By now every Star Wars fan has heard the news: Darth Maul is coming back!
By the end of Season 4 of The Clone Wars, everybody’s second favorite Sith Apprentice will have taken his first steps on his path of vengeance, to be continued in Season 5, next fall. But while the TV series will tell the beginning of Maul’s unholy return, there are stories to be told which take place between the end of Season 4 and the start of Season 5. That’s where Dark Horse comes in.
I first spoke to director Dave Filoni about the idea of telling a story between seasons almost two years ago, when the plans for Maul’s return were revealed to the Star Wars licensees at a meeting at Skywalker Ranch. Dave was receptive to the idea -- so receptive, in fact, that he took time out of his busy schedule with the show to confer with writers Henry Gilroy and Steven Melching on their story The Sith Hunters, and to paint a cover for that digest volume of The Clone Wars! The graphic novella will be in comics shops and bookstores in August.
But that’s not all! Also in the works is a four-issue Darth Maul series being written by Tom Taylor (Star Wars: Blood Ties and Star Wars: Invasion)! We’ll have more information about that in the near future.
In the meantime, run to your local theater and catch The Phantom Menace in 3-D, watch The Clone Wars for Darth Maul’s return, and prepare yourself for the Year of Maul!
Randy Stradley
editor