Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic: Commencement Review

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Volume 1 Commencement.

Publisher:Titan Books Ltd

Published: March 2007

Paperback

This first volume collects 6 issues in one book of 152 pages.

When i first ordered this comic, it was pretty tempting to expect it to follow the storyline from the now aging role-playing game from Bioware, also called «Knights of the Old Republic».  
In some ways it did, but most of the time, it did not.

Our story starts long before the age of Luke Skywalker, on the cityplanet of Taris, where we are introduced to the Padawan Zayne Carrick. This guy is quickly established as the main character. He is clumsy, headstrong and considered lacking in skill amongst his peers.

During this first volume, the writers do a pretty good job in establishing Zaynes character, and manage to establish sympathy for the «doing-the-best-he-can» Padawan. Albeit clumsy, Zayne quickly has to wise up, when everything he has based his future on, changes.

The cast in this book is pretty good, although somewhat cliche classic sci-fi.

You have the independent beautiful female warrior, with the apparent heartbreaking background. You have the swindler who, from being the greedy criminal,  grows into the honorable scoundrel role. You have droids, Jedi Masters, aliens, basically everything you expect in a Star Wars adventure.

Using these standard archetypes demands much from the writers, making you care for the protagonist and fear the antagonists are crucial, but not always achieved.
In «Commencement», the writer really succeeds at this, and makes bland archetypes into something entertaining and interesting. Even though events quickly changes they write with a steady flow, and it doesn't seem hurried at all.

  

The art is really good, and stands out as some of the best i`v ever seen in a Star Wars comic (I still have lots to read yet).  Favoring bright colors in contrast to the somber blue hued coloring of Dark Empire could be too much for some readers, but i found it to fit the setting perfectly.

The artists really bring the characters and their quirks to life. From detailed expressions and clothing, to exhilarating action scenes. The same goes with the environment. Taris really feels like Star Wars, from the beautiful cityscapes, to the under cities wretched hive of scum and villainy.

The panels are set up in the easiest way possible, no confusion at all as to what pictures and dialogue bubble to read next, achieving that easy and steady read. Smashing good work all in all!

As a latecomer to this series, i have to say i`m perplexed as to why i haven`t bought this back when it came out. It is a great entry to a series i definitely will continue to read. I was hesitant to review this first entry, and rather do a full review when i read them all. But it didn`t turn out that way obviously. I`ll absolutely buy the rest of the series, and do the full review when i`m done.

This is a must have for Star Wars fans. The story can be a bit confusing if you are new to the Expanded Star Wars universe, but even so, give it a chance and fill in the blanks later.

Rating eight and a half out of ten

You should be able to buy this book at most online stores at a reasonable price. I got it at 12.51 eur.

-Robert