#clone wars friday

Happy (?) Clone Wars Friday! (Why do I say happy? It never is!)

The three Star Wars trilogies parallel in each other in interesting and not-so-interesting ways. One of the less obvious parallels is that a never-before-seen but beloved minor character dies at the beginning of each “dark middle chapter.” Padme’s decoy Corde dies at the beginning of Attack of the Clones; Luke’s gunner Dak dies at the beginning of Empire Strikes Back; and Rose’s sister Paige dies at the beginning of The Last Jedi. These deaths accomplish two things: they set a grim tone after the victorious finale of the previous film, and they establish a main character’s emotional investment in the war.

Both Dak and Paige die in battle, but Corde is assassinated just outside the Senate. Though The Clone Wars have not been declared, this act of aggression was certainly meant to provoke them. I would argue that Corde is technically the first casualty of The Clone Wars – the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Star Wars.

Little Golden Book: Attack of the Clones. July 28, 2015. Writer: Geof Smith. Illustrator: Ethan Beavers.

Happy (?) Clone Wars Friday!

So what didthe clones get up to when the Clone Wars ended? While the clones that the cartoons focus on, such as Rex and Hunter, turned into proto-Rebels, most clones apparently continued to serve the government’s military, even under its scary new name.

This comic’s propagandistic broadcast shows how the public was supposed to perceive of the new Empire. I wonder how different it felt to the ordinary person?

“Dark Times 6: Fire Carrier,” Issue 1. Dark Horse. February 6, 2013. Writer: Randy Stradley. Penciller: Gabriel Guzman. Colorist: Garry Henderson.

It’s Anakin Week and Clone Wars Friday!

I love this T.J. Eckleburg-Force-Vision thing for him. You onlysee this shit in comics.

“Republic 62: No Man’s Land.” Dark Horse. March 17, 2004. Writer: John Ostrander. Penciller: Tomás Giorello. Letterer: Michael David Thomas. Colorist: Brad Anderson.

Happy Clone Wars Friday!

One thing I like about this comic is it shows that Palpatine used the fact that Maul survived to make Obi-Wan look bad in front of Anakin. Of course, Palpatine was taken off guard himself, but no one has to know that. Three cheers for our brilliant future emperor, who can twist every variable to his favor!

“The Clone Wars: The Sith Hunters.” Dark Horse. August 15, 2012. Writers: Henry Gilroy and Steven Melching. Penciller: Vicenç Villagrasa. Inker: Vicante Ibañez.

Happy Clone Wars Friday!

They’re making a lot of shows about Mandos and clones nowadays and – sorry to be a snob, but – none of them are anywherenear as epic, interesting, or emotional as Hock Malsuum’s comic series is. As an artist and a thinker, it is definitely the most inspiring.

“Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows,” issue 1. Dark Horse. December 18, 2013. Writer: Tim Siedell. Penciller: Gabriel Guzman. Letterer: Michael Heisler. Colorist: Michael Atiyeh.