Product Description: The battle for the fate of the galaxy is on, and you've got a front seat! The Clone Wars have spread to every corner of the Star Wars universe, bringing with it more death-defying Jedi rescues, more terrifying monster attacks, and more planet-shaking confrontations between armies of droids and clones! Featuring four new all-ages adventures, this volume is jam-packed with only the most awesome heroes and most dastardly villains locked in a conflict of epic proportions! Amazing action, blazing lightsabers and thrill-a-minute plot twists, every Star Wars fan is sure to love this full-tilt collection of stories told in the same stripped-down stylization as Cartoon Network's micro-series!
good for reluctant readers ^ Not much content, but highly entertaining for kids who like star wars but don't want to read.
Entertaining but uneven ^ Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures is an ongoing series from Dark Horse comics that takes its inspiration from the extremely successful Clone Wars cartoon. This inspiration is visible in both the short, action-packed nature of the stories as well as in the art style itself. As I mentioned in my review of Clone Wars Adventures Volume Eight, the buzz is that with the debut of the upcoming Clone Wars 3D TV series scheduled for fall of 2008, Lucasfilm is asking licensees to suspend products based on the earlier show to avoid marketplace confusion. Whether this series will be impacted by this edict (assuming it's true!) remains to be seen. A tenth and presumably final volume has been announced for release in January 2008.
The art in this volume is solid all around. Long-time series contributors the Fillbach Brothers take over script and art duties for the entire book this time around. While their art does not necessarily push the envelope like a few of the prior artists, they provide a consistent look that aligns well with the cartoon.
Volume Nine contains four stories as follows:
"Appetite for Adventure" - Featuring no dialogue until the last page, this is the tale of Dexter Jettster's quest for a tasty dish to surprise Obi-Wan Kenobi on his next visit to the diner. It is very light-hearted and silly, and even though there's not much substance to it, I very much liked Dex in Attack of the Clones and was glad to see him make an appearance.
"Salvaged" - A clone pilot adrift in space is picked up by a merchant freighter. He's unaware of the recent events of Order 66, but will be forced to decide where he stands on it sooner than he realizes. There's a little humor here but it's a serious story as well. The pilot character is a good fit with the clones of the Republic Commando novels, who show more individuality and initiative than the films would indicate.
"Life Below" - This is the debut of Quinlan Vos, a Dark Horse-created Jedi and fan favorite, in Clone Wars Adventures. Quinlan is investigating a shady group named the Red Hand, suspecting them of involvement in recent political assassinations. He hopes to find out who is giving them orders, but his cover is blown and everything falls apart. At the end of the story, we find out who the master manipulator behind the Red Hand was and suffice it to say you will not be shocked.
"No Way Out" - The strangest story of the nine volumes written to date. I believe this is the first time zombies have been introduced in the Expanded Universe. Mace Windu is tracking down a lost clone trooper squad when he discovers a lost city in the desert. I didn't care for this story; it simply felt out of place in Star Wars.
Clone Wars Adventures Volume Nine is an entertaining if uneven entry in this fun series. The slight Dexter tale that kicks it off and the fairly bad Mace story that ends it are counter-weighted by the action-packed Quinlan Vos story and the very good vignette featuring the clone pilot and the hard decision he must make.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
