Republic #71: Dreadnaughts Of Rendili Part 3

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

Reviewed by Nathan “Valin Kenobi” O’Keefe

Summary: Wrapping up the Battle of Rendili, Anakin Skywalker shows off his superior flying skills. The Rendili mutineers are defeated. Quinlan Vos is recaptured and delivered the Jedi Temple for judgment by the Jedi Masters. Anakin fights Asajj Ventress.

What Worked: SPOILERS ahead.

The illustrations are spectacular. Striking. Fantastic. Insert your superlative of choice. And the cover is one of the best in recent memory.

As usual, Ostrander is adept at tying together various strands of EU from disparate sources. Like the previous issues, we see Anakin’s customized starfighter from the cartoon series, the V-19 Torrent clone starfighter (also from the cartoon), oldtimers Jan Dodonna and Adar Tallon, and also Tholme mentions the planet Euceron from Jedi Quest #3.

Also noteworthy is an appearance by the “Big Dog” of the Confederacy military, fan favorite General Grievous. He appears in just four panels (and is seen clearly in only two), so it’s little better than a cameo. Still, it was very cool and he was well drawn. One thing that intrigued me was Ventress’ claim that she doesn’t take orders from Grievous. Being a Dark Jedi who imagines herself a full Sith, she evidently feels she’s above him. It’ll be interesting to see how the pecking order works itself out, although you’d think that by this late in the war, they’d have resolved the chain of command.

I’m glad that Oppo Rancisis is getting a bigger role of late, after being mostly ignored since his introduction in TPM.

Stylistically, I also liked the way Quin’s “trial” was juxtaposed with the ferocious duel between Anakin and Ventress. And a couple bits of Asajj’s dialogue nicely paralleled Vader’s in the Episode IV duel with Obi-Wan.

Finally, near the end there was a nice scene with Palpatine and Anakin, wherein Palpatine draws Anakin ever closer into his orbit by layering on the flattery. He also mentions that the Senate has agreed to combine all local defense fleets with the Republic Navy. There’s even a mention of converting the Dreadnaughts into what will become the Mandalorian Dungeon Ships from Dark Empire.

What Didn't Work: I already mentioned that the visuals are glorious. Yet, when you look past the artwork, cameos, and the various hints and references to other sources, there’s not a lot there.

Asajj Ventress fights Anakin again, and she seems to have been killed but really isn’t. Quinlan Vos is delivered to the Jedi Temple and seems to repent so they let him back into the fold. But in a diabolical and highly annoying twist at the end, the reader is yet again left wondering where his real allegiance lies. Wrap up the Quin arc already! Seriously. This continual “Is he or ain’t he?” seesawing is really getting on my nerves. He should either be redeemed forthwith or fully embrace the dark side, likewise forthwith.

The same with Ventress and her “Wile E. Coyote”-type relationship to the Jedi. Her character started out quite well. But realistically, how many times can she duel Anakin and Obi-Wan before one of the three is killed for real? Just get it over with already. At least here I have the consolation of knowing she will almost certainly be dealt with, one way or another, in Obsession. If that subplot still isn’t wrapped up by the end of that miniseries ... well, that’ll be a rant for another review.

Overall, Though there were several good aspects, when you boil it down, nothing of great consequence actually happened. And I grow weary of Quin’s flip-flopping. So basically this issue is a mildly entertaining dud dressed up in a pretty outfit.

Rating: 5/10

Related Items:
Jan Duursema Interview Part 1
Jan Duursema Interview Part 2
Battle of Rendili (coming soon)
Showdown at Coruscant (coming soon)
Republic #71 Timeline Entry

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