Ken Kelly's covers for this series have been outstanding, and this one is no exception. It's simple, uncluttered, vibrant, with rich colors and a glimpse of predatory eyes through the goggles. But is that the self-exiled Jedi, Sharad Hett, or could it be his son and Padawan Learner, A'sharad?

That's right. After being betrayed and left for dead in the Jundland Wastes by Jabba's henchmen, Ki-Adi-Mundi finally finds the exiled Jedi, Sharad Hett, living as a Tusken Raider warlord. But Ki has a hard time delivering his message from the Jedi Council ... he's a little busy fighting off the peeved Krayt dragon mama whose nest he's fallen into while fleeing the womp rats from last issue. The opening pages of this issue, with Mundi and the dragon, are simply astounding. Dave McCaig's colors and Mark Lipka's inks do a great job in simulating the effect of torchlight in a cave, and I really liked the reflection of lilac-colored light from Mundi's lightsaber that gleams from the dragon's eye in the huge panel on page two.

Hett takes his time stripping off his bandoleers and cloak, providing a stream of helpful suggestions to a struggling Mundi, before finally jumping lightsaber-first into the fray with a cry of "There is no death! There is only the Force!" And who is that other Tusken with him, the one with the Padawan braid, a lightsaber on his belt and a Gaderffii in his hand? We soon find out, as Hett steps aside to let the younger man make the killing blow. It turns out Hett wasn't there to help Mundi at all. Mundi had simply fallen into the middle of the young A'sharad Hett's initiation into manhood, Tusken style. The battle with the dragon takes up the first 14 pages of this book, and it's extraordinary in every sense. Rick Leonardi manages to convey all the action in a straightforward manner so that I was instantly aware of what was happening. The artists even manage to delineate one Tusken from another -- a tough job when they're all dressed alike.

The Tuskens and Mundi emerge from the cave in twilight -- again, the colors are superb -- and Hett shows Mundi the cheap weapons Jabba has been selling to the settlers for a hefty profit. Still, like Mundi we'll have to be patient and wait until a later issue to find out exactly what a Jedi is doing leading a Tusken war party. As they mount their banthas to leave, one Raider is left behind. He's lost a hand to the dragon, and now he's going to commit ritual suicide.   "Whoever has two hands can hold a Gaderffii." This was a nice touch and a great way to let us see the harshness of Tusken life.

On the last three pages we see Aurra Sing at dusk, tracking Mundi. Suddenly the womp rats attack. Mundi had struggled with them, but Sing seems to have little problem. As she drives her swoop away from a pile of little red-eyed corpses, she muses that killing rats is a good way to warm up for killing Jedi. The transition from her blood-spattered face, hand holding a glowing red lightsaber, to the same face and hand, now holding a speeder-bike handle, was one of the coolest things I've seen in a comic.

Another striking cover from Ken Kelly, this time showing us a bunch of Tuskens, a bantha, and Ki-Adi-Mundi holding his lightsaber extended in the air. With his layered tunics over puffed pants, conical straw hat, and Fu Manchu-looking beard, Mundi looks every bit the Oriental warrior, emphasizing Star Wars' roots in Eastern mystique. However, the scene didn't really have anything to do with the story inside.

This issue opens with a "voiceover" from an anthropologist's musings on the origins of the Tusken Raiders while Aurra Sing, looking a great deal uglier than last issue, is watching the Tusken camp. One interesting revelation: Sing apparently has a whole case full of lightsabers, with a couple of empty slots. Are those for Hett and Mundi, I wonder? I noticed Aurra Sing's hand were drawn too "normal" in this one -- her fingers are supposed to be almost the double the length of a human's.

As the "voiceover" ends, Mundi awakes to find a bunch of Tuskens looming over him, shouting unintelligibly. A brawl quickly ensues, and Mundi gets to demonstrate why one Jedi against a whole camp full of Sand Persons is still not a fair fight. Hett interrupts, and has son A'sharad demonstrate his own level of competence with the Force. Impressive ... most impressive. Hett gives Mundi a few lessons on the harshness of Tusken society. Then Mundi brings up the violent raids on settlers, asking, "Are you a monster, or have you gone mad?" At last we get an explanation of sorts, all shown to us in a beautiful, eerie blue-black sequence of flashbacks: as apprentice to Eeth Koth and then as a Knight, Sharad Hett earned himself a formidable reputation as the "Howlrunner" and the "Hound of Worlds," single-handedly destroying smugglers and pirates throughout the galaxy. But he had no time to visit his family, and by the time he was able to go to them they had all been killed. Questioning a way of life that caused him to neglect his own family, he left the Jedi and fled to the Outer Rim, crash landing on Tatooine. After watching him and being impressed with his survival skills, the Tuskens took him in. He clawed his way to the top of the clan, and when someone began poisoning and murdering Tuskens, he used his influence to temper the Tusken's thirst for violence and revenge. His leadership of the war has prevented much bloodshed, and he believes his actions are justified.

Hett accuses Jabba of stirring up the war to make a profit selling outdated weapons to settlers. As he talks, Aurra Sing has all three of the Jedi in her sights, but she doesn't kill them. Instead she calls her boss, Gardulla the Hutt, and another piece of the puzzle falls into place -- the Tuskens are a pawn in some grand game of the Hutts, and Mundi is caught in the middle.

Mundi begs Hett to return to Coruscant. He tells him of the re-emergence of the Sith, the death of Qui-Gon Jinn, the shortage of Jedi who can fight in the coming conflict. Hett refuses, explaining that he abandoned one family, he will not abandon another -- as a Jedi he must protect the oppressed, and he can do that on Tatooine. Just then, A'sharad sees the vast army of Gardulla the Hutt approaching over the sands.

Another great cover from Ken Kelly, this time featuring Ki-Adi-Mundi on his knees dueling with the bounty hunter Aurra Sing against a backdrop of a flaming, war-torn Tatooine landscape. Kelly's covers on this series have been some of the most consistently good I've seen. Too bad Ki never actually gets to duel with Aurra; that's a peeve of mine, covers that have nothing to do with the story. Still, I suppose that's better than covers that give away the plot.

As for the story inside, well, how could it get any better than this? We start off with Aurra Sing fighting off six pesky Sand People while her cynical voiceover explains what's really going on -- Jabba, stuck with a freightload of obsolete weapons he was brokering for the arms dealer Dreddon, sent a few thugs to raid the Tusken camps, stirring the clans up into attacking the settlers. Jabba then sold his guns to the settlers, making a nice profit and scoring big with Dreddon. But Gardulla has ambitions to take over Tatooine, so she hired Aurra Sing to help take down Jabba. But how, exactly? Let's watch and find out ...

Gardulla's army of enraged Tatooine settlers and thugs zoom in on their repulsorlift vehicles to face an army of bloodthirsty, pissed-off Tuskens on banthas. The three Jedi rush to the scene of the battle to try to stop the Tuskens from this suicidal confrontation, to no avail. The superior weapons of the Hutt's army are routing the Tuskens easily. Then Sharad Hett manages to take control and split the Tuskens into a classic flanking maneuver called the "Howlrunner." He uses the Force to down a bunch of flyers, and the tide of the battle begins to turn. He confronts Gardulla, slicing his way through her bodyguards. The Hutt is surprised he is still alive, considering she'd paid Aurra Sing to kill him.

Meanwhile, Aurra Sing takes a rifle shot at A'sharad, the Jedi's son, and misses, killing his bantha. Just then Jabba the Hutt shows up, riding across the battlefield on his repulsor sled, "generously" offering to help Gardulla against the Sand People. We find out Aurra Sing was really working for Jabba -- that's why she hasn't killed Sharad Hett yet despite Gardulla's orders, and that's why Jabba knew to show up and thwart Gardulla's plan to make herself the "savior" of the Tatooine population.

I can't compliment the artists enough with the job they have done on this series. Even though we've switched pencils and inks a few  times, there is a remarkable consistency and high quality among the issues. Here, the vast battle scenes on the ground and in the air are handled very well. Despite the chaos, smoke, and dust, it's very clear who's who and what's happening. There are a lot of different alien species, vehicles, weapons, and crowds depicted here, all with telling detail.

At last Aurra Sing is able to confront Sharad Hett. First she wings him with a blaster shot, then she faces him in a duel. The last panel of the page shows us their silhouettes as Aurra runs her blade through Hett -- very well done. But before she can strike a final blow, Ki and A'sharad show up. Ki recognizes Sing, and we find out she was once a student of the Dark Woman (who was in an earlier part of this series as well as the story "Extinction" from Star Wars Tales #1 and 2). A'sharad attacks her in a rage, but Mundi warns him not to give in to his anger. As he hesitates she gets away. After his father dies in his arms, A'sharad agrees to return to Coruscant with Ki-Adi-Mundi and become his Padawan. (This sets us up for the next six-issue series in the ongoing Star Wars saga: Emissaries to Malastare.) I thought this was a good, dramatic climax to the series, but I would have liked it better if Hett had been able to see his son's face just once before becoming one with the Force.

As Ki and A'sharad walk off into the twin sunset together, I can't help but sigh. What a great story! I'll give this issue and the series as a whole a resounding A+.   

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(Toryn Farr knew everything about Star Wars back in 1977 thanks to Starlog Magazine. She's been trying to keep her know-it-all reputation ever since. During the 90 minutes per day her preschooler is napping, Toryn attempts to run an internet design business and write fantasy fiction.)