Thanks to the success of the Knights of the Old Republic video game back in 2003, Star Wars fans were treated to an ongoing comic of the same name published by Dark Horse, expanding on the worlds and themes established in the game. Digging into the ancient history of the Star Wars universe was by no means a new thing – Dark Horse had previously published the beloved Tales of the Jedi years earlier which created a lush history for bygone eras. Thankfully, Marvel has a new printing of The Old Republic Vol. 1, giving new fans an opportunity to enjoy stories taking place four millennia before Luke Skywalker,
Collected in this trade is Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #1-18 and material from Knights of the Old Republic/Rebellion #0. I especially love when these Epic Collections include an uninterrupted run like this, allowing you to really engage with the characters and plot. A total of 50 issues would be made in the KOTOR comic series, leaving plenty of narrative to follow, but this trade ends the first arc at a satisfying point.
Marvel Comics
Plot wise, we are introduced to young Jedi Zayne Carrick, who is wrongfully accused of murdering his fellow Padawans and joins forces with con artist Marn Hierogryph to uncover the truth and seek justice. Alongside Jarael and Camper, they embark on daring adventures aboard the junk hauler The Last Resort, traveling from the research station Flashpoint to the banking planet Telerath. Like most Star Wars tales, our heroes encounter a litany of rogues and bandits as they attempt to uncover the truth.
Marvel Comics
Zayne Carrick is an engaging protagonist, a flawed Jedi Padawan who avoids the typical extremes of perfection or dark side flirtation. His sidekick, the self-centered and optimistic Hierogryph, adds enjoyable comedic charm, making him a standout character in this book. The diverse crew, including a renegade Mandalorian and a load lifter droid with PTSD, are characters that have far more depth than the stock versions you might find in lesser adaptations. The villains, ranging from Mandalorian invaders to self-righteous Jedi prophets, are well-crafted and compelling. John Jackson Miller’s storytelling is perfectly complemented by Brian Ching’s expressive artwork, particularly in capturing character expressions.
Unfortunately, this collection is extremely light on supplementals, with a single page dedicated to info about the Mandalorian invasion, and another with three covers crammed together. With the recently-released Acolyte clearly borrowing from Star Wars Legends lore, giving fans reason to believe that more of the Expanded Universe might get incorporated into the Disney era, there really should have been more included in this book to context for the thinking behind this series back in the mid 2000s.
Whether ideas found in The Old Republic Vol. 1 find their way into the existing Star Wars canon or not, the story and art found in these pages should satisfy Star Wars fans. These comics are an excellent example of what can be achieved when you let creative forces loose in an existing narrative sandbox, allowing them to chart their own course and fashion something new.
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