Obi-Wan & Anakin #2 Review

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Two Jedi continue to look for clues to a distress signal among a world-wide war.

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Obi-Wan and Anakin #2.

Obi-Wan & Anakin #2

Writer: Charles Soule | Artist/Cover: Marco Chechetto | Colors: Andres Mossa | Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna 

Imagine for a moment that you have been plunked down in the middle of a war. The combatants from both sides of the conflict surround you. While you can understand what these enemies are saying, you are not capable of understanding the root of their conflict. Each accuses the other of being in the wrong, but the cause remains a mystery. This is the situation in which Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker find themselves in the pages of Obi-Wan and Anakin #2.

Having been summoned to Carnelion IV by a mysterious distress signal, the master and padawan have arrived in time rescue a pair of women combatants from a crashing airship. These women, Mother Pran and Kolara of the “Open,” have no knowledge of the Jedi and demand to know their loyalty. Before this issue can be resolved, an airship of the “Closed” attacks. Obi-Wan disables the ship and rescues its pilot, Grecker. Grecker and the ladies of the Open waste no time in drawing all manner of weapons on each other only to be disarmed by Obi-Wan and Anakin’s force powers.

Content that matters are in hand, Obi-Wan calls Anakin to leave the enemies so they can pursue their mission. This course of action puzzles Anakin. Obi-Wan explains, the situation between the Open and Closed is a problem they cannot solve, and their energy is better spent elsewhere. The exchange between Anakin and Obi-Wan highlights one of the differences between Anakin and the Jedi Order. Anakin wants to solve all of the galaxy’s problems. As a former slave, he is sensitive to suffering and wrongs in the galaxy. Obi-Wan grew up in service to the Force and in the sacred halls of the Jedi Temple. He is more practical and concerned with completing the mission he has been assigned and solving the issues that have a solution.

Obi-Wan’s mind is changed in this instance though. Grecker, Mother Pran, and Kolara protest that with the destruction of their airships and weapons, the Jedi are leaving them to die. Without weapons, they cannot survive a trek across the Celadon Sea. If they stay on the mountain, they will freeze. Despite his eagerness to get on with his mission, Obi-Wan relents and agrees to see them to safety. Contrary to the beliefs of the Carnelions, Anakin manages to patch together an airship from the remains of the ships of the Open and Closed. To the Carnelions, this is an abomination, but dire circumstances require drastic solutions, and they agree to Anakin’s plan.

Scenes like this do much to contribute to the world building that Soule achieves in this story. Through short, but well placed, expository dialogue, Soule has painted a picture of life on Carnelion IV that is enhanced by Chechetto’s art. The world has suffered under a war that has lasted for generations. This war has decimated society and technological advancement. Each side blames the other, but it is apparent neither side truly understands what caused this war in the first place. The world that has emerged from this war is brutal and marked by technology that is of an earlier time (and influenced by steampunk).

As the quintet is preparing to put together their airship, they are attacked by a hive of what Grecker calls “corpse-leeches.” Obi-Wan encourages Anakin to use his force abilities to calm the creatures, which he describes as mindless and merely following their nature. Anakin’s efforts fail, and he ends up destroying the creatures in frustration. This is a skill that he appears to have learned by the time of Attack of the Clones, which he uses on the Reek in the arena on Geonosis.

Anakin’s failed efforts lead to a flashback. As on Carnelion IV, Anakin is having difficulty in using the force to influence a creature to calm its rage. Obi-Wan offers some sage advice: “Skill is the child of patience.” Anakin is willing to practice as long as it takes, but Obi-Wan ends the practice session to take him to an appointment with Chancellor Palpatine. This is the beginning of the story of how the Chancellor got his claws into Anakin. The pair don hooded cloaks and travel to the depths of Coruscant. Palpatine explains to Anakin that he likes to travel to the slums in order to try and do something good. He teaches Anakin that the sky is the rarest resources in the depths of Coruscant’s underworld. He also has a very interesting line for Anakin to support his reasoning for travelling to the underworld, “It is the darkness that most requires the light.” Most curious. Although Palaptine’s identity as a Sith Lord is unknown to Anakin and the Jedi, Palpatine is in fact Darth Sidious. As with all Sith Lords, they reach to the dark side of the Force to summon their power. So, why is he quoting the need for the light? Thus far, the reason is unknown, but it will bear watching this part of the story for more clues in later issues.

The plot line with Anakin’s failed attempt to soothe the corpse leeches is dropped for the time being. When the story on Carnelion IV resumes, Anakin has evidently patched together an airship from the remains of the wrecked ships. He, Obi-Wan and the Carnelions are on their way, presumably to safety across the Celadon sea. Obi-Wan and Anakin discover a bit of intrigue as they note that the Carnelions, despite their intense hatred for one another, agreed to help them the moment the Jedi revealed why they were there. So, it is possible the Carnelions know more about the distress signal than they are leading on. The issue ends with a shot of the airship from the ground from the vantage point of other menacing creatures.

This story continues to impress in multiple ways. First, Soule has written an intriguing action adventure. The Jedi get opportunities to use their abilities as war is waged around them. In addition, this story has been a great opportunity to demonstrate Jedi philosophy in such situations. While they may be defenders of peace, Obi-Wan also recognizes a lost cause when he sees one. There is no helping those that don’t want to be helped. Running concurrently with these themes is the intrigue behind the distress call and what the native Carnelions may or may not know about it. Add to that the backstory of Anakin and his doubts about the Jedi order coupled with his tutelage under Chancellor Palpatine, and a fantastic story is unfolding in the pages of this book.

Favorite Panel:

There is very little not to like about Chechetto’s artwork in this series. Everything from his characters to his fight scenes and airships shines. Obi-Wan looks particularly good in the pages of this book, an early one, he gets an opportunity to use his Jedi skills to stop Grecker’s airship. There is a great shot of Kenobi with his saber ignited that is perfect for this issues’s favorite panel.