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We Want Comics: The Mandalorian

By | December 15th, 2020
Posted in Columns | % Comments

[Featured image by Dan Hipp]

Despite the fact that the show has been an incredible hit for a year now, we still have not seen Lucasfilm/Marvel bring The Mandalorian to comics yet. Although there have been announcements of ‘Mandalorian-inspired’ comics from both IDW and Marvel, no actual series have been announced yet. With the news of two spin-off series, Rangers of the New Republic and Ahsoka announced, it seemed like as a good a time as any to speculate on what Mandalorian comics may look like.

The Chronicles of Mandalore

Image from Star Wars Rebels's 'The Legacy of Mandalore'

Much like DC’s “The Atlantis Chronicles” filled in a backstory for Aquaman via the story of his ancestors, a series chronicling the often-confusing history of Mandalore would be a real boon to Star Wars in general, and Mandalorian fans specifically. Season 2 has helped identify things like why Din Djardin wears his helmet at all times when Bo-Katan Kryze doesn’t, but a more intensive guide to the history of the various conflicts and clans would help even those who consider themselves fluent in matters of Mandalore.

This seems like the perfect opportunity for an eight or twelve issue miniseries, which could be illustrated by different artists per issue, each tackling an important event in the history of Mandalore. Issues focused on the Siege of Mandalore, Tarre Vizsla (the first Mandalorian Jedi and creator of the Darksaber), Clan Wren, and Death Watch, each paired to artists whose talents reflect the specific title, could be some of the most ‘important’ Star Wars comics of all time, without stepping on stories that are likely going to be told in other media.

IDW seems like a logical home for this series, as they tend to handle the bulk of the non-Skywalker Saga comics, and their books have less of a ‘house style’ than the Marvel ones. Not that I’m hating on the Marvel books, but the IDW ones seem a little more diverse, in terms of visuals, and this series would need to be expansive to be effective.

Din before Grogu

Art by Ryan Stegman

One of the nicest things about The Mandalorian is that it is decidedly not an origin story for the titular character. There are many years of story, some probably more interesting than others, that could be explored outside of the series. While I think there is likely some sort of a story in Din’s history as a foundling and his indoctrination into the Mandalorian way, I think there’s far more fun stuff to be done in his days of bounty hunting.

In the pilot for the series, we see what his life was like ahead of finding Grogu, and that could be fodder for a fun series. The issue with this type of comic is that it may contradict the tone of the television series in ways that wouldn’t benefit the story. The first is that Din is such a quiet character, that if the tone of the show is to be reflected, the comic would be mostly silent. Personally, I’m fine with that, but I understand if some folks want more meat on the bone, in terms of dialogue.

But I think a worse option would be to have a rich, interior monologue as the narrating device. So much of the series is built around the question, “what is going on in his head?” And I know, personally, getting a definitive answer to that is not what I’m looking for in a comic series. But I also think that having someone like Greef Carga narrate from a “One time, Mando did this…” angle would get lame real quick. And so, if you’re telling these tales, you either need to have other characters surrounding him, or be ok with silence.

Of course, we know that other characters have worked with him in the past, as seen in Season One’s “Chapter Six: The Prisoner,” and so some of these stories could be set in those times. This could be an interesting take on a television procedural, where we get a different perp of the week, and see how Mando manages to snag him.

Continued below

This series seems more like a Marvel book to me, both because of the desire to control the most popular character currently in Star Wars, but also because the procedural structure could benefit letting some of Marvel’s big gun exclusives each do an issue now and then. A Pepe Larraz Mandalorian issue could be enough to coax me to buy Marvel single issues again.

Grogu in the Jedi Temple

Art by Adam Gorham

I think everyone wants more Grogu all the time, but similar problems arise with a story set around another silent character. However, if there was a series set in the Jedi Temple while Grogu was there, he could be a major part of the story without having to carry it.

This could also be an opportunity to introduce some new Jedi to the Star Wars canon, or build up more interesting tales for some of the Prequel-era Jedi that seemed to get the short end of the story stick. Folks like Mace Windo, Kit Fisto, and Plo Koon could be expanded into far more complex and nuanced characters, not just by having more stories, but also stories that show a different side to them when dealing with young Grogu.

Plus, the Jedi Temple is a setting that has not been explored nearly enough in new canon works. In addition, every story set pre-Order 66 helps to make that event feel more and more tragic, which is important to the Skywalker Saga in particular, but Star Wars in general. This, too, feels like a Marvel title, though I can’t really articulate why.

Ahsoka Midrash

Art by Pepe Larraz

We generally know what is going on with Ahsoka up to the end of Star Wars Rebels, and we pick up again with her 15 or so years later in “Chapter 13: The Jedi,” but there is a lot of story worth telling in between then and now. I’m especially interested to see how she continues to interact with others, as she seems to be the rare Force user in those times that wasn’t in some sort of exile.

We know that because Bo-Katan knows of her location, so there is at least some communication between Ahsoka and her allies, though that may just be after the fall of the Empire/death of Anakin Skywalker. Regardless, I would love to see more of what our favorite almost but not quite Jedi is up to in between on-screen appearances. It seems likely that she was learning more about the Force, possibly visiting places like Tython, and so that would be an interesting idea for the series: a travelogue through important Force locations.

Because so much of the Prequel-era stories have been told as of late at IDW, that seems like a logical home for this too, though Ahsoka’s recent popularity spike may push it over to Marvel.


//TAGS | Festival of Lightsabers | We Want Comics

Brian Salvatore

Brian Salvatore is an editor, podcaster, reviewer, writer at large, and general task master at Multiversity. When not writing, he can be found playing music, hanging out with his kids, or playing music with his kids. He also has a dog named Lola, a rowboat, and once met Jimmy Carter. Feel free to email him about good beer, the New York Mets, or the best way to make Chicken Parmagiana (add a thin slice of prosciutto under the cheese).

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