Comic Review: Star Wars Adventures - Luke Skywalker and the Treasure of the Dragonsnakes

Dragonsnakes. Why did it have to be Dragonsnakes?

By Jeffery Cox 

Watching the original trilogy, we only see about two weeks, maybe, of actual Jedi training for Luke. He’s with Obi-wan for two or three days and Yoda for maybe ten more, then he runs off to throw down on Palpatine. Is he just a quick learner, unlike his father? Maybe (probably) Yoda is a better instructor than Obi-wan. But neither of these options explains Luke’s facility with the force. As “Treasure of the Dragonsnakes” show us, Luke’s training was much more intensive than the movies lead on.

Taking place during Luke’s time on Dagobah, “Luke Skywalker and the Treasure of the Dragonsnakes” fills in the blanks of his tutelage with Yoda. The relationship between master and student is revealed to show a more reluctant mentor in Yoda. He quickly exposes Luke’s faults and warns him against his own self-defeating traits and a desire to take shortcuts in his training.

At the same time, a feared predator of Dagobah, The King of the Dragonsnakes, is stalking Luke. The creature was briefly in The Empire Strikes Back as the beast that spits R2-D2 across the swamp. After his experience with the unpalatable droid, the King Dragonsnake spots the much more appealing rebel and lies in wait. His patience is paid off when Yoda decides to continue Luke’s lessons by using him as snake bait. Luke battles the monster while Yoda and R2 have a conversation that puts to rest a question that was brought up by the prequels, “Did Yoda and R2 recognize each other?” The answer is in this story.

Luke has some trouble with the giant reptile, so Yoda steps into the fight, once again proving that size matters not. Outmatched, King Dragonsnake makes a run for it with the padawan and master in hot pursuit. Yoda turns this into a series of lessons for Luke, teaching him further subtleties of the force.

From the edge of the swamp, Luke must continue alone. He is charged by Yoda to retrieve an object once he reaches the monster's lair - the Dragonsnakes “treasure.” After a harrowing journey to the lair, Luke must face the Dragon on his own using the lessons Yoda has taught him as they traveled.

Like all the Star Wars Adventure titles, “Luke Skywalker and the Treasure of the Dragonsnakes” is written for a younger audience. Despite this, it is an entertaining read. The depiction of the characters is in keeping with the film, though Yoda is a bit more active and grouchy than the audience will expect. At the end, he remains the sage teacher. The sequential art provided by Daxiong reveals the action clearly enough that the story can be understood without reading the text at all. While stylistically it tends toward the generic “anime” seen in many comics, the detailed and dynamic panels more than make up for it.

Specs

TITLE	STAR WARS Adventures: Luke Skywalker and the Treasure of the Dragonsnakes
PUBLISHER	Dark Horse
BOOK RELEASED	February 2010
COVER PRICE	$7.95
WRITER	Tom Taylor
ARTIST	Daxiong
LETTERING	Michael Heisler

*Image via Dark Horse Comics (Used with permission)

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