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July 24, 2008
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So I saw Canadian prog-masters Rush in concert the other night, and have since been listening to their extensive back catalog while catching up on my Star Wars comics. While they didn't play their seminal 1982 hit New World Man, its an appropriate descriptor for the saber-wielders in Dark Horse's Star Wars: Legacy, the twenty-sixth issue of which lands in your local comics retailer this week.
Part two of the The Hidden Temple duology, this episode finds the crew of the Mynock debating the ethics of an assassination attempt against the genocidal head of the Empire (the Sith Lord known as Darth Krayt) with the Jedi council, holed up in a secluded temple refuge at the ass-end of space.
Krayt's Hitler-esque tactics have earned the righteous indignation of the Jedi, as well as rogue Force user Cade Skywalker (though whether he espouses killing the Dark Lord on account of the suffering Mon Cal or for reasons of self-preservation is open to debate). The issue also expounds on the back story of Jariah Syn in a lengthy flashback that reveals the source of his seething hatred for the Jedi, and, while the reveal is hardly novel (or especially original), its a welcome development for a character who has been somewhat neglected for large portions of the series two-year run.
John Ostrander handles the scripting duties with his usual workmanlike poise. The plot is a bit on the dry side, excepting Syn's action-packed flashback (and wicked cool use of Vong thud bugs), and a brief duel between Cade and Shado Vao, and kudos are due for some crackling dialogue that prevents the entire proceeding from devolving into a political snooze-fest on par with the senate scenes in The Phantom Menace. Cade is as obnoxiously cool as ever, spouting gems like "...no one's motivations are pure..." with reckless abandon. Rarely has a drawn character given off so much energy, even when given relatively little to do.
Speaking of drawing, Jan Duursema is again tasked with bringing the artwork of Legacy to life, and she doesn't disappoint. From the nastiness of the aforementioned Vong weapons to the glorious full-bodied panels of smugglers and red-armored Imperial Knights lounging aboard the Mynock, the issue is the usual visual treat.
While Legacy #26 doesn't bring anything ground-breaking to the table, it does continue to prove that these New World Jedi aren't your daddy's Force users, and for that we should all be appreciative.
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