Poe Dameron #23 Review

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Poe thinks quick and borrows a ship to blow stuff up in Poe Dameron #23.

This article contains plot details for Poe Dameron #23.

Poe Dameron #23

Writer: Charles Soule | Artist: Angel Unzueta | Colorist: Arif Prianto | Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna | Cover Artist: Phil Noto | Assistant Editor: Heather Antos | Editor: Jordan D. White

Agent Terex and Commander Malarus made their surprise move and sabotaged General Organa’s rescue mission in Poe Dameron #22. Adding insult to injury, Malarus stole Poe’s X-wing. Fortunately, Poe discovered the theft just in time to prevent the First Order Commander from ambushing the rest of Black Squadron. Thinking quickly, Leia purchases a classic starfighter from Baron Maccon. Although antiquated, the fighter proves capable enough in Poe’s hand and he thwarts Malarus’s attack. However, Terex fights off his implant long enough to escape with Lor San Tekka and begin a negotiation for his freedom from the First Order.

Agent Terex’s Gambit

The payoff for Malarus’s abusive behavior reaches a climax in Poe Dameron #23. After one failure too many, the First Order outfitted Terex with a control implant. That implant prevented Terex from exercising his free will. However, Malarus lost her temper and took her anger out on Terex in Poe Dameron #16. Since then, Terex has carefully worked towards regaining his freedom. He takes his scheme to the next level in this issue.

Terex is truly desperate. To combat his implant, Terex repeatedly shocks himself in the head with a First Order riot baton. Each shock temporarily disables the implant while self-repair protocols engage. He uses his moments of clarity to extract Lor San Tekka from Leia’s shipping crates and contact Phasma with a proposal. In exchange for his freedom from the implant, he’ll turn over Phasma.

One must wonder if Lor San Tekka has a plan B. Obviously, the implants must not be easy to remove. Otherwise, anyone could do it. How does he insure that the First Order doesn’t take advantage of him and simply repair the implant instead of removing it? Also, what if they refuse his offer? How long can he survive shocking himself violently in the head without causing permanent damage? Terex is taking enormous risks here, and it highlights his desperation.

The Madness of Malarus

If Agent Terex is a calculating tactician taking extreme action out of desperation, then Commander Malarus falls somewhere on the opposite end of the “cunning” spectrum. Where Terex wields patience and subtlety, Malarus attacks with a blunt instrument. True, she was patient enough to sabotage Leia’s plans, but once she has Poe’s X-wing, she takes to the skies crying for vengeance complete with proclamations of her drug-enhanced physical superiority.

Terex isn’t the only contrast to Malarus in this issue. Poe Dameron also stands as her opposite. Even though he pilots an inferior Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighter, he outflies Malarus with careful application of skill. Granted, Poe did get an assist from BB-8, who recovered from a blaster shot to his dome from the previous issue. However, BB-8’s interference highlights another deficiency in Malarus: she fails to adequately plan ahead. Readers can’t help but wonder what fate the First Order has in store for Malarus after her numerous failures.

Concluding Thoughts for Poe Dameron #23

Poe Dameron #23 is not the end of the “Legend Found” story arc. It can’t be; Lor San Tekka is still in Terex’s clutches. This issue was the beginning of the payoff to the set up of the three previous parts of this story arc. Where previous issues were concerned with establishing the stakes and the set up for Leia’s Ocean 11 style heist, this issue concerned itself primarily with Poe and Black Squadron hopping into some starfighters and blowing things up. Not to mention, Soule throws in a nice homage to Top Gun with an inverted face-to-face between Poe and Malarus.

Black Squadron is a collection of pilots and personnel with diverse talents. However, they are primarily pilots. Poe Dameron #23 featured their skills as such. Although nearly every issue in this series has told an enjoyable tale, every now and then, a story focusing on the starfighter element of Star Wars is welcome. Charles Soule excels as a Star Wars storyteller.

The future of Poe Dameron is something of a mystery. This series is rapidly approaching the events of The Force Awakens. Given that The Last Jedi occurs almost immediately after, there isn’t a lot of room for new tales of Poe Dameron and Black Squadron until story limitations are lifted for that era that follows. Therefore, readers may be reading some of the final issues of the series. Regardless, Soule has written an incredible story for Star Wars fans.