As the cloud of the dark side stretches out across the galaxy, are the stories of a few wayward Jedi and the children in their care worth following?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dark Horse:

Jedi Master K’Kruhk goes to war against the soldiers of a local militia in order to give the Padawans he’s vowed to protect a chance to escape. But the Padawans have encountered a new, unexpected danger in the forest.

What’s worse is that the Empire has become suspicious of the militia’s activities and is bringing in troops to investigate. The Force is a powerful ally, but even a Jedi Master can’t fight a battle on three fronts!

When it comes to the Star Wars universe, there’s quite a few areas of the cannon that just seem to be ripe for exploration.  And following the events of the Clone Wars the immediate rise of the Empire certainly makes for a fascinating feature when specifically focusing in on the last remnants of the Knights of the Old Republic.

Randy Stradley pens the script and the author yields a moving but functional tale of survival that allows a dance between the dark and light sides of the Force. The conversations, action, suspense and heroism one might expect from such a story is certainly there but there just seems to be something lacking.  The story from beginning to end is good but there’s just not enough here to make it more than a harrowing adventur,e which to some extent dampens an otherwise sterling effort.

The art by Gabriel Guzman matches and exceeds the tempo called on by the scribe as elegant pencil strokes create a believable extension to this corner of the galaxy.  I was positively floored by the work on display as this talent effortlessly constructs then builds the players along with the world in a way that’s nothing less than authentic.  In short, the art is amazing and worthy of your dollars.

Star Wars: Dark Times – Fire Carrier #4 is not perfect but it’s an entertaining affair that builds towards next month’s finale.  Recommended.

4/5