STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS

NEW BATTLEFRONTS: THE VISUAL GUIDE

Written by Jason Fry

Published by DORLING KINDERSLEY

Reviewed by Scott Weller 

The distinctive armoured form of the Mandalorian commander Pre Vizla, ready for combat against his sworn enemies, the Jedi, proudly takes his rightly place as the new villain to watch out for on the cover of the beautiful new visual guidebook to the second season of THE CLONE WARS, titled NEW BATTLEFRONTS. And, once again, it lives up to the excellence of its successor publications from DORLING KINDRSLEY, which have stormed the worldwide book shelves since Lucas’s ground breaking and phenomenally successful, all age barrier broken viewership, animation hit debuted in 2008, with fans old and new thrilled by the expansion of characters ands incident set between the epic storylines revealed in the Prequel movies EPISODEs II and III, and this book easily re-awakens all the excitement, danger, and amazing visual wonder of that universe within its pages…

Never has the term “fighting for peace” been more accurately showcased than in this critical war taking place between the heroic Republic against the revolution initiating Separatist Alliance, with the formers limited number of Jedi Guardians giving their lives for its people, fighting alongside equally heroic and steadfast to the end Clone Troopers, against the seemingly never-ending, and overwhelming droid armies of the latter, cunningly manipulated and goaded into breaking sway from the Republic forces led by the duplicitous wiles of the in-disguise Sith Lord, the duplicitous Count Dooku. Now, like never before, you can immerse yourself and follow the incredible action every step of the way and see how the interstellar war escalates and fractures the galaxy even further into its second year, as well as the peoples, planets, armies and technology involved in the legendary Clone Wars.       

With stunning, highly colourful layouts, beautifully printed and making the most of the terrific animation images of action and adventure uniquely provided by LUCASFILM, alongside a fine text, once more from stalwart Jason Fry, this book is a much welcome treat. All of the 22 distinctive episodes of Season Two get a look in, but, by far, the biggest section of it quite rightly concerns the epic four part battle of the re-taking of Geonosis and the destruction of insectoid ruler Poggle the Lesser’s new weapons building programme for the Separatists, after the prior climactic events of the movie EPISODE II. As one of the most popular and groundbreaking pieces of animation ever seen in the series so far, this segment of the epic war saga, supervised by Lucas himself, boasts the most realistic, in with the troops style combat documentary cinematography so far seen in this medium (and may possibly not be bettered), with a huge amount of on-screen characters, both friend and foe, in fierce entrenched fighting alongside incredible arrays of clashing ships and weaponry, decisive battle moments and an alien planet where the war takes place within landscapes mired in complexity and geographical dangers, both above and below surface. One of the shows finest near two hours gets the in-print visual and written treatment it so rightly deserves, alongside Fry’s exhaustive notes on every front of the campaign. The two part run of cyborg General Grievous’s return, featuring his terrifying capture of Jedi Knight Eeth Koth, and his rescue by Republic forces, led by the indomitable duo Anakin Skywalker and General Obi-Wan Kenobi, is another fine standout within the visual guide, though the rest of the book concentrates on the smaller, and more intimate battles of the series, which nonetheless prove equally compelling to read about: from the bounty hunters hired to help Felucian farmers taken on mercenaries led by lovable rogue Hondo Ohnaka, to the stealing of Ahsoka’s lightsaber by the alien gymnast Cassie Cryer, and the formers subsequent chase for the thief through the bustling, often dangerous cityscapes and bright lights of Coruscant, to the final tense standoffs between the Padawan learner, alongside her ex-Jedi Master, Plo Koon, against the emerging threat of the revenge fuelled teenager, Boba Fett, and his formidable bounty hunter posse/ “family” led by the murderous Aurra Sing. The second seasons huge amount of dramatic conflict isn’t just restricted to the physical side, either, there’s the war of words and ideals between the various thousands of worlds politicians within the hallowed halls and audience chambers of the Galactic Senate to consider, too, soon spawning conspiracies, betrayals, murderous intrigues and further policies for war and slaughter in their own right, dominating that equally intriguing arena of truth and consequences which would first come to prominence with the Prequel movie trilogy, on that supposedly civilized glistening jewel of “civilization” that is the Republic homeworld, Coruscant…

And lets not forget the outside threats beyond the war which soon create their own unique problems, like that poorly maligned and mis-treated Zillo beast, freed from its captivity and giving the citizens of Coruscant and its Jedi and Clone forces a run for their money in the destruction stakes as it rampages with all in its animal ferocity in trying to gobble up Emperor Palpatine-oh, how the galaxy would have fared better if that poor creature had been able to have gotten his way! As well as a re-emerged menace from the past, long thought contained and mostly wiped-out: the war loving Mandalorian troopers who fought against the Republic and the Jedi decades before, now out from prior banishment and re-establishing themselves as a re-organized and more powerful force ready to resume unfinished business against their enemies: this time, as part of their new alliance with Count Dooku, not just against the Jedi but what they consider the traitorous political system on their own home world, currently ruled to the benefit of everyone by the dedicated purveryer of peace, a woman of great conscience and morality: the Duchess Satine.

Never has there been a better time to enjoy THE CLONE WARS, and this book makes the most of its continually building universe of exciting characters and memorable incidents. The series continues on with almost limitless potential and the roll call of baddies to boo and hiss at continue, from the aforementioned war monger Pre Visla, whose unique dark saber weapon from ancient times wants to re-taste the blood of the Jedi, to the nasty spider-like Separatist commander/tactician Admiral Trench who, through his experienced war filled blood thirst, proves a bold enemy to try and overcome by Anakin and Commander Yularen as they try to liberate the Trade Federation blockaded world of Christophsis.

NEW BATTLEFRONTS is a wonderful celebration of THE CLONE WARS ever complex and involving storytelling, paving the way for what will surely be an even more exciting publication from DK next year for the SECRETS REVEALED themed context of the upping the ante production that is Season Three.

AFICIONADO RATING: You don't need to be given a Jedi mind trick to treat yourself to this quality product. NEW BATTLEFRONTS is another fine addition to the book shelf. 9 out of 10