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.
Getting to know the planet where the series will take place
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”.
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.
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.
| Released: | March 4, 2026 |
| Publisher: | Marvel |
| Writer: | Benjamin Percy |
| Penciler: | Madibek Musabekov |
| Inker: | Madibek Musabekov |
| Color Artist: | Luis Guerrero |
| Letterer: | VC’s Joe Caramagna |
| Cover Artist: | Derrick Chew |
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I bought the comics from Amazon and read it on a tablet using the Kindle app.
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.
