Max Nocerino 
Max detours to the Galaxy far, far away for a rendezvous with Jedi Master Mace Windu in Marvel’s Star Wars: Mace Windu #1
Star Wars: Mace Windu #1 kickstarts what is sure to be an epic exciting adventure with one of the coolest (and morally gray) Jedi of all time. I’m very critical of Mace Windu. In one of my previous opinion pieces, I speculated that Mace’s actions may have inadvertently caused the fall of the Republic he so loved and protected. It is a controversial opinion. But with compounding evidence from The Clone Wars Season 6 and the exquisitely written “Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade“, I feel very content critiquing him.
JEDI MASTER
This story was surprisingly no different as many times throughout the issue, I felt Mace exhibited many traits of arrogance and for the greater good behavior. Our story begins with Mace bursting from the surface of an ocean moon, having escaped from a prison that could not be escaped from. Until now of course. Star Wars always worked best with media res, and I was getting Jack Sparrow vibes from the beginning. Much how like the former escaped from a Turkish prison (in a similar way) at the beginning of the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.
Mace uses the Force to make an alien (Sniivan?) sail his skiff after another boat that is being driven by some rogue droids. Mace doesn’t hesitate to use a mind trick on this poor wharf worker and orders him to go faster. Yes, I know he is on an important mission, but I find his assertiveness to be a bit un-Jedi-like. After a successful mission, he returns to the Temple where his next mission is charted for him by none other than Master Yoda.
A NEW MISSION
Mace is polite to his Jedi comrades. This just reinforces his clannish behavior towards his own kind in contrast to those the Jedi may have let go (cough, cough Ahsoka). His mission is simple. He needs to retrieve a human woman with a supply of super-charged coaxium that cannot fall into the hands of criminals. This is because it would give them an unfair advantage and may even lead to blockades. Solid stuff. But why would this woman broadcast her message to everyone if she wanted to maintain a low profile? Kind of a foolish move. But it’s necessary to move the plot along and I will ignore it as the story is dynamic and fun for the most part.
When Mace arrives on the ice moon where the coaxium was stolen, he sports some cool green shades that look like skier goggles. He walks around like a man on a mission, frightening a group of cretins with what might happen if they give him trouble. I do like the Denzel Washington Equalizer aura Mace exudes. But my respect for him stays the same. I feel he doesn’t value other beings as compassionately as he should. He is all business, and his stoicism is cold and unwelcoming. He is not a Jedi I would want to work on a project for me.
VERDICT
There is nothing I can say about this comic negatively in terms of story. However, the art has a very inconsistent level of quality. Some panels are gorgeous. But when the character’s faces are depicted from a distance, they are lazily drawn as blurry and out of focus. I hate this because I feel art should always be consistent and well-crafted. But it’s not a big problem.
I am very excited to see where this mini-series goes. It hits all the right feels for a Star Wars adventure. Exotic locales, interesting McGuffin’s, action, high-speed chases (and if the preview holds, exciting megafauna for the next issue). All-Star Wars. All good. Solid A
Star Wars: Mace Windu #1 is published by Marvel Comics and is available to buy now.
FORCE FACTS
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The prison that Mace escapes from is underwater and said to be inescapable. I always like how the mythos introduces us to exotic locations and I think that building a prison underwater is a very smart idea….as long as you aren’t an aquatic being.
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The alien dockworker whom Mace “recruits” I believe is a Snivvian. Fun fact. Whenever Snivvians are born as a pair of twins, one is always a psychopath. YIKES
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Steam can short-circuit droids. Sure whatever.
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The Coaxium Mace is after is called Coaxium Ultra and can boost the speed of a sublight engine by 120%. It is created on an ice moon that has such high-temperature lava flows that the lava is blue. Blue lava. That’s awesome and I was just reading how lava cannot be blue on Earth because terrestrial planets normally cannot generate that much heat. This moon must be a fun scientific anomaly
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Another exotic locale. The settlement on the ice moon that Mace travels to is UNDER the ice and by the words of the cretin that Mace encounters, lots of poor souls are stuck under the ice, enslaved as servants to the company town that refines the coaxium. God. Star Wars society is so dystopian.
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I’m not sure what he does, but it would appear that Mace uses the Force to simulate in the minds of his assailants, what would happen to them if they indeed, jumped him. At least that’s what it comes off from, but I could be wrong. If so, it’s a pretty nifty Force ability.
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The hospital Mace barges into looks a lot like one on Earth!
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The human female that Mace is pursuing is depicted as African-American. There’s no problem with that but I feel it’s a little racially insensitive, that just because Mace is black the female he is pursuing is black as well. Making her a possible future love interest is even more racially insensitive and I hope they don’t go that route.
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Mace pilots a recognizable Jedi starfighter (complete with hyperdrive ring) which dates this movie after Phantom Menace and perhaps only shortly before Attack of the Clones.
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
