Star Wars: Jedi Knights #3

Star Wars: Jedi Knights #3 is a self-contained story showcasing Qui-Gon Jin’s Force abilities as told by Obi-Wan in a mission debriefing. The two Jedi are sent to rescue Bail Organa whose ship crashed on an uncharted planet that is home to some Kaiju-esque monsters named “Kaijura.” A nitpick here is fhe name of the creatures asit is really not that creative and doesn’t have the Star Wars feel to it.

That aside, the story is told in full page splashes which gives Madibek Musabekov and Luis Guerrero a chance to let loose and show what each of them can do. Musabekov’s work shows some nice detail be drawing huge monsters or drawing the planets forests and the small details of the leaves and flowers.

Storywise the is feels like the animated shorts (Tales of The Jedi, Tales Of The Empire, Tales of the Underworld) and doesn’t seem, at this time at least tangently fit into the larger story that that Guggenheim has established in the first two issues of an assassin targeting Qui-Gon.  It would have been better to continue to flesh out the Atha Prime/assassination thread or at least have an establishing scene as to why Obi-Wan’s report is important other than showing Qui-Gon’s Force abilities.

While one-off issues are sure to continue, as there is plenty of sandbox to play in before the events of The Phantom Menace, there should be some connection or thread that will entice readers to return for future issues. Guggenheim continues to show a firm grasp on the characters and thier voices which makes the story enjoyable even if the storu contained to a single issue.