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Republic #50 : The Defense of Kamino

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Script: John Ostrander, Haden Blackman, Scott Allie
Pencils: Jan Duursema, Stephen Thompson, Tomas Giorello
Inks: Dan Parsons, Ray Kryssing
Coloring: Joe Wayne
Cover: Patrick Blaine, Batt
Publication Date: January 2003

Reviewed by Andrew Liptak

Summary: Written in three parts, "Brothers in Arms," "Jango's Legacy," and "No End in Sight." "Brothers in Arms" shows the Republic as it prepares for the attack on Kamino, calling Obi-Wan Kenobi and several other Jedi to help with it's defense while the clones at the facility are finishing their training. Obi-Wan wrestles with Anakin's mood swings and internal turmoil, while Anakin works out his own problems. The battle finally comes and the Jedi take to the sky. Anakin and Obi-Wan are shot down, and the story goes to "Jango's Legacy."

This was my favorite part, for we see the clone troopers in action as they defend their home, but we also see the ARC troopers for the first time. As the cloning facility is taken little-by-little by the Separatist army, the ARC troopers are taken out of stasis and put into action, where they defend the clone chambers with a trio of Jedi.

The last part shows the Separatists before their attack and how they attacked the Republic cloning facility. The battle goes bad for them, but the end has not arrived yet.

What worked: Three parts with three different writers and art teams. This worked exceptionally well and we get to read three extraordinary stories about the battle for Kamino. The first part began with the Jedi preparing for the attack, and we get to see Anakin and Obi-Wan sort out their problems, or rather Anakin's problems--something that should have been in the movie. Then the battle begins, and we see some pretty good Jedi starfighter action.

The second part is the best comic so far. The cloning facility is being invaded, and the ARC troopers are brought into battle. This part rocked. The art was outstanding and we got to see some of the best action scenes yet. The ARC troopers are very interesting soldiers and are so much cooler than the others. In addition to the ARCs, we get to see the Jedi go after the droids in some spectacular scenes.

The final part of the story was from the Separatist's point of view, which was a surprise, but a welcome one. We got to see how they worked and their motivation for the war. There is some interesting scenes and one gets the impression that the Separatists aren't having the best time of the war either. In each part, the art is outstanding, with great colors, scenes and angles. Everything is great in this regard.

It was extremely good to have Obi-Wan ask about Anakin's internal problems, to see the clones just before deployment and to see some of the action that made the Clone Wars known as a war.

What didn't work: Almost nothing, like the other issue in this collection. The main problem that I saw was how the cloning facilities were taken so easily, and that I would have liked to see more of the battle. Also, Obi-Wan and Anakin's fight with the flying fish seemed out of place.

Overall, an essential book for every STAR WARS fan, both for the story and art.

Rating: 10/10

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