Darth Maul #1 represents the inaugural issue of the canon comic book miniseries titled Star Wars: Darth Maul. This issue was penned by Cullen Bunn, features illustrations by Luke Ross, and was released on February 1, 2017 through Marvel Comics. Darth Maul #1 unfolds before the events of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, and it also presents the comic story "Probe Droid Problem," crafted by Jordie Bellaire and Chris Eliopoulos, which takes place concurrently with the film.
Nurtured on animosity, dread, and fury…immersed in the paths of darkness…and conditioned for assassination. Darth Maul's tenure as Darth Sidious's apprentice has traditionally remained concealed, but finally, we shall unveil his narrative of vengeance. Courtesy of writer Cullen Bunn (DEADPOOL KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE, WOLVERINE) and artist Luke Ross (STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, HERCULES) arrives a saga of unbridled rage as Darth Maul gears up for his initial confrontation with the Jedi.
On the poisonous jungle world of Twon Ketee, a band of hunters endeavors to drive out quarry for their employer. They are abruptly attacked by a rathtar that carves a destructive swathe through their ranks, brutally ending their lives. Observing from the foliage is Darth Maul, seeking to evaluate his combat prowess against a worthy adversary. Maul confronts the rathtar utilizing a vibro-ax, remarking that its relentlessly savage and bloodthirsty disposition mirrors his own. After swiftly overcoming it, he faces an assault from other members of its pack but succeeds in eliminating them too. Nevertheless, for Maul, the skirmish offers only a fleeting challenge - he barely gets to showcase the full extent of his dark abilities, and his triumph feels ultimately empty, his thirst for blood unquenched. He surveys the battlefield, coveting the rathtars for their lack of subservience and their freedom to inflict destruction as they please.
Having journeyed back to Coruscant, Maul observes the Jedi Khaat Qiyn and her padawan Bairdon Jace from a concealed alley as they maintain order on the streets. He cultivates his loathing for them, contemplating the hardship he has suffered as part of his Sith training, all for the ultimate purpose of slaying Jedi. Qiyn and Jace detect his intense fury emanating from the shadows, but when they move to investigate, he has already vanished, admitting to himself that the time for action against them is not yet ripe. Both Jedi are disturbed by what they sensed, with Qiyn reminding her padawan to have faith in the Force.
Maul then proceeds to the Works to rendezvous with his master, Darth Sidious. Sidious rebukes Maul for approaching the Jedi so closely, reminding him that he risks undermining all their meticulous planning by exposing himself. Maul asserts that he desires to fully prove his worth, but his master dismisses this, asserting that his own schemes take precedence and that Maul must obey his commands - disobedience will result in death at Sidious's hand. Sidious then assigns Maul the task of eliminating a band of pirates from the Kellux system, where they have been menacing an unauthorized Trade Federation mining operation in which Sidious holds a significant stake.
Maul's arrival in the Kellux system reveals a Trade Federation Lucrehulk-class Battleship under siege. Piloting the Scimitar, he engages the pirate orb-wings and swiftly dispatches them using proton torpedoes and mines. Aboard the battleship, Trade Federation officials find themselves surrounded by pirates threatening to eject them into the vacuum of space. Debris from a destroyed orb-wing impacts one of the viewports, instilling fear in the pirates before Maul's double-bladed lightsaber begins slicing through the blast doors. The pirates unleash a barrage of fire upon his entry, but, as with the rathtars, they prove no match for Maul, who effortlessly slays them all. He contemplates that, while Sidious has been encouraging him to indulge his hatred and eliminate pirates and beasts, Sidious has also been holding him back. Maul yearns to kill a Jedi.
The last pirate begins pleading for his life. Mistaking Maul for a Jedi, he claims to possess valuable intelligence; Xev Xrexus, the Boss-Mistress of the Xrexus Cartel, has captured a Jedi padawan and intends to auction her off. Maul inquires about the auction's location, but upon the pirate's admission of ignorance, the Sith lord incapacitates him with a forceful kick. The leading Trade Federation official expresses gratitude to Maul for their rescue, but Maul simply remarks that it is unfortunate the pirates eliminated everyone on board, before proceeding to murder the officials in cold blood. He departs the battleship, having resolved to secretly defy his master's directives - he will seek out the padawan being auctioned.
- UPC 759606083725; February 1 , 2017 ; Marvel Comics [1] 00111; Cover A; Rod Reis 00121; Cover B; Lucasfilm Ltd. 00131; Cover C; Mark Brooks 00141; Cover D; John Tyler Christopher 00151; Cover E; Lucasfilm Ltd. 00161; Cover F; Rod Reis 00171; Cover G; Rachel Dodson, Terry Dodson 00181; Cover H; Rafael Pinto Albuquerque 00112; Cover I; Rod Reis