Star Wars: Obi-Wan & Anakin

Star Wars: Canon Miniseries

by Charles Soule (Writer), Marco Checchetto

Before their military heroism in the Clone Wars, before their tragic battle on Mustafar and many decades before their final confrontation on the Death Star, they were Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his young Padawan, Anakin Skywalker. Now join them a few years into Anakin's, "chosen one" training. Teacher and student have grown closer over time, but it's been a difficult road. And things aren't about to get any easier. In fact, when they're called to a remote planet for assistance, the pair may be pushed to their breaking point. As they find themselves stranded on a strange world of primitive technology and deadly natives, will they be able to save themselves? When war breaks out around them, master and apprentice will find themselves on opposite sides!

COLLECTING: OBI-WAN & ANAKIN #1-5

Genres: Star Wars, Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Marvel, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Charles Soule is a #1 New York Times-bestselling novelist, comics author, screenwriter, musician, and lapsed attorney. He has written some of the most prominent stories of the last decade for Marvel, DC and Lucasfilm in addition to his own work, such as his comics Curse Words, Letter 44 and Undiscovered Country, and his original novels Light of the Jedi, The Endless Vessel, The Oracle Year and Anyone. He lives in New York.

Reviews

[fatherofdragons113 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this comic! The foreshadowing and the easter eggs were great. The drawing was gorgeous! I wish there were more.

[A.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set sometime before the Clone Wars, Obi Wan & Anakin sees the two Jedi head to the primitive planet of Carnelion IV after getting a mysterious call for help asking specifically for Jedi. They are forced to crash land on the planet after encountering the dense debris field around the planet, and soon become embroiled in a conflict between the Natives. Even more perplexing, the natives don’t seem to know what a Jedi even is, so who exactly sent out the distress call and why?

Charles Soule & Marco Checchetto team up for this one, and I honestly couldn’t have been happier while reading this. Most of Soule’s Star Wars work is well-written and shows he has a great understanding of this universe and the characters in it, and this book is no exception. Along with the present day mission between Anakin & Obi-Wan, we also get flashbacks showing Anakin wanting to leave the Jedi Order and of him and Palpatine going on secret missions to the lower levels of Coruscant. While the main story is fine, these are the parts were most of my enjoyment from the book came. It’s horrifying to slowly see Palpatine beginning to manipulate Anakin, and the journey he goes on was by far the most interesting part of the story at hand, even if we know the eventual outcome.

It’s also great to see Checchetto on another Star Wars book after his incredible work on Shattered Empire, and his art in here is even better than it was in that book. I’ve always loved his work since I first saw it in Superior Spider-Man’s side books, and it just keeps getting better over time. There’s a reason he drew the last big Marvel event. Checchetto adds some much needed personality and life to Carnelion IV, making it feel like a unique place in the Star Wars universe. His action scenes and page layouts are still fantastic, though I will admit I liked them more in Shattered Empire, even if this book is more techinically sound. I’m excited to track down that Captain Phasma book he did too.

An easy recommendation to anyone who likes books about the friendship/partnership between Obi-Wan & Anakin, or anything in the prequels or Clone Wars era. I doubt you’d get anything out of this if you already despise that era, but I had a good time with this. It does stretch itself a bit thin in places and probably could have wrapped an issue early, but the flashbacks sequences more than make up for this. If you like Charles Soule’s Star Wars works, Marco Checchetto’s art, or anything regarding the prequels, you’ll have a good time with this. If you are anyone else else...not so much.

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great little Star Wars tale! Obi-Wan and Anakin takes places a few years after the events of Phantom Menace. Anakin is a gifted young Jedi Padawan, but he has great trouble in controlling his emotions. Anakin is starting to think that perhaps the Jedi order is not for him. In order for his master Obi-Wan and he to think things over, Yoda send them both to investigate a Jedi distress call from a far part of the galaxy.
What follows is a great story about war, hate and the mindset of people that have been immersed in both for generations. Carnelion IV is a planet devastated by war. The two Jedi crash land on the planet and are immediately sucked into a conflict between the Open and the Closed, the two sides of the terrible war. Told in the setting of Anakin questioning the Jedi order and its role, this story is instrumental in showing the development of young Anakin.
Perhaps my favorite part were the sections that looked into the past. It shows the interest of Palpatine in the young Skywalker. How he was able to gain Anakins confidence and completely hoodwink the hubris laden Jedi. It is this hubris and smug surety that rubs Anakin the wrong way. Palpatine takes him on a tour of the underworld of Coruscant and makes some interesting points about the role the Jedi order plays in society. For all their vaunted powers the actual reach of the Jedi into things like poverty, corruption and graft are minimal. Their subordination to the Senate often means corrupt Senators get a pass. This is also a test of Anakin's use of the Force for events the Jedi Order would think unseemly. it shows the closeness of Anakin and Palpatine. The fact that the young Padawan seems to agree with Palpatine's outlook from an early age helps to explain later events.
The Obi-Wan/Anakin part of the story also highlights his respect and love for Obi-Wan. The same feeling never really develops in Anakin for the Jedi Order itself. A great morality tale about the cost of war that spans generations, loyalty to ones Master and an Order and a journey made by not only Anakin but also by his Master Obi-Wan.

The story is top notch, the setting impeccable and the art well done. A great Star Wars tale. A must have for any fan of the Emperor or Vader. I am glad I had an opportunity to read this fascinating tale. Bear in mind I am a huge fan of Vader and Sidious-thus I derived great schadenfreude at this tale (in terms of how it relates to the Jedi Order). This one will rank up there with my favorite Star Wars tales. Well Done!

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charles Soule's Marvel work has been lackluster at best. So I was pleasantly surprised that this was actually good. Obi-Wan and Anakin are sent to investigate a distress signal on a planet that is supposed to be abandoned. The debris field around the planet is almost impossible to get through and they crash land. They soon find their are survivors on the planet and they are at war. In fact, the war has been going on for so long that no one knows which side actually destroyed the atmosphere by unleashing poisonous gas. We also get some flashbacks of Anakin and Palpatine working together. Marco Checchetto art is spectacular. He creates a fully realized alien world.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set between (shudder) The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan Anakin Skywalker answer a distress call on a mysterious planet - and quickly become embroiled in a bitter conflict between two sides.

Yuck, a prequel comic! Well there had to be one for the (misguided) fans of those movies, eh? And what a stinker it is! Yeah there are flashbacks to features of those awful movies which leave an awful taste behind but it’s Charles Soule’s crummy writing that really ruins this book.

The story is sooooo boring! I just did not care about these two nothing sides fighting each other in a tech-less world even with the Jedi getting involved and lightsabering their way through one obstacle after another. The flashbacks to Anakin and Palpatine slumming in a Coruscant bar were equally dull. There are little moments throughout that hint of Anakin’s future conversion to the Dark Side but they’re not interesting. It’s amazing how tedious Soule made this book given how colourful, exciting and bursting with potential the Star Wars universe is.

Like his work on Shattered Empire, Marco Checchetto’s art is spectacular - easily the best part of this book! Beautiful alien landscapes, amazing action sequences - the book is full of one breathtakingly epic visual after another.

Even though I utterly dislike the prequels, I was willing to give this book a chance and would’ve enjoyed it if it were an entertaining story; unfortunately it wasn’t. Obi-Wan & Anakin is a dreary read with slick artwork that doesn’t make up for the lacking script - it’s another rotten Charles Soule comic! Stop giving this guy Star Wars titles to screw up, Marvel!

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread: 06/01/2024

This was such a good volume and I had such a good time reading it. Mainly because of the art because its freaking gorgeous... There are panels which are close ups of characters and they are gorgeous and the designs and all are brilliant especially for the creatures that make up this world and i like the characters introduced here and the onlu complaint I have is they could have explored more of the conflict and people there but it gets the job done and its really a coming of age tale for the young Anakin and yyou can see the influences of both Palpatine and Obi-wan here and I love the hints of whats to come and leave it to Soule to leave you wanting more.

___________________

Taking place on a planet named Carnelian IV which has been covered with Celodan Sea, Obi-Wan and Anakin arrive after recieving a distress signal and when they land there, they find theselves trapped in a war between the Open and the Closed. Two Open members - Kolara and Mother Pran and closed - Grecker meet them and they unite to escape the Corpse-Leechers and Fishers (dragons) until they are betrayed by Openers and Anakin is taken hostage as he can fix some stuff. Obi-Wan and Grecker meet with someone named Sela, the scavenger meanwhile she explains what her reasons were for calling the jedi, how the world used to be and all the more and then Open and Closed both find her and are ready to destroy her, and so its upto Obi-Wan to save the day.

I liked how this volume showed Anakin still confused between being a jedi or not in the past, his meeting with Palpatine, his eventual corruption but here him by the end recognizing the value of being Jedi when Obi-Wan does the find the solution to the problem. The story is so simple and thats the great thing about Star Wars. Its simple and just takes you to a galaxy far away and shows you good vs evil and how you can do good even though having a moral crisis. The main champion here is the art which is just too gorgeous and is a blessing to marvel art and the colors just accentuate the read and keeps you engaged through and through. Amazing read!

[Holden Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent series. Couldn't ask more from a 5 Volume comic.

Anakin and Obi-Wan show something that everyone from star wars needs to see.
Anakin growing up.

Something that the prequels didn't do the best job at(disclaimer, I love the prequel trilogies for what they are, faults and all), is portraying Anakin's emotional slide to the dark side. Overall, there are about 6+ hours of footage that can be crammed into the films. Sure the main plot points and events that caused that(for the most part) are there, but there was a lot more to it. That is why some of my favorite star wars canon materials involve the bits and pieces of Anakin's life that extend the prequel trilogy.

In this series we see more of Palpatine's manipulation, more of Anakin's questions, more of Obi-Wan's grasping attempts to raise someone with so many said questions.

We see an awesome new planet, with a very strange culture and race system, as well as some pretty cool combat scenes.

Overall, I felt that this was what I want out of Star Wars comics and wish there were more than just 5 issues.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of the Obi-Wan and Anakin team; it's actually one of my favourite dynamics in the saga; and I enjoyed this book quite a bit.

The only thing I felt let it down a bit was that the planet it takes place on didn't feel very 'Star Wars-y' to me. I know, I know... it's a big galaxy with plenty of room for lots of varied planets, but this one just felt a bit too cyberpunk for my tastes. Still, an OK read.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vote: 3,5

Marco Checchetto's artworks were just awesome and I liked a lot the Anakin/Palpatine's sub-plot, but the main storyline was just far from being really interesting for me.



Such a shame :/

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 stars

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good! 3.75 🌟

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hm. There are some serious high points in this book. The art, to start with, is absolutely gorgeous. And entirely unlike anything else that I've seen in the new Star Wars comics. It's far more stylized than the other books have been, and I loved that. The portion of the story set on Coruscant was interesting to see, how Palpatine first came to meddle in Anakin's life. And Soule does a good job of showing the connection between Anakin and Obi-Wan. However, the bulk of the story, set on a planet entirely ruined by war, just isn't that great. The biggest problem is that it's a story that's been done many times over, and this is not the most interesting take on that basic plot that I've seen. I appreciate that Soule didn't give us definitive answers. What was the war about? Who started it? Whose weapons caused all the devastation we see? At the end of the book, we don't know, and in a very real sense, it doesn't matter. But that's about all the good I can say about that part of the story. So in the end, it's a very pretty book, with some interesting plot points, but it doesn't quite capitalize on the best parts.

[Raoufa Ibrahim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! we see in those 5 issues Anakin's confusion, he doesn't know where he belongs.


The story covers past and present, we see how chancellor palpatine is trying to trick Anakin[past], and we will know about a new planet where Open and Close are fighting each other[present]

[Siona Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars.

I have no idea why this is rated as low as it is, and why a lot of people I've hear talk about this book say it was a let down. I think it helps to show how strong the bonds between Anakin and Obi-Wan and Anakin and Sheev (the Chancellor) are respectively.

I wish Disney would go back and do more stories like this before the original trilogy rather than just ignoring the prequels. Where the prequel's great? No. Are they really all that bad? Again, no. They are certainly different than the originals, but not really any less good or bad. Just different.

If they (Disney) were to produce some more content like this that show or mention Anakin's trouble with the dark side/his emotions more and how Sheev plays on them and how the Jedi exacerbate it, it would help to show why Anakin fell even better. If they were to show Obi-Wan interacting with Owen (Luke's uncle and Anakin's step-brother), it would help deal with the inconsistencies between the two trilogies.

I know that's probably asking to much (both of Disney to even try it and for most fans to accept it), but I wish Disney would just try more. This run was really fun, and I hope they make more like it and less than the Chewie and Lando series (which to me seem boring af and un-need) or Shatter Empire (which was also boring af)

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good to see Obi-Wan and Anakin in their own comic. Hope they will be able to fix the Open and Closed War. Glad that the people may finally know peace.

Can't wait to read more Star Wars comics!!!!!

[Andreas · Rating 2 out of 5]

One star for the art and half a star because it's Star Wars.

[Димитър Цолов · Rating 5 out of 5]

Любопитна история за сложните взаимоотношения между учителя без право на избор и прекомерно надарения, но нетърпелив да напредне в Силата ученик, от една страна, а от друга - за коварния ментор в сянка, съзрял потенциала на склонността към покварата. 4,5/5 ⭐️

[Scott Rhee · Rating 3 out of 5]

If Marvel Comics’ Star Wars titles were limited to only the main title series, “Darth Vader”, and “Doctor Aphra”, life would be good. Thankfully, there are dozens of titles within the Star Wars line, some of them great, some of them mediocre. I give Marvel credit for trying.

We’ve been blessed with dozens of mini-series based on beloved well-known characters (“Princess Leia”, “Lando”, “Han Solo”, and “Chewbacca”) along with newer characters (“Kanan”, “Poe Dameron”, and “Cassian Andor”). Thankfully, Marvel has yet to publish a “Jar Jar Binks” series. (I think. I hope.) Personally, I would rather have them resurrect the old “Ewoks” comic book series, but I don’t see that happening.

I recently picked up “Obi-Wan and Anakin”, a five-issue series that came out in 2016, written by Charles Soule and drawn by Marco Checchetto.

I should preface this review by mentioning that I was never in love with the prequel trilogies. I know that’s not shocking, as most fans would probably agree. While I liked Ewan McGregor’s portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi, I was never impressed with Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker. This is, of course, neither here nor there, as we are talking about comic books not movies.

My point is that I was not expecting much from “Obi-Wan and Anakin”, which was ultimately good, because I wasn’t that disappointed.

The story takes place between “Episode I: The Phantom Menace” and “Episode II: Attack of the Clones”, in the missing years of Anakin’s life when he went from looking like Jake Lloyd to Christensen. Obi-Wan and Anakin arrive at a planet called Carnelion IV after a mysterious distress signal is sent to the Jedi Temple. Little is known about the planet as it is not an official member of the Republic.

They arrive in the middle of a war between two factions calling themselves “Opened” and “Closed”. It is never adequately explained why they call themselves that, although it doesn’t really matter: the point is that they have been fighting so long, nobody really knows the original reasons why the war started in the first place.

Interspersed throughout the story are flashback scenes in which Senator Palpatine takes young Anakin under his wing. We see the embryonic beginnings of Anakin’s flirting with the Dark Side, which doesn’t seem like much, as Palpatine is quite clever in couching his “lessons” in terms of right and wrong and the “greater good”. I liked this aspect of the story, as it helps to reinforce the idea that Anakin’s path to the Dark Side was built on good intentions, or rather, what he viewed as good intentions.

The rest of the story, however, isn’t that stellar. It’s not a complete failure, as I was still entertained by the story, but it simply felt a little flat.

That’s okay, though, because for every “Obi-Wan and Anakin” there is a “Han Solo” series or “Doctor Aphra” issue or the latest “Star Wars” issue that blows me away.

[Eileanór Bláth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't impressed.
The plotline on Carnelion IV looked like it was heavily borrowed from "The Uncertain Path" by Jude Watson.

Seriously,
- Anakin who wants to leave the order like Obi-Wan did
- two sides that have been fighting each other for so long they don't even remember why they started in the first place
- "the young" as a hope for peace

At least the story of "The uncertain path", being a book, had room to breath and it was good. I definitely cannot say the same thing for this comic book.
It's fine with me, if they want to get inspiration from the old EU, but at least do it well... please...


The only thing I really liked (and wished I could get more) was the scenes with Palpatine.

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prequel era is by far my least favorite Star Wars setting--the movies really ruined the stories that I'd looked forward to for most of my life. I don't enjoy the relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin, and so it's predictable the this graphic novel was going to be a hard sell for me. Setting it in the time between Episodes 1 and 2 was actually a really good choice. Though I didn't love the story, I liked it more than I expected. It reminded me a little bit of the Kanan graphic novel, which I also liked.

The geography, action, and side characters are as forgettable as any Star Wars graphic novel, but there are intriguing indications of the two protagonists' attitudes toward the Republic and the Jedi Order. Palpatine appears in an ongoing flashback story, and his character is about as un-subtle as it is in the movies, which is a disappointment. Star Wars really needed (and still needs) writers who can handle political intrigue. James Luceno and Alexander Freed come the closest, and I'm glad they're being given more important assignments related to Rogue One.

All in all, a decent Star Wars story, and probably the quickest graphic novel read of all the new canon so far. Worth checking out from the library. :)

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in 29BBY

I wish it could be better. The story was ok. The artwork was great at times, but that celucean sea what they called it in it, ruined the artwork, all the effects were ruining the artwork, which was great.

“I am just uncertain that I have the answers he needs. If there is a problem, it is with me. The failure is mine.” - Obi-Wan Kenobi

Anakin and Obi-Wan travel to a planet who put out a distress call to the Jedi, a planet which no one ever goes and the republic doesn't even care about because of the atmosphere and the civil war that's going on for years which destroyed pretty much the whole planet, but ok let's send a master and his young padawan to save the day. Good thinking there Jedi Council.

“I don’t know where I failed.” - Obi-Wan Kenobi

Oh well, and they find people who fight others, with ridiculous names and whatnot, who hate so much each other for all their lives that they're willing to be friends in the same ship in 2 pages. oo-kay and if that wasn't enough, the whole plot has no payoff at the end so we're left with just being ok that we got an adventure with Obi-Wan and Anakin.

Read at your own risk. Nothing to write home about, or anything to add to the lore.

[Jay DeMoir · Rating 2 out of 5]

The one thing this comic did well was showing something that everyone from star wars fandom needed to see:
Anakin growing up. We needed to see the growing pains, the inner turmoil. We saw a glimpse of that with his desire to leave the order and briefly from his conversations with palpatine. other than that, the story was dull but the illustrations were beautiful.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you have a successful franchise in your hand, what usually follows is a number of cash-grab merchandise, including comic-books and novels, that are devoid of any emotional weight. However, Star Wars: Obi-Wan & Anakin, doesn't feel like one. Equipped with outstanding artwork, the book delivers an impressive story as well, that serves as an allegory for the Jedi-Sith war itself.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid 3 stars. It's never quite the fun Obi-Wan and Anakin stuff we get in The Clone Wars. There's too much steampunk stuff going on as well. The high points are the flashbacks to coruscant with Palpatine and some other familiar faces.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

More excellent space opera comics from Marvel!

(Well, aside from the occasional profanity and freaky images...)

[Sophie_The_Jedi_Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like a lot of Star Wars books and graphic novels fall flat when the concept just... isn't there. Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Allegiance was set between TLJ and TROS, but, despite some cute stuff with Finn and Poe and cool scenes with Rose, it was a little empty. The premise was "the new trilogy team out getting weapons," and it didn't quite do it for me.

This graphic novel intrigued me for multiple reasons - for one, I adore the Anakin and Obi-Wan dynamic. From its beginning to its fateful end... ahh, so good. But this is not your average story about the two of them. This graphic novel takes place between TPM and AotC - a difficult time to work with. Queen's Shadow handled this time period fairly well, but I was very curious to see how Anakin and Obi-Wan fared. This point in their relationship was so early on that I wanted to see how their dynamic would work before the Clone Wars.

The background artwork in this is gorgeous. The snowstorm is beautifully done, and it really adds to the atmosphere. I didn't love the character artwork as much, just because the side characters in here have really distinct designs, but I can still say they were very meticulous and just not my thing.

I still haven't found myself too invested in the plots of these newer graphic novels. It always seems to be the characters that intrigue me, and more often than not it's the already established characters from the movies, not the new ones for the graphic novel.

The writing in here is... a little weird? It almost feels like it's translated poorly from another language at times, like when a character is disarmed when she's trying to shoot someone, pauses in shock, then yells, "Kill you!" It just... doesn't make sense. The dialogue's also a little choppy at parts.

However, despite my reservations about the above, I did like the plotline of Anakin considering leaving the Jedi Order and Obi-Wan doing what he can to convince him otherwise. Anakin as a whole is very well done in here. I seriously loved the scene at the beginning of Anakin training, when Palpatine calls him "impressive" (childhood sound of glee) and when Anakin turns viciously on the other Padawans for calling him a "slave." The Anakin and Obi-Wan moments, ultimately, were strong, and carried this graphic novel the most. 3/5 stars.

[lipa✮⋆˙ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

loved seeing more of obi-wan and anakin's early years as a padawan, pretty interesting imo :))

[Travis Duke · Rating 3 out of 5]

(2.5) A side story that doesn't bring anything new to the table. Its a soft spot because who doesn't want to learn more about the Obi-wan and Anakin relationship but aside from Anakin questioning his Jedi future (also nothing we didnt know really) there isn't any tasty details like in the new Vader series of main line star wars series. I hate to admit this but its Disney filler. I had read this was a weaker series and so far I would agree especially compared to the other strong one i mentioned above. The story revolves around The two jedi following a distress call to a far off planet. The story is OK its not great and if your looking for new details about stars wars you won't find any here really. I will read book 2 but i don't have high hopes.

[Jaclyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3*5
This was interesting, I loved seeing obi-wan and Anakin after phantom menace but the constant time jumps was a little confusing as I was reading until the ending where it all wrapped up nicely and punched me in my feels...this was still a good one especially if you love Anakin!

[Reza Qalandari · Rating 4 out of 5]

از همه لحاظ عالی بود!
طرفدارهای اوبی‌وان، با دیدن طراحیش تو این کمیک قراره غش کنیم!