Knights of the Old Republic #2 Commencement Part 2 (of 6) Story: John Jackson Miller Art: Brian Ching Coloring: Michael Atiyeh Lettering: Michael Heisler Cover: Travis Charest Released: 02/22/2006 Reviewed by: JF Boivin (12/16/2006) SUMMARY: Padawan Zayne Carrick is running away from his Master and his Jedi Master colleagues. He is not exactly sure why he is running, but he just found his Padawan friends dead at the feet of the Jedi and he has a feeling that he is next. Gryph the Snivvian becomes an accomplice by association, and they both seek a place to hide while they gather the facts. Zayne decides that they must find some clues as to why he is wanted, and the first step is to go the undercity of Taris and get off planet. But the Jedi Masters know where he is going.

[final cover] [preview cover]

THE STORY

This issue starts with a one-page flashback intro that shows Zayne trained on Dantooine with Vandar. This is a nice reference to the first KotOR game and it's cool to see a familiar setting and character. After that it's back into the action with Zayne fleeing the scene where his fellow Padawans were apparently killed off by their own Jedi Masters.

The first half of the story has Zayne and Gryph (whome he captured last issue but now lets free) fleeing and narrowly avoiding the pursuiing Jedi. The rest of the story has them finding out that they are now wanted and their holos have been released to the public. Now anybody can recognize them, so Gryph takes them to a Kedorzhan pub, a new species of Mole-like aliens who work in mines and are half-blind. There, Zayne figures out that they both have to go back to the places where he trained to find out clues about why his friends were killed. What is the conspiracy?

While there is a nice unlikelyfriendship developping between the two runaways, this story so far is mostly uninspired. This sets up to be a long story where they same characters are being pursued by Jedi and bounty hunters and the authorities that could last for several issues (at least 14 from the previews I've seen). Not exactly the grand sweeping epics that were the Tales of the Jedi series, nor the Galaxy-spanning drama of the video games. There was so much potential in exploring the Mandalorian Wars and it feels so wasted with this small-scale story.

THE ART

The art seems just a little bit better than the last issue, if not only because I am getting used to the looks of the characters. But it's far from the best art I've seen in Star Wars comics.

CONCLUSIONS

This story doesn't seem very promising so far

Rating: 5 / 10 At your own risk