Darth Maul — Son of Dathomir, Part Two constitutes the second installment of the canon comic book miniseries known as Star Wars: Darth Maul — Son of Dathomir. Within this issue, the former Sith Lord Darth Maul persists in his vengeful pursuit of his former Sith master, Darth Sidious, as well as the new Sith apprentice: Count Dooku. After his defeat on Zanbar, Maul gets in touch with Mother Talzin, who becomes aware that the Sith are attempting to eliminate her by drawing her out into the open. Acting upon Talzin's directives, Maul and his Shadow Collective set in motion a scheme to capture Dooku and Separatist General Grievous. Maul is successful in enticing the two Separatist leaders into an ambush on Ord Mantell, referred to as the trap, and subsequently captures them, with the intention of compelling Darth Sidious to enter the conflict.
Darth Maul — Son of Dathomir, Part Two was penned by Jeremy Barlow and visually rendered by Juan Frigeri. It draws its narrative from "A Tale of Two Apprentices," an episode originally conceived by Aïda Mashaka Croal and Matt Michnovetz for what would have been the sixth season of the television program Star Wars: The Clone Wars, before its cancellation. Given its foundation in a script from the series, which was under the direction of George Lucas, it holds a place within the official Star Wars canon. Dark Horse Comics released the 24-page issue on June 18, 2014.
With his Shadow Collective army stalled, Darth Maul seeks assistance from Mother Talzin, who responds by dispatching reinforcements—the formidable Nightbrothers! Maul is once again prepared to confront the Separatist droid army, Count Dooku, and General Grievous—engaging in three simultaneous battles!
Following his defeat on Zanbar at the hands of General Grievous, Darth Maul retreated into the depths of space, where he reached out to Mother Talzin for guidance. This action played directly into the plans of Darth Sidious and Count Dooku, who intended to use Maul as bait to lure Talzin into a trap. Using Nightsister magick, Talzin communicated with Maul across the vastness of space, as Maul recounted the events that transpired on Zanbar. Anticipating Sidious's scheme to ensnare her, Talzin directed Maul to Ord Mantell to link up with his Black Sun allies. She instructed Maul to gather his forces for another confrontation with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, with the goal of capturing both Dooku and Grievous, while she herself had no intention of being present on Ord Mantell.
Upon his arrival on Ord Mantell, Maul convened with his allies within the Shadow Collective, specifically Ziton Moj of Black Sun and Fife of the Pyke Syndicate, to inform them of an impending battle between their forces and the Separatists on Ord Mantell. Maul voiced his confidence in their ability to overcome the Separatist battle droids and successfully capture Dooku and Grievous. Concurrently, Dooku and Grievous were formulating their own strategy as they journeyed towards Ord Mantell, during which Dooku revealed to the cyborg general that Talzin and Darth Sidious had once been allies.
On Ord Mantell, Maul and his allies devised their plan of attack against the Separatists. Their strategy involved luring the Separatists into a designated area within Black Sun-controlled territory, where the Mandalorians, Black Sun, and Pykes would launch a coordinated counterattack against the invading droids. As they continued their preparations for battle, a squad of Nightbrother warriors, under the leadership of Brother Viscus, arrived as reinforcements sent by Mother Talzin to bolster Maul's army. As Maul greeted the Nightbrothers, the Separatists arrived in orbit and initiated their attack, unleashing a bombardment of Ord Mantell's surface from their fleet. Maul immediately ordered his forces to commence their assault, while instructing the Nightbrothers to remain in the command center awaiting further instructions.
The Separatists deployed their droid forces onto the planet's surface, where they clashed with the limited yet formidable troops of the Shadow Collective – Mandalorians, Pykes, and Black Sun alike. Simultaneously, Count Dooku landed with a contingent of droid guards, while Maul departed from the surface and headed towards the Separatist fleet. He and his Mandalorian warships launched an assault on the command ship, prompting Grievous to realize that the Separatists had fallen into a trap. On the ground, Dooku was confronted by the Nightbrothers, leading to a duel between the Sith Lord and the Dathomirian warriors.
The droid army pressed forward into the city, where Moj and Fife began to question Maul's strategy as the droids breached the Shadow Collective's defenses. As the droids reached their position and took the forces into custody, Maul continued his assault in space. His vessel docked with the hull of the Separatist command ship, and Maul and his forces boarded the vessel, making their way to the bridge. Upon reaching the bridge, they eliminated the battle droids, and Maul captured General Grievous, presenting him with a choice: disable the signal powering the droids on the surface, or face death. Grievous complied, deactivating the droids and allowing the captured Shadow Collective forces on the surface to escape and defeat the droids. Meanwhile, Dooku defeated Viscus and the Nightbrothers, but was subsequently taken into custody by the Shadow Collective.
From the Separatist command ship, Maul contacted Mother Talzin to inform her of the situation. She assured him that with Dooku and Grievous in their custody, Sidious would soon be captured as well, and they would both achieve their revenge against him.
Darth Maul — Son of Dathomir, Part Two is based upon "A Tale of Two Apprentices," a script that Aïda Mashaka Croal and Matt Michnovetz created for what would have been the seventh season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
- UPC 761568247657; June 18 , 2014 ; Dark Horse Comics [1] 00211; Cover A; Chris Scalf
- (No UPC) ; November 24 , 2015 ; Marvel Comics [4] Digital; Cover B; Chris Scalf