Today saw the release of the third issue in Marvel Comics’ current Star Wars: Ewoks miniseries, and below are my brief recap and thoughts on this penultimate installment.
Ewoks #3 begins, naturally, on the Forest Moon of Endor, where young Wicket W. Warrick has been chosen as the unwilling guide to General Tern Koyatta’s band of mercenaries as they search for an Imperial cache. The group arrives at the Endless Lake, which Wicket warns them has become the home of the evil aquatic being Orcon (who first appeared in issue #7 of Marvel’s now-Legends-continuity 1985 Ewoks comic). But Koyatta insists on crossing anyway, forcing his underlings to build a crude boat from materials gathered in the forest. Back at Bright Tree Village, the remaining Ewoks debate over how to best help Wicket, coming to the conclusion that Asha (AKA the Red Ghost) and Meedro, both of whom are considered outsiders to the clan, should pursue the party on Bordok (another Endorian creature borrowed from Legends).
On the lake, the mercenary group squabbles over its hierarchy until they’re attacked by Devil Serpents (also from that 80s Ewoks comic) and the more battle-ready among them must spring into action. Eventually they make it to the other side, with Koll Orvenk nearly losing the head of his droid friend E-X77 in the process. On the opposite shore, Meedro and Asha debate on how they should cross, dropping some more Easter-Egg references to the old Ewoks cartoon. But Asha suddenly summons a Condor Dragon– of the same species as the skull that Meedro wears around his head– that helps them fly across the lake. While continuing their trek to the cache, 4-LOM notices that Wicket and E-X77 have begun to commiserate, separating them from talking with each other as scout trooper Khu Fornot complains to bounty hunter Zuckuss about Koyatta’s dubious ability to lead.
That’s when the company approaches the cave that supposedly houses the Imperial cache, though Koyatta remembers leaving it sealed… and something big has reopened it since then. Cue the roar coming from the cave’s gaping maw, and the reveal that this motley crew must go up against a giant Gorax (originally from 1984’s Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure) in the next issue. It’s a fun cliffhanger, but what I’m really loving about this miniseries is the care taken by writer Steve Orlando and artists Alvaro Lopez and Laura Braga to revive so many of these deep cuts from past Endor storytelling both visually and in a way that makes sense within the current Star Wars canon. It’s clear that this creative team cares a lot about the Ewoks and their legacy with A Galaxy Far, Far Away, and has put in every effort to ensure that fans who grew up on the older material are enjoying this book as much as newcomers who may not be as familiar with the fauna of the Forest Moon. With just one issue left to go next month, I’m very curious to see how Orlando and his collaborators are able to wrap things up for our furry friends while tying the story into Marvel’s other post-Return of the Jedi titles that are being released.
Star Wars: Ewoks #3 is available now wherever comic books are sold.