This is a nice free release of three stories tying into the three mainline Star Wars comics except for the new Aphra run.
The Legacy of Vader and Jedi Knights sections of the FCBD issue are pretty nice, but the mainline 2025 run really didn't do well.
If I had read Alex Segura's portion of this FCBD issue before reading the first issue of his mainline run, I would've thought the comic was cooked. Thankfully, the first issue was much more solid than the mainline run's FCBD section. The only good part of his issue is Phil Noto's artwork; Phil Noto is always a win.
Luke saying, "The lives of New Republic citizens is my business!", is one of the most OOC lines I've heard from him lmao. It felt like Alex Segura didn't see Return of the Jedi at all.
As a friend pointed out, Luke getting cheap shotted by the Pyke Syndicate member's hammer felt a bit too much in terms of power scaling.
The way he forced the trader to tell him about the pirates felt very TCW Anakin than Luke. In a nutshell, Luke acted very OOC in this issue.
I do like how we do get Rynn's full backstory by the end of the FCBD issue. It was already elaborated on throughout the Jakku comic, but it's nice to get more information and summarize what we know about her.
Charles Soule's Vaneé story is the best of the three stories in the FCBD issue.
Soule really dives deep into what makes Vaneé tick in his service to Vader. Vaneé truly was devoted to his former master to the point of accepting his punishment from Vader as "lessons" and welcoming them as a result. It's really disturbing to see all of that.
I like how the issue is all about Vaneé's five stages of grief as he processes Vader's death. It's also nice to see the origins of his B'omarr monk droid style appearance in the comic. The use of hope for a villain is a great touch by Soule, especially when Vanee finally sees his salvation for purpose might lie in the hands of Kylo Ren.
I absolutely love the fact that they referenced Vaneé's origin story in his character bio from the Star Wars Adventures: Shadows of Vader's Castle issue.
Tensu Run is actually a bit cool in the Jedi Knights FCBD section. It made me go back to the Inquisitors comic, and while the comic was pretty boring, Tensu Run did interest me a bit.
I really like how the issue establishes that Corlis Rath is connected to an incident when Qui-Gon was still Dooku's Padawan. I'll be very interested to know why Qui-Gon simply forgot about the entire incident, especially with how Dooku called out to Qui-Gon for his presumed scarring of Corlis. Maybe scarring Corlis isn’t on Qui-Gon’s events to remember list.
I find it interesting that Vader uploaded the death of Tensu Run onto the Holonet. But that feels like a classic Vader move to miss the point of Tensu Run’s final moments and words to Vader.
The character bios at the end of the issue are a fun read, and they gave some interesting trivia and recaps of the characters.
Overall, it was a noice issue with the mainline 2025 run being lackluster and the other two bringing some interesting relevations and questions for their future issues.
"I remade myself, just as my master had long ago. In my new form, I could last as long as needed, until he saw fit to return. I returned to my duties and begin my vigil anew. But in time, even I had to acknowledge...the passage of time. In the thirty years since Lord Vader's alleged demise, I heard no reports of his presence, no plausible rumors. If he lived, I like to think he would have reached out. Made some effort to...Well. He did not. That was the worst day of my life--when I finally acknowledged the truth. I grew despondent. Service to Lord Vader was all that gave my life meaning. I searched the Holonet feeds incessantly, hoping I was wrong, hoping for some evidence of Vader's continued presence. I found nothing. Until one day...I did. Not Darth Vader, but perhaps...another path. A way I might continue to serve, to persist in the journey I knew was my destiny. For that day, you see, I discovered...There is another." Vaneé
