Star Wars: Darth Maul [Paperback]

Ron Marz (Author), Jan Duursema (Author), Rick Magyar (Author), Drew Struzan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Star Wars | Publication Date: May 21, 2001

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 the galaxy. Sidious cannot allow anything or anyone to hinder his purpose, and so he unleashes his merciless apprentice, the death-dealing destroyer, Darth Maul, to eradicate his adversaries -- as only a master of the dark side can! Star Wars: Darth Maul is the first-ever graphic-novel adventure of the ultimate Sith enforcer, an explosive tale of intrigue, mystery, and blistering action. Collecting the action-packed four-issue comic series.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (May 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569715424
• ISBN-13: 978-1569715420
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #281,618 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "Wipe them out...all of them" (3.5 stars), February 18, 2001

By 

Nathan (Wilmington, DE United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Wars: Darth Maul (Paperback)

`Darth Maul,' just to set the record straight, takes place several months before Michael Reaves' novel `Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter,' and shortly after James Luceno's eBook `Darth Maul: Saboteur.' While this comic is extremely impressive visually and fun to look at, in terms of plot and story it's severely lacking. There is a minimum of dialogue; the focus is on Darth Maul's killing ability.

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great graphic novel!, September 27, 2002

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Star Wars: Darth Maul (Paperback)

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!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pure Evil, Pure Fun, April 13, 2005

By 

Madelyn Pryor "Goblyn Queen" (Mesa, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Star Wars: Darth Maul (Paperback)

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.