Marvel announced their latest Star Wars mini-series, Darth Maul, earlier this week. On the surface, there's nothing particularly remarkable about the announcement. It's the latest in a long line of short, self-contained comics that focus on fan-favorite characters from the movies. But Darth Maul actually marks a significant change in Marvel's approach to the Star Wars franchise. Ideally, this new series will spark a larger effort to explore and flesh out the Star Wars timeline outside of the movies.
Darth Maul #1 cover by Rod Reis. (Marvel Comics)
Whether you prefer the old Expanded Universe or the new, Disney-approved Star Wars universe, there's no denying that the former covered much, much more territory. The old EU stories were set anywhere from thousands of years before The Phantom Menace (Knights of the Old Republic) to a century after the time of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo (Star Wars: Legacy). Those stories chronicled the eternal war between the Jedi and the Sith. They showcased the descendants of Han, Luke and Leia leaving their own mark on the galaxy. They introduced a whole host of heroes, villains, bounty hunters and droids for fans to latch onto.
Now that material has been swept off the table and into the out-of-continuity "Legends" banner. The new Star Wars universe has, to date, remained confined to a pretty specific period of time. There are no in-continuity stories focused on events before The Phantom Menace or the aftermath of The Force Awakens. The current timeline can be measured in decades rather than millennia. Moreover, most of the current novels and comics are set in an even more narrow period, either slightly before or slightly after the events of A New Hope. And while we've seen various nods and references to EU characters like the Republic Commandos, Darth Bane and Grand Admiral Thrawn, the majority of that old history is simply MIA.
This new Darth Maul comic is unique because it's actually the first pre-Phantom Menace story to be commissioned since Disney rebooted the Star Wars universe. The comic promises to explore Maul's rise to power, his relationship with Darth Sidious and how all of that ties into the revamped approach to the character we've been seeing in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels. It allows writer Cullen Bunn and artist Luke Ross to paint on a canvas that's essentially untouched at the moment. There's a greater freedom with this comic to shape and define the Star Wars universe.
Maul as he appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
I really hope that increased freedom pays off and that Marvel and Lucasfilm see the wisdom in venturing farther out from the familiar confines of the Original Trilogy era. I've enjoyed most of Marvel's new comics so far, but the narrow, limited setting can get pretty frustrating sometimes. The various mini-series -- Princess Leia, Lando, Chewbacca, Han Solo, Anakin & Obi-Wan -- have mainly settled for telling small, self-contained stories with little impact on the characters or the larger universe. The same goes for many of the newer Star Wars novels. Whereas classic EU books like the Thrawn trilogy shaped and defined the Star Wars franchise outside the confines of the films, the new books are more about filling in gaps, fleshing out character histories and basically playing a supporting role to the films and TV series.
Marvel's ongoing Star Wars comics have been somewhat better in this regard. Jason Aaron's Star Wars and Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca's Darth Vader have introduced some key new characters (Dr. Aphra, Sergeant Kreel, Sana Starros). Those two books were also charged with revealing one of the most pivotal unseen moments of the Star Wars saga - Vader's discovery that Luke is his son. It's no accident that that scene (both versions of it) ranks as one of the absolute best Star Wars moments of the Disney era. When creators are given a chance to dig deep and do something bold with these characters, the results stand out.
Vader discovers the truth about Luke. Art by Salvador Larroca. (Marvel Comics)
That's why Darth Maul matters. It moves outside the shadow of the films and offers its creative team more room to breathe. It allows them to weave a story that has yet to be properly told in the Disney era. Darth Maul can do much more than simply tell a lost story in the career of Palpatine's wayward apprentice. It can offer crucial insight into an iconic villain during his formative years. It can flesh out Maul's tragic past, family history and the burning rage that allowed him to survive being sliced in half by a Jedi Knight and return to seek his revenge a decade later.
Darth Maul can also allow Marvel to begin rebuilding the rich mythology of the Jedi and Sith. Personally, that's what I miss the most in this post-EU landscape. The Sith Lords are a fascinating bunch, what with their never-ending power struggles and quests for immortality and so forth. I love characters like Exar Kun, Darth Revan and Darth Bane. There's no reason they can't still exist in the new Star Wars timeline. Bane did briefly appear in the series finale of The Clone Wars, after all. And if Star Wars: Rebels can offer a new spin on an old favorite like Grand Admiral Thrawn, there's no reason the comics and novels can't to the same for the likes of Revan.
Darth Malak and Darth Revan in Knights of the Old Republic (Electronic Arts)
Granted, there's only so much that Bunn and Ross can actually accomplish with one mini-series. But again, it's a start. And between the Darth Maul announcement and the news that Aaron's next Star Wars storyline will focus on a (relatively) younger Yoda, it does seem like change is in the air. That's to say nothing of the fact that the new Dr. Aphra comic will be Marvel's first attempt at framing a comic around a non-movie or TV character.
I don't blame Marvel for taking such a conservative approach to Star Wars over the past two years. With so much emphasis on the Prequel Trilogy in the past 20 years, at first there was a novelty in seeing Han, Luke and Leia at the forefront of the franchise again. And Marvel's approach mirrors the larger stance Disney has taken with Star Wars since acquiring the franchise from George Lucas. Whether looking at Marvel's comics or The Force Awakens, it was important to prove that Star Wars could channel that classic magic again before attempting anything bold or groundbreaking. But that goal has been accomplished now. Marvel can't keep playing it safe with the franchise. There's a whole galaxy out there to explore, and we don't always need the classic Star Wars cast to be our guides.
"Between the Panels" is a bi-weekly column from Jesse Schedeen that focuses on the world of comics. You can see more of his thoughts on comics and pop culture by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.
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