Kanan #10

Kanan #10 (of 12)

Writer: Greg Weisman
Artist: Pepe Larraz
Colorist: David Curiel
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Mark Brooks

Kanan #10 brings yet another Grievous tease as the elusive cyborg general evades combat once again. However, the issue still packs in some interesting things as it ties into the Star Wars Rebels television series. With only a couple more issues to go, the series is wrapping up fast with only a few more opportunities to wow readers. Whether Weisman can pull it off is yet to be seen, but this issue doesn’t do too bad.

The issue starts out on Kaller in present time with Kanan still stuck in a bacta tube while Imperial stormtroopers attack the other crew members of the Ghost. There’s a nice transition which slips things back into the pas as Caleb wakes up in a bacta tank with clonetrooper Stance standing guard. Caleb and his master Depa Billaba quickly find themselves on another mission, this time to Mygeeto. There’s some action and some camaraderie. Caleb even gets a glimpse of Order 66 though he doesn’t recognize it for what it is. Then the action throttles up as they are cut off, assaulted by endless waves of battle droids, attacked again when everything seems safe, and finally they’re confronted by Grievous.

The artwork continues with its usual style of anime and detail. The characters are very expressive. The action is easy enough to follow. There’s good panel arrangements, a nice mixture of character close-ups and action shots, and some good full page artwork. The colors are a little too dark throughout the story, but overall not too bad.

One of the big plusses for the issue is the nods to the Star Wars Rebels television show. First off Zeb mentions his gran, how she is only two meters tall, and how she could outfight these lousy stormtroopers. This is worth noting because the Star Wars Rebels season two trailer revealed a short Lasat, and given Zeb’s mention in the comic, this is mostly likely her. Later in the issue, Skull squadron, led by Mandalorian Fenn Rau, shows up to save the day. This is another tie-in to the show as Fenn Rau was in “The Protector of Concord Dawn.” Not only was his cameo a nod to the tv series, but it helps make more sense in the tv series as readers now have a better understanding of Kanan’s debt to Rau and why he was willing to go the extra mile for him. It’s unfortunate that the Kanan series couldn’t have had more tie-ins to the television show as it would have been a great opportunity.

Overall, Kanan #10 is a pretty good issue. It expands upon Kanan’s story, ties into the tv series, and packs an emotional punch. With Grievous as the hook for the next issue, it’ll be intersting to see how this series wraps up. We know Kanan won’t die, we know his master won’t die, and we know Grievous won’t die. Given all that, how will Weisman create the necessary story tension and intrigue to make these last two issues worthwhile? It’s a good question, and hopefully he can pull it off. For now, I give this issue a five out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.