Obi-Wan & Anakin #3 Review

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How Anakin became Disillusioned with the Republic…

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Obi-Wan & Anakin #3.

 

Obi-Wan & Anakin #3

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

Obi-Wan and Anakin continue their adventure to discover the source of a distress signal that brought them to the war torn world of Carnelion IV. After having been marooned at the beginning of their story, the two Jedi have managed to compel individuals from both sides, the “Open” and the “Closed,” of the conflict to work together to save themselves and help Obi-Wan and Anakin reach their destination, whatever it may be. Through three issues of the story, the distress signal is beginning to look more and more like a McGuffin. The real story appears to be Anakin’s role with the Jedi Order and how the Chancellor has begun to assert his influence over the young Padawan.

As their adventure across Carnelion IV continues, Anakin has found someone he can relate to in Kolara, the junior Open warrior to Mother Pran. Although the extent of the relationship between Kolara and Pran is unclear, it appears to be something similar to Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship of a master and apprentice. When the voyage is interrupted by a box tied to a kite, Grecker, of the Closed, brings it aboard. The box contains an ornate disc. Grecker and Mother Pran are not pleased. Grecker seems to place something in the box and then drop it to the surface, where a group of aliens are waiting for it.

Kolara has a disc as well, and she lets Anakin know that she is not supposed to have it because “they say [she] can’t.” This strikes a chord with Anakin. He is used to not being allowed to do things largely because he believes the Jedi just said so. This leads to a story shift back to an earlier time when Anakin accompanied Chancellor Palpatine to Club Kasaker in the underworld of Coruscant. The Chancellor is clearly setting up Anakin by stating his envy that Padawans at the Jedi Temple do not have to make troubling life choices. Of course, this is one of the very things Anakin is chaffing at with the Jedi. They take too much control of his life in his opinion. The Chancellor points out the corruption and other illegal activity that occurs in the Club. Anakin is appalled and asks why the Senate doesn’t do anything about it. The answer is that many senators are complicit in the affairs of the club.

Palpatine illustrates his point of the corruption in the Senate by pointing out one of the senators present in the Club. This particular senator has a lot of influence and the influence is for sale. In an almost off-handed fashion, Palpatine mentions he wishes that the Senator would start piling up large gambling debts. Such debts would make the senator desperate, and in desperation, the senator would start taking larger bribes that would be easier to track. That would allow the senator to be exposed. Much like the way the Chancellor and Mas Ameda manipulate Jar Jar Binks in to making a motion to pass the Emergency Powers Act in Attack of the Clones, the Chancellor carefully influences Anakin into using the Force to alter the result of a game of chance. The senator loses a large bet on a poor throw of the dice, and the implication is that Anakin caused this through the Force. The Chancellor continues to work his hooks into Anakin.

As the story returns to Carnelion IV, Grecker asks Obi-Wan questions about Anakin. Obi-Wan explains that Anakin is his Padawan, something between a student and an apprentice. When pressed by Grecker as to how Anakin became his apprentice, Obi-Wan explains he was honoring the wish of his dying master. This is the first thing he says. He also adds that Anakin is important, and that he needs guidance. Grecker points out that he doesn’t seem too happy about it. Obi-Wan makes a very candid admission: he is not sure he is up to the task of answering Anakin’s questions and providing the training Anakin needs. He notes that Anakin is impatient and is considering leaving the Jedi Order. He is attempting to guide Anakin and convince him to stay. When this scene is juxtaposed against the prior scene with Anakin and the Chancellor, it is really quite eerie. The Chancellor is finding a niche with Anakin that Obi-Wan cannot fill.

While Obi-Wan and Grecker discuss Anakin, Mother Pran and Kolara discover that Anakin is talented at fixing things. They ask him to repair what appears to be a droid brain. He is successful in no time at all. Mother Pran is pleased and anoints Anakin as the potential savior of the planet. Anakin agrees to repair more of the devices. However, in the shadows, Mother Pran consults with Kolara and tells her she should be prepared to do what comes next. Kolara is reluctant, and that “something that comes next” appear to be something sinister. The fact that the Pran and Kolara would betray Anakin is a clever move by Soule. By labelling them as the “Open,” he gave them a title with a positive attribute. Grecker is one of the closed, and if there was to be a betrayal, one might expect it would come from him.

Just as Mother Pran and Kolara’s plan is set, the airship is attacked by Fishers, which greatly alarms Grecker. Mother Pran instructs Kolara that this is the moment. She adopts a damsel in distress person and begs Anakin to protect her. As all aboard move to repel the Fishers, which are another bipedal alien looking race that bear a slight resemblance to Geonosians, Kolara steals Anakin’s lightsaber and throws it out a portal. Mother Pran then strikes Anakin with a wrench. The two Open women then place Anakin in a small glider and make their escape from the airship. Mother Pran then comes around to open fire on the airship as the issue comes to a conclusion.

It is apparent through the first three issues that there are two related stories happening. The first story is Obi-Wan and Anakin’s adventure to Carnelion IV. This story is full of intrigue. The two Jedi are unsure who activated the distress signal and why. They also find themselves in the middle of a war that they don’t understand and haven’t stopped to ask many questions to figure it out. Anakin demonstrates a fair amount of naiveté. He never stops to ask what the device is that Mother Pran asked him to repair or consider whether he should do it. As Obi-Wan points out, Anakin is impatient. He boldly acts when thoughtful consideration would be the better course. This story actually serves to further the second story.

As much as this issue is an Obi-Wan and Anakin adventure, it is also the story of how Chancellor Palpatine carefully laid a blanket of influence over Anakin. Soule’s writing for this aspect of the story is masterful. Chancellor Palpatine has carefully planted seeds of doubt about the Jedi. For instance, he praises the very thing Anakin rebels against with the Jedi Order: lack of choice. He throws a gigantic spotlight on the problem and magnifies it. He also preys upon Anakin’s sense of justice and fairness. The trips to the Underworld and the Club are another spotlight focused on the inability of the Jedi and the Republic to salve all wounds to the Republic. The Chancellor is becoming the mentor that understands Anakin and helps him see what he wants, which is a stark contrast to Obi-Wan, who is the mentor that is trying to teach Anakin what he needs to develop as a Jedi.

Favorite Panel:

One of the great things about the art in this series is the subtle world building it accomplishes. Take for instance the very first panel of the book. A giant, damaged statute of a man holding a spear or scepter comprises the background of the panel as the airship that Obi-Wan, Anakin, and the others sails bye. Nothing is said about this statute. Yet, without saying anything, the reader still gets a sense of the world. As has been apparent in the series, Carnelion IV is now a primitive planet after the citizens largely decimated each other. Their technology has de-evolved to the point that they are using air ships. Their culture is still in evidence in the form of the statues, but those statutes are not in decent condition. Checchetto’s art says a lot without having to rely on dialogue. The first panel is this issue’s favorite.