Crap!  I missed the two on the first page.  EXCELLENT painting job on the Chiss jedi.  It really looks terrific!

And I like the accessorries/accoutrements on the 2nd jedi.  I dislike the homogenity of most of the Jedi we see in the films, all with brown robes and tan tunics, so it's nice to see some with some flair and some different accessories.  I'm not sure about the "camo" kerchief, though...a more neutral color might look better.  But that's a very minor nitpick.

Hey, Chewie....

After the great and ominous scene where Freelo mentions the witch, I didn't think she needed more of an introduction from the two new characters.  As I said earlier, those guys don't seem to have much of an organic function in the story just yet.

You sufficiently built up the witch already, no real need for them to re-hash it.

And then you get into plausibility issues just a bit - it seems almost a little too coincidental that Rykrof and Freelo AND these other guys all crashed on this fairly remote world all around the same time.

I really liked General Snodd, I was glad to see him included, but, as I've said in the past, I wish you would focus almost exclusively on these original villains and not as much on established characters who are so much more powerful than Rykrof.

Because Dooku and Ventriss are so powerful, we know they won't confront Rykrof directly in a fair fight, otherwise he'd lose immediately.  But obviously we have no idea what will happen with Snodd, so there's more suspense and mystery there.

I also think it's just a bit of a stretch that Dooku would "waste" Asajj Ventress, an extremely powerful ally, on the relatively mundane task of killing Rykrof.  Yes, I understand that he's become very important, but surely Dooku doesn't need to use a powerful Force user to handle a simple soldier, especially since she has been tied up for literally two months looking for him without success.

Given that span of time, I also kinda wished you put just one or two quick "day in the life shots", showing how Rykrof and his team are actually surviving - like possibly foraging for food or at least spying on the separatists in order to stay one step ahead of them.  It almost seems like too much of a stretch to buy that they've been in the Badoo Corba base undetected for that long (I know they weren't there the entire time, but they have been there a while, it seems.)

Anyway, I hope these comments aren't too nitpicky.  This is a great series and I'm very excited about the next chapter.

I also enjoyed seeing very much the "making of" shots you posted in other threads.

A few questions - where do you get the images you use like the ground, swamp, water, mountains, etc.

Also, could you please post a picture of the "base" unaltered and unmodified.  I'd love to try to find one of those if possible. 

As always, can't wait for the next installment!

Hey, Chewie.  Nice work as always.

However, in my opinion, this is a good, but not a great chapter.  Everything looks fantastic, as always, but there isn't a tremendous amount of story here.  At the end, we're still basically at the same place we were at the end of the last one.

Still, the shots of the witch are creepy as hell.  The campfire scenes were very cool, but the Corellian guys don't seem to have much of a point.  At least not yet...

On the plus side, this chapter has made me even more eager for the next one!  The sets, by the way, are amazing, especially the old Badoo Corba base.

And the discovery of the secret files adds great urgency to the story, so that notion was brilliant.  But why would Palpatine know how to unlock the code?  Is he a computer genius all of a sudden?

anyway, more detailed comments to follow.  Despite my criticisms, these are always a blast to read and this was no exception.  Thanks for your efforts!!

Wow, that was fast, Ryan!

Anway, a quick note....eagle-eyed players may notice that the actor playing the first transient (on the bench) was replaced in this scene by a different actor (Elan Sleazebaggano, to be precise, though that's not who the character is supposed to be.)

There is no significance to this whatsoever.  The first figure was actually an old "Star Trek III" Klingon and I didn't anticipate anyone wanting to interact with that sleeping guy, he was there strictly for window dressing.  But when the time came to actually put him in the scene, I didn't want to use a Klingon, as I need to keep the wink-wink jokes to a minimum (and we've already had Morn, Dr. Pepper and Bender so far...)

Additionally, there is also no significance to the similarity in coats worn by the bench transient and the drunk guy.  Don't worry, the transmittter didn't accidentally "come back to you" in the coat worn by the drunk.  Note the stains on the second coat - it's not the same one. 

Even though DD totally ripped off my idea of doing panel-by-panel analysis, here comes my belated detailed review:

The opening crawl is fine.  No real comments here...

Alyssa looks cool in the robe. Good composite, the crib is a great choice, looks like it belongs in the SW universe.  The window in this shot, however, almost looks more like a picture on the wall than a window...the background used isn't the greatest choice.

Ah, the controversial Alyssa nightie shot.  Still think thinks looks odd and a little creepy...The window effect is much better, but it looks like Alyssa's apartment is in the basement....I guess handmaidens don't make that much.  The sunlight effect, though, is very cool.  But why is she going to bed so early?  It looks like maybe 7:00 pm at the latest.

No real comment on the Dathomir shot.  Looks good, except that the text says "fleet of battleships" and there's only one visible.

Cool shot of the dead/decaying clone!  Creepy and gross!

Love the fleeing trooper and the rancor!  The rancor looks really life like in your shots.  Well done!

The close-up is GREAT.  Love the salivia!  The rancor attack sequence is really terrific.

Good choice of "real world" shot for the battle droids.  Very minor nitpick:  wouldn't the STAPs cause any kind of wake or displacement in the water they are hovering above?  I'm sure that would be nearly impossible to do, though.

I like Asajj and the clone.  However, in the panel where she confronts him, you should have moved at least one of her arms.  Unfortunately, the figure really looks like she should be holding her sabers given her stance and the way he hands are sculpted.  Some arm posing would have made her seem more, I dunno, "alive."  Still, it's a very cool scene and the combination of the various elements looks great.  Love the use of the foam rocks, as always.  I will definitely be getting a set of those!

Hey!  Great hologram!  The transparent effect works brilliantly!

Nice re-use of Owen's base as the separatist ship.

As for the modified Dooku...though the results here are mixed (there is the much-discussed cross-eyed effect), I think it's great that you're trying this very bold technique.  There's nothing worse than having immobile plastic mannequins as your main characters.  I applaud your efforts to make them more expressive and life like, even if the end results are not always perfect.  Keep trying, though!

Dooku's "just so happened to crash on" sentence doesn't feel quite in character, though.  Rest of the dialogue is good and it's nice to see Sora Bulq again.

The shot of Asajj and the battle droids is GORGEOUS!  The combination of all the elements is flawless and the reflection looks terrific!  Amazing job!

Love the binocular vision shot, too!

The dirty, weathered figures look friggin' fantastic!  Wow!  Amazing customizing job!!!!  Only one extremely minor nitpick and that's Rykrof's black "collar" is just slightly uneven looking, especially when compared with the real thing on the clone right next to him.  Would it be possible to sculpt a proper "collar" on him?  Like I said, very minor criticism...I could live to 150 and still never make a custom anywhere near this good.  fantastic, fantastic job!

LOVE the shot of Rykrof leading the men off.  The "ripple" effect is so beautiful I almost cried!  WOW.

The shot of the base, troops, rocks and mountains is AMAZING.  EXCELLENT compositing....how did you make the base in this picture??

Like DD, I was also reminded of "The Lost World".  Very, very cool stuff...

What did you use for the base itself?  Please post a picture of the toy that you used so we can see what it looks like.  I'd love to try to find one myself.

Agree with DD that their entry doesn't seem quite "military" enough...maybe one clone should be crouched down or something.  Try to do more to convey the sense of these guys working as a well-oiled machine.  Like the troops in "Clone Wars Vol I"....more militaristic formations and actions, etc.

The base itself looks great.  Love the Trigg Fudda image!  Nicely done.

Again, in the panel where Ryrkof says "set for stun"...try to do more with the troops...one crouching behind a box, one standing guard, etc...

I love Freelo!!!  Great character, great custom!  Fantastic!!  By the way, what is that big black cylinder next to him and where did it come from?  What is Freelo made from?  Just Meena and a pilot clone?  Or are there other elements.  He looks great.

The transition from the two-shot of Rykrof and the helmetless clone to the next shot of the clones cleaning up is a bit awkward.  You should have had Rykrof talking to Freelo first before the clones feel safe enough to go cleaning up.  The text and images create a bit of an awkward, abrupt transition.

By the way, it's funny that Rykrof is kicking back with a beverage while the clones work!

The shots with Ryrkof and Freelo are terrific.  I have a very minor problem with Freelo's backstory, though.  He was hired by the separatists to help with Rhen Var, a very, very important project for which they were going to pay him handsomely.  But wouldn't he at least try to contact them once he crashed and saw their troops?

Maybe he should have said something like, "Strangely, when I saw the troops, they fired on me and I was forced to retreat."  Seems odd that he's so willing to trust and cooperate with Republic troops (and admit he was going to work for their enemy!) so easily. 

Or maybe he should have been working for them on Rhen Var until he decided to quit or something, having grow disillusioned with their cause.  That would make him more apt to trust Rykrof (and for Ryrkrof to trust him.)

I really like the shots of the on-going war, especially the battle droids in the wrecked city.  I like how the futility and misery of the war are a recurring theme in the stories and keep coming up.  We really sense how this war has been affecting the galaxy and weighing on Rykrof's mind...

The final shot is extremely creepy and forebodding!  An excellent cliff hanger! 

All around, another great chapter!  I really love Freelo and look forward to seeing more of him in the next installment, despite my minor quibbles about his backstory.

You really made the planet come alive.  The rancor was awesome, the selection of shots for the forest and swamps were great and the compositing of all the different elements was the best yet!  You continue to top yourself with each successive chapter!  Stunning work all around.

I have a comment about the direction of the story itself.  Well, not the story so much, I suppose, but rather your use of certain characters.

Though you usually do a great job in writing for Count Dooku, who is one of my favorite prequel characters, I think you should re-think your use of the established villains like Grievious, Dooku, Ventress and Sidious.  I think having quick cameos every now and then is fine, but the problem that I have is that, given that these are Force using characters, it becomes a bit frustrating that they are so important in Rykrof's story.

We know that Rykrof's direct dealings with any of these characters will be extremely brief at best.  Dooku has been a major presence in the photonovels, but Rykrof only met him once and for a brief second.

We already know that Rykrof isn't going to face off against Asajj in a battle  - she'd kick his ass in a split second.  So it becomes a bit frustrating that she's so important in this chapter.  It's a foregone conclusion that certain things won't happen with her and I think you end up limiting yourself.

If, on the other hand, instead of Asajj, you had a different, original character, you could take the story theoretically in any direction and could preserve the elements of suspense and surprise better. 

I think you should pull back more with Dooku, Asajj and others and give Rykrof more enemies that are in his "league", like Trigg Fudda, who was a very cool character.  Trigg and Rykrof had a much more personal (and dramatic) relationship that Rykrof could ever have with Dooku.  Despite Rykrof's success, at the end of the day, he is really of little consequence to guys like Sidious and Dooku, who have to contend with far greater stakes and far more powerful adversaries. 

When Trigg Fudda met Sidious, for instance, he was immediately wiped out.  Such a thing would ever happen if Rykrof ever met Sidious or Dooku or even Asajj in a one on one fight. 

I think you should consider greating a new recurring adversary for Rykrof and reducing the appearances of the other characters.  Maybe another Separatist Commander or mercenary or Badoo Corba member who Dooku possibly assigns to take down Rykrof or who develops a personal animus towards him for some reason.  You could do whatever you want with such a character and not be hamstrung by any limitations.  We would never know what direction the story is going to take, whereas, in this particular instance, we know Rykrof won't kill Asajj, nor even that Asajj might get killed by the witch. 

In any event, as always, this is first rate work.  The amount of effort you put into these is staggering and I know everyone appreciates and enjoys the hell out of your hard work.

As always, bravo and thank you!

Hey, this looks GREAT!   Well done!

I would love to have one of these babies just sitting back in my garage amongst a bunch of junk...as an odd conversation piece for the observant visitor who suddenly noticed I have a friggin' droid in my garage!

really terrific job.

Oh, wait....I don't have a garage.  Still, nice work!

Like Chewie said, good luck, take care and come home safe, man!