Star Wars: Jedi Council - Acts of War

Star Wars: Jedi Council - Acts of War #1-4

by Randy Stradley, Davidé Fabbri, Christian Dalla Vecchia

Even in the days before the shadow of the Phantom Menace falls upon the Republic, the rule of the Senate is no guarantee of peace. When conflicts arise, it is the duty of the Jedi Knights, under the guidance of the Jedi Council, to protect the innocent and restore order. When the warlike Yinchorri threaten the stability of the Republic, a Jedi task force led by Mace Windu and including Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi is sent to the Yinchorri system to settle matters, and they soon find themselves facing overwhelming odds on three different worlds. A handful of lightsabers is all that stands between relative peace and galactic war-and behind the crisis, Yoda detects a hidden, controlling hand Acts of War is adventure, intrigue, and heroism in the grand Jedi tradition

Genres: Star Wars, Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2001

About the author

"Nearly thirty years of writing and editing comics, and this is what I have to show for it."
—Randy Stradley, pointing to this biography.

More to come, folks!

Reviews

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in 33BBY

It was ok!

A nice adventure that takes place before the Phantom Menace, and more or less has to do mainly with the Jedi Council going to solve a problem and we see most of the Council's members in action.

Some new characters who weren't mentioned anywhere in the movies, and some known faces of course which make this nice and fun to read. Unfortunately the story is too generic and just an ok read to be too excited about. It had a moment or two, and it was what it was. Just ok.

The artwork was good!

No tears now, young Obi-Wan. And no sudden expressions of sentiment from you either, Plo. And silence those thoughts of revenge Qui-Gon Jinn. Remember your training. - Micah Giiett

Come closer.. I'll tell you the most important thing you need to know about the Jedi... We're not afraid to die for a worthy cause. - Micah Giiett

[Logan Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10:
This story is very complex, involved, and essential in understanding the Jedi Council just prior to the events that occur in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999). While this story is a member of Legends, I really appreciate the depth and perspective of a conflict before the Sith have revealed themselves where the Galaxy and Senate have already begun questioning the role and existence of the Jedi Order.

We see SO MANY Jedi in this short 4-issue story including Mace Windu, Plo Koon, Yoda, Yaddle, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Micah Giiett. I love the close relationships we see within the Jedi throughout this story, it shows that even the Jedi can’t completely avoid attachment. The most prominent ones being the friendship of Mace Windu and Ki-Adi Mundi as well as the self proclaimed life-friendship of Micah Giiett and Plo Koon.

It’s small stories like these that add more humanity to the characters of Star Wars, and I’m so thankful that they exist and are easy to access!

[Evione · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nem feltétlenül ez a legérdekesebb Star Wars képregény. A sztori nem rossz, viszont egy-két momentumot leszámítva eléggé felejthető. A rajzolás sem az igazi. Van néhány panel, ami kifejezetten jól mutat (főleg a nagyobbak), de egyébként semmi különös vagy kiemelkedő. Rajongóknak érdemes elolvasni, más nyugodtan kihagyhatja.

[Mateusz Surowiec · Rating 4 out of 5]

mocarne

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alien race is attacking other races, and has immunity to force powers. The jedi have to stop them. This is a quick tale that mainly introduces different jedi that are seen in the prequel films. A decent enough read but nothing very substantial storyline wise or character wise.

[Marta Duda-Gryc · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Micah Giiett, it was so nice to put a face on the name I knew from... Ruth Baulding's stories, probably.
It was interesting to finally see some Jedi squad action; would be better with more profound characterization, but, well, difficult to do in this medium, if action is a must.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

33 BBY

This graphic novel compiles "Acts of War" parts 1-4. In this comic, Mace Windu is left with figuring out which Jedi to dispatch to hunt down the Yinchorri, a more violent race that fights against the Republic. While the Jedi are against killing other living beings, when the Yinchorri attack the Jedi Temple, Yoda shows no mercy. Among four planets, the Jedi must weed out the base of the Yinchorri and put an end to their violent acts once and for all. Little do the Jedi know that Palpatine is using the Yinchorri to deplete the Jedi and put his plans into further action, while his apprentice yearns to join the action.

I actually thought this graphic novel was very interesting. We get to see some iconic Jedi in action that we do not see many details of in other comics (including the Clone Wars). Seeing Palpatine and Maul on the sidelines of this event was likewise a nice way to spice up the conflict of the story as well. I really enjoyed the art and found that the different races among the Jedi were depicted well and in an interesting way.

[Rizzie · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Randy Stradley Star Wars comic that isn't good? Color me surprised. But this really does suck. It's supposed to be a prequel to Phantom Menace, and I suppose it technically is, but it's a goddamn mess. A ton of characters with no defining attributes or recognizable arcs shooting and slicing a bunch of other characters equally uninteresting. If there was any point to this, I didn't find it. Blech.

[Albert Kleppin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly would have been more enjoyable in 2001 and before. There are small (and I do mean small) lore elements that kind of contradict what George ultimately showed us in Attack of the Clones and beyond that, and the characterization of many Jedi was in the early stages of publishing development so understandably it wasn't going to bat 1000. That said, a very fun read for me. I loved seeing Tsiu Choi, Depa Billaba, Plo Koon, and Yaddle. Too bad they didn't give Plo his orange lightsaber in AOTC and TCW in my opinion. And it's funny sing Adi with a red blade and Mace with blue.

[Zachary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well illustrated story about the Jedi Order's missions before the start of Episode I. I liked some of the characters that were provided and Cortosis shields and designs of the Yinchorri. I think they appeared in the old Marvel comics.

[Malcolm Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually a pretty good action flick with three bands of Jedi each facing their own problems. There's some familiar faces and some new ones who may as well have been wearing red shirts. Particularly the member of the Jedi council we've never seen before, don't get attached to him - Ki-Adi-Mundi takes his place on the council.
There's a solid active 'cast' here with most of the council members getting a speaking roll at least as well as the appearance of some of the significant characters who feature in the Clone Wars graphic novels including a young padawan Whiphid by the name of K'kruhk and Aleena Jedi Master Tsui Choi. The Devaronian Villie Grahrk also makes a brief appearance.
It was great seeing some of the token presence characters from the films actually do stuff. Yoda's also pretty bad-ass in this one when he needs to be. I wouldn't want to be interrogated by him...
The artwork's not bad, if a little cartoonish. The wide array of species drawn are pretty well represented.
The only negative on this one is the red shirt aspect that is rife with this era of graphic novels (and novels for that matter). A whole bunch who Jedi are introduced, only to get bumped off within the story. Having said that, these temporary characters did generate a little emotional gravitas before exit stage left. Being one of the earlier stories set in the run-up to Order 66, this does establish some of the more significant characters whose fates are left until much later (or, in the case of K'kruhk, much, much, much later).
Most enjoyable.

[Sheila Connerney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Kaya Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

quite mid sadly, they take the flawed jedi ideologies to the extreme, while yes they aren’t perfect they also aren’t cold blooded killers

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Wars Legends Project #60

Background: Acts of War came out in 4 issues from June to September of 2000. It was published as a trade paperback in June of 2001. Several years later it was collected in Star Wars Omnibus: Rise of the Sith (my review). The story was written by Randy Stradley with art pencilled by Davide Fabbri. Stradley, a VP and sometime senior editor of Star Wars comics at Dark Horse, co-wrote the Crimson Empire saga, and also wrote a large number of the issues in the Dark Times and Empire series. Fabbri did the art for many issues in the Republic and Empire series, as well as some of Infinities, among others.

Acts of War is set 33 years before the Battle of Yavin, 1 year before The Phantom Menace. It features pretty much every member of the Jedi Council from The Phantom Menace with one notable exception, along with Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Chancellor Valorum, Darth Sidious, and Darth Maul.

Summary: A brutal reptilian race known as the Yinchorri have violated the peace of the Republic, engaging in a war of conquest in their corner of the galaxy. Mace Windu has dispatched two Jedi to deal with the situation, and the Yinchorri sent back their mutilated bodies. Now the Jedi Council is prepared to go to war. What they don't know is that dark forces are manipulating events from behind the scenes so that, no matter the ultimate outcome, the Jedi lose.

Review: I went into this story a bit skeptical early on that practically the entire Jedi Council would go out on a mission themselves rather than send a team of other Jedi, particularly since any casualties would create a vacuum in the Council leadership (as we see happen). However, the Yinchorri have two characteristics that make them particularly dangerous: First, they're immune to mental manipulation through the Force (which, honestly . . . apparently not that uncommon of a trait in the galaxy, but nevermind). Second, they possess enough anti-lightsaber cortossis ore to equip their soldiers with shields made of the stuff. And, honestly, it didn't take me long to just forget about that objection entirely and get absorbed in the story.

This storyline does a surprisingly good job juggling a too-large cast of characters and of differentiating among the various Jedi Masters, giving them distinct personalities and skills. If you've seen Episode I enough times, it's not too hard to figure out who isn't going to make it back (cuz they're the one's who don't appear), but that didn't deaden the emotional impact of their loss, which is another sign of solid writing.

There are lots of great action moments and some excellent banter between the various characters. The marriage between the writing and the art is notably excellent, with some really great images as well. Perhaps my favorite moment of both art and dialogue is when the Yinchorri attempt to launch a surprise attack on the Jedi Temple itself. They come crashing into a large room only to find Yoda and about 30 other Jedi standing there with their sabers lit and ready, and Yoda says, "Enter the temple unbidden, you have. Leaving it will not be easy, you will find." Chills. Overall a really great effort, with lots of fun and excitement, if not a super-significant contribution to the overall saga.

B

[Jaide · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the fun of this comic was the various personalities of members of the Jedi Council; as always, Plo Koon, Yoda and Adi Gallia were my favorites. It was also intriguing to see Sidious pulling the strings of an alien race invulnerable to Force Mind Tricks—pitting them against the Jedi, he ensured that this race would not be a future problem to him, and he gained the added advantage of seeing Jedi die.

I read mostly to experience K’Kruhk as a Padawan.

Part of “The Rise of the Sith Omnibus”, it takes place before TPM and is now considered part of the Extended Universe/Legends.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shifting gears a bit, this time out we're visiting a setting a little closer to the events of the films. The Dark Horse Comics miniseries Jedi Council: Acts Of War takes place only a year before the events of Star Wars--Episode I: The Phantom Menace (that's 33 BBY, if you're keeping track). This story was published as a standalone collection, and reprinted in Star Wars Omnibus: Rise Of The Sith.

Before the galaxy was engulfed in the Clone Wars, transforming the Jedi into generals, they served to keep peace across the galaxy-spanning Republic. One such threat comes in the form of the Yinchorri, a warlike species newly accepted into galactic society. When the Yinchorri begin trying to carve out a small empire for themselves among the stars, Jedi Master Mace Windu dispatched a pair of Jedi to manage the crisis. Their mutilated bodies were soon delivered to the office of Chancellor Valorum. Now the Council must mount a full-scale expedition to end this threat to peace in the galaxy, as well as seeking to uncover just who is pulling the strings of the Yinchorri....

This was a well-executed story. It can be somewhat difficult to keep an appropriate degree of tension in stories featuring characters you know will survive based on later appearances (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Mace, Adi, etc.), but the large cast keeps this from being an issue. Each of the characters here is well developed, and some of the new characters introduced in this miniseries would go on to become fan favorites across the franchise. The art is also of high quality, serving the story well. Is the story essential? Not particularly. It's the first appearance of K'kruhk, though, and Randy Stradley enjoys returning to the character of Micah Giett on occasion in the pages of Tales. Plus, it's always fun watching Palpatine's labyrinthine plots to pave the way for his eventual rise....

CONTENT: Moderate violence, occasionally a bit gruesome. No profanity. No sexual content.

[Rick Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

This trade paperback edition collects the four-issue comic series of the same title. Set before the events of The Phantom Menace, the story centers on the rise of a reptilian warrior species called the Yinchorri. These creatures are formidable foes for the Jedi, as they are immune to "Jedi mind tricks", and possess weapons capable of temporarily disabling a lightsaber.

Following the loss of a team of Jedi sent to deal with the Yinchorri under his orders, Mace Windu is determined to lead a larger force and locate the Yinchorri command base. His Jedi team includes an array of new characters, plus the familiar faces of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi Wan Kenobi.

While the Jedi forces split into three groups and face heavy opposition at every turn, Yoda and the rest of the Jedi Council face danger back home, while Darth Siduous and Darth Maul plot behind the scenes.

In spite of occasionally having more of a Star Trek diplomatic feel, this serves as a reasonably interesting prequel to, well, the prequels. There is some good character interaction, and it's fun to see Mace Windu front and center in the thick of the action.

The battle scenes felt repetitive, however, and in spite of their gimmicks, the Yinchorri made for pretty generic and one-dimensional adversaries. They are relentless fighters, but show little strategy, and are threatening mostly just by the fact that they outnumber the Jedi in nearly every battle.

I enjoyed the new characters who were introduced, and there were a couple of good emotional scenes, but there were too many bland battle scenes and not enough really interesting plot developments to make this a really great story.

[Bookworm Amir · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think the book wasn't that great.

First of all, there were too many characters (of the Jedi Council) that you can't really keep track of much of them. Worst of all, there's all the weird names, the names of the planets and the rebellious warriors, that I just skip reading the names. Can't they settle for something more simpler?

Plot wise, since when did a Jedi Council authorize themselves, ALL of them, to go and fight some tyrannosaurus rex lizards who can carry guns? It also meant losing a lot of Jedi Knights and a member of the Council. Kind of a stupid move, I'd say.

The coloring is, well, too strong on the eye. Yellow skies?

The design of the ships were terrible also, as well as the drawings of them fighting. During fight scenes, sometimes I couldn't differ between who was being hit, who had the lightsaber, and also if that lizard looking person was a Jedi Knight or a Yinchorri (he was a Jedi Knight).

There's only a few connections of this comic to the movies (it takes place before the Phantom Menace). You'd find out about Plo Koon, (Yoda has a female companion look alike!), how Qui Gon Jinn and Obi Wan Kenobi became teacher and student - and a few more - with just a few drawings.

Not really a good read, at all.

[Marth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a collection of issues 1 to 4 of Star Wars: Jedi Council - Acts of War featuring both the Jedi Council and acts of war.

The basic plot is that a new member of the Galactic Republic called the Yinchorri is causing a bit of bother invading people and causing the deaths of 2 Jedi. In response most of the Jedi Council goes to stop them (which is strange considering when they were alerted to the possible return of their ancient enemies the Sith they only sent Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to check it out) and fun ensues. All the while Emperor Sheev laughs evily in the background as Maul looks on, confused.

Overall this is a pretty enjoyable short adventure in the Star Wars Legends timeline here nothing really major happens other than some Jedi die and Ki Adi Mundi is added to the Jedi Council. If you can get a hold of it for cheap then go right ahead it's a fun enjoyable time.

One criticism though is there are too many characters as it tries to showcase each member of the Jedi Council to varying degrees of success.

Story also found in Star Wars Omnibus: Rise of the Sith collection.

[Zachary Hatton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish it and I don't think I need too. The story was a little bland; there's trouble on a planet and the jedi are sent in like we've never heard that story before. I wouldn't mind so much if the ensuing plot was actually interesting and I cared about the characters. Like this jedi master dies but idk who he is and there's no reason for me to feel any remorse b/c there's nothing really special about him. Another thing I didn't like was the art work. It reminded me too much of a kid's tv show and less like a bitter struggle. I couldn't get into the story b/c the art made it seem rather frivolous and uninteresting. The jedi council is depicted on the cover when most of the jedi council don't even play a big part of the the story and did anyone else notice how Yoda is way too tall in the cover, I know I did. It's like they're trying to trick you into buying this b/c there's the jedi council on the front cover and you may actually get to see them be the main component of the story. How untrue that is.

[Yves · Rating 3 out of 5]

La planète Yinchorri vient joindre la République que déjà sa population commence à causer des problèmes. Le conseils Jedi décide donc d'envoyer des émissaires pour régler les problèmes. Peu après le départ, le Temple Jedi est attaqué par des habitants de cette planète rebelle. Ce que le Jedi ne savent pas c'est que tous ces problèmes proviennent d'une manipulation secrète des Sith.

Cette bande dessinée est plutôt ordinaire. C'est souvent le cas pour ces BD qui ont été faites avant 2002. L'histoire a un bon potentiel mais ne réussit pas vraiment à décoller en raison de la froideur des personnages principaux. Même Yoda ne m'a pas susciter beaucoup d'intérêt. C'est quand même mieux que le tome précédent.

[B. Reese · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was overall an interesting story that expands the pre-episode 1 context of star wars. I liked it, 3.5 stars. Overall, it's kind of a "jobber" story in that not much happens to the big names. Still, it's worth reading because it does show us a little more of what the galaxy was up to before episode 1. Not essential reading, but fun if you're looking for something decent.

[Brian Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth a read if you are already a big fan of the franchise but it might not have much appear to someone who isn't deep into the universe.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very average pre-Phantom Menace story in which nothing much happened. Disappointing.

[Shawn Fairweather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall the comic wasn't too bad. It had some good aspects and definitely added to the build up to the Phantom Menace however there was some quirkiness that I could've done without.

[M Pereira · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a filler story. It passes the time but not a particularly impressive story