by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo and Michael Atiyeh

The thing I love most about this series? There are a ton of things believe me, but the fact that each issue is better than the last is gold. Writer Tom Taylor is pacing a Star Wars masterpiece with his four-part series Darth Maul: Death Sentence. Thanks to this series, Maul’s underwhelming stint in the films has become less of a headache for Star Wars fans.

What made this the best installment to Death Sentence so far? The pure evil that resides within Darth Maul- to this point the amazing level of hatred that allowed Maul to survive being cut in half, hasn’t been readily apparent. It certainly is in this issue. Maul is one bad dude and there is absolutely no goodness left inside him, he takes his namesake very seriously- maul.

Issue #3 has taken this arc, and pushed it onto a grand stage. The Republic is now involved, the Jedi Council is carefully overseeing the situation, and a familiar face has been sent to end this once and for all. When this old adversary of Maul shows up you’ll smile because you’re going to get the rematch you’ve been hoping for.

In the concluding issue there is sure to be a massive battle between the former Sith apprentice and the Jedi, and certainly anybody else unlucky enough to be in Maul’s way. It will be interesting to see how Taylor wraps up this arc as, after the success of Death Sentence, it won’t be surprising when Dark Horse releases another series featuring Darth Maul. That fact will no doubt influence what happens in the final installment.

Bruno Redondo and Michael Atiyeh should be credited for the best Star Wars comic art currently on the stands. With this issue kicking into high gear, the visual team was able to adapt Taylor’s high-speed and active script with excellence. The characters recognizable from the movies are drawn to perfection, and the sight of amassed armies is done with the right amount of detail and depth. Once again, these two men have taken a great script to the next level by providing transcending artwork.

I can’t recommend this series highly enough. It is a ton of fun and several times I’ve described it as the best kind of Star Wars storytelling. Taylor, Redondo and Atiyeh are a great team and they work very well together as three fantastic issues will attest. The conclusion should be exceptional, and, if the rest of the series is any indication, it should be the best installment yet!

Story – 9/10
Art – 8/10
Overall – 9/10

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Cody Mudge

Cody Mudge

Reviewer at ReadComicBooks
Cody lives just outside Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. His first love is writing, and his second is reading. Comics have been an interest of Cody’s for the last four years however he didn’t start collecting and heavily following his favourite characters until the start of 2012. When not reading comics or writing, he can be found playing guitar or Xbox 360 or hanging out with the Arwen to his Aragorn. In 2011 he wrote his first novel, Darker than Shadow, which will be published by iUniverse. His favourite DC character is Batman, and his favourite Marvel character is Wolverine. If he were a superhero he would be Spider-Man because of his dashing wit and charm, the dripping sarcasm he applies at times and his ability to learn lessons the hard way.
Cody Mudge

@codymudge

Cody Mudge

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