Star Wars: Darth Maul

by Ron Marz

Book Overview

In hiding for generations, the evil Sith have waited for the precise moment to reveal themselves and take vengeance upon the Jedi Order. But in the final days before the Trade Federation blockade of the planet Naboo sets into motion the Sith plan for the overthrow of the Republic, the scheming Sith Lord Darth Sidious becomes concerned about the potential interference by the criminal syndicate Black Sun, a vast and powerful organization feared throughout...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1569715424
• ISBN13: 9781569715420
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: Dark Horse Books
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.7" x 10.2"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Great!

The artwork in this is phenomenal and the story is awesome as well! Anyone who is a fan of Darth Maul will like this and enjoy the further exploration into this character's background. Not to mention watching him face off against one of the Witches of Dathomir was just mind-blowing! A great addition to any Star War's fan's collection.

Excellent art, but the story is lacking

A great graphic novel by Ron Marz and illustrated by Jan Duursema. The main idea was Black Sun threatens Sidious' plans for a Naboo Blockade. Darth Maul is sent to weaken their criminal network. In this TPB, writer Ron Marz is, well, Ron Marz. That means little dialogue, weak storyline, and not much character development. An example of weak dialogue was when Sidious and Maul were talking, and were restating each others questions as they answered. this was: Maul: I will not fail you, my master. Sidious: Yes apprentice, I know you will not fail me. Another downside to the dialogue was the lack of it. Not one word was said until page 8. The final bad side to the Darth Maul TPB is the length. Only 96 pages! I can't be the only one who thought this short and wants a sequel, or even a prequel, showing Maul's transformation into a Sith apprentice. Now, the good. SUPERB ART! I've never seen better, with the exception of Star Wars Darkness, and Clone Wars volume 4 (but then again, all are drawn by Jan Duursema). This TPB was mainly to show how strong Darth Maul is, and it does that well. Several HUGE fight scenes showing Maul killing Black Sun. Including, an opening scene of 7 and a half pages showing Darth Maul train. Another scene in the beginning with Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan was very interesting, as they were "feeling" Maul's presence on Coruscant. It almost seemed as if Qui-Gon knew he'd die at the hands of Darth Maul. Overall, Darth Maul was still an excellent graphic novel. Buy it for the art, not for the story. Still, Maul fans would love to see him in action again, so this is where it can be done. I'm still giving this a 5 because of the outstanding art, and it's just cool to see Maul do what he does best.

Top-Notch

I couldn't possibly praise this book enough. I've read a lot of star wars graphic novels, and very few deliver the goods. Not so with "Darth Maul". Name something, and the book delivers. Character? Dead on. Plot? Not a slow moment. Art? Perfect. In the world of star wars, there is a severe lack of character-driven material. Almost all the promising stories fall victim to this oversight. However, Marz gets the Maul character perfectly, the dialogue is kept to a minimum, and maul is painted as even more cold, calculating and deadly than we had any idea of. Most poor or disappointing comics rely on tired dialogue and action. Marz on the other hand, uses character, plot and visuals to drive the story, and the results are amazing. Also, the series had covers by the master himself, Drew Struzan. Most star wars books are lucky to have the poor-man's Struzan, Dave Dorman. But Maul astoundingly has managed to get the worlds greatest poster artists to paint all 4 covers.This book successfully makes you realize how dangerous and powerful maul really was, and allows you to enjoy the end duel of The Phantom Meance much, much, more. Like just about everyone, I was disappointed by TPM - This book definitely helps. So chances are you should check it out.This is a must-own for star wars fans. Marz stays true to the character and takes you on a wild ride.

A great graphic novel!

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!

The Dark Side is Strong...........

I bought this book with low expectations; I find the Darth Maul character very interesting, so I picked up the book for a quick fix of my 2nd favorite Sith Lord. WOW, was I surprised!!! There isn't much story to speak of (Darth Sidious dispatches Maul to knock off the organized crime empire Black Sun, of Shadows of the Empire fame, so they can't interfere with the blockade of Naboo), but writer Marz nails Mauls character, delivering an unstoppable juggernaut of a baddie, and artist Jan Duursema's work is astounding. She captures the fluidity of movement that Ray Park brought to the character in the film, and I spent a lot of time just lingering over her beautiful pencil work. The climactic battle between Maul and a "Nightsister" is wonderfully depicted as well. Memo to Dark Horse, Marz and Duursema: SEQUEL PLEASE!!!!P.S.- Sith fans should check out Dark Horse Comics Star Wars Tales #9, featuring the battle we've all wondered about: Darth Vader vs. Darth Maul!!!!