Of all the books I ever read in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, my personal favorite, tied with Shadows of the Empire, was the 2001 novel Darth Maul – Shadow Hunter. I liked it because it was our first glimpse into the life and mind of The Phantom Menace‘s mysterious villain. It made me sympathize with Maul due to his harsh upbringing and training under Darth Sidious. It also introduced two memorable characters named Lorn Pavan – who also had something of a tragic back story – and his droid companion, I-5YQ, who would later go on to star in other SW books written by Reaves. In my junior year of high school, when I had to present a book report to my English teacher, I chose Darth Maul – Shadow Hunter.
I’ve just received heartbreaking news that Reaves died on March 20th at the age of 72 after a 15-year battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
All together, Reaves wrote nine novels set mostly during the prequel era, but that wasn’t his only contribution to Star Wars. His first foray into the Galaxy Far, Far Away was the Droids episode “Tale of the Roon Comets” and two episodes of Ewoks: “The Raich” and “Hard Sell”. In fact Reaves contributed to a lot of animated television. You may remember a certain little TV show called Batman: The Animated Series. All in all, he wrote 28 episodes – among them was my favorite episode “Tyger, Tyger”, a cross between The Island of Doctor Moreau and a classic love triangle involving Catwoman. One of the reasons I like that episode is the introduction of the tragic character of Tygrus, a lonely cat-man who just wants to be loved. Although he only appears in one episode of the series, he gets a follow-up story – also written by Reaves – in the spinoff comic Batman Adventures. It’s issue 21 and it’s called “House of Dorian” in case you’re wondering.
Reaves’ list of contributions is long and unforgettable. Browse through his IMDb page and you’ll definitely recognize some titles if you grew up in the ’80s and ’90s. And even if you didn’t, you’ll still shout, “I remember that show! I didn’t know he wrote that!”
So to honor Michael Reaves, let’s take one of his books off our shelves and re-read them, or sit down and watch an episode of BTAS, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Thank you Mister Reaves. Goodnight, God bless, and May the Force Be With You.
Now, friends, tell me in the comments: what memories do you have of Michael Reaves? What are your favorite works of his?
the lady from planet x 