Dark Horse celebrates 20 years of publishing in 2006, and to mark the occassion, the Star Wars line is getting a major relaunch. Look for new series throughout the year, spanning the entire timeline from the Old Republic to the New Jedi Order. The entire galaxy is ripe for new tales.

The first new series to debut is Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Taking place 4,000 years before A New Hope, readers are introduced to characters and situations that are new, yet also familiar. The issue introduces us to Zayne, a Jedi Padawan who is still very young and inexperienced. On the world of Taris, crime and corruption run rampant, and Zayne soon discovers no one is safe from harm.

John Jackson Miller, Brian Ching, and Michael Atiyeh introduce comic book readers to this new part of the Star Wars saga, making this a great point for new readers to jump in. "Commencement" begins eight years prior to the popular LucasArts video game series of the same name, so there's no need to worry about years of continuity to keep track of.

Cover by Travis Charest.

You can check out an online preview of this issue here.