Creative Team
Writers: Timothy Zahn & Jody Houser; Artists: Pat Olliffe & Andrea Di Vito; Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg; Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham; Cover Artist: Rod Reis.
Thrawn Alliances from Marvel Comics
In 2017 Timothy Zahn wrote a trilogy of Thrawn books titled: Thrawn, Thrawn Alliances, and Thrawn Treason. Now he has teamed up with Jody House and they’re putting these stories into comic book form. This is the third comic book issue for the book Thrawn Alliances.
Much like the book, the story goes back and forth to when Thrawn and Anakin Skywalker were on Batuu, to present day where Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader are on Batuu. The books are what made me fall in love with Thrawn, and I’m absolutely loving seeing these stories play out on the pages of comic books.
Check out the review for Issue #2 .
The Story for Issue #3
The back and forth story for two of the galaxy’s most feared and respected members in the Empire continues. In the past Thrawn and Anakin continue their mission to find Padme, while also uncovering how Duja was killed and why. In the present, Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader continue to uncover details about what the disturbance was that Palapatine felt on Batuu.
While both these stories continue to build and unfold (into something much bigger than they expected), the true story is the relationship between these main characters. You can see the level of respect and trust build with each problem they’re faced with. Additionally, you see them working together as opposed to side by side. Both incredibly powerful and intelligent. In sync they could be unstoppable.
The Art
This story takes place between so many other stories we’ve watched in live action and animation, and it takes place on a world built for a theme park. Nevertheless, the art continues to hit everything it needs to. Beautiful colors, detailed expressions, a resemblance to Disney’s Batuu, Hayden Christianson’s Anakin, and more. Further, and most importantly, the art helps show the bond between these two growing stronger.
Thrawn Alliances #3 Rating: 9/10
Every Star Wars fan should be reading these comics, and if you have time, pick up the novels too. Thrawn is such an amazing character who sees things that no one else does. The level of respect he receives from both Anakin and Vader is a testament to that. He’s also a a true leader who treats his crew with respect while still teaching them. You get quick subtle nods to that in these comics.
While, I highly recommend grabbing these comics just to learn more about how Thrawn operates, the overall storylines are worth it by themselves as well. The problems they’re facing in both the past and present are just as interesting as how they go about solving them. Thrawn and Vader together are the buddy cop drama Star Wars needed, and I can’t wait to read more.
Lauren is half of Hops GEEK News: a weekly podcast that discusses all things geek pop culture, while enjoying a craft beer of the week. They also interview many different people from the comic book world and beyond.
