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Jedi : Aaayla Secura

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Script: John Ostrander
Pencils: Jan Duursema
Inks: Dan Parsons
Coloring: Joe Wayne
Cover: Jan Duursema

Reviewed by Brian Gates

Summary: A Jedi team of Aayla Secura, Tholme, Kit Fisto, Dark Woman, and T'ra Saa have to find the base of the raiders who have been attacking Republic supply ships. Their investigation leads them to Devaron and a deadly show down between Aayla and bounty hunter/Jedi killer Aurra Sing errupts!

Likes: As we have come to expect from the team of Ostrander and Duursema, we have yet another EU gem among us. Just about everthing visually and storytelling-wise was superb.

The Story: This was another fine tale by Ostrander. Much like the previous two Jedi issues (Mace Windu and Shaak Ti), this story was on a more personal level where we were able to delve into the characters and not have to take in a lot of things at once. The flashbacks with Aayla and Quinlan Vos were written well and placed in ideal spots in the story. The subtlty displayed when writing the relationship (love affair?) between Kit Fisto and Aayla was a nice touch. Ostrander even tied a Star Wars Tales "Infinities" story, "Tides of Terror", into continuity - Aayla tells Kit in the book, "We fought side by side on Geonosis and Kamino."

The highlight of the story was the Aayla/Aurra fight. The dialogue between Aayla and Aurra really displayed the turmoil Aurra has with the Jedi. We knew Aurra was mad, but this drove the point home. The way Aayla turned Aurra's anger around on her in the end further developed Aayla's character into a great Jedi Knight. Too bad we have to see her and other Jedi die at some point - referring to the Great Jedi Purge. John just writes Aayla so well.

Also, the dialogue between Tholme and Dark Woman was, again, well written. John revealed personal struggles within the soul of An'ya "The Dark Woman" Kuro that fans have been wondering about for years. By-the-way, this might be old news, but the revealation of The Dark Woman's real name was pretty cool. And it was good to see T'ra Saa and Xiaan Amersu back in a story.

The Art: Jan Duursema is continuously showing why she is one of the elite comic book artists around. She gets so much detail into those panels and her drawings could almost tell the story without words. This is what a good comic book artist does and Jan always comes through. And Jan made a 60 or 70 something Dark Woman look like a pretty hot MILF. (See the next to last page in bacta tank).

Dan Parsons and Brad Anderson (or is it Joe Wayne?) create vivid colors and inks that make this issue one of the best Star Wars comics to date. As a matter of fact, the entire Jedi line has been terrific. It's sad that the series will end after only FOUR ISSUES! These will likely be the best 4 issues that Dark Horse has ever released.

Dislikes: Nothing much here. A great story combined with great art makes for a great comic. There were a few nit-picky things that I noticed (a grammatical error and a boo-boo with the cover art credits), but they didn't take away from the story at all. Also, while good, the story didn't seem to contribute much to the overall Clone Wars story arc. It did reveal some neat things and possibly set some future stories up so I won't complain too much.

Overall, a must have for any EU, Clone Wars, and/or Star Wars fan.

Rating: 9/10

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