Star Wars: The Last Jedi #3 - Marvel Comics

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI No. 3, August 2018

Whether the majority of this motion picture adaption’s 19,337 readers were actually fans of Rian Johnson’s 2017 American epic space opera “The Last Jedi” or not, one thing they could probably all agree upon was how outwardly divisive the flick’s Canto Bight storyline was with the highest-grossing film of 2017’s audience, especially when Rose and Finn’s mission ultimately proves unsuccessful and arguably therefore “made that entire section of the movie redundant.” Fortunately for this twenty-page periodical’s narrative however, Gary Whitta seemingly steers clear of such hullabaloo by reducing the “secret mission from Poe Dameron to the casino planet” down to little more than half a dozen sides, and instead focuses far more upon Luke Skywalker’s frustrating refusal “to train the young hero Rey in the ways of the Force” and the Jakku scavenger’s strange ever-growing connection with his nephew, Kylo Ren.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that Phil Noto’s fantastically framed cover illustration featuring the former Stormtrooper, Tico and their nefarious double-dealing master code-breaker, isn’t necessarily misleading as to just what this mini-series’ third instalment is actually about, as there can be little doubt that most of this comic’s action stems from the English-born American screenwriter’s coverage of the Resistance members' exploration and subsequent flight from the desert planet’s coastal city. But in book-form at least, the fathiers conveniently-distracting stampede through the gambling destination’s grounds and surrounding streets is only given as much ‘screen time’ as Rey’s lightsaber practice; “Impetuous. Foolish. Her impatience is telling her that she’s ready. All too familiar. Any moment… now. I think it’s time for lesson two.”

Lamentably though, what this publication is missing is any real sense of emotional energy or animation, courtesy of some sub-standard interiors by artist Michael Walsh, whose tiny, multiple panelled pencilling at best simply provides an adequate depiction of the various characters' movements, whilst presumably providing letterer Travis Lanham with ample room within which to squeeze some incredibly word-heavy dialogue bubbles. In fact, whenever a dramatic drawing is desperately required, such as the Jedi Master’s franchise-changing confrontation with Ren inside the youth’s sleeping quarters, the OCAD University graduate’s sketches disappointingly bear more resemblance to a student’s sadly unrecognisable school book scribblings than a professional’s portrayal of an instantly recognisable actor.

Writer: Gary Whitta, Artist: Michael Walsh, and Colorist: Mike Spicer