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jaredkwheeler's review
5.0
Star Wars Legends Project #13
Background: Knights of the Old Republic: Flashpoint was released in six issues from July 2006 to January 2007. The trade paperback came out in May 2007. It was written by [a:John Jackson Miller|20028|John Jackson Miller|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1272316895p2/20028.jpg] and pencilled by [a:Brian Ching|20024|Brian Ching|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg], [a:Dustin Weaver|229812|Dustin Weaver|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg], and [a:Harvey Tolibao|229813|Harvey Tolibao|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1286435584p2/229813.jpg]. Weaver did several issues of Knights of the Old Republic as well as a few issues of the Rebellion series. He has worked mostly for Marvel, drawing series for the Avengers and various spin-offs and X-Men, but he also worked on an intriguing-looking stand-alone called [b:The Red Wing|13062456|The Red Wing|Jonathan Hickman|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348249091s/13062456.jpg|18227916], a Castle comic (as in the TV show; didn't know those existed), and Alien vs. Predator. Tolibao did two issues of Knights of the Old Republic, and that seems to be the extent of his Star Wars work. He has also worked for several other publishers, including DC (Green Arrow, Green Lantern) and Marvel (X-Men, Silver Surfer, Avengers). In addition, he drew for the comic adaptation of Robert Jordan's New Spring.
Flashpoint takes place the following year after the conclusion of [b:Commencement|35427|Commencement (Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, #1)|John Jackson Miller|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1331425720s/35427.jpg|35362] (my review here), which puts it 3,963 years before the Battle of Yavin. It features all the same characters, and the Mandalorians pop up in a big way, some in major roles. The story also introduces a few new Republic military characters, and various characters on Coruscant who are involved with whatever it is that Zayne's Jedi Masters have going on.
Summary: Several months have passed since the event that the rest of the galaxy has started calling the "Padawan Massacre," and Zayne Carrick is still on the run with his ragtag group of allies. Skirting the fringes of the galaxy, they're surviving on a combination of Gryph's wits and Zayne's sheer dumb luck, but that luck may be about to run out. Consequences of the events on Taris have rippled outward in ways that even the Jedi Masters could not have foreseen, and kicked the Mandalorian Wars into overdrive. Even the aloof Jedi Council won't be able to ignore the conflict much longer. And in the background, Zayne's Masters continue to lay their own plans, which run much deeper than anyone suspects.
Review: There's still quite a bit of set-up going on in this second chapter of Knights of the Old Republic, which is both good and bad. On the one hand, Miller really draws attention to the size and the intricacy of the galaxy, and makes use of the full range of that canvas at every opportunity. On the other hand, that makes the comic feel strangely episodic and open-ended. Are we in danger of getting side-tracked here? But then, I'm not even convinced that that isn't a strength. It feels like Zayne's personal story (but not Zayne himself) is about to be swept up in a much larger moment in galactic history. And that's certainly a direction I'd like to see. This chapter just left me with a lot of uncertainty, and I don't know how well it stands on its own.
And actually, I say "it" like this is just one story, when it's kind of three. There's the 3-issue "Flashpoint," which sees Zayne and company attempting a daring rescue from a Mandalorian prison and research facility. Then there's the "interlude," "Homecoming," which considerably thickens the plot surrounding Zayne's Master Lucien and his allies (color me extremely intrigued). And finally, there's the 2-issue "Reunion," which sees Zayne and his friends bumping into the Moomo brothers, a pair of incompetent Ithorian bounty hunters, on a banking world. Yes, all of this ties loosely together, and yes, each individual piece is good, but . . . Well, but nothing, I guess. Just another thing to mention.
At the end of the day, I refuse to really, seriously complain about Flashpoint. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The characters continue to develop, and I'm liking them more and more. Something huge is obviously building in the overall arc of the series, and I'm excited about that. It didn't knock my socks off the way Commencement did, but I still recommend it. I'm going to go read more now.
A-
Background: Knights of the Old Republic: Flashpoint was released in six issues from July 2006 to January 2007. The trade paperback came out in May 2007. It was written by [a:John Jackson Miller|20028|John Jackson Miller|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1272316895p2/20028.jpg] and pencilled by [a:Brian Ching|20024|Brian Ching|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg], [a:Dustin Weaver|229812|Dustin Weaver|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg], and [a:Harvey Tolibao|229813|Harvey Tolibao|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1286435584p2/229813.jpg]. Weaver did several issues of Knights of the Old Republic as well as a few issues of the Rebellion series. He has worked mostly for Marvel, drawing series for the Avengers and various spin-offs and X-Men, but he also worked on an intriguing-looking stand-alone called [b:The Red Wing|13062456|The Red Wing|Jonathan Hickman|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348249091s/13062456.jpg|18227916], a Castle comic (as in the TV show; didn't know those existed), and Alien vs. Predator. Tolibao did two issues of Knights of the Old Republic, and that seems to be the extent of his Star Wars work. He has also worked for several other publishers, including DC (Green Arrow, Green Lantern) and Marvel (X-Men, Silver Surfer, Avengers). In addition, he drew for the comic adaptation of Robert Jordan's New Spring.
Flashpoint takes place the following year after the conclusion of [b:Commencement|35427|Commencement (Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, #1)|John Jackson Miller|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1331425720s/35427.jpg|35362] (my review here), which puts it 3,963 years before the Battle of Yavin. It features all the same characters, and the Mandalorians pop up in a big way, some in major roles. The story also introduces a few new Republic military characters, and various characters on Coruscant who are involved with whatever it is that Zayne's Jedi Masters have going on.
Summary: Several months have passed since the event that the rest of the galaxy has started calling the "Padawan Massacre," and Zayne Carrick is still on the run with his ragtag group of allies. Skirting the fringes of the galaxy, they're surviving on a combination of Gryph's wits and Zayne's sheer dumb luck, but that luck may be about to run out. Consequences of the events on Taris have rippled outward in ways that even the Jedi Masters could not have foreseen, and kicked the Mandalorian Wars into overdrive. Even the aloof Jedi Council won't be able to ignore the conflict much longer. And in the background, Zayne's Masters continue to lay their own plans, which run much deeper than anyone suspects.
Review: There's still quite a bit of set-up going on in this second chapter of Knights of the Old Republic, which is both good and bad. On the one hand, Miller really draws attention to the size and the intricacy of the galaxy, and makes use of the full range of that canvas at every opportunity. On the other hand, that makes the comic feel strangely episodic and open-ended. Are we in danger of getting side-tracked here? But then, I'm not even convinced that that isn't a strength. It feels like Zayne's personal story (but not Zayne himself) is about to be swept up in a much larger moment in galactic history. And that's certainly a direction I'd like to see. This chapter just left me with a lot of uncertainty, and I don't know how well it stands on its own.
And actually, I say "it" like this is just one story, when it's kind of three. There's the 3-issue "Flashpoint," which sees Zayne and company attempting a daring rescue from a Mandalorian prison and research facility. Then there's the "interlude," "Homecoming," which considerably thickens the plot surrounding Zayne's Master Lucien and his allies (color me extremely intrigued). And finally, there's the 2-issue "Reunion," which sees Zayne and his friends bumping into the Moomo brothers, a pair of incompetent Ithorian bounty hunters, on a banking world. Yes, all of this ties loosely together, and yes, each individual piece is good, but . . . Well, but nothing, I guess. Just another thing to mention.
At the end of the day, I refuse to really, seriously complain about Flashpoint. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The characters continue to develop, and I'm liking them more and more. Something huge is obviously building in the overall arc of the series, and I'm excited about that. It didn't knock my socks off the way Commencement did, but I still recommend it. I'm going to go read more now.
A-
febber's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lischa3000's review
4.0
I absolutely loved to follow the epic journey of Zayne Carrick. I simply swallowed the series whole.
onewinternight's review
3.0
Zayne is a unique Jedi. He makes the whole series worth reading. This is a great follow up to the "knights of the Old Republic" video game, a favorite of mine.
rltinha's review
4.0
Na primeira metade tem muito enchimento a preparar o que acontece na segunda. Mas, chegados a esta, há não só desenvolvimento da trama como Marn Hierogryph em toda a sua pujança mitrosa. Um mimo.
betttyy8's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
thespacikaci's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ekansthepokemon's review
4.0
I like how Zayne's story is going. All the characters feel real and I love continuing to unravel parts of their past and learn more about them.
depizan's review
3.0
The Mandalorian-Republic conflict that's been at the background comes to the foreground and interrupts a con our on-the-run protagonists were doing to get supplies. This does not make things better for them. It does reveal that someone may be using the Mandalorians. As if a war and Jedi who think murdering innocents is the way to save the Order weren't enough of a problem.
Despite the generally serious events of the story, it manages to have a lot of humor and heart.
(I do like that this series includes many characters from the Knights of the Old Republic video game, yet, while they do reference Revan, the player character, they carefully keep Revan off screen and their gender unclear. As fits a character who could have looked like many different things depending on the player's choice.)
Despite the generally serious events of the story, it manages to have a lot of humor and heart.
(I do like that this series includes many characters from the Knights of the Old Republic video game, yet, while they do reference Revan, the player character, they carefully keep Revan off screen and their gender unclear. As fits a character who could have looked like many different things depending on the player's choice.)