In one corner we have an embittered Sith Apprentice (Lord?) and in the opposing corner we have the grumpiest, crustiest geezer on Tatooine! In this Comic-Con 2010 EXCLUSIVE Comic-Book 2-Pack, who will emerge victorious? (Spoiler Alert if you've seen Star Wars: A New Hope.) Why, oh why, didn't Rancheros de la Lucas resurrect Darth Maul for Revenge of the Sith? His ultimate betrayal and demise would have been so much more satisfying than the gasping, dying (but somehow still alive) General Grievous!

So very many fantastic ideas were passed-over during the prequel pre-production (including the ghastly-fabulous Sith Witch) but the most heinous (or grievous) oversight was the cybernetic resurrection of Darth Maul, halved in the final moments of Episode I — The Phantom Menace by then-apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi.

In one of the final entries of the Comic Book 2-Pack Asst. (exclusive to San Diego Comic-Con 2010) we are treated to Darth Maul and his seething hatred for the Jedi versus Uncle Owen Lars, the man on Tatooine who took grumpy and crusty to levels that the dual sun-baked planet had yet to see.

The San Diego Comic-Con 2010 Comic Book 2-Pack Asst. version of Darth Maul is a work of art, replete with ball-jointed limbs that allow the Sith disciple to negotiate poses that even the latest/greatest General Grievous figures have yet to achieve.

Lars Homestead Play-o-rama Not Included
(It's still semi-available at Toys'R'Us stores which practically never clearance anything.)

In the story from the Visionaries comic book series, Darth Maul seeks out the toddler Luke Skywalker in order to draw Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi from his reclusive role overseeing Luke Skywalker from his infancy to his ascent to the ressuregence of the Jedi. (You'll have to read the comic for the whole story.)

As for the "Uncle" Owen Lars  figure, he's a great middle-aged version of the character. (I doubt we'll see Hasbro produce "Aunt" Beru Lars as a middle-aged version, so customizers still have a few odds-and-sods to take on.) "Uncle" Owen Lars has almost all of the mod-cons for a Legacy-era figures, and (posed just-so) he even has his disapproving pointing finger (which counts as a point of articulation for "Uncle" Owen Lars — it's a must-have for the grandaddy of grunge). Also strangely notable, he's the first figure to feature a Hasbro date-stamp (see photo).

In the end (well, not the end of the comic) we're getting one completely stellar figure, and we're getting a display-worthy "Uncle" Owen Lars (as a middle-aged moisture farmer). His softgoods ("the bathrobe") are nicely tailored, and this is likely the only "Uncle" Owen Lars (as a middle-aged moisture farmer) that we'll ever get, so enjoy! He's also the first and only — that we know of — Star Wars figure to feature a date-stamp on his foot. (It corresponds with the date-stamps on the packaging.) Curious.

Visionaries Darth Maul, however, is a toyetic masterpiece (and — to this reviewer — worth the cost of the entire set). Darth Maul can pose in ways that have yet to be seen on America's Top Model, and that's saying a lot. This is one of the "must-have" figures of the year.

Hasbro promises us that these exclusive sets will be extremely limited (with remainders — if any — available at HasbroToyShop.com) so jump on this set (for Darth Maul at the very least) ASAP.