Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Nights of Anger (No 16 - 17)
December 11th 2007 03:33
Category: Movies
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics.
Production Team: John Jackson Miller – script, Brian Ching – art, Harvey Tolibao – art, Michael Atiyeh – colours, Michael Heisler – lettering & Colin Wilson – cover art.
Cost: US$ 2.99/ AU$ 8.50.
With this particular series of comics Dark Horse takes the reader to an era in the Star Wars universe made popular in the two Lucasarts computer games Knights of the Old Republic and KOTOR 2: The Sith Lords. The events in the KOTOR comics takes place several thousand years (3,963 to be precise) before the events of the original Star Wars movie, it is a period where the galaxy is embroiled in the throes of a conflict with a truly vicious and motivate enemy like no other; the Mandalorians. Both this particular time period and its conflict are no strangers to the pages of Dark Horse comics, back in the nineties in their series Tales of the Jedi they introduced the world to the actions of the dark lord Exar Kun who waged war against the Republic and the Jedi with his Mandalorian allies, a war that took place some forty years prior to the events depicted in these comics. Exar Kun was eventually defeated and it was generally believed that his followers were scattered to the winds. Not so…
Years later the Mandalorians would return to plague the Republic, apparently at the behest of unknown Sith. Initially they confined their attacks to the worlds on the fringes of Republic space; testing their various weapon systems, their tactics and blooding their as yet untried warriors with these relatively ‘small’ conflicts. It is said that whole worlds and civilizations were destroyed by the Mandalorian war machine in these preliminary attacks, for even though these battles had the intent of preparing the warriors of Mandalore the other aim behind these attacks was to provoke the Republic and its Jedi allies. In that regard the attacks did not work, the Galactic Senate was not interested in committing Republic forces against forces that had not directly attacked the Republic. Seeing that they would not draw out their foes the Mandalorians opted instead then to invade Republic space forcing the issue, the premise behind this was part of the Mandalorian creed, the desire to seek a worthy foe against which they the Mandalorians could test their might and prowess. And so began the Mandalorian Wars, a conflict that would have severe repercussions for the galaxy several years later after the war between the Mandalorians and Republic was over.
The events in these two issues occurs in the initial stages of the Mandalorian Wars, Serocco, a system in Republic space has been literally turned into a fiery cauldron by the attack of the Mandalorians who are seeking to destroy the Republic battle group that had been stationed in the system. Various other systems such as Telerath, Ralltiir and Arkania are likely to be the next targets if the Mandalorians cannot be stopped in the Serocco system. This is the backdrop against which the drama in these two issues unfolds, though in the issue 17 the attack on Serocco and its impact is more pronounced in the story.
The main protagonists within these two issues are Zayne Carrick, a young human male padawan learner who was falsely accused of murdering his fellow students on Taris, Rohlan, a Mandalorian deserter and Jarael and Camper two Arkanian offshoots who roam space in their starship the Last Resort. Even though he is not physically present in the first part of the tale Zayne makes an appearance in the opening sequence which consists of a force vision currently being experienced by Jedi Master Ranna Tey, an old enemy of Zayne’s. In this vision we see Zayne and his dead friends confront Master Tey within the confines of the Jedi Temple on Taris, a temple that Tey recalls was abandoned. Once she realises where she is things start to get decidedly uncomfortable for the Jedi Master and eventually she awakes from this ‘nightmare’ aboard her starship travelling through hyperspace at the behest of the Supreme Chancellor. As she recovers he composure she muses that the only way to end these visions will be to kill Zayne Carrick.
From Master Tey’s travails the action then moves to the Last Resort which is floating in space near the Perave system, Camper the owner of the somewhat beat up vessel is suffering from a serious illness something that the available resources cannot aboard his ship can adequately deal with. Rohlan has done what he can for the aging offshoot but he needs medical attention and his knowledge of Arkanian offshoot gerontology is sketchy at best. Thus the bulk of the story that unfolds in these two issues concerns the attempts of Jarael, Camper’s offshoot friend, to find the means to cure him. Through her efforts the audience is given a glimpse into world of Arkania, the society of the planet which is divided between offshoots and purebloods as well as Adascorp, the vast industrial conglomerate that governs the world and its inhabitants. For all her efforts Jarael eventually attracts the attention of Lord Adasca, the CEO of Adascorp and de facto ruler of Arkania. He offers Jarael his aid in helping cure Camper but it seems that this is not purely out of any altruistic motive; there are murkier and darker motives behind this offer.
Meanwhile in the Serocco system the Courageous battle group is under serious attack by Mandalorian forces with the flagship having been boarded by Neo Crusader shock troopers. This is where Zayne, padawan learner, has ended up, a prisoner aboard the Courageous suspected of being a Mandalorian spy. Despite being on board a ship that is about to be overrun by the enemy and scuttled by its commander, Admiral Saul Karath, the young Jedi seems to be relatively calm about the entire situation, unlike his erstwhile captors. There is no conflict there is only peace, something that any Jedi knows the value of regardless of whether he is about to die. From Serocco the action returns back to Jarael and Camper were there is some degree of resolution, but not closure.
All in all Knights of the Old Republic shows that there is enough depth in the expanded Star Wars universe to please both hardcore fans and newcomers alike. The artwork is something special, with an almost ethereal quality when focused on the Arkanians, and the story rather than just being solely action focused has an aura of unfolding mystery, a snapshot of a vast tapestry whose full meaning and impact will no doubt slowly be revealed as the saga progresses. The other interesting features in these issues are the blurbs at the end of each comic; in issue 16 we have an official communiqué of the Republic fleet whilst in issue 17 it’s a fiscal period financial report of Adascorp. It’s these kinds of touches that give an extra sense of atmosphere to the story and enhance its overall impact.
So get aboard the first transport from Anchorhead on which you can learn the ways of the force and of the Knights of the Old Republic…
Production Team: John Jackson Miller – script, Brian Ching – art, Harvey Tolibao – art, Michael Atiyeh – colours, Michael Heisler – lettering & Colin Wilson – cover art.
Cost: US$ 2.99/ AU$ 8.50.
With this particular series of comics Dark Horse takes the reader to an era in the Star Wars universe made popular in the two Lucasarts computer games Knights of the Old Republic and KOTOR 2: The Sith Lords. The events in the KOTOR comics takes place several thousand years (3,963 to be precise) before the events of the original Star Wars movie, it is a period where the galaxy is embroiled in the throes of a conflict with a truly vicious and motivate enemy like no other; the Mandalorians. Both this particular time period and its conflict are no strangers to the pages of Dark Horse comics, back in the nineties in their series Tales of the Jedi they introduced the world to the actions of the dark lord Exar Kun who waged war against the Republic and the Jedi with his Mandalorian allies, a war that took place some forty years prior to the events depicted in these comics. Exar Kun was eventually defeated and it was generally believed that his followers were scattered to the winds. Not so…
The main protagonists within these two issues are Zayne Carrick, a young human male padawan learner who was falsely accused of murdering his fellow students on Taris, Rohlan, a Mandalorian deserter and Jarael and Camper two Arkanian offshoots who roam space in their starship the Last Resort. Even though he is not physically present in the first part of the tale Zayne makes an appearance in the opening sequence which consists of a force vision currently being experienced by Jedi Master Ranna Tey, an old enemy of Zayne’s. In this vision we see Zayne and his dead friends confront Master Tey within the confines of the Jedi Temple on Taris, a temple that Tey recalls was abandoned. Once she realises where she is things start to get decidedly uncomfortable for the Jedi Master and eventually she awakes from this ‘nightmare’ aboard her starship travelling through hyperspace at the behest of the Supreme Chancellor. As she recovers he composure she muses that the only way to end these visions will be to kill Zayne Carrick.
From Master Tey’s travails the action then moves to the Last Resort which is floating in space near the Perave system, Camper the owner of the somewhat beat up vessel is suffering from a serious illness something that the available resources cannot aboard his ship can adequately deal with. Rohlan has done what he can for the aging offshoot but he needs medical attention and his knowledge of Arkanian offshoot gerontology is sketchy at best. Thus the bulk of the story that unfolds in these two issues concerns the attempts of Jarael, Camper’s offshoot friend, to find the means to cure him. Through her efforts the audience is given a glimpse into world of Arkania, the society of the planet which is divided between offshoots and purebloods as well as Adascorp, the vast industrial conglomerate that governs the world and its inhabitants. For all her efforts Jarael eventually attracts the attention of Lord Adasca, the CEO of Adascorp and de facto ruler of Arkania. He offers Jarael his aid in helping cure Camper but it seems that this is not purely out of any altruistic motive; there are murkier and darker motives behind this offer.
Meanwhile in the Serocco system the Courageous battle group is under serious attack by Mandalorian forces with the flagship having been boarded by Neo Crusader shock troopers. This is where Zayne, padawan learner, has ended up, a prisoner aboard the Courageous suspected of being a Mandalorian spy. Despite being on board a ship that is about to be overrun by the enemy and scuttled by its commander, Admiral Saul Karath, the young Jedi seems to be relatively calm about the entire situation, unlike his erstwhile captors. There is no conflict there is only peace, something that any Jedi knows the value of regardless of whether he is about to die. From Serocco the action returns back to Jarael and Camper were there is some degree of resolution, but not closure.
All in all Knights of the Old Republic shows that there is enough depth in the expanded Star Wars universe to please both hardcore fans and newcomers alike. The artwork is something special, with an almost ethereal quality when focused on the Arkanians, and the story rather than just being solely action focused has an aura of unfolding mystery, a snapshot of a vast tapestry whose full meaning and impact will no doubt slowly be revealed as the saga progresses. The other interesting features in these issues are the blurbs at the end of each comic; in issue 16 we have an official communiqué of the Republic fleet whilst in issue 17 it’s a fiscal period financial report of Adascorp. It’s these kinds of touches that give an extra sense of atmosphere to the story and enhance its overall impact.
So get aboard the first transport from Anchorhead on which you can learn the ways of the force and of the Knights of the Old Republic…
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Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
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Comment by Tom
The Green Lantern
I aslo notice I made a blue with the categories calling it a movie rather than a graphic novel/comic, such is life.
Cheerio
Tom