Marvel Comics’ adaptation of Lucasfilm’s smash-hit live-action Disney+ series The Mandalorian continued last week with the release of season 2, issue #3. Below are my thoughts.
Fans of The Mandalorian on TV will remember the third episode of season two as the installment which featured the first live-action appearance of Bo-Katan Kryze, the character played by actress Katee Sackhoff across multiple media. And here in the comic-book adaptation, writer Rodney Barnes and artist Georges Jeanty do a great job of bringing Bo-Katan to life on the page. But first, the recap text at the top of Star Wars: The Mandalorian #3 incorrectly identifies Trask as a planet (it’s a moon) and sends Din Djarin with his young ward (this is still before we’ve learned Grogu’s name) on their way with Frog Lady. The art and dialogue perfectly recreate the scenes from the show of the Razor Crest coming to an unceremonious water landing on Trask, Frog Lady reuniting with her husband Frog Man, and then Djarin taking Grogu into a local dining establishment to hunt for food and information. Then we get the terrific scene aboard the Quarrens’ fishing vessel, which works well in both formats as Bo-Katan’s and her fellow Mandalorians show up to save the day when the tentacle-faced aliens turn out to be less than friendly.
There’s some familiar expository dialogue setting up the status of the actual planet Mandalore, and then we get another knock-down, drag-out action scene in the form of Mando, Bo-Katan and company capturing an Imperial transport carrying weapons to Moff Gideon’s remnant. With this issue it feels like Barnes and Jeanty have really figured out how to make the best use of the space afforded to them– pacing out the action and story beats quite well, and delivering some pretty memorable moments in the process. One splash-page in particular, with Djarin throwing his explosive pucks at a group of Imperial stormtroopers, really caught my eye. When the action comes across in sequential-art form just about as well as it did on the small screen, I know everything about this adaptation is really starting to click. And with more of the second season’s best episodes still left to be adapted, there’s plenty to look forward to over the next five issues.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian #3 is available now wherever comic books are sold.