Max Nocerino 
Max explores Marvel’s Star Wars: Mace Windu to see if it lives up to the hype in a galaxy far, far away.
I was very optimistic about the 2024 Mace Windu series. The first two issues delivered a fascinating adventure, yet issue three falls short of continuing to ride that wave.
I often have a beef with Mace Windu. I feel his actions inadvertently led to the end of the Republic and the Rise of the Sith. This tale takes place before THE PHANTOM MENACE. So we are getting a younger (more moral?) version of Mace working with a woman from the same planet as him. But with a personality more different than Mace than can be imagined. This woman is named Azita, a smuggler who wants to sell Coaxium Ultra’s formula to the highest bidder.
MEET AZITA
One of the bidders happens to be the Jedi, and Mace only promises to help her when pursued by Ro Mira’s government if she agrees to sell it to them. Given Mace’s track record, I wasn’t too surprised about Mace giving her an ultimatum for safety. Aside from some “speeder talk” where Azita reveals her harsh childhood on Haruun Kal, this issue is mostly a bridge to the fourth issue, meaning that it was incredibly boring, and nothing really interesting happened.
The foil between Mace and Azita is fun, though. Basically, the first line of dialogue in the issue was Azita telling Mace that he is no good at sarcasm. Mace replies that sarcasm is not the Jedi way, and you should always plainly state what you mean. I am in the opposite camp of Mace’s perspective. Sarcasm is a practical and easily accessible tool when dealing with a bully or jerk.
STAR WARS SARCASM
Yet, Mace assures Azita that Jedi have a sense of humor, indirectly citing Yoda as an example. I agree with this. However, I often found Obi-Wan Kenobi’s clipped observations quite amusing. While Mace himself is no comedian, his reactions to various situations can occasionally be humorous. The man is so stiff and formal that seeing him deal with silliness profoundly affects me as a reader. However, I still think Mace is not the best role model for Jedi. He can be as harmful as he is helpful, and I would never choose him as a mentor.
VERDICT
Aside from a bounty hunter that was the same species as Babu Frik, there really isn’t anything more to say about this issue. It was mostly busy work and a setup for the next issue. Hopefully, we will see some serious action between Mace and a group of individuals with a bone to pick with technology. Hopefully, it won’t be anticlimactic and over before we know it. Solid C
Star Wars: Mace Windu #3Â is published by Marvel Comics and is available to buy now.
FORCE FACTS
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 In the flashbacks back to Azita’s childhood, we see her walking alone in a public square in a city on Haruun Kal. There are humans in the background but from I can tell, they are all light-skinned humans. Hmmm. This is fascinating, as Haruun Kal was previously established to have a large population of black humans. Perhaps, this is why Azita felt so isolated growing up, as she grew up in a city where she was not in the majority. Thankfully, there is no history of racism among human “ethnic” types like here on Earth, and this may have been a brief nod to the segregation we have faced on Earth, but in a subtle and non-official way.
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It would appear Jabba the Hutt is one of the interested “clients” that wants to procure Coaxium Ultra. He sends a bounty hunter on his behalf and this reviewer hopes we will see a cameo of him in the next and final two issues.
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!
