“Always two there are. No more, no less. A master and an apprentice”.
Making a phenomenal debut in The Phantom Menace (1999), Darth Maul, played by Ray Park, quickly became a fan-favourite villain. Maul’s terrifying presence and chilling double-bladed red lightsaber instantly engaged children and adults worldwide, with a whole range of promotional toys, comics and stories being released. Twenty-five years on Maul continues to entertain fans with the release of his new comic ‘Darth Maul: Black, White and Red’. Following the success of similar titles such as ‘Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood’ and ‘Wolverine: Black, White & Blood’, this new 4-issue mini-series had its first issue released April 25th. Each following chapter will contain its own blockbuster story, all being written and drawn by a different creative line-up.
Issue 1, written by Benjamin Percy and Stefano Raffaele, follows Darth Maul, our deadly assassin, as he’s dispatched by Emperor Palpatine to capture a spooky prison ship holding an unknown cult. Maul himself is tasked with taking down the three leading members of said cult; and soon begins to realise that there are other dangers in the universe, besides the dark side of the force. With decisions being made that could change the very make-up of the galaxy, will Maul be able to overcome the demons onboard and prove his loyalty to Palpatine once more?
Stefano’s art really brings a new life to Maul and besides a couple of goofy looking panels where Maul poses dramatically for little reason, the black, white and red aesthetic really adds to the overall atmosphere of the story. Here we have a brilliant premise, with Maul slotting easily into an unnerving horror story – something the Star Wars universe rarely ever dives into. After all, Maul is the perfect prospect for such a unique adventure, himself looking like something from an 80’s slasher film, with his demonic, red and black skin, pointed horns and yellow eyes. Could this potentially be a new direction for the Star Wars universe to head in, under the guidance of Marvel comics? If so, I’m all for it!
We’re yet to see what later issues have in store for Maul – nevertheless Maul will certainly be up for facing whatever horrors await in the grim dark, leading to a Star Wars series that should, if not be scary, at least be mildly creepy. With that in mind, issue 1 is a dynamic, engaging first issue for a new series and opens the possibility of further stories in a similar vein being told in the future.
With just under a dozen variant covers for our debut issue, is this new series one you’ll be picking up?
