Kanan – The Last Padawan #3

By Greg Weisman, Pepe Larraz &  David Curiel

Kanan: The Last Padawan has been a pretty reliable Star Wars book so far, as it’s underrated and should be receiving as much attention as the likes of the main Star Wars book and Darth Vader. It’s the perfect book for not only fans of Star Wars Rebels, but also those looking to learn more about the Clone Wars in the Disney-era of Star Wars. Following the adventures of Caleb Dume, the boy who will one day go on to be Kanan, and his attempts of heading back to the Jedi Temple have been thwarted as he received Obi-Wan Kenobi’s message about it being a trap almost too late. Now, surrounded by Imperial fighters, Caleb tries to escape, but with nowhere to turn to, it’s going to be harder than thought, especially when in this new dark underworld he can’t trust anyone.

The creative team of Greg Weisman, Pepe Larraz and David Curiel are on fire again. Greg Weisman brings the story to life in a fantastic way, adopting a fast paced approach that sees Caleb return to Kasmir, the Kalleran who he stole the ship from when he has nowhere else to turn. It doesn’t let up on the tension and consistently manages to keep the reader on the edge of their seat as you’re never quite sure what’s going to happen next. There’s a great cinematic feel to this book that really helps keep the tone distinctive, so it feels right at home in the prequel trilogy in terms of the level of action.

The artwork is amazing as Pepe Larraz continues to excel.  The double page spread at the beginning where Caleb’s ship is surrounded by Imperial fighters is excellent, and the space conflict that follows is handled very well, with the colours by David Curiel giving that extra layer of awesomeness and helping making sure that this book is perfect for anyone looking for a good space opera. It’s just so much fun.

However, despite this, not everything’s perfect with this issue. It sometimes feels like a bit of a filler, like some of the earlier episodes of Star Wars Rebels. Yes, it keeps us entertained, but it doesn’t really advance the plot in great leaps and the cliffhanger from the previous month’s was resolved far too easily. Hopefully Weisman can improve that next month, because of course there’s another cliffhanger at the end of this issue that should keep readers looking forward for more. It’s clear that character development is being made in this issue as Caleb is starting to make the transition into Kanan, even at this early age, cutting his hair and adopting new clothes. He’s still struggling as to what to do with his life now that the Jedi Temple is gone, and the book continues to explore his adventures as someone who’s leapt from the frying pan into the fire, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the months to come.