The plot is basic: Darth Sidious sends his apprentice Darth Maul on a mission to destroy the leadership and organization of vast, galaxy-spanning criminal syndicate Black Sun, in order to minimize the possibility of any interference with his plans. Darth Maul, of course, being one to never disappoint or fail his master, embarks on his quest in his new Sith Infiltrator full of the goodies we saw in Episode I.

Even more so than most of Jan Duursema's work, this is an extremely visually impressive comic. There are plenty of imposing images of Maul standing there looking impressive and frightening, and more fight scenes than in any other Star Wars comic I believe. We get to see Maul go on killfests against tons of beings, as well as one on one fights with several others, including a Dathomiri Nightsister (one of the kind we saw in `Infinity's End,' not the breed from `Courtship of Princess Leia'). Unfortunately, although this book is great fun the first few times around, it loses re-readability because there is no real plot, and very little expository dialogue. In addition, by the time the end comes around, the constant "Maul against many" fights are beginning to get quite boring and predictable. To be fair, there were a few interesting scenes about the Sithly nature of the Force and how it compares to other Force users such as Jedi and Nightsisters, and there's a cool scene involving a telepath, but other than that it's just a bloodbath. In addition, there are several tie-ins to the other Darth Maul products - we see Oolth, who will later show up in the Michael Reaves novel, and are introduced to Hath Monchar, who we see in both of the other Darth Maul books. However, there is also one extremely unnecessary scene in this book which really doesn't fit the mood and detracted from my reading pleasure - a couple of pages with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan that have nothing to do with the story. I don't see why they were thrown in there, but it wasn't at all helpful to the "plot."

Overall, this is a very well drawn comic with minimal plot. If you are a "Mauloholic," a Star Wars fan, or just like a good fight, this comic is for you, but if you don't read it, you're not really missing anything.


Silent Sith   June 12, 2001
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

For those who saw Episode I you will recall that Darth Maul was a dark side weapon with little to say. His character and performance as a dark Jedi was brilliant, the visual made the verbal less than critical. This may work in a movie but it does not work in a printed story of his exploits.

The first eight pages of this work do not contain one word. Many of the subsequent pages are limited to the written form of the last verbal comment prior to the target becoming a member of Maul's body count. And that is what this compilation is about. The story is weak, offering just enough justification for Maul to go on a killing spree. There are some brief details that were worth noting such as his brief battle with a dark side witch from Dathomir. The opening also is fairly close to a training session featured in one of the novels.

While this installment from Dark Horse is lacking as to a story, it is one of the strongest from the artistic aspect that really is the body of this work. The images are as good as any other Star Wars artists has produced, and for Maul fans there is every conceivable portrayal of this Dark Jedi that met his end much too soon in the theater.


Pure Evil, Pure Fun   April 13, 2005
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

I was one of the Star Wars fans that felt cheated when Darth maul, with his massive hype, cool appearance, and astonishing fighting technique was killed in Episode I. Being greedy I wanted more. For those of you who felt the same, this graphic is the answer.

The premise: shortly before Epidode I, Darth Sidious dispatches Darth maul to cripple Black Sun, a vast criminal empire with sufficient power to threaten Sidious's plans. Maul proceeds to slaughter his way across the next 72 pages and most of the galaxy. One has to wonder how Marz is able to conceive of all the carious ways Mail slices and dices his way through the criminal underworld. My favorite method of murder is when a telepath tries to read Maul's mind and has a fatal stroke because all he can sense if pure, undiluted evil.

This fits nicely into continuity for long time Star Wars fans, but it could easily stand alone for the curious who just want a one time fix of fun, and Sith mayhem. Over all a great book.



A great graphic novel!   September 27, 2002
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Before he moves the Trade Federation against Naboo, Darth Sidius decides that there is a potential interference that must be dealt with in advance, the crime syndicate known as Black Sun. And so, the Sith Lord dispatches Darth Maul to kill the leaders of Black Sun. With the inevitability of death itself, Darth Maul descends on Black Sun.

Wow, what a great graphic novel! My son bought this book without me knowing, and boy am I glad that he did. It is non-stop action, with evil versus evil, and no quarter given or taken. There are many fascinating villains in this book, and even though there is not too much of a storyline, the level of action and the colorful baddies more than make up for that. Plus, I must mention that throughout the whole book, the illustrations are nothing short of excellent.

My son is something of a Darth Maul fan, and this book is definitely the kind of book he wanted to see. He enjoyed it, reading it twice before he allowed his loving father to even touch it! He recommends it to you, and so do I!


Lackluster, but fun   April 16, 2005
 5 out of 9 found this review helpful

I'm a confessed Maulaholic. What can I say? He's cool. But this comic was a serious let-down for me. While the art was very nice, the story was boring. Basically--Maul is told to kill some people. Maul kills said people. The end. No depth. No character studies. Nothing. Just. Killing things.

Of course, if that's your cuppa tea, you'll enjoy this comic, certainly. But if you had any hope of maybe learning a bit more about Maul as a character instead of a plot device (ie: Unstoppable unfeeling bad guy), then you'll be dissapointed. There's just something lacking.