Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme -
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Image courtesy of Tor Books/Macmillan
