Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Star Wars Dark Times #6
Dark Horse Comics
Harrison, Ross & Wald

The start of a new arc in Dark Times brings back a familiar character from the Republic series. K’Kruhk, who kind of looks like a giant, upright, warthog was one of the main characters for the Republic series that followed the adventures of various Jedi during the times of the Clone Wars.

This issue picks up just a couple of days before Order 66. K’Kruhk finds himself in a firefight that badly damages his ship. So, he and his clone army stop off at a Jedi haven to make some repairs.

K’Kruhk mingles with some Jedi, but the bulk of this Jedi safe house is younglings. K’Kruhk even has a nice moment with his clone commander. They try to understand each other better in terms of who they are, their duty and what drives them to satisfaction. It’s an interesting exchange, but I still have the feeling that the clones are just drones and really don’t “feel”. I could be wrong about that but I just don’t buy that they could suddenly develop a sense of humor or just kick back and hang out for a couple of hours.

About mid way through the issue, Order 66 goes down. Chaos ensues and some Jedi escape and some do not. When did killing children become the “in” thing in comics? We saw it in Messiah Complex, GI Joe, a second time here in Dark Times and stealing babies in Green Lantern. Anyway, it’s more suggestive in this issue, but still it’s there.

K’Kruhk looks distraught in the end and it sets up another Jedi being lost, both homeless and with their faith, but this one is not alone.

The final five or six pages deals with Bomo, from the last arc, and his buddies on the ship that his Jedi friend (Dass) abandoned at the conclusion of the last arc. The Empire is in hot pursuit of these guys and one gets captured while the others barely escape. It’s a good little follow up from the previous arc and I have a feeling this arc and the K’Kruhk will at some point collide.

In all, this story is really good. It shows Order 66 in an unexplored area with a character who isn’t alone during the ambush. My only complaint is some run-down of the many characters we see in this issue. It can be a bit overwhelming.

The art work is fantastic. We get all the scenery I have come to expect in the Star Wars universe and we get details in aliens that make the story stand out against so many other science fiction stories.

A fan of K’Kruhk will be happy with this story. Those who like to tie parts of the movies to the comic will be pleased as well. It’s got some slow points, but for the most part a solid start for the new arc.

3.5 out of 5 geek goggles.


Star Wars: Dark Times #6--Parallels pt. 1

Dark Horse
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