Clone Wars Adventures Volume 6 Cover: The Fillbach Brothers, Dan Jackson Editor: Jeremy Barlow Released: 08/23/2006 Reviewed by: JF Boivin (03/04/2007) SUMMARY: Four tales of bravery and tragedy, done in the style of the Clone Wars cartoon series from a couple of years ago.

"It Takes a Thief"
Story: The Fillbach Brothers
Art: The Fillbach Brothers
Coloring: Ronda Pattison
Lettering: Michael David Thomas

SUMMARY
After winning a bar brawl on Diado with Birok's gang, a local band of thugs affiliated with the Separatists, Jedi Master Saesee Tiin meets a local pickpocket girl named Na-Jia. They both escape Birok a second time, but get captured by snowdroids and brought to a cell inside the Separatist factory. When Na-Jia is taken to an interrogation, she brings back Saesee's lightsaber which she stole back from the base commander. They both escape, and Saesee continues on his real mission to steal the Separatists' new prototype starfighter and destroy the factor on the way out..

THE STORY
This story flows really well, with lots af action but a somewhat predictable ending. Na-Jia is a bit quick to befriend the reclusive Saesee Tiin, which might be due to her own isolation on this lonely cold planet. Birok and his gang are the usual dumb thugs who think they can take on a Jedi. Saesee shows no mercy in this story, perhaps even sometimes crossing the line as far as the Jedi Code is concerned: when Saesee is dragged behind Birok's swoop, he wraps the rope around one of the thugs' neck and the result made me cringe, even though it is only implied and completely off-screen; and when the Jedi lifts off with the prototype starfighter, he makes sure to shoot directly inside the control center where Birok and the Separatist commander are sitting, not to mention blowing up the entire factory with no apparent regard for innocent lives inside. But I guess the intended audience for this series probably won't notice.

THE ART
The Fillbachs' are now a mainstay of this series at this point, and anybody who has read the previous issues will be familiar with their style. The "snowdroid" concept is pretty cool, but I was puzzled by the Separatist commander's uniform which looks like a Republic offcer's and seemed a bit out of place.

"The Drop"
Story: Mike Kennedy
Art: Stewart McKenney
Coloring: Ronda Pattison
Lettering: Michael David Thomas

SUMMARY
H.O.P.E. (High Orbit Precision Entry) Squad divert to Yorn Skot in response to a distress signal from Jedi Treetower. The Jedi was on a mission to retrieve a shipment being smuggled to the Separatists, but when H.O.P.E. Squad descend in the atmosphere of the gas planet they find him unconscious and hanging precariously on an antenna underneath a floating platform. Three of the Clone Commandoes are shot down by Super Battle Droids on jetpacks, but the last surviving clone manages to defeat them and rescue the Ugnaught Jedi. He then discovers that the shipment Treetower came to retrieve is a group of Ugnaught slaves.

THE STORY
A very simplistic story of clone commando action. It doesn't have the drama or humanity of the previous clone stories, which were written by Ryan Kaufman. The only thing this story brings to the table is an Ugnaught Jedi, which I have never seen before. One major issue: the cloen commandos descending in the atmosphere using umbrellas is probably the most ridiculous thing I've seen in a Star Wars book since the Glove of Darth Vader books.

THE ART
McKenney illustrated last issue's "Heroes on Both Sides", and his style still blends in very well with the rest of the book. His style is very similar to the Fillbach brothers'; but since both artistic teams base their styles on the Clone Wars animated series, it is probably a result of the inspiration being the same.

"To the Vanishing Point"
Story: The Fillbach Brothers
Art: The Fillbach Brothers
Coloring: Ronda Pattison
Lettering: Michael David Thomas

SUMMARY
On Mygeeto, Master Ki-Adi-Mundi leads a group of Padawans and clones in an assault against Separatist battle droids. One of the orbiting Republic cruisers gets shot down and the falling debris would kill the soldiers on the battlefield, but one Padawan, Rivi-Anu, manages to hold the entire ship with the Force, giving Ki-Adi and the others enough time to get away. But Rivi-Anu doesn't have enough strenght to save herself, and she becomes one of many casualties of the war.

THE STORY
A quick glimpse at one of the many tragedies that happen during the Clone Wars. One more Jedi dies, but in a very impressive and heroic way. One minor detail: a caption at the beginning of the story indicates it takes place on Mygeeto, but at the end Commander Bacara says that they are being summoned to Mygeeto (which probably leads to the events in Revenge of the Sith.) But why would they have to be sent there if they already are on the planet?

THE ART
The Fillbachs' artwork graces half the sytories in this book. Ki-Adi is well represented, although in a different way than he was in the cartoon. Rivi-Anu is a red-haired human female; the other Padawans are a dark-skinned humanoid named Eon, a blue-skinned Twi'lek female, and a Luke Skywalker-looking blond human male.

"Means & Ends"
Story: Haden Blackman
Art: Rick Lacy
Coloring: Dan Jackson
Lettering: Michael David Thomas

SUMMARY
Masters Kit Fisto and Plo Koon are in an underwater prison on M'bardi to quell a prisoner riot. They manage to subdue most of the escapees, but find out that Durge was behind the riot. They manage to escape the deadly bounty hunter with help from an unlikely ally: a two-headed humanoid prisoner.

THE STORY
This story has a bit of point/counterpoint banter between Kit and Plo, and it's cool to see their different perspectives and methods on how to quell a riot of hardened criminals. And of course it's always nice to see Durge again. A good addition to the book and my favorite of the four stories.

THE ART
Lacy has a distinct style from the rest of the book. It's instantly recognizable as different, even though it's not as true to the cartoon show. It's a good thing for an artist to stand out, but for this type of project I think consistency in the artwork should be maintained throughout.

CONCLUSIONS

Four more short stories, very quick to read and probably will appeal to a younger readership. Not the best issue in the series so far.

Rating: 6.5 / 10