Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace - Anniversary Special #1 Review
Celebrating the Beginning of the Saga
Cover by Philo Noto
Just in time for The Phantom Menace to return to theaters for its 25th anniversary, Marvel joins the party with its Anniversary Special. Written by Greg Pak, penciled by Will Sliney, with colors by Gur-eFX, this one-shot focuses on the perspective of Anakin Skywalker during the 1999 film. Rather than just adapt Episode 1 into comic book form, Greg Pak includes brand new material that takes place before, during, and after The Phantom Menace.
Pak is very efficient in his approach to retelling The Phantom Menace from Anakin’s point of view. The story picks up before we see Qui-Gon and Padme meeting Anakin for the first time on Tatooine. Anakin has a dream to become a Jedi to save his mother, Schmi, from enslavement. This dream is the motivation that drives his many choices throughout The Phantom Menace. Pak highlights major moments for Anakin that we see in the film such as the Podrace, leaving his mother, his first meeting with the Jedi Council, and The Battle of Naboo. To be able to thoroughly tell Anakin’s story during the movie in such small page count is no easy feat!
Greg Pak enhances The Phantom Menace by including new, impactful scenes. In the beginning of this comic, Anakin frees an enslaved Tusken Raider. That same Tusken Raider later arrives at his Schmi’s home sometime after Anakin had left to become a Jedi. The Tusken Raider tells a depressed Schmi about the time that Anakin freed him. The story brightens up Schmi and gives her hope that her son is doing good in the galaxy. Another standout moment is with Jar Jar Binks and Anakin on Coruscant. Jar Jar tells Anakin that it’s ok to miss people and be worried about them. I’ve always been fond of the heart that Jar Jar Binks adds to the saga and this little scene reinforces that thought. There’s also a new sequence between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin when they regroup after The Battle of Naboo. A distraught Anakin has just learned about the death of Qui-Gon who promised to train him as a Jedi. This is an important moment in that we see Obi-Wan pledging himself to train a reluctant Anakin who is filled with grief. These are just a few of the many new moments that flesh out the story.
At its heart, this comic showcases the strong bond between Anakin and Schmi. Star Wars has always been about relationships and dynamics between characters such as mother and son. Pak writes the characters perfectly to line up with their characterizations in the film. There’s so much warmth between the characters and it makes it even more difficult to experience the moment when Anakin leaves his mother. I love how the book is bookended by Anakin dreaming of being a Jedi and then Schmi also having a dream of Anakin being a Jedi. Schmi dreaming of Anakin at the end is a perfect moment where the story comes around full circle from where it started.
Will Sliney and Guru-eFX do wonderful work with bringing the story to life on the page. Sliney lends more realism to his interpretation of the story, but without feeling like he is copying stills from the movie. I enjoyed all the finer details such as the cluttered background of Anakin’s home, the dense crowds of Mos Espa, and the epic one page layout of the Battle of Naboo. Guru-eFX uses a pallet of color that varies from the barren landscapes of Tatooine, to the twilight of Coruscant, and warm beauty of Naboo. Throughout the book, Anakin has moments of darkness that relate to his personal attachments. I thought it was a brilliant choice to have these particular frames in a red hue to symbolize the dark side and provide some foreshadowing.
This book is a love letter to fans of The Phantom Menace. I wasn’t expecting to get new scenes that felt so connected to the rest of the story. I certainly wasn’t anticipating the story to be as emotionally charged as it was. That goes to show you how talented the creative team is and the respect into which they understand the source material. The Phantom Menace Anniversary Special should be the blueprint going forward in which to celebrate milestone Star Wars anniversaries!