Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: War #1 of 5
Dark Horse Comics
Miller, Mutti & Baldassini
A couple of years ago there was a series that ran for fifty issues called "Knights of the Old Republic". That story was mostly about a young Jedi who witnessed his Masters killing off their apprentices. This mini-series uses that character, Zayne, but takes him into a completely different direction. If you haven't read any of the Knights of the Old Republic fear not, because this story is barely tied to that one. Overall this is a good start to the mini-series that gets back to the basics of Star Wars, which is the galactic conflict.
The war at hand is that of the Mandalorians and the Republic. Some Jedi split off from the Council's decision to stay out of the conflict and it appears Zayne is caught up in the crosshairs.
The issue is not nearly as straightforward as I'm making it sound. This is a time period where Jedi are not always "good" and it seems like the Jedi have great capacity to produce evil results when it meets their agenda. This issue explores some of that and expands on it by introducing some interesting characters.
Zayne is nothing like he was in the first run. He's older and more wary to trust anyone. It does seem strange that he is in this battle but his ability to help others seems to win out over the fact that he is in a war. Again, nothing is straightforward though.
The issue contains a big battle and the artwork is up to the task. The battle is dirty and rough and the artwork makes it feel like a battle that would take place in the Star Wars Universe centuries before the films. The art isn't as cartoon-like as the first series and it works well for the dark story here.
If you like your Star Wars stories to be less about Jedi and the Sith then this issue is going to be something to look at. The issue reminds me a lot of the battles between the Empire and the rebels that took place in the original films. This comic is a breath of fresh air, much like the Agent of the Empire series is, for the Star Wars Universe. I definitely recommend checking this out.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
