Welcome back to another new comic book day, EveryWookiee!! Every week we take a look at the Star Wars comic releases and analyze for first appearances and key events that may be worth collecting or keeping an eye on for future development.
First appearances and keys from these weekly articles will get added to or sister site and Star Wars comics first appearance and key issue database, Wookywiki.com asap.
This week we get the first installment of the Obi Wan series just in time for the show to hit Disney+!
Obi Wan #1
Variants:
- Noto Cover A
- Gist Variant
- Momoko Variant
- Movie Variant 1:10 (ebay)
- Anindito 1:25 (ebay)
- TFAW Exclusive Trade Dress-limited to 3,000-$14.99
- TFAW Exclusive Virgin bundle- limited to 1,000-$39.99
- TFAW Exclusive CBCS graded 9.8 trade dress-$54.99
- TFAW Exclusive CBCS graded 9.8 virgin-$74.99
- Mike Mayhew Studio Variant Set of Cover A and Virgin Cover B Raw – $55
- Mike Mayhew Studio Variant Cover A and Virgin Cover B Full Duo Signed with COA – $115
- CBE Exclusive Variant by Tyler Kirkham (WhatNot)
- CBE Exclusive Virgin Variant by Tyler Kirkham (WhatNot)
Who is Gehren Rand?
In Obi Wan #1 we start with an old Kenobi prepping for a sand storm and reflecting at how good he’s gotten at predicting when the storms are on the way. But then he sits down at a desk to write in his journal and then sitting down at his journal where he mentions he is sensing some new surge of darkness. One that frightens him.
This darkness and the cold shiver of being alone reminds him of a time when he was a youngling when his friend, and member of the Obi’s youngling group The Kybuck Clan, Gehren Rand ran away from the Jedi temple. This is Gehren’s first comic appearance.
Here’s what artist Ario Anindito said about Gehren…
“As for Gehren, Chris [Cantwell] described her as having cropped, short hair, and she wears this necklace that she holds on dearly. What I wanted to convey about her is that she’s more mature than her age. She’s very determined and she’s willing to go the extra mile to get what she wants to reach her goal and fulfill her mission. She’s way more brave and mature than kid Obi, and that’s what I put in her expressions, and it set her apart from kid Obi. There is no doubt in her. She knows what she wants to do. She’s hard as a rock, but deep inside she deeply cares about Obi, and those she loved dearly. She’s also way more rebellious than kid Obi, and that makes it even more fun for me to draw the chemistry between those two youngling“?Arlo Anindito
Much like Anakin felt the pain of his mother, Gehren senses that her father is in danger and feels compelled to go save him. But to get off planet she needs a ship and looks to the Coruscant Underworld and Nodrus Cay for help.
Who is Nodrus Kay?
Nodrus Cay is a female Zabrak (same species as Darth Maul) and member of the Black Sun crime syndicate. She offers to take Gehren (and eventually Obi-Wan) off world in exchange for a very valuable piece of jewelry that Gehren had kept from her family when she was taken to the Jedi Order.
But since Obi-Wan and Gehren uses the force to fight off members of her gang she instead intends to capture them and turn the younglings into force slaves for her operations. They escape. Obi Wan heads back to the temple but Gehren remains on her mission to find and save her father. And Obi Wan never see’s her again.
Nodrus also get’s her first cover appearance in the ComicBookExclusive exclusive cover behind an older Obi Wan. This is exclusively sold on their WhatNot page. Goes on sale at 9:30 P.M. Eastern on May 4th.
Are Gehren Rand’s First Appearance or Nodrus Cay’s First Appearance Significant?
Hard to tell but the way the story ends without a clear resolution leaves it open (and may even implies) that we will see them again.
Gehren Rand is now a force sensitive child who’s succumbing to fear and emotion on the loose in the galaxy. Maybe she dies saving her father. Maybe she saves him and lives out the rest of her life by his side. Or maybe something much more sinister is in her future.
Nodrus Cay is in a leadership position with Black Sun. The criminal organization that eventually joins Darth Maul’s shadow collective who now understands how valuable force sensitive children can be to her and her goals. Would not surprise me in the least if she shows up again. Not only in this series but in future stories as well.
That’s all for now. I personally thought the issue was great and it certainly left me wanting more. Hopefully we get more Cay and Rand in upcoming stories.
