Yesterday, I shared some concept art of Darth Maul from “The Clone Wars” TV show. However, the idea of a resurrected, half-mechanical Maul did not originate from television, but from comics!
Like other entries in the fantastic “Visionaries” series, “Old Wounds” is an especially creative story, both visually and emotionally. Aaron McBride’s design for cyborg Maul was adapted quite directly (down to the collar!) for the TV show, which aired nearly 7 years later in 2012. And McBride’s plot – which involves Darth Maul seeking out and dueling Obi-Wan on Tatooine – was indirectly adapted for “Rebels” nearly 12 years later in 2017.
While both Maul’s television arcs are convoluted, this older comic version is more straightforward. The comic doesn’t worry as much about the details necessary to defy Maul’s intended death in The Phantom Menace; instead, it prioritizes beautiful and brutal imagery. And while the TV shows introduce new characters into these stories like Savage and Ezra, “Old Wounds” brings back minor movie characters like Watto and Uncle Owen – both of whom have shockingly violent roles to play.
If you want to see the mean and nasty side of Star Wars, or if you have a taste for cool, lovingly-rendered fight scenes, I highly recommend this story. These kinds of stories make me so grateful for Star Wars comics, since they show that comics often make boundary-pushing creative decisions faster and more directly than other media does. (And not just resurrecting villains; comics included Black women and gay kisses in Star Wars long before movies and TV did.)
“Old Wounds,” found in “Star Wars: Visionaries.” Dark Horse. March 16, 2005. Writer and artist: Aaron McBride.
