After two completed arcs, a new storyline began in this week’s issue #7 of the excellent Star Wars: Yoda miniseries from Marvel Comics.
Yoda #7 was written by Marc Guggenheim (Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca), taking over for Cavan Scott and Jody Hauser, who penned the first two arcs, respectively. It once again begins during the Jedi Master’s exile on Dagobah, where Yoda is being haunted by a mysterious voice from his past. Then the comic cuts to the Clone Wars era of the larger Star Wars timeline.
On the Ring of Kafrene mining colony from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, we see an informant meet with a hooded figure and then spill information about a secret Separatist project called “Operation: Titan” in exchange for an enormous pile of credits. On the next page, we get a pretty fantastic reveal– the human-sized hooded person was actually Yoda riding an astromech droid. Then the diminutive Jedi returns to the Jedi Council on Coruscant with the valuable information he acquired. A plan is set into motion where Yoda will join Anakin Skywalker on a confiscated Munificent-class Separatist frigate, traveling to the planet of Euthenium, where Operation: Titan is being overseen. There, Yoda sneaks into a Separatist base’s ventilation system and covertly spies on General Grievous before retrieving the information he came for– the details about what Operation: Titan actually is. Of course, the Jedi Master is interrupted by Grievous and the two engage in a cutthroat pages-spanning lightsaber duel, though the cyborg Grievous is clearly at a disadvantage for not actually being able to wield the Force.
Yoda naturally escapes the battle unharmed and makes it back to Anakin and the ship, launching off planet with the knowledge that the Separatists are building “Megadroids” that are four times the size of of a human, which ties back into Yoda being reminded of the lesson that “size matters not” by the voice in his home on Dagobah. The Megadroid threat, as silly as it sounds– Anakin even sarcastically points out the name as being “subtle”– is this issue’s cliffhanger ending, and we’re left with the promise that these two Jedi will face this dangerous new foe in the next issue. I think Guggenheim, who proved himself as a qualified Star Wars comic writer in the Han Solo & Chewbacca miniseries, has done a really good job of picking up where Scott and Houser left off, thrusting Yoda into another challenging quest. I like the idea of seeing the Jedi Master partnered with Anakin Skywalker, a pairing we’ve never really seen very much of, even during The Clone Wars animated series where it most likely would have happened. And Grievous always makes for an intriguing villain, especially as rendered here by the talented artist Alessandro Miracolo (Star Wars: Obi-Wan) and colorist Annalisa Leoni (Star Wars: The High Republic). With just three issues left to go in this series, I’m quite curious to see what Yoda takes away from these adventures as he awaits the arrival of Luke Skywalker.
Star Wars: Yoda #7 is available now wherever comic books are sold.