“Episode I: The Phantom Menace Adventures” has a solid concept: Like the bonus chapters in Terry Brooks’ novelization, these five issues (“Anakin Skywalker,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” “Qui-Gon Jinn,” “Queen Amidala” and the Wizard No. ½ special) should give us bonus scenes from “Episode I” that flesh out the story and provide character insights. However, the execution falls utterly flat, making me wonder if the writers were given enough time and leeway to pen these stories.
If the writers were given the caveat that each yarn must take place precisely within the timeframe of “The Phantom Menace,” that would explain the shallow stories. The best is “Anakin,” because as we saw in Brooks’ novelization, there’s room for bonus scenes of the young slave in the time before the queen’s ship comes to Tatooine. In fact, Timothy Truman adapts or riffs on Brooks’ bonus scenes, as Anakin is given a hard time by his buddies Amee, Kitster and Wald; finds a cooling unit for fruit vendor Jira; accuses Sebulba of getting one of their fellow Podracers killed; shoots the breeze with an old spacer; is yelled at by Watto; sees the queen’s ship fly overhead; and daydreams about space right up till Watto calls him into the shop for his movie debut. With solid art by Steve Crespo, these feel like deleted scenes from “Episode I.”
Second-best is Ryder Windham’s “Qui-Gon,” which includes Brooks’ scene where Anakin fights Greedo and the Jedi master teaches his young charge to tolerate the a–h—s of the universe. This issue squeezes its plot into the time between the end of the Podrace and the group’s departure from Tatooine. Watto hires some hapless thugs to kill Qui-Gon so he won’t lose Anakin’s services.
The series is starting to feel like it’s delving into “Infinities” territory with the “Qui-Gon” assassination plot. However, that’s nothing compared to Mark Schultz’s “Amidala” comic. We’re supposed to believe that in the time between Anakin’s Pod arriving at the arena hangar and the start of the race, Padme and Jar Jar have a wild side adventure. A bug steals a battery from Anakin’s pod and the duo from Naboo chases the creature to a secret water-filled quarry and finally retrieves and re-installs the battery just before the race begins.
Henry Gilroy’s “Obi-Wan” is completely pointless, as Obi-Wan recounts the events of the film to Yoda, who makes unnecessary side comments. Making matters worse, Gilroy – who went on to be a fine “Clone Wars” TV and comic writer — can’t get a handle on Yoda’s cadence.
The Wizard issue – which will seem to have missing pages if you read it out of the context of the other “Adventures” – features a few bonus pages that go with the four main issues. It also features sketches in the back, which is appropriate because the artwork is the only reason to seek out this comic.
While I have my likes and dislikes among Dark Horse’s “Star Wars” comics, “The Phantom Menace Adventures” is the only series where I felt ripped off. While the glossy covers and decent interior artwork make these into sharp collectibles, the stories themselves are near-worthless. I’m almost certain that the writers were handcuffed by Lucasfilm-mandated limitations or tight deadlines, as I would think these writers – if they had their druthers – would’ve explored Padme’s relationships with her family or handmaidens, or previous adventures for the film’s central Jedi (something that would be tackled in the “Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan” comics down the road). Or heck, some deep thoughts from Obi-Wan as he waits on the queen’s spaceship while Qui-Gon discovers the Chosen One.
As it stands, “Phantom Menace Adventures” is a rare Dark Horse rush job – an unfortunate triumph of marketing over quality storytelling.