Star Wars: Kanan - The Last Padawan #6 Revisited

Kanan Jarrus, formerly Caleb Dume, has returned to the one place he’d never thought he’d return: Kaller. Kaller is the planet where his Jedi Master, Depa Billaba, died at the hands of the Clone Troopers they had fought alongside.

In the present, Fulcrum (Ahsoka Tano) assigns Kanan and the Spectres to head to Kaller, much to Kanan’s dismay, to get supplies for the Tarkintown refugees on Lothal. However, things get worse when the Spectres find that the supplies have been stolen. They have to split up to find them. Along the way, Kanan starts revisiting parts of his past, which makes him unusually out of focus. 

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Star Wars Rebels, we continue to revisit Star Wars: Kanan—The Last Padawan issue six, which is an epilogue to The Last Padawan arc. The sixth issue is titled "Haunt," and it is rather fitting since Greg Weisman's writing and Jacopo Comangani's illustrations put Kanan through the wringer as he revisits the planet that haunts him.

The sixth issue of Kanan takes us back to when Caleb Dume slowly became Kanan Jarrus. It is almost as if Kanan is meeting his past self, who was once an eager Padawan wanting to see action in the Clone Wars, only to find out he got more than what he asked for. It is also an issue in which Kanan has yet to come to grips with the trauma he experienced during Order 66. 

What makes the planet Kaller so fascinating is that it is Kanan’s Lothal. Like his Padawan, Ezra Bridger, he was an orphan who had to survive the streets and lost a loved one to the Empire. Kanan also mentions how he “was lower than a Loth-rat” when trying to survive the streets of Plateau City. Weisman’s story of Kanan adds another layer to Kanan and Ezra's relationship that is similar to that of father and son. 

Some readers can argue that Weisman wrote Kanan experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to how he starts seeing visions from his past, meeting old faces, and not being focused. Kanan becomes a man on edge when he sees Gamut Key and realizes that if the governor of Kaller recognizes him as Caleb Dume, the Spectres will be in trouble. Thankfully, Key doesn’t recognize Kanan.

Another indicator of possible PTSD is when he accidentally snaps at Hera Syndulla when she suggests going with him to search for their supplies for Tarkintown. Ultimately, Kanan chooses Chopper to accompany him as he investigates the stolen supplies and suspects that his old mentor, Janus Kasmiri, might have been behind the theft. And it is Kanan’s lack of focus that gets him nearly killed but fatally injured due to being stabbed by Kasmiri’s rival, Tapusk.  

Jacopo Camagni’s art captures the spirit of the Rebels animated series. In almost every panel, a lot of his characters use expressions, notably with Kanan. Kan’s expressions are seen when he shares his opinion against traveling through Kaller to get supplies, when he is nervous about reuniting with his old mentor Janus, and when Tapusk suspects that he is up to something when he calls him by his name. 

The splash of Janus Kasmiri looking with a sly smirk on his face is one illustration that has to be highlighted. It is one that likely makes the reader wonder if the smuggler is really a friend, foe, or neither. 

The splash on the last page of issue six with Kanan collapsing from blood loss with specters of his past self as Caleb Dume, Janus Kasmir, Clone Captain Styles, Commander Grey, and Jedi Master Depa Bilaba looking on. Previously, it has been mentioned that Caleb Dume “died” after the events of Order 66, and Kanan Jarrus was born. This splash captures that notion. 

The end of issue six leaves Kanan fatally injured while Hera and Chopper call out to him. Kanan narrates how much he hates Kaller. Will Kanan survive his wounds, or will he succumb to them? You'll have to come back next time to find out!