Episode I Adventures - Timothy Truman, Ryder Wyndham, Mark Shultz, & Henry Gilroy (writing) & Steve Crespo, Robert Teranishi, Galen Showman, & Martin Egeland (art)

Rating: 3 out of 5 The Story: This book collects four comic one-shots, each featuring the four main characters of The Phantom Menace: Anakin, Padmé, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan. We see a day in the life of Anakin Skywalker, Padmé & Jar Jar's chase for one of Anakin's stolen podracer parts, Watto's secret plotting against Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan’s telling to Yoda of the events of his trip. Review: Out of the four stories, I'd say that Anakin's was my favorite. Unlike the other three, the story didn't seem too forced. There was no area for it to fit in between, just one to lead up to. Good writing, good art; just an all around good story. Padmé's story was okay, but I thought it was a bit silly. Still, I love a good Jar Jar story. It's too bad Jar Jar has been so underused in the EU. But, that's the start of a whole other topic right there... Qui-Gon's was good, but nothing exceptional. The art stands out a bit from the other three; it's much more realistic. But one thing really bothered me: Jar Jar asked Qui-Gon why he didn't just kill Watto. Isn't that a little violent for Jar Jar? It was portrayed naïvely, but this just doesn't seem very in character for Jar Jar. Obi-Wan's story was my least favorite of the bunch. It simply did not serve a purpose. Basically, it's just a rehash of the events of the movie with Obi-Wan and Yoda's commentaries. Aside from showing the scene where Obi-Wan's lightsaber shorts out, this story offers practically nothing new. At the end, it shows Qui-Gon's funeral before Obi-Wan confers with Yoda. And much of the art shows things differently than the movie does. (I guess this could all be attributed to Obi-Wan's "certain point of view". :-P) This collection really doesn't add much to the experience of The Phantom Menace as a film with the exception of Anakin's story, which does expand his character. (I suppose Qui-Gon's story expands Watto some too, showing his darker side.) Overall: not too great, but not too bad either.

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