Star Wars #15 Emissaries to Malastare Part 3 (of 6) Writing: Tim Truman Pencilling: Tom Lyle Inking: Robert Jones Coloring: Dan Jackson Lettering: Michael Taylor Cover: Mark Schultz Released: 02/23/2000 Reviewed by: JF Boivin (04/18/2000) SUMMARY: The first session of a peace settlement between Lannik's prince and the Red Iaro terrorists takes place. Another assassination attempt against the Jedi delegates.

[final cover] [preview cover]

THE STORY

The plot thickens: what is the Gran Protectorate's interest in hosting the peace talks on their planet of Malastare? And why do they take place during the podrace? A good story teller always keeps in suspense.

But while the series was off to a good start, at this point the story is developping a little too slowly. Why waste two whole pages depicting some Gamorreans harassing our Jedi masters while they're waiting in the hallway?

After the session is adjourned, the Jedi are offered shuttle rides to back to their apartments. On the way, they are betrayed by the prince's military advisor Hutar Zash and three of his guys for reasons unclear to me. They open up their shirts revealing thermite bombs and shouting: "For the Red Iaro and Lannik's freedom!" But how can killing the Jedi ambassadors ensure Lannik's freedom leaves me very confused...

There is one scene on the fourth-to-last page where there is a too-sudden switch from Mace Windu's shuttle to Ki-Adi's and back again that had me re-read it several times to get it. But maybe it's just me.

We learn more about the Jedi masters' past history: Even Piell got his scar from a terrorist named Myk'chur Zug while protecting the lives of the current Lannik prince's parents, and those of the Corellian ambassadors present at the time who turned out to be Adi Gallia's parents.

The podrace as a background to the story seems like an overused plot device at this point. It was cool in the first part of the series, but it gets repetitive. A surprising number of racers survuved the Boonta Eve race on Tatooine; aside from Sebulba, we find here Aldar Beedo, Teemto Pagalies, Mawhonic, Wan Sandage and Elan Mak. New faces include Durundo the Pacithiip, Wasser Borer the Quarren and Dankko Verrimuch the Horrox Ryder-like alien.

I hope we'll start getting some answers soon in the next issue, otherwise this series might become stagnant.

THE ART

If you read my review for "Emissaries" parts 1&2, you should know that I'm not a big fan of Tom Lyle's work on this series. The characters look very weird, especially Mace Windu. Yaddle looks like a cross between E.T. and a Gremlin. The Gamorreans look more like bulldogs than pigs. And, again, what's with the big jowls on the Gran's faces??? Or maybe it's the inker's fault? Who knows? The podracers don't look too bad though.

Lyle's strong pods are the cityscapes and backgrounds. He also has great mastery of character movements and angles.

CONCLUSIONS

Hopefully, the series will get to the point soon.

Rating: 7 / 10 Recommended