Death in the Catacombs
Author: Mike W. Barr
Artist: UDON
Publisher: Star Wars Insider (#79)
Publication Date: November 2004
Reviewed by Andrew Liptak
Summary: Just days after the Battle of Geonosis, the Republic has occupied the planet and is in search of the weapons plants and technology that could potentially arm the Separatist army. Newly promoted Jedi Knight Jyl Somtay is in charge of finding the technology, along with the Clone Troopers on the ground. After nearly getting trapped in a booby trap, she is betrayed by the mission's science leader, Dr. Frayne, and her associate, Naj Pandoor. She escapes, along with Naj, who was also betrayed and tied up, and they go out in search of the doctor.
What Worked: This was an interesting story, with several interesting elements. First, it takes place directly after the battle of Geonosis, and we finally see what happens with the planet directly afterwards. The Republic occupies the entire planet, and is in the process of destroying the factories and weapons that have been created. The Republic also brought in some scientists to analyze the weapons as well, trying to figure out what was going on there.
Along with this story is more artwork than we've seen previously in most of the Insider stories, and it is interspersed throughout the story, which is a nice way to break it up a little bit, instead of getting a couple pages of just writing.
There are some interesting action scenes throughout the story, so this is a good story for those who like action. We see some more action with the Nexus, which are interesting to watch.
What Didn't Work: There's really nothing outstanding about this story. It's a fairly straightforward plot, with little that really adds to the Clone Wars, save for the Geonosis occupation. The two characters are interesting, but fairly standard for a story like this. A Jedi and a Rogue. The rogue hits on the Jedi as much as possible, but the Jedi really can't get rid of him, and then he turns on her. I was a little disappointed with this. The dialog is fairly flat, with some annoying lines although the rest of the writing does do some good descriptions for the story. In the end though, it basically turned into a man vs. Creature story, with a predictable ending.
Overall: A flat, yet somewhat interesting story in the Clone Wars.
Rating: 5/10
Related
Items:
Mike W. Barr Interview
Death in the Catacombs Review
Mission to Geonosis
"Death in the Catacombs" timeline entry
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