Last week saw the release of the second issue of Marvel Comics’ adaptation of Lucasfilm’s 2022 Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi live-action Disney+ miniseries, and below are my thoughts on this installment.
Like the “Part II” episode of the Disney+ series this issue is adaption, Obi-Wan Kenobi #2 opens with the title character arriving on the planet Daiyu in search of young Princess Leia, who has been kidnapped by some pirates at the behest of Sith Inquisitor Reva, also known as the Third Sister. This quest puts Obi-Wan into contact with a man named Haja Estree, who is falsely claiming to be a Jedi Knight in hiding– though he is helping refugees escape the Empire. (albeit for money). Haja does manage to provide Obi-Wan with the location of Leia’s captors and he successfully frees her after being taken prisoner himself. Much of the remainder of this issue (and episode) consists of a chase through the streets of Daiyu, as the inquisitors enlist the help of bounty hunters to track down the two escapees. Then there are a couple big climactic moments involving Reva, the Grand Inquisitor, Haja, and Obi-Wan, who finally learns that Darth Vader– once known as Anakin Skywalker– survived their duel on the planet Mustafar ten years earlier.
I complained last month about artist Salvador Larocca’s illustrations simply being too similar to the live-action images we saw in the series, and that observation holds true here, though I was able to get past it a little bit easier this month and actually become engrossed in the story. I’d guess a lot of that credit goes to the original screenwriter, but Jody Houser has also done a good job of translating that story to the comic book page. I like the pacing and the colorwork here, and their combined energy made me feel as though I was actually watching the show. Otherwise, this continues to be pretty much just a literal, one-to-one adaptation that doesn’t have a tremendous amount (if anything) to add to what we’ve already seen. I suspect those picking it up– outside of reviewers like me– are simply happy to revisit this story in a different medium, and I don’t see anything wrong with that. But as the issues/episodes go on, I hope the creative team of Houser and Larocca become more willing to take chances and experiment with interpretation in the writing and art.
Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi #2 is available now wherever comic books are sold.