REVIEW: 'Jedi Knights #3' Is Classic 'Star Wars' Comic Fun
- Jessica Haight-Angelo
- 11 hours ago
- 3 min read
Disclaimer: The following review contains minor spoilers for Jedi Knights #3.
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The recent Jedi Knights comic series joins the current celebration of “10 years” since Marvel Comics’ reacquisition of Star Wars properties following a decade-long stint with Dark Horse Comics. Unsurprisingly, then, the initial issues, each containing singular adventures of (surprise) Jedi Knights prior to the chronological events of The Phantom Menace film (1999), have a classic, if simplistic feel to them. In fact, they are reminiscent thematically of Jude Watson’s young adult Jedi Apprentice and Jedi Quest book series, featuring the adventures of Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padawan Anakin Skywalker, respectively, which were likewise released shortly following the Star Wars Prequel movie zeitgeist.
The premiere adventure of Marc Guggenheim’s Jedi Knights comic series sees Chancellor Valorum (pre-TPM’s vote of no-confidence) dispatch several Jedi to quell the Vekura invasion of Syrinx Prime. In Jedi Knights #2, Master Yoda and disabled Jedi Knight, Vetna Mooncrest (in her debut) face off against Atha Prime (whose own comic debut coincides with the character’s timely action figure debut), the mysterious sole occupant of the remote moon, Veeros, where he conducts bioengineering experiments.
“Planet of Monsters”
In Jedi Knights #3, Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi’s report to the Jedi Council on a standard(?) rescue mission is the framing device for what transpires. That is, the Jedi duo’s transport is swiftly attacked by a Kaijura [‘kaiju’ is Japanese for ‘giant monster’], a striped, dinosaur-sized creature with a whale-like throat that is indigenous to the yet uncharted planet, where Junior Senator Bail Organa’s own decommissioned-but-not-yet-destroyed ship has beckoned them via “transponder signal.” Obi-Wan must admit that part of his report had to be transcribed from his Master Qui-Gon’s own recollections, as he spent portions of their shared mission unconscious after a “violent landing on the planet’s surface.”
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan eventually unite with Senator Organa, who informs them that his ship’s “repulsor lifts were damaged in the crash,” leaving their transport at “half power.” As a result, Obi-Wan notes, “the ship can fly … it just can’t take off.” Fortunately, the Force has the ability, when channeled through a proper conduit (like a Jedi), to bolster repulsor lift forces and their ilk, a la Master Yoda’s infamous ship lift in The Empire Strikes Back (1979) - hint, hint.
“After-Action Report”
What Jedi Knights #3 lacks in complexity - for instance, it remains unclear Senator Organa’s initial destination, pre-crash landing - it makes up for with Madibek Musabekov’s indulgent illustrations of lush vegetation and meticulous line art of the Jedi and Bail Organa, which flourish when combined with Luis Guerrero’s color palette. Though likely unintentional, the Kaijura’s bright blue stripes are reminiscent of the ritualistic war paint donned by a shirtless Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker in Genndy Tartakovsky’s 2003 animated TV series, Star Wars: Clone Wars, thus further entrenching the modern Jedi Knights comic run in much-needed nostalgia, just in time for summer.
On the other hand, Bail Organa’s blink-and-miss-it cameo could have been substituted for many characters. Disappointingly, the story fails to utilize the wealth of previous canon across the Star Wars franchise in which Obi-Wan and Bail work together towards intergalactic peace. Given Organa’s appearance (portrayed by Benjamin Bratt) in the recent Disney+ TV series, Andor, acknowledgement of the weight of their long friendship would have been a nice touch.
“Galactic Chase”
Overall, the Jedi Knights series promises to be a fun romp through space during a truly classic era of Star Wars lore. One wonders whether previous issues’ antagonists are somehow connected - does the double-bladed assassin who attacks Qui-Gon in Jedi Knights #1 work for the aforementioned Atma Prime, for instance? How far from planet WG4587 (home of the Kaijura) is the moon Veeros? Will Qui-Gon get targeted by bounty hunters or something worse in next month’s Jedi Knights #4? May the Force be with him!
Rating: ★★★☆☆
About Star Wars: Jedi Knights #3
Release Date: May 14, 2025
Written by: Marc Guggenheim
Art by: Madibek Musabekov
Cover by: R. Rahzzah
Page Count: 24
Synopsis: QUI-GON JINN AND OBI-WAN KENOBI BATTLE GIANT MONSTERS! ALL SPLASH PAGES! ALL ACTION! The most unusual Jedi Knights tale ever told! QUI-GON and OBI-WAN defy death in an epic attempt to save the life of SENATOR BAIL ORGANA on a planet full of skyscraper-sized monsters!