Kanan #9 Review

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The circle is nearing completion.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Kanan #9.

Kanan #9

Writer: Greg Weisman | Artist: Pepe Larraz | Colors: David Curiel | Cover: Mark Brooks | Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna

Issue nine of Kanan continues two stories. The first is a “present day” story in which the crew of the Ghost defends Kanan while he recuperates in a bacta tank after having been stabbed in the back a few issues prior. The second is Kanan’s remembrances of his early missions with his master, Depa Billaba after he became her Padawan. At that time, Kanan was known by his old name: Caleb Dume. The bulk of the story of this issue is Kanan’s recollection of his first mission with his new master on a planet known as Kardoa. This is also a milestone for Depa as it is her first mission since she had been defeated by the Seperatists.

Depa has taken command of a new battalion of clone troopers. Most of the clones are brand new, or “shineys” as inexperienced clones were called in the Clone Wars television series. The only experienced troopers are Depa’s command staff. None of them blame Depa for the fate of their prior battalion, but they are concerned about the experience level of the current army. This includes Caleb Dume.

Little do Depa, Caleb, and their clones now, but they have been spied upon by a probe droid. Receiving transmissions from the probe is General Kleeve, a recurring character from this series. With Kleeve is a mysterious general, whose face we do not see in the panels of this issue. Speculation at this point would have it that this is General Grievous. The general is headed to Mygeeto, and there is no army left on Kardoa. So, Kleeve and the unidentified general leave it to a man named Colonel Coburn Sear to handle Depa and Caleb.

Meanwhile, Caleb and Depa set out to lead their new battalion on its first military operation. Caleb bonds with the fresh clones over their shared inexperience in battle. The squad they lead is ambushed and trapped, and with their coms jammed they are forced to fully engage the Separatist forces that have cornered them. During the fighting, Caleb gets separated from Depa. His recklessness gets the best of him, and eventually the battle droids land several shots on him. A new clone that Caleb had befriended comes to his rescue, and in so doing earns himself a name.

While Caleb and his clones fight off the ambush, Depa and her squad of clone force the retreat of Colonel Sear with his remaining forces. Sear heads to Mygeeto, where it is revealed that the mysterious general from earlier in the issue was in fact General Grievous. Although this was likely meant to be a big reveal, any reader who recalls prior issues of the series stood a chance of recalling that it was in fact General Grievous that defeated Depa Billaba in her last command, and that was directly referred to by Kleeve in this issue. Therefore, the surprise was limited at best.

As I have mentioned in prior reviews of issues of this series, one of my favorite things is how they have made a genuine character out of Depa Billaba. Depa had only ever received attention in the now Legends novel Shatterpoint. While many are a fan of that book, I do not count myself among them, and I particularly did not care for Depa’s portrayal in that novel. However, she really shines in the pages of Kanan. She is a complex Jedi. She has doubts. She seeks to overcome her anxiety about leading another army of clones after her previous command was so decimated. She is not afraid of adapting, and she does so by taking a Padawan in order to evolve as a leader. Weisman has handled her masterfully.

Reports are that this series will likely be concluded with issue twelve. If so, then this story will be told as one giant circle without a real beginning or end. The first issue told the story of how Caleb was orphaned from the Jedi Order when the clones executed Order 66 and killed Depa Billaba on the planet Kaller. From there, Caleb became something of a rogue, and he adopted the moniker of Kanan Jarrus. The story then proceeds into the present where Kanan is a member and leader of the crew of the Ghost. As he and his companions return to Kaller, a wonderful symmetry is developed whereby Kanan is injured and submerged in bacta, much like his master before him, where he too gets to relive his past life as Caleb. He is reliving those events that led to his mission with Depa on Kaller. Therefore, it is likely that this story will never really end because the conclusion of issue twelve will be the beginning of issue one.

Kanan is perhaps the most consistent Star Wars story being told by Marvel. Not every issue changes everything we know about Kanan/Caleb, but no issue feels wasted. There is action in the pages of each book, and we learn just a little more about Caleb, whether it is his history or development, with every issue. If the reports are true that Kanan will soon reach its conclusion, it is understandable why they would choose to do so. This story is running into the events of A New Dawn and the Rebels series itself. It risks overcrowding the timeline. Therefore, while it is understandable why they might conclude Kanan  from a story perspective, I hope they do not abandon the story of the crew of the Ghost altogether. Perhaps a series featuring Hera could replace it? One can hope.

Favorite Panel

One of the biggest disappointments of the conclusion of the Kanan series will be if there is no more Star Wars art by Pepe Larraz. His illustrations of Caleb and Depa are spectacular. So are his clones for that matter. I’ve chosen a shot of Caleb in battle as my favorite panel for this week. The look on Caleb’s face says it all. He is a new warrior in the midst of his first battle. He relishes in his success, and he believes he has everything under control, but he will soon learn otherwise.