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Republic #68: Armor

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Script: John Ostrander
Art: Jan Duursema

Reviewed by Andrew Liptak

Summary: A Separatist transport, loaded with toxins destined for Naboo is intercepted over the space above the planet Honoghr and crash lands on the planet, poisoning the grounds. In the wreckage, plans and documents relating to the crash were recovered by the local species, the Noghri. The Republic sent Aayla Secura and a contingent of Clone Troopers outfitted with the newest clone trooper armor to recover the plans. Along the way, they run into hostile aliens and Aayla's former master, Quinlan Vos, who has an agenda of his own.

What Worked: Okay, those of you who have read my reviews before know that I like the Clone Troopers. Well, in that regard, this issue kicked ass. Mainly from the point of view of a clone Commander, Bly, who also appeared in a previous Republic issue, Republic 65: Show of Force, we see the way that the Clones see the Jedi and the war. As the title suggests, Armor permeates this issue. The new Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Clone Armor makes its debut in this issue, but there are other references. Bly comments that the Force is Aayla's armor, and that Quinlan Vos is the chink in it. He also comments that if the armor is damage, after getting shot and loses his helmet, it's no longer good. Thus, metaphorically, there are several levels to this. It was awesome to see the Clones new Armor. It's pretty cool looking, and helps bridge the gap between the Original Trilogy and the Prequel Trilogy. Plus, there are some excellent moments between Quinlan and Aayla. Quinlan and Aayla finally get to work out what has happened to Quinlan. Quinlan, as veterans of the Republic series know, has been assigned to infiltrate Count Dooku's band of Dark Followers, gathering information. However, Quinlan fell to the dark side, and has really yet to realize this. He's following a very cool story arc, and a classic one, of a hero gone bad. For that, this issue is really revealing in the Quinlan Vos story. Plus, Quinlan and Aayla draw swords against each other, and we see that Quinlan is truly part of the dark side of the Force. Bly's backstory was also very interesting. He makes a couple very deep sounding comments along the way, like how Jango would have shot Quinlan, orders or not, and his insight to the events around him is very revealing about the Clone Commanders. Bly is certainly a character that I'd love to see again. Honoghr, as Timothy Zahn fans will remember, is where Darth Vader would later recruit Noghri for some of his top secret death squads, and also where parts of the books of the Thrawn Trilogy took place, and there, you can see what the toxin 1138 (A fun little reference they threw in) does to a planet. It was good to finally see this in the chronology, even if the dating was a little off. Artwise- It's Duursema, what can one expect but greatness? No joke- Jan's work just keeps on getting better, and I only run out of things to say about it. There was an incredibly amount of action in this issue, and the lines and angles and speed of each panel never ceases to amaze me. Plus that new Clone trooper Armor, awesome. Thus, Art, Story, pacing and everything else, make this an essential issue for Clone Wars comic fans and any fan in general.

What Didn't Work: Bly's cool helmet was shot up…

Overall, Get this issue.

Rating: 10/10

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