Shadow of Maul #1 is the first issue of the comic miniseries that ties in with the upcoming animated series, Maul – Shadow Lord. Here are my thoughts and experience reading it.
The Lead-Up to Maul – Shadow Lord
Maul – Shadow Lord is an upcoming animated series that will show us how Maul built his criminal empire that eventually becomes what we know as Crimson Dawn. The series takes place after Season 7 of the Clone Wars, where Maul was captured by the Republic but ultimately escaped when Order 66 was issued.
Thanks to the teaser trailer, we know that Maul will start on a new planet with the help of both new and old allies.
Issue #1 of the new comicboook miniseries, Star Wars: Shadow of Maul, gives us a chance to meet some of the characters that will appear in the show, discover their background story, and see the dangerous planet where Maul is heading in the TV Series.
Introduction to Janix
This issue introduces Janix, the planet we’ll see in Maul – Shadow Lord. Like Coruscant or Nar Shadda, Janix is a massive city with all types of shady characters wandering around every dark alley.
One of the men responsible for keeping these shady people in check is Captain Brander Lawson, who we already know is going to be an important part of the animated series.
The vibe of this first issue reminds me a lot of the Daredevil series. Not because of Daredevil, but because of what every other character who isn’t a superhero must face. A dark and corrupt place where seasoned professionals must go above and beyond to do their job, with enemies outside and inside their own organizations.
Lawson is a former bounty hunter who now works as a law enforcement agent. Because of his past, he isn’t the most “traditional” officer. But given the fact that he has to deal with undesirable people, this is probably a good aproach for the job.
What makes Janix so attractive to the criminal underworld is that there is no Imperial presence here. That is, as long as everything remains “under control”.
Vibrant images for a dark story
Despite the whole vibe of the story being dark, every image is vibrant, even in places where there is clearly little to no light. Considering that some of the recent issues I read are of the Black, White, and Red series, it is very refreshing to see so many colors.
This is more notable with specific humanoid species and the creatures that appear in a few pages. They stand out from everything else, making it very clear that they are very dangerous.
Since this is the first issue, the story is far from reaching the highest point. With that said, I still really enjoyed how it presents the Lawson and Two Boots while also giving a whole character to this city/planet. It takes many elements from similar places in the Star Wars universe, but since that helped me to understand the tone of the story a lot quicker, I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing.
I doubt that this series is going to be as exciting as the animated series, but at least they’re trying to make everything as compelling as possible. We still have to wait for the remaining issues, but so far, so good.
Easter eggs
That droid looks familiar
Two Boots, the droid that helps Lawson, appears to be a droid version of the Coruscant Underworld Police. The Underworld Police is a force dedicated to patrolling the lower (and more dangerous) levels of Coruscant.
With Janix being so similar to Coruscant, it makes sense that there’s some equivalent here. The Coruscant Underworld Police make a few appearances on The Clone Wars, but the version that is more similar to Two Boots is the one we see in the cinematic intro of Star Wars: Jedi Survivor.
Hendrix?
One of Lawson’s squad members is called Hendrix. As a rock fan and guitar player myself, it’s impossible not to think of Jimi Hendrix. What’s funny is that Agent Hendrix has mismatched hands, with one being covered by a black glove while the other is a mechno-arm.
Jimi Hendrix was left-handed but forced to play right-handed guitar for some time. I can’t tell if this was intentional by the writers or just a funny coincidence, but it’s definitely worth pointing out.
Final Thoughts
This issue might be short, but it does a great job of introducing the place where Maul has set his eyes and provides context for what kind of people live there. People who want to leave their past behind, criminals wanting to make a name for themselves, corrupt officers, and former Sith Lords.
Shadow of Maul is a must-read and we have included it in our prep guide for Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord. You absolutely need to read it if you are as hyped up for the upcoming animated series as I am. It is also part of the Star Wars Canon Timeline, but we filed it there as “Supplemental” considering the global picture.
Star Wars: Shadow of Maul (2026) #1
| PUBLISHER: | Marvel |
| RELEASED: | March 4, 2026 |
| ISSUE: | #1 of 5 |
| PAGES: | 32 |
| WRITER: | Benjamin Percy |
| PENCILER: | Madibek Musabekov |
| INKER: | Madibek Musabekov |
| COLORIST: | Luis Guerrero |
| LETTERER: | VC’s Joe Caramagna |
| COVER: | Derrick Chew |
Strengths
Strong world-building for the planet Janix
Excellent visual contrast and coloring
Intriguing setup for the Maul – Shadow Lord animated series
Weaknesses
Ends just as the narrative momentum builds
Very quick read
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Plot summary (spoilers)
Captain Lawson is under investigation for an operation that ended with one officer dead and another officer missing. Before that happened, he went undercover in a place where exotic (and illegal) species were going to be sold. He was discovered and almost died. Because of this, he was assigned a full team to assist him.
Lawson quickly knew that there was no way for anyone outside his department to know about the plan. In other words, there’s a mole inside the police. To lure the mole out, he set a trap in a location known only to his new squadmates.
Agent Hendrix took the bait and was captured. But before there could be any interrogation, Lawson was killed by an unknown sniper. The case got weakened, but Lawson still has some tricks up his sleeve.
Meanwhile, on the Cina system, Maul steals a ship that will serve as his new transport. The next stop? Janix.
