General Grievous is a case in point. A day after reading it, I had already forgotten what occurred. First of all, the artwork is completely forgettable, with very little to recommend it. Simple in design, it is more like the Clone Wars artwork. The cover for the graphic novel has more detail and emotion than anything inside it.

The essence of the story shows how inflexible and judgmental the Jedi Order was under Yoda's control. I think I've said this before, but Yoda's Jedi Order deserved what it got, because, even the best of them, like Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, couldn't see past their petty prejudices to do what was right. Anakin might have gone overboard, but he did have a good sense of morality until Palpatine got to him. Here, Yoda and the Council forbid anybody going after Grievous, even though they turned around and sent Anakin and Obi-Wan after him in both Labyrinth of Evil and Revenge of the Sith. Several Jedi, who lost Masters or Padawans, decide they will betray the Council and go after the machine/man.

On the Separatist side, Grievous has picked up a group of Padawan younglings, and gets Dooku's permission to experiment on them, for he wants to repeat the procedure he underwent to become Grievous, but with the Force-sensitivity of a Jedi, now. He holds the native Ugnaught population hostage (actually killing most of them after an outburst by one of the older younglings), until one of the Ugnaughts helps them escape. Grievous couldn't even defeat one of the younglings without a prolonged fight.

Two of the Jedi end up fighting Grievous, one losing his life, the other finally using his lightsaber to mix some chemicals that cause a huge explosion, killing him, too, and they presume Grievous died in the explosion. He survives, of course, though it is not explained how, when a simple blaster shot to his biological heart in Revenge of the Sith killed him.

The callous part of the story brings a Padawan involved in the hunt for Grievous back to the Jedi Temple with the younglings, all of them safe, and her being banished from the Jedi Order. Are the Jedi in such great supply that they can afford to do this? Especially when it is likely the banished Jedi will become rogues, and are more likely to turn to the Dark Side? How is this different from the case of Quinlan Vos, who was reintegrated many times?

The story didn't do much for me, and the subplot of the mining colony who wants revenge on Grievous did even less, as they don't even come into contact with the General. The story was not terrible, however, as it does highlight several things that need saying about the Jedi, in how "stuck-up" they actually are, and how revenge and a logical mission to bring down the greatest Separatist threat can be indistinguishable in motives. Still, this was not really a tale worth telling.