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By Dante' Maddox

19 years before the battle of Yavin. That may not seem like much of a statement, but for Star Wars fans phrases like that are magic. It stipulates the rich depth of the Star Wars universe. Are you wondering what happened 19 years before the battle of Yavin? Do you even know what the battle of Yavin is?

Here’s a hint, Yavin is the planet where the rebels are hiding out before Luke Skywalker destroys the Death Star (yes that planet). In Star Wars chronology, the battle of Yavin is the turning point in the rebel alliances struggle against the Empire. One of the best comics in stores tells a story that takes place 19 years before a kid named Skywalker changes the galaxy forever. Why tell this story? Because the more we know about them the greater the heroes become, and the more sinister the bad guys get.

The Dark Times is exactly what it sounds like, the time in the galaxy when the Jedi once again found themselves hunted by the Sith. Hopefully you saw Episode Three and you know how that came to be. This story will move you from Episode Three to Episode Four by highlighting the trials of the Jedi that survived order 66. This particular issue follows the adventures of two people in particular, one a Jedi and the other a Nosaurian named Bomo Greenbark.

Jedi Master K’Kruhk has escaped order 66 with a group of force sensitive children who would have eventually become Jedi if not for Emperor Palpatine’s designs. The children were being held as potential slaves by a group of intergalactic thugs who were escaping from a confrontation that had actually involved Greenbark and his compatriots. Master K’Kruhk freed the children and killed the thugs all in full view of the children. He knew that what he had done what had to be done, but he was concerned for the children that had to witness such barbarism, a pivotal scene. Master K’Kruhk is a special character who is extremely long lived; we know he survived the Dark Times and beyond because he also makes an appearance in Star Wars Legacy (another Dark Horse title) which takes place 160 years after the battle of Yavin.

Bomo Greenbark had been held captive until he escapes at the end of the previous issue. Greenbark has been through so much since the first issue of Dark Times, his family sold into slavery only to be killed in a grisly fashion (his daughter was eaten). This issue shows us a man pushed and pushed until he wouldn’t be pushed anymore. Using masterful tactics he destroys his jailers and rescues the space crew he’s fallen in with. It’s a major turning point for the character as he finally exercises his demons and starts to make the necessary repairs to his soul that come along with the death of a loved one.

Dark Times is all Star Wars, high adventure with touching humanity injected in for good measure. If you’re any kind of Star Wars fan then this series is what you’ve been waiting for. Told in short four to five issue arcs so that it’s easy to pick up and read, this series is phenomenal to say the least. Comic fans in general will be hard pressed to find a better more consistent read.

Writer: Mick Harrison
Pencils: Dave Ross
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Series Issue Count: 5 of 5