Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: John Ostrander
Artist: Jan Duursema, Dan Parsons
Release Date: 11th June 2014

This kind of collection is what I feel Star Wars comics can be when everything is just right.

The Old Republic era has long held the fascination of Star Wars fans; there have been comics, novels and games aplenty to satisfy the need for more tales. Through the Dawn of the Jedi series, Dark Horse has transported us back further still, to a time when the savage Rataka held sway over the galaxy with their Infinite Empire.

The Dawn of the Jedi began with the five issue miniseries, Force Storm, and a further collection, Prisoner of Bogan. This once again saw the winning partnership of true Star Wars heavyweights, John Ostrander and Jan Duursema, a collaboration that is can almost guarantee success even before pencil hits paper!

Force War (extremely cool title) deals with the Ratakan Infinite Empire’s invasion of the Tython system, home of the Je’daii, progenitors of the Jedi. As well as the skirmishes and battles that followed, Force War also reveals the Rataka’s plans to invade the Je’daii home planet Tython and locate the Infinity Gate, a super-weapon of monstrous power rumored to exist there. They hope that the Gate will restore their species’ declining Force-sensitivity.

I have been constantly impressed with the depth of storytelling displayed throughout the series. One might argue that this is to be expected of an Ostrander/Duursema work, but I have not had such addictive, re-readable work in my hands since… I can’t remember!

This is evident again in Vol. 3, the story is an exciting and tense affair with a brilliant crescendo towards the end and a satisfying conclusion. Topics explored include such diversity as: philosophies of the nature of the Force, the savagery of battle and its effect on a warrior’s mind and, of course, the power of love and forgiveness. All in a day’s work for Ostrander!

One is stunned at every page by Duursema’s artwork too, it is more than simply drawing the story, there is real atmosphere in every panel, especially where abstract uses of the Force are concerned. She seems to just “get” Star Wars and how it should look, a simplistic analysis perhaps but her knowledge and understanding of the Expanded Universe are evident in her art I feel.

If there is anything at all to find fault with, it is that the Force War series (and therefore this, the third volume) does require some prior knowledge. It is utterly perfect for the Star Wars nerd, who enjoys their Expanded Universe to the fullest. Casual fans and general comic readers may need to buy up previous volumes for context, but I would advise this 100%. The Dawn of the Jedi has been a Dark Horse triumph; buy them all if you can!

Rating: 5/5.

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The writer of this piece was: Lewis “Daft Vader” Campbell