Star Wars: Age Of The Republic – Count Dooku (2019) No. 1 review

Count Dooku is on Sullust ostensibly for business matters, but as we see in Star Wars: Age Of The Republic, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the Sith.

Star Wars: Age Of The Republic – Count Dooku (2019) No. 1

Writer: Jody Houser

Artist: Luke Ross

Star Wars Age of the Republic- Count Dooku cover (Credit: Marvel Comics)

Star Wars: Age Of The Republic returns to revisit another prequel trilogy villain – this time it is Count Dooku. Once a Jedi Knight, and Master to Qui-Gon Jinn, Dooku became disillusioned by the Jedi ways, following the path of Darth Sidious, who was later revealed to be Emperor Palpatine. We glimpse what makes Dooku such an arresting character in the latest entry of the series.

Dooku lands on Sullust for a business deal with Representative Kap Klyp of the Sorosuub Corporation who insists on giving the Sith Lord a tour of the city. This tour gets in the way of Dooku’s actual plans on Sullust, but to keep up appearances he goes along with it, till it becomes unbearable. And then, he bumps into a Jedi Knight. Jak’zin is on Sullust for mysterious Jedi business, but Dooku needs to find out more, especially if it will endanger his own secret mission. What follows is a masterclass in Sith manipulation and the true nature of the Dark Side.

Star Wars: Age Of The Republic – Count Dooku No. 1 is set in the earlier days of Dooku’s apprenticeship to Sidious. From his interaction with Jak’zin, his new title of Count is still something the Jedi are getting used to. Dooku is also on shaky ground when it comes to his Master. But, despite Dooku’s obvious desperation to get the job done, his mask of serene tranquility never fades. This book masterfully handles the elegant brilliance of the character that Christopher Lee brought to life.

So far, the majority of the issues in the series have revolved around the emotional core of Star Wars. Last week’s Anakin Skywalker particularly leveraged how the titular character was a slave to his emotions. That is not the case with Star Wars: Age Of The Republic – Count Dooku No. 1, which is a fitting tribute to the villain.

Star Wars Age of the Republic- Count Dooku (Credit: Marvel Comics)

Dooku’s calm exterior is his USP, as was evident in the prequel trilogy and other media like Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It is therefore befitting his nature that this instalment of the series focuses on plot and Dooku’s machinations rather than his emotions. One could argue that an in depth look under the surface may have ruined the enigma of the character. This was yet another smart decision made by the creators of this series.

Luke Ross’ art in this series has emulated the cinematic Star Wars universe beautifully. The characters and landscapes come alive on-page, especially in this issue which features a number of aliens from around the galaxy. Java Tartaglia’s colours are splendid to behold and add more depth to the proceedings.

Star Wars: Age Of The Republic has been a joyous return to the prequel trilogy and it continues to warm the hearts of us fans. Jody Houser has breathed new life to these characters who have spent far too long being maligned by the wider community. There are only two more issues left in this segment before the series moves on to the original Star Wars trilogy. Here’s hoping Age Of The Republic ends on a high.