Star Wars #29 Review

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Yoda discovers the secret of the mountain on Vagadarr in Star Wars #29.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Star Wars #29.

Star Wars #29

 Writer: Jason Aaron | Artist: Salvador Larroca | Colorist: Edgar Delgado | Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles | Cover: Stuart Immonen | Assistant Editor: Heather Antos | Editor: Jordan D. White

The Mountain Awakes

After Yoda meditates in the Force for days, the strange mountain awakes in Star Wars #29. By nourishing the mountain with his own life force, he helped it recover and lava bubbled in the walls. Then the voice of the mountain spoke to Yoda. He learned its history.

Yoda had previously discovered that the mountain was sentient. In fact, the mountain was something else entirely. In the past, it was a sentient being. It belonged to a race that roamed that world. However, humans arrived and drove the rock beings of Vagadarr into hiding. They became mountains. In their greed for power, the humans butchered the bodies of these beings.

Having discovered the secret of the mountain, Yoda and the young boy, Garro, return to the surface. Garro then confesses to Yoda he was a coward. Because of his cowardice, the Rockhawkers, his own people, banished him to the heart of the mountain. Yoda attempts to comfort Garro by assuring him that his actions and tutelage will save lives. In Star Wars #29, Yoda and then Luke, much later, deal with the aftermath of the mountain’s revival.

A Moment of Weakness

Unfortunately, Garro chooses a different path than the one he and Yoda began. After emerging from the caves, the Rockhawkers find and confront Yoda and Garro. They demand Yoda tell them what was in the heart of the mountain. Nobody had ever returned before. Yoda refuses. However, Garro seeks redemption in the eyes of his people. Therefore, he blurts out the secret of the mountain and promises more if his peers agree to let Yoda go.

Blaming Garro is difficult. At most, he is a teenager. He seeks belonging with his people and his peer group. Garro’s dismissal of Yoda sounds like teenage angst. “Just…just shut up and leave,” he says to Yoda. Later, Garro regrets his actions. His solace with his people is short lived. Much like Luke does later, Garro acted rashly and his actions have unintended consequences.

The Mudwhackers

Shunned by Garro and the Rockhawkers, Yoda returns to the Mudwhackers. These are the children Yoda first encountered on Vagadarr. He counsels them to prepare for a war unlike anything they have ever seen. Both the Rockhawkers and Mudwhackers meditate on the Force. In fact, they compete in their meditations. While Yoda intended to arouse the mountain from its slumber, the warring nature of the children filled it with the dark side.

Confronting the Mountain

At long last, the mountain awakes from its hibernation. One might say with respect to the mountain that, “the Force awakens.” However, the Force awoke a monster. Against the wishes of the Mudwhackers, Yoda confronted the mountain alone. He attempted a peaceful consultation with the mountain, but his pleas fall on deaf ears.

The mountain is a tragic figure. Humans hunted his kind to near extinction. In order to escape persecution, the mountains retreated into the crust of their planet and became mountains. As if that wasn’t enough, the children that drove these mountain beings into hiding then ravaged their bodies in their lust for power. Now, the last of the mountains awakes. He is full of anger. Also, he desires revenge. In panels strikingly resembling Yoda’s advice to Anakin in The Phantom Menace, the diminutive Jedi master attempts to counsel the mountain to reject hate and revenge. His pleas fail because the mountain seems to be under the influence of the Rockhawkers. This issue then departs from the confrontation.

Luke Arrives at Vagadarr

In the previous issue, Luke abruptly stopped reading Obi-Wan’s journey. He convinced himself that his path to Jedihood was on Vagadarr. Of course, he acted rashly and he admits it. He didn’t finish the story. When he arrives at Vagadarr, he discovers the remains of a giant being. Presumably, this is the mountain creature Yoda confronted. How it died is unknown.

Another surprise awaits Luke, Garro is there. His presence is threatening. After refusing any aid from Luke, he states that Luke will help him finish the war. Garro’s growth in the force is evident. Spear heads made from Vagadarr’s mountain people’s flesh float about him. Garro covers himself with a cloak and hood that makes him look something like a Sith. With that, the issue concludes before the fight begins.

With this development, this story seems much more like something from the old expanded universe. The tone seems reminiscent of Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor, or perhaps an old Dark Horse comic. Those stories frequently featured Luke learning how to use Jedi powers in often bizarre circumstances. In addition, Luke’s conflict with Garro, which is teased on the last page, seems far more interesting than anything else in this story arc.

Conclusion

Up until this issue, this story line was muddled. It seemed as if too many stories competed for attention. First, Yoda freed the Force sensitive child from the Flesh Mongers. Then he travelled to Vagadarr and encountered the warring children. In addition, these children had no adults around and their Force empowered mountain crumbled. After investigating the mountain, clues emerged. However, Yoda’s story was interrupted by Obi-Wan’s encounter with Garro on Tatooine years later, and then there is Luke’s intrusions. Not to mention, this whole adventure started because R2-D2 set off in an X-Wing after C-3PO. That storyline disappeared issues ago.

This story is finally interesting. Luke and Yoda’s independent adventures finally intersect. In this intersection, the resolution of both stories awaits. This issue concludes with hints as to the resolutions of both stories. The mountain being lies inactive and pershaps dead on Vagadarr while Garro confronts Luke. The resolution, presumably in the next issue, seems intriguing. The last time real intrigue applied to this series was the conclusion of issue twenty-six. A larger moral lesson lies under the surface of this arc, and it is begging to be revealed in the next issue.

Favorite Panel of Star Wars #29

There are several interesting and artistically pleasing panels in this issue. For example, the mountain arising from slumber is one. Another example is Luke’s confrontation with Garro. However, my favorite panel of this issue features Yoda being Yoda as he wanders across Vagadarr back to the Mudwhackers. After Garro dismisses Yoda, he goes about his business. He wanders back to the Mudwhackers. He does it in stoic silence. This isn’t the most artistically challenging panel of the issue. However, this panel says so much. For one, Yoda has a long journey. Second, he rolls with the punches. Third, despite the disappointments, he knows he has a mission to complete. Therefore, he does what needs to be done. When one reads this panel, one sees the essence of Yoda. That is the favorite panel for Star Wars #29.