Comics Review | Star Wars Adventures Vol. 5: Mechanical Mayhem
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Melissa Villy 
Droids run amok and cause all kind of problems for everyone from Padmé to Captain Antilles in Mechanical Mayhem.
In “Trouble Again,” C-3PO and R2-D2 are working on the Tantive IV with Captain Antilles when another droid starts causing trouble. While Threepio keeps yammering on like nothing is wrong, Artoo is determined to unmask the troublesome droid as a spy, and not a moment too soon.
Star Wars Adventures Volume 5: Mechanical Mayhem | Written & art by Various
Both C-3PO and R2-D2 are true to character here. C-3PO has really been getting some great comics action over the last few years, and it’s great to see the droids get some respect as actual characters in the story. It’s also nice to get a slice of their lives while onboard the Tantive before the events of A New Hope.
“Trouble Again” is written by John Barber and illustrated by Chad Thomas. Barber is an author and former editor at IDW who wrote several other upcoming stories for Star Wars Adventures. Thomas is an artist for TNMT: Amazing Adventures and Rise of the TMNT, both for IDW.
“IG-88 versus the Gatto Gang”
Emil Graff’s droid, Crater, tells the story of the time the notorious droid bounty hunter IG-88 had to capture the Gatto Gang. Apparently, the gang gave him a run for his money, but by thinking outside the box and being patient, he was able to nab them all.
This story attempts to teach the lesson of patience. But it wasn’t all that great of a story. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either, and it didn’t have that fun factor that would make a reader chuckle.
“IG-88 versus the Gatto Gang” is written and illustrated by Nick Brokenshire. He has written, “The Blue Brothers” and other stories set to be collected in later editions of Star Wars Adventures.
“Intermission”
In “Intermission,” Padmé Amidala takes a much-needed break from the Senate to take a trip with her secret husband, the Jedi Anakin Skywalker. They visit a holo-vid actress of Padmé’s acquaintance and end up getting attacked by her droid security force. Their host turns out to be a Separatist sympathizer.
While I love seeing a story featuring Padmé, I’m not a fan of the Padmé/Anakin relationship. I know there are fans that worship them, and their relationship is canon, but Anakin always bugged me. His anger management issues and jealousy, not to mention that he killed an entire village of Tusken Raiders were always huge red flags for me so I just can’t get behind the relationship. Also, the original actors had zero chemistry.
“Intermission” was written by French comic book writer and artist team Elsa Charretier and Pierrick Colinet. Charretier also did the artwork.
“The Blue Brothers”
A case of mistaken identity leads Jabba’s court musician, Max Rebo, to run from an angry mob through Mos Eisley. Only it’s his brother Azul they want! Jabba is forced to step in lest his musician gets lynched in place of the real culprit. This one didn’t involve any droid mayhem, but the play on words of the title was a nice touch. It was also an interesting choice of a character to get a tale/backstory.
This story was written and illustrated by Nick Brokenshire.
“A Small Push”
A young Twi’lek on Ryloth is viewed as an outcast for being on her own. Depressed that no one will even look at her, she kicks out at a tooka and falls off a cliff. Mace Windu literally jumps in to help her and convinces her that she’s not worthless.
I love seeing Twi’lek stories. They are my favorite alien species in Star Wars. Although I do wish we’d see more than the usual blue and green ones (I can’t wait to see the purple one in The Mandalorian). It was also nice to see a story featuring Mace Windu since little is known about him in the new canon. However, I don’t think he was the right Jedi for this story, but I liked the message he taught the young Twi’lek.
“A Small Push” was written by Scott Peterson and illustrated by Alain Mauricet. This is Peterson’s first Star Wars Adventures appearance. Mauricet is a Belgian artist who also illustrated “The Lost Egg of Livorno” and other shorts to appear in upcoming collected editions of Star Wars Adventures.
Star Wars Adventures Volume 5: Mechanical Mayhem is published by IDW and is available to buy NOW!
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Melissa Villy is a regular Staff Writer for Future of the Force. She is a passionate Star Wars fan and is the custodian of the FOTF Jedi Archives. Follow her on Twitter @JediLibrarian42 where she uses the force frequently!
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I’m Mina, the Jedi Librarian. I’m a Program Specialist Librarian, lover of all the books, and a lifelong Star Wars fan. I’m also secretly a Jedi.
