Star Wars Shadow of Maul comic sets up crime-thriller animated spin-off

Shadow of Maul brings corrupt cops and dirty dealings to Star Wars, just as George Lucas intended

As a franchise, Star Wars has plenty of range to dip into various genres, from wartime spy thrillers to westerns, and with its latest spinoff, this galaxy far away is expanding to include a new one: the noir thriller. The first issue of Star Wars: Shadow of Maul, a Marvel miniseries comic that leads into the upcoming the animated series Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord, has arrived, setting the tone for the return of Star Wars' coolest Sith as the unsavory crime boss he was always meant to be.

If the first issue of Shadow of Maul is any indication, the upcoming series will be leaning away from the standard Jedi-vs-Sith dynamic and towards a gritty story that will excite fans who want more “serious” Star Wars stories, like Andor.

Written by Benjamin Percy, illustrated by Madibek Musabekov, and with cover art by Derrick Chew, Shadow of Maul introduces its key players in a typical noir fashion, similar to modern genre staples like Robert Rodriguez's Sin City — an interrogation room. We join Captain Brander Lawson, a disgruntled cop who isn’t afraid to break both the rules and various criminals' faces if it means laying down the law on the planet Janix. After an Internal Investigations inquiry into the death of one of his team members, we’re introduced to a seedy subplot that shows Lawson dealing with the local crime syndicates — all while balancing the inner corruption of the police force.

It’s a thrilling start, though one that may disappoint fans looking to know more about Maul specifically before the animated series drops. The Sith Lord appears surprisingly little in the first issue, but it’s all in service of setting up the obstacles he’ll face on Janix. Maul: Shadow Lord is set only a few short years after 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. Maul's attempt to rebuild his criminal empire is still in the early stages, following the disbanding of his Shadow Collective after he was defeated by Darth Sidious on Mandalore and forced into hiding. Restoring his empire to what it was won’t be easy. Not only are there many criminal gangs on Janix that could challenge Maul, but Lawson also seems to be a powerful opponent in his own right.

Spoiler alert, but we do know that Maul ultimately ends up succeeding due to his undercover leadership of Crimson Dawn in Solo: A Star Wars Story, but why Maul decides to work from the shadows — and how he gets to that point — remains a mystery. With so many different players operating on Janix, Shadow of Maul is setting up Shadow Lord to feel like Star Wars' answer to the crime-thriller drama: a sprawling, corrupt, violent city with seedy stories spilling out of every alleyway. (Again, think Sin City, but in space.)

It also thematically resembles what creator George Lucas once envisioned for Star Wars with Star Wars: Underworld: an unrealized gritty TV drama set mainly in the Coruscant Underworld that would feature characters like Boba Fett and Lando Calrissian. Of course, this won’t be the first time old ideas get recycled into the new Star Wars canon. (Notably, Lucas’ scrapped plans for the Star Wars sequel trilogy also leaned heavily on Maul as a crime lord causing havoc in the New Republic.)

Considering the franchise has often relied on your typical hero's journey, a story focusing on the darker side of organized crime feels like a breath of fresh air that the franchise needs. Hopefully, Shadow Lord can do justice to Lucas’ original vision and the noir stories that inspired him.

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Star Wars Maul: Shadow Lord will stream on Disney Plus on April 6.