What do you think?
Rate this book
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 -2010) #10-12
Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Vol. 3: Hero of the Confederacy
Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight and hero of the Republic, is challenged by a fledgling hero of the Confederacy The Confederacy is being provided with newer and more advanced ships from Valahari - a world that has claimed neutrality in the Clone Wars. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are dispatched to negotiate with the planet's rulers, but as events unfold and Anakin is framed for a dishonorable act, diplomacy gives way to war There are heroes on both sides of the Clone Wars, even if some of those heroes have been manipulated by the Sith. This tragic tale of heroism and sacrifice first appeared in issues #10-12 of the comic-book series The Clone Wars.
80 pages, Paperback
Published September 14, 2010
2 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 10, 2012
I liked the story line, but the graphics had a lot to be desired.
December 9, 2023
“If you don’t crash once in a while, you’re probably not in the fight.”
This is way more dark and gritty then the previous Clone Wars comics I’ve read (Crash Course, Shipyards of Doom, and The Wind Riders of Taloraan) and really hits home the awfulness of war and how the manipulation of one person can destroy so many.
Tofen is almost a direct “copy” of what happens to Anakin later on and everything goes up in ashes by the end for literally everyone except the stupid future Emperor which makes me hate the guy even more for just how much he wins, grrr!!!! It’s all just heartbreaking and shows how the whole galaxy are just pawns to him, not making this a light read but a deep one, and the line I quoted above that Anakin says to Obi-Wan almost in passing I’ll be mulling over for a long time, even though I can’t fully put my finger exactly on why it stood out to me so much.
I’m also very surprised with how Anakin handled this whole situation he got framed for and how he genuinely tried to help Tofen see the light even while he was angry with all the Jedi and clones he had murdered—it really shows how much he truly cares about people, not that he just “becomes Darth Vader” which a lot of Star Wars authors get stuck on and really annoys me. He’s a complex human being who wasn’t just evil, and I love how this author got that. The scene that really stood out most of to me the most on showing this is when Tofen literally has a blaster to Anakin’s head and Anakin doesn’t defend himself like he normally would (which is totally a good thing to do in this situation!) in an effort to tell him the truth.
And now the downsides. First off the artwork is SUPER dark a lot of the time and super weird looking—it has a dark, gritty look that fits the tone of the story though if I had to pick between the two I honestly like the artwork style used in the previous comics I mentioned then this one (and I’m not even a fan of those!). Another thing is I think at one point Ahsoka was in one of the Jedi Starfighters alongside Anakin but it’s also never confirmed beyond a “Master” being used in the text, so I wish that was shown a bit clearer if it was her or not. And the biggest thing I wasn’t a fan of was I was hoping this would be a very Anakin centric story and while it is, it’s still more focused on Tofen and Dooku overall which kind of bummed me out.
While not a new favorite, I’m glad I read this comic.
‼️Content‼️
Violence: lots of ships are blown up and destroyed in battle (PG); a man is burned up in a shot ship (PG); dead bodies float in space; fighting with ship cannons, weapons, and the Force (PG); injuries and blood (PG-13); ships are shot down/crash land; a man holds a blaster (gun) to another’s head; space creatures attack ships; a man ends up with a burned and blistered face (PG-13)
Other: death and grief; the Force (“magic”); explosions; a character is framed for murder; a space station is bombed
This is way more dark and gritty then the previous Clone Wars comics I’ve read (Crash Course, Shipyards of Doom, and The Wind Riders of Taloraan) and really hits home the awfulness of war and how the manipulation of one person can destroy so many.
Tofen is almost a direct “copy” of what happens to Anakin later on and everything goes up in ashes by the end for literally everyone except the stupid future Emperor which makes me hate the guy even more for just how much he wins, grrr!!!! It’s all just heartbreaking and shows how the whole galaxy are just pawns to him, not making this a light read but a deep one, and the line I quoted above that Anakin says to Obi-Wan almost in passing I’ll be mulling over for a long time, even though I can’t fully put my finger exactly on why it stood out to me so much.
I’m also very surprised with how Anakin handled this whole situation he got framed for and how he genuinely tried to help Tofen see the light even while he was angry with all the Jedi and clones he had murdered—it really shows how much he truly cares about people, not that he just “becomes Darth Vader” which a lot of Star Wars authors get stuck on and really annoys me. He’s a complex human being who wasn’t just evil, and I love how this author got that. The scene that really stood out most of to me the most on showing this is when Tofen literally has a blaster to Anakin’s head and Anakin doesn’t defend himself like he normally would (which is totally a good thing to do in this situation!) in an effort to tell him the truth.
And now the downsides. First off the artwork is SUPER dark a lot of the time and super weird looking—it has a dark, gritty look that fits the tone of the story though if I had to pick between the two I honestly like the artwork style used in the previous comics I mentioned then this one (and I’m not even a fan of those!). Another thing is I think at one point Ahsoka was in one of the Jedi Starfighters alongside Anakin but it’s also never confirmed beyond a “Master” being used in the text, so I wish that was shown a bit clearer if it was her or not. And the biggest thing I wasn’t a fan of was I was hoping this would be a very Anakin centric story and while it is, it’s still more focused on Tofen and Dooku overall which kind of bummed me out.
While not a new favorite, I’m glad I read this comic.
‼️Content‼️
Violence: lots of ships are blown up and destroyed in battle (PG); a man is burned up in a shot ship (PG); dead bodies float in space; fighting with ship cannons, weapons, and the Force (PG); injuries and blood (PG-13); ships are shot down/crash land; a man holds a blaster (gun) to another’s head; space creatures attack ships; a man ends up with a burned and blistered face (PG-13)
Other: death and grief; the Force (“magic”); explosions; a character is framed for murder; a space station is bombed
December 15, 2019
This last volume makes this comic series 3 for 3 on thematic and tonal ambition. It's also maybe the closest it comes to delivering on what it tries to do.
The hook this time is that Anakin is forced to face an ersatz version of himself. Those are always good stories, because they force the character to face their flaws externalized in their enemy. Tofen Vane is a podracer, a starfighter ace, hot-headed and self-righteous, enormously successful in war, husband of a pregnant wife, son of a loving mother, and probably Force sensitive. Unfortunately, most of the interesting stuff happens either on Vane's end or in the reader's head, as we combine Vane's arc with what we know about Anakin's future. Like the other two volumes of this series, the protagonists don't really do or experience much of anything. Less than a foil for Anakin, Vane is an opportunity to pull at some emotional threads that Anakin's story never got to. His mother lives through the whole story, for one thing, and she has to watch him fall under the influence of a Sith, become warped by dark emotions and be made a slave to that Sith's war, and then die of burn wounds. That's all great, and it would have been nice to see even more of her perspective on it. They give the fleeting impression that Obi-Wan has some history with the mom, which would make things even more interesting, but I never really grasped what that was meant to be.
It's also worth noting that this is one of the few Clone Wars stories where the Separatist side has anything close to a real personal motivation. It's the closest the CIS comes to being a genuine political movement with goals and principles, and it's still a complete fabrication, based on lies and malice orchestrated by Dooku. I used to think this was a flaw of storytelling, that Lucas had asserted "there were heroes on both sides" but no one ever wanted to tell anything like a complicated story where the Jedi might hurt someone with a legitimate grievance. Now I'm pretty sure I see it as intentional or least explainable. The Clone War wasn't the product of a legitimate grievance. It's an astroturf civil war drummed up by an enormous amount of capital with no goal other than causing havoc, creating fires for the Jedi to put out. So of course it attracts no one but droids and megalomaniacal psychopath who wants to gain control of a superweapon, of course it has no real goals or principles, and of course every sentient involved who isn't a Bond villain is either blackmailed or duped into it. That's the nature of the faction and the war.
The hook this time is that Anakin is forced to face an ersatz version of himself. Those are always good stories, because they force the character to face their flaws externalized in their enemy. Tofen Vane is a podracer, a starfighter ace, hot-headed and self-righteous, enormously successful in war, husband of a pregnant wife, son of a loving mother, and probably Force sensitive. Unfortunately, most of the interesting stuff happens either on Vane's end or in the reader's head, as we combine Vane's arc with what we know about Anakin's future. Like the other two volumes of this series, the protagonists don't really do or experience much of anything. Less than a foil for Anakin, Vane is an opportunity to pull at some emotional threads that Anakin's story never got to. His mother lives through the whole story, for one thing, and she has to watch him fall under the influence of a Sith, become warped by dark emotions and be made a slave to that Sith's war, and then die of burn wounds. That's all great, and it would have been nice to see even more of her perspective on it. They give the fleeting impression that Obi-Wan has some history with the mom, which would make things even more interesting, but I never really grasped what that was meant to be.
It's also worth noting that this is one of the few Clone Wars stories where the Separatist side has anything close to a real personal motivation. It's the closest the CIS comes to being a genuine political movement with goals and principles, and it's still a complete fabrication, based on lies and malice orchestrated by Dooku. I used to think this was a flaw of storytelling, that Lucas had asserted "there were heroes on both sides" but no one ever wanted to tell anything like a complicated story where the Jedi might hurt someone with a legitimate grievance. Now I'm pretty sure I see it as intentional or least explainable. The Clone War wasn't the product of a legitimate grievance. It's an astroturf civil war drummed up by an enormous amount of capital with no goal other than causing havoc, creating fires for the Jedi to put out. So of course it attracts no one but droids and megalomaniacal psychopath who wants to gain control of a superweapon, of course it has no real goals or principles, and of course every sentient involved who isn't a Bond villain is either blackmailed or duped into it. That's the nature of the faction and the war.
July 14, 2017
When the Clone Wars TV series premiered in 2008, Dark Horse started a comic book series to come out alongside it. STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS ran for 12 issues and had three distinct storylines. Collected here are issues 10-12 which make up the storyline "Hero of the Confederacy".
The story is about Anakin and Obi-Wan traveling to a planet that produces the best starships in the galaxy, unfortunately have been a major supplier for the Separatists. Soon after a tense dinner with the royal family and, of all people, Count Dooku, they take their leave promising to form a blockade if they don't intend to support the Republic. While the king is testing their resolve, his ship is blown up. His son vows to destroy Anakin and the Republic, forming a rogue group of fighters on a hidden base that Anakin and Obi-Wan are racing to find before his efforts garner more Separatist support. Meanwhile Count Dooku marries the widowed queen and strives to officially turn her and her peoples support to the Separatists.
It's a decent story, if not a bit of a stretch in terms of some of the situations that happen. Lots of action and tension, but I felt like having Dooku get married was a bit extreme. Not bad though, worth a read.
The story is about Anakin and Obi-Wan traveling to a planet that produces the best starships in the galaxy, unfortunately have been a major supplier for the Separatists. Soon after a tense dinner with the royal family and, of all people, Count Dooku, they take their leave promising to form a blockade if they don't intend to support the Republic. While the king is testing their resolve, his ship is blown up. His son vows to destroy Anakin and the Republic, forming a rogue group of fighters on a hidden base that Anakin and Obi-Wan are racing to find before his efforts garner more Separatist support. Meanwhile Count Dooku marries the widowed queen and strives to officially turn her and her peoples support to the Separatists.
It's a decent story, if not a bit of a stretch in terms of some of the situations that happen. Lots of action and tension, but I felt like having Dooku get married was a bit extreme. Not bad though, worth a read.
April 20, 2025
Set in 20BBY
It was an ok story with great artwork. Centers on Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi's mission to Valahari, a neutral planet supplying advanced ships to the Separatists.
While the premise offers potential, the execution falls short. The narrative attempts to explore the complexities of war and the gray areas within the Separatist movement but doesn't delve deeply enough to provide meaningful insights. The pacing feels rushed, and character development is minimal, making it hard to connect with the new characters introduced and overall you can see from the get-go where the story goes up until the very end.
Overall it presents an intriguing concept but doesn't fully capitalize on its potential, resulting in a forgettable addition to the Clone Wars saga.
It was an ok story with great artwork. Centers on Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi's mission to Valahari, a neutral planet supplying advanced ships to the Separatists.
While the premise offers potential, the execution falls short. The narrative attempts to explore the complexities of war and the gray areas within the Separatist movement but doesn't delve deeply enough to provide meaningful insights. The pacing feels rushed, and character development is minimal, making it hard to connect with the new characters introduced and overall you can see from the get-go where the story goes up until the very end.
Overall it presents an intriguing concept but doesn't fully capitalize on its potential, resulting in a forgettable addition to the Clone Wars saga.
June 3, 2021
The story is quite good, another one that would make excellent episodes. The scene with space whales is similar with one in Star Wars Rebels, I wonder if this one mighty inspired the other one.
The art here is the low point, the angles and some characters drawings made everything look bad. But I have to say that the Red Baron starfighter designs really worked for me.
If you want more of The Clone Wars show, this comic is a great read. Just remember to not focus too much on the art.
The art here is the low point, the angles and some characters drawings made everything look bad. But I have to say that the Red Baron starfighter designs really worked for me.
If you want more of The Clone Wars show, this comic is a great read. Just remember to not focus too much on the art.
May 22, 2021
Henry Gilroy's Clone Wars miniseries genuinely feels like a great lost arc from the later seasons of Clone Wars. The development of an Anakin foil from racer to nobleman to fascist hero is a great contrast with the still-Jedi Anakin, while also a dark foreshadowing of the path he will soon go down himself.
December 2, 2025
surprisingly well told. both sides were well shown, with the republics demands being more than a little ridiculous. of course, they still have to be the good guys, so dooku does some over the top evil deeds to reinforce that idea. it works since its TCW, and would have made for a pretty interesting arc in the show.
more bonus points for the ending
more bonus points for the ending
September 21, 2023
There are some story elements here that I'd usually find annoying - ah, but it was so artistically done. This is a really strong instalment and it managed to add some dimension to Count Dooku.
October 16, 2023
"our cemeteries are filled with brave and honorable men"
November 16, 2023
Bardzo przyjemny komiks, rysowany ciekawą kreską.
Cały wątek tego małżeństwa Dooku bardzo daje vibe Snape'a i Lily z Harrego Pottera.
Anakin jak zwykle cudowny.
Cały wątek tego małżeństwa Dooku bardzo daje vibe Snape'a i Lily z Harrego Pottera.
Anakin jak zwykle cudowny.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2024
Good book slow read, always action packed but shallow story line. The art was solid for what the book was intended to be. I give this book a 4.2 out of 5.0.
January 22, 2018
Star Wars Legends Project #139
Background: Hero of the Confederacy was released in three issues from November 2009 to January 2010. The trade paperback came out in September 2010. It is the third and final arc in Dark Horse's short-lived, 12-issue "Clone Wars" run of comics. These issues were co-written by Henry Gilroy and Steven Melching, and pencilled by Brian Koschak. Gilroy was head of The Clone Wars animated series through its first season. Melching also wrote for the show. In addition to this, Koschak did the art for a few of the Clone Wars series of graphic novellas.
Hero of the Confederacy is set within the first few months after the Battle of Geonosis (22 years before the Battle of Yavin). The main recurring character is Anakin, with major roles for Obi-Wan and Count Dooku. The title character is Tofen Vane.
Summary: A stunning act of treachery turns a neutral system that produces the most advanced starfighters in the galaxy into an enemy of the Republic. The face of that enemy is Tofen Vane, heir to ruler of Valahari, and a pilot whose skill is matched only by Anakin Skywalker himself, against whom Vane claims a personal vendetta. Anakin was not at fault, and he knows Vane to be an honorable man, but if he cannot reason with Vane, he will be forced to kill him . . . assuming he can actually outfly him.
Review: "There are heroes on both sides" is kind of a throwaway sentence in the midst of the opening crawl for Episode III that feels largely like an empty claim in the majority of the stories told about the Clone Wars. With very few exceptions, every Separatist leader is literally a cartoon villain, irredeemably evil. So who are the good people on the Separatist side and how did they end up joining a movement led by such evil? This story arc goes all in trying to provide a partial answer to that question, and in doing so it produces probably the most compelling Separatist character I've encountered (with the possible exception of Asajj Ventress).
The title is totally sincere: Tofen is a hero by any measure. He is likable, relatable, sincere, honorable, skilled, and smart. And his starfighter is iconic and awesome. He's also pretty flagrantly modeled on Germany's deadliest WWI flying ace Manfred von Richthofen (note the name), more famously known as the Red Baron. Check out the cover art from this arc's second issue here. Oh, and in general, Koschak's stylized art is a great fit for this material.
But what really makes this story something special is the set-up that makes the natural rivalry between Anakin (as the Republic's best ace) and Tofen intensely personal. They are fast friends when they first meet, sharing a love for speed and mechanical things. They engage in a podrace and trade good-natured barbs. They would be an amazing team. And then it all falls apart, lending an air of tragedy to their forced hostility later.
So, while I love that there is lots of great action in this story, especially lots of great starfighter duels, I love even more that there's actual dramatic and emotional weight behind it. Just about every Clone Wars comic is action-packed, but way too many of them forget to do anything meaningful with the characters at the same time. Don't miss this one.
B+
Background: Hero of the Confederacy was released in three issues from November 2009 to January 2010. The trade paperback came out in September 2010. It is the third and final arc in Dark Horse's short-lived, 12-issue "Clone Wars" run of comics. These issues were co-written by Henry Gilroy and Steven Melching, and pencilled by Brian Koschak. Gilroy was head of The Clone Wars animated series through its first season. Melching also wrote for the show. In addition to this, Koschak did the art for a few of the Clone Wars series of graphic novellas.
Hero of the Confederacy is set within the first few months after the Battle of Geonosis (22 years before the Battle of Yavin). The main recurring character is Anakin, with major roles for Obi-Wan and Count Dooku. The title character is Tofen Vane.
Summary: A stunning act of treachery turns a neutral system that produces the most advanced starfighters in the galaxy into an enemy of the Republic. The face of that enemy is Tofen Vane, heir to ruler of Valahari, and a pilot whose skill is matched only by Anakin Skywalker himself, against whom Vane claims a personal vendetta. Anakin was not at fault, and he knows Vane to be an honorable man, but if he cannot reason with Vane, he will be forced to kill him . . . assuming he can actually outfly him.
Review: "There are heroes on both sides" is kind of a throwaway sentence in the midst of the opening crawl for Episode III that feels largely like an empty claim in the majority of the stories told about the Clone Wars. With very few exceptions, every Separatist leader is literally a cartoon villain, irredeemably evil. So who are the good people on the Separatist side and how did they end up joining a movement led by such evil? This story arc goes all in trying to provide a partial answer to that question, and in doing so it produces probably the most compelling Separatist character I've encountered (with the possible exception of Asajj Ventress).
The title is totally sincere: Tofen is a hero by any measure. He is likable, relatable, sincere, honorable, skilled, and smart. And his starfighter is iconic and awesome. He's also pretty flagrantly modeled on Germany's deadliest WWI flying ace Manfred von Richthofen (note the name), more famously known as the Red Baron. Check out the cover art from this arc's second issue here. Oh, and in general, Koschak's stylized art is a great fit for this material.
But what really makes this story something special is the set-up that makes the natural rivalry between Anakin (as the Republic's best ace) and Tofen intensely personal. They are fast friends when they first meet, sharing a love for speed and mechanical things. They engage in a podrace and trade good-natured barbs. They would be an amazing team. And then it all falls apart, lending an air of tragedy to their forced hostility later.
So, while I love that there is lots of great action in this story, especially lots of great starfighter duels, I love even more that there's actual dramatic and emotional weight behind it. Just about every Clone Wars comic is action-packed, but way too many of them forget to do anything meaningful with the characters at the same time. Don't miss this one.
B+
October 1, 2013
Obi Wan visits an old friend to stop their planet helping the separatists. Count Dooku is also an old friend and things get out of hand. A very short story that brings a lot more to the character of Dooku and his motivations. A good read.
May 19, 2014
...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2011
Well. No scifi in it
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews