*Spoilers ahead!*
When issue #3 of Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren begins, Ben has made it to the Knights of Ren. He is a little tattered and does not recognize a joke, but he has made it nonetheless. Ben is also told a good death is the price of joining them. When Ben says he killed a Jedi, Ren was already told by Snoke about Luke Skywalker, and the doubt that he is truly dead. However, Ben says he killed someone else. That is the story that drives issue 3, and it certainly does not disappoint!
We get a full back story of young Ben Solo growing up and learning the Jedi way, along with Voe, Hennix and Tai, under the tutelage of Luke Skywalker. The story keeps getting interrupted. We know it is Voe, Hennix and Tai who followed Ben, but we are unaware of which of them dies, or if any of them. With Voe, we learn that she struggled in her training. She wanted to be like Ben, or possibly even stronger than him. It seemed like it was a competition to her. We learn that Hennix tackled his training like a puzzle, with a dash of humor along the way. Tai seemed to be sensitive to who people were. In Ben story about them, Tai tells him “you’re not as bad as you think.”
Back to the fight, Voe follows Ben on her own. Ben’s force pushes her off a cliff, but see Ben does have a heart and uses that force to stop her fall. Unfortunately, the trio are very different and went after Ben without a plan. It comes across as a clumsy attempt to stop him. Ben’s hold slips, but Tai helps break her fall. Meanwhile Hennix is trying to solve yet another puzzle, a lightsaber he tossed and stopped by force, but he screams “off-screen.” It honestly seems like it is truly not Ben’s fault, as he is shown turning his head from where he was trying to save Voe. Ben saunters to where Voe and Tai are, saying what happened to Hennix doesn’t matter anymore, then tossing both of them aside. He uses the force to demolish the place, rocks crashing towards Voe and Tai.
Ben claims Hennix is his good death, but Ren sees right through him. He knows Ben did not want it. Snoke and Ben’s talents with the force are Ben’s redeeming grace. It seems like Ben will have a trial period to see if he fits in with the Knights. And possibly Ben will even find his good death. With a new look and a new place, Kylo Ren starts to make his rise.
With Voe on a mission to stop Ben, and Tai knowing exactly where he went, I am excited to see how this mini-series will end in The Rise of Kylo Ren #4. I am truly loving seeing how Kylo Ren came to be. These past few issues have filled in some plot points to his story that we did not get to see on screen. Charles Soule continues to answer any questions we may have had, while Will Sliney brings the world of Ben Solo to life.
Be sure to check out those final answers when Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren #4 when it arrives in comic shops and digitally on ComiXology Wednesday, March 11.
