"Obi-Wan Kenobi #1: Youngling's Challenge" by Christopher Cantwell

 "Obi-Wan Kenobi #1: Youngling's Challenge" written by Christopher Cantwell, illustrated by Ario Anindito and Carlos Lopez

This was actually a pretty good comic! I'm pleasantly surprised, to be sure. There's a framing story of older Obi-Wan (like, probably mere days before he introduces himself to Luke--see the magnificent artwork of Alec Guinness Obi-Wan below. This is like a beautiful painting, true artwork--realistic but not uncanny valley at all, bravo to Ario Anindito and Carlos Lopez!) preparing for a coming sandstorm and thinking about how he feels a dark evil approaching...is he maybe having an emotional premonition of Alderaan's destruction? Or...is it maybe the Death Star's completion he's fearing? An interesting point to consider and I'll be curious to see if it comes up again in future issues... The story-within-a-story is about a youngling Obi-Wan (he hasn't even gone to Ilum yet to get his kyber crystal)!!! And his story is really precious, yet sad. That boy certainly knew a thing or two about attachments!! Goodness gracious, he should of shared some of the lessons learned with a certain whiney teenager...) The more I think about it, the more I realize I greatly enjoyed this read. Christopher Cantwell hasn't done a Star War before and I am excited to get a better taste of what he has to offer (so far it's wonderful) in the upcoming issues of this series.

Christopher Cantwell has some beautiful word imagery in the opening when Obi-Wan's "dialogue" is just thought rectangles. He thinks about the upcoming storm, "I've learned to feel it. The drop in pressure. The kind of crack in the air. The weight of the heat. The peculiar whispers of the wind. The way my Eopie, Akkani, [...TRIVIA ALERT!!...] lies down facing the walls of the hut, eyes closed." I can very well imagine not just seeing but being immersed in this description!

The story then transitions to the story-within-a-story when Obi-Wan thinks about the cold shiver of being alone and says he remembers that feeling from long ago... 

Obi-Wan's bestest friend when a youngling was a human girl named Gehren. According to Obi-Wan, "She protected me. Guided me. In times of indecision, uncertainty, conflict, Gehren was always there. She was strong. She protected me like none other had in my life before. I could not let her go." Later in the story, we find out that even Yoda knew this about their relationship, "In your youngling clan, kept you safe she did. Watched over you." Clearly Obi-Wan knew something about attachments and should have used the lessons he learned in his youngling days (see a couple paragraphs down for the moral of this issue) to teach Anakin...instead of just lecturing the poor boy.

We meet Gehren as she's sitting on a rooftop thinking about nightmares she keeps having of her father in pain (a father that, as a Jedi, she really shouldn't know anything about). She's determined to leave Coruscant and rescue him from whatever evil has ensnared him. And Obi-Wan can't stand the idea of watching his protector and confidante leave his side. Obi-Wan is too precious for words. He is worried about Gehren, but it feels like he's more worried about himself and what in the world he would do without Gehren around to help him in times of trouble. 

Well, she leaves despite Obi-Wan's protestations and Obi-Wan can't help but to follow after her into the depths of Coruscant. He gets stopped by a group of thugs (see below) along the way, and it turns out their Zabrak leader (see below), a Black Sun lieutenant by the name of Nodrus Cay, had just worked out passage for Gehren offworld, in exchange for Eadun Silver. Obi-Wan ends up deciding to go with Gehren to continue to be by her side and just as they get to the ship, the two younglings are handcuffed because Nodrus now knows that they are both Jedi and worth much more as slaves than the Eadun silver would buy. But then, there's two AWESOME panels of Gehren and Obi-Wan busting free of their shackles and then them jumping high through blaster fire (see both below)...needless to say, they escape.

Unfortunately for Obi-Wan, Gehren has not changed her mind and she's still determined to find her father. They part ways and once Obi-Wan gets back to the temple, Yoda is waiting for him. After he recalls to Obi-Wan what Gehren meant to him, he asks, "Do you know who will keep you safe now?" A big question for a boy who is attached at the hip to another person who he sees as his protector and guide!! Yoda says, "Obi-Wan Kenobi. You." And we wrap back around to the framing story where old Obi-Wan thinks about how he never saw Gehren again (*tear* come on, guys!!) and how he hoped she didn't fully succumb to fear, knowing that there's a frightening future ahead and he must also never succumb.

Very much so enjoyed this journey into Obi-Wan's young life and I am looking forward to more!!