Age Of Republic: Count Dooku (Comic Review)
Age of Republic is in it's last few issues. However, the quaility of these stories haven't dropped off at all, in fact this week's issue: Count Dooku, is one of the best this series has put out!
Star Wars: Age of Republic - Count Dooku: “The Cost”
In this issue, Count Dooku is sent to Sullest on a mission by Darth Sidious. Upon his arrival it seems that his goals are legitimate in nature as he is meeting with Kap Klyp of the Sorrosub Corporation. Dooku reluctantly allows the Sullestian to take him on a tour, as Dooku becomes more and more restless. As Dooku is about to part ways with Klyp to go handle his more clandestine matters (and escape the motor mouthed alien) a Jedi named Jak’Zin aproaches them.
Jak'Zin opines on Dooku's days with the Jedi and how he saw Dooku spar Yoda. This scene features our first look back at Dooku during his days in the order, blue blade and all. Dooku invites the young Jedi along to the dinner with Kap Klyp to mediate their negotiations. Once Dooku gets to his chambers he confers with Sidious who orders Dooku to make sure the young Jedi doesn't find out anything that he lives to talk about. Dooku reluctantly agrees to this.
At dinner Dooku, Jak’Zin, Klyp discuss Dooku's life post leaving the Order as Dooku continues to prod Jak’Zin about his mission on Sullust. After dinner Jak’Zin begins to gather himself and Dooku convinces the young Knight to allow him to accompany him on his mission (using Qui-Gon's death and the anxiety of seeing another Jedi fall before their time as an excuse).
Dooku and Jak’Zin arrive at a warehouse where Dooku's true intentions become clear. The young Jedi was sent to investigate a cartel that Sidious wanted to hire to sow chaos in the galaxy. A swath of the thugs surround Dooku and Jak'Zin and the two quickly overwhelm the gangsters. Once the melee dies down, Jak'Zin asks where Dooku got his red lightsaber. Dooku tells him that he made it and uses the Force to blast the young Jedi in the back with one of the blasters the Syndicate was trafficking. Dooku then holds one of the last standing thugs at gunpoint with all of the blasters in the room and guarantees the gang's loyalty to the Sith. Dooku leaves Sullust having completed his mission, making one legitimate ally, one criminal and made his first Jedi kill.
This issue of Age of Republic shows off Dooku's cold theatrical cunning. We also get some new info on the Count of Serenno. For example, in Legends Dooku left AFTER Qui-Gon died during the Naboo Crisis, this time around he left before the event, and though he uses it as a ploy to deceive Jak’Zin, I think he means when he says he thinks he could have saved Qui-Gon. We also see echos of Dooku's non-cannon desire to build an army of darksiders as he asks his master if they could recruit the Jedi rather than kill him. Dooku's elligence and class bleeds off of the page and is disturbingly juxtaposed with his sinister flavor for murder. This is yet another excellent issue, I give Age of Republic - Count Dooku a 5/5. Come back on March 6th for Padmé's issue!