Mace Windu, the powerful Jedi Master portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson in the three Star Wars prequels, is going to star in his own solo comic series published by Marvel this year. Ever since Disney acquired Lucasfilm back in 2012, the story group has looked to flesh out the franchise canon across multiple mediums. Of course, live-action films remain the top priority for the studio, but there is also a bevy of other content - including novels, video games, television shows, and comic books. Marvel has produced several lines for fans to enjoy, filling in the gaps the movies never had time to cover. This initiative has gone over quite well so far.
The comics have included several tantalizing revelations of their own, including Luke Skywalker's first connection to Yoda, secrets about Darth Vader, and more. Now, Marvel is turning their attention to one of the fan-favorite characters from the prequel trilogy who some would enjoy seeing more of: Mace Windu. The purple lightsaber-wielding Jedi will receive the spotlight in a new miniseries that will launch this summer.
StarWars.com broke the news, saying the first issue of Star Wars: Jedi of the Republic - Mace Windu will be released in August 2017 and runs for five issues. It is written by Matt Owens and illustrated by Denys Cowan. The comic is set at the beginning of the Clone Wars in the immediate aftermath of Attack of the Clones. You can read Marvel's official synopsis and see cover art from Jesus Saiz below:
For over a thousand generations, the Jedi have been the peacekeepers of the galaxy…but now, at the dawn of the Clone Wars, they find themselves in a new role: generals in the Army of the Republic. As Mace Windu, one of the Jedi’s greatest warriors, leads a small unit of Jedi into battle shortly after the war begins, the Jedi must make peace with their new role, or be lost to the violence around them!
As Mace mentioned to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine in Episode II, the Jedi were keepers of the peace, not soldiers. Of course, the start of a sprawling intergalactic war forced the Knights to step up and join the fray, so there's potential here for some compelling internal conflict as Windu tries to discover his new place in the galaxy and help the Republic defeat the Separatists. Details about the story are being kept under wraps for now, so it sounds like readers are going to have to wait to see what happens to Mace and his fellow Jedi during this chapter of their lives. The premise is promising though; though the Clone Wars themselves were somewhat shortchanged in the prequels, works like the Clone Wars animated series and several books have done an excellent job of portraying the confrontation. Hopefully Jedi of the Republic continues that trend.
With Lucasfilm allegedly developing Star Wars films well into the 2030s (including various spinoff projects), Jackson has voiced his interest in a Mace Windu standalone movie, but the odds of that happening are quite low. Windu perished in Revenge of the Sith, so unless there's an anthology set in the Clone Wars era, the Jedi's time on the big screen is finished. However, it's nice to see the story group find some more time for Mace and tell other stories about his exploits. In the new canon, there are plenty of ways to give a character his or her just due and make sure their fans are satisfied. Ideally, Windu will be an even stronger part of Star Wars when this series has concluded.
Source: StarWars.com
