Writers: Timothy Zahn & Jody Houser
Artists: Pat Olliffe & Andrea Di Vito
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Cover Artist: Rod Reis
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
Thrawn, a chiss warrior, a brilliant military leader, Grand Admiral of the Galactic Empire. He has been assigned to work with the infamous Darth Vader on a joint mission by Emperor Palpatine himself. Their mission: seek out the source of a great disturbance in the Force and eliminate it. Their mission has led them to the mysterious planet Batuu, where they discover trouble waiting for them. But this isn’t the first time that the two have team up together and gotten each other out of a tough scrap. Read Star Wars: Thrawn Alliances #2 to see Thrawn and Darth Vader face off against deadly enemies in both the past and the present.
Review:
Alright, the previous issue was more about setting things up as we saw Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader get assigned the task of tracking this mysterious disturbance in the Force. While that was going on, we got a feel for their dynamic with each other, see their methods of leadership clash a little, and the comic set up that this is not the first time the two teamed up. While there wasn’t too much action in the previous issue, this one makes up for that real quick. Fair warning, there will be some SPOILERS in this review.
Now, after arriving on the planet Batuu, Thrawn and Darth Vader end up getting mixed up into a deadly bar brawl by members of an aggressive alien species, who’ve surrounded them. Of course, we’re talking Thrawn and Vader, they’re more than a match for them, even if these aliens are largely new to them. However, while this deadly fight is going on in the present day, the comic parallels with the team up in the past where Thrawn and Anakin work together to find Padme who went missing and take down the perpetrators.
As I said earlier, this is very much an action comic. The main highlight of this comic is seeing Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader team up and fight it out against their foes in both the past and present. The artists Pat Olliffe and Andrea Di Vito do a great job in depicting the characters in both time periods, from their designs to their actions. And speaking of action, one thing this comic does well is showing the perspectives of both Vader and Thrawn and how they fight in the comic, highlighting their different skillsets and approaches to combat. What’s more, we get to some genuine teamwork between the two especially in the present where you’d least expect it.
Now, the main drawback for this issue, at least for me, is that the plot doesn’t progress all that much. Think of it like they’re in an investigation. The two have been caught up in a lethal bar fight, but by the end of it they don’t make that much headway until the tail end of the comic. Where we see Darth Vader experience a solid visualization of what it means to sense a “disturbance” in the Force and he notes that the source was close but now it’s gone. That’s the only real drip of progress they make in their mission. However, even then the story continues to keep things interesting when Thrawn starts making connections and while he doesn’t give the answer away just yet, it’s enough to keep you invested and want to learn more about what’s really going on.
Final Thoughts:
Star Wars: Thrawn Alliances #2 has Thrawn and Darth Vader caught in a deadly brawl against unknown enemies in the past and present. Where the first issue was more plot-oriented, this one is more action-oriented with both storylines. The comic continues to do a good job of highlighting the dynamics between Thrawn and Vader in their personalities, how they plan, and the ways they fight separately and together. While not much progress was made in their primary mission, Thrawn and Vader still make some progress as they find the next clues to hunting down their target.