Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Volume One: Commencement. Written by John Jackson Miller. Art by Brian Ching and Travel Foreman

The year is 3,964 Before the Battle of Yavin. The Republic has just emerged from the last Great Sith War and is now facing a growing threat from the Mandalorians, an aggressive and expansionistic race of armoured warriors. (Jango and Boba Fett were Mandalorians)

Taris is a world on the outer rim, a planet sized city, like Coruscant. A Jedi Academy is stationed there, with five masters, and five Padawans. This is the story of one of them, Zayne Carrick. Zayne has a very…special relationship with the force. He is not a very good Padawan and in his own words “My luck ranges from barely tolerable to cataclysmic. Master Lucien says I’m living proof the force has a sense of humor.”

Zayne is waiting for graduation with some trepidation. He knows this is his last chance to become a full Jedi. Of course, with the Mandalorian War, they need every Jedi they can get. “Lowered Standards, Patron Protector of Zayne Carrick,” he quips with one of his friends. In fact, that is one of the few things the Masters admire about Zayne, his ability to form families ties.

While he is waiting though, he has duties. One is to stop crime. And there is a walking crime wave named Marn Heirogryph, a snivvenian. (Think anthropomorphic wombat with really impressive nostrils.) Marn is clever, Zayne is disaster prone and watching them dance around each other is a lot of fun. In fact, Marn made Zayne arrive late to his own graduation…and possibly saved his life.

Five Jedi Masters, standing over the lifeless bodies of their Padiwan’s, lightsabers drawn. His own Master Lucien is standing in their midst, as cool as a cucumber. Zayne runs for it.

He soon discovers that he has been blamed for the deaths and is now a hunted fugitive. Fortunately for him, he still has Marn “the Gryff” in custody, and the “crimelord’s” skills come in handy at evading the law.

They hook up with some contacts of Marn’s, Jarael and Camper. Jarael is a beautiful near human with white skin and hair, Camper, an old male of the species, nutty as squirrel poo, but a genius mechanic. Their junk shop/ship is called “The Last Resort” and well named she is.

So now Zayne has to figure out what could have possessed five Jedi Masters to commit mass murder, and frame him for it, before those masters, or the police force of an entire planet can find him!

The writing on this book is superb. It has plot, it’s well paced, and the characters have distinct personalities, speaking with unique voices. It’s well crafted, reads easily, and involves one quickly, then holds your interest through out.

The Art of Brian Ching is also excellent, very realistic, not at all “cartoony” and in point of fact, much more realistic than your average super hero title. The colorist, Michael Atiyeh deserves kudos on this as well as his shading word really pops the characters out into the third dimension. Brian Ching has excellent proportion and perspective, and his portraiture, (the ability to give everyone a recognizable face so if all you see is head shots, you can still tell who is who) and he loves filling in the backgrounds, giving the piece a realistic feel in keeping with the movies.

Together, these things make for an excellent read. Unencumbered with the movies, these tales, set so far back in the timeline give the writers a freedom that is sometimes missing from titles set during or between the movies. As an introduction to the world of Star Wars comics, it is excellent. Fun, gripping, and a good mystery, all in Graphic Novel format. Check it out.

This review is Lean-N-Mean, a style set by Sleeper54. No more than 666 words, this format encourages concise writing. This one has 661 precisely.

May The Force Be With You.

The New Frontier: Younglings.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season One
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season Two

Check out the other completely different Clone Wars cartoons.
Star Wars Clone Wars Volume One. and
Star Wars Clone Wars Volume Two.

Check out these Star Wars Novels:
Tatooine Ghost
Star Wars Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice
Star Wars Legacy of the Force: Invincible
The Cestus Deception.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor
Republic Commando Order 66

Check out these Star Wars Comics:
Tag and Bink Were Here
Jango Fett: Open Season.
Rites of Passage
Star Wars Rebellion: My Brother, My Enemy.

Check out my reviews on Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic.
Commencement
Flashpoint.
Days of Fear, Nights of Anger.

Check out the Future of Star Wars in Legacy:
Star Wars Legacy: Broken.
Star Wars Legacy: Shards
Star Wars Legacy: Claws of the Dragon
Star Wars Legacy: Alliance

The Star Wars Role Playing Game:
Star Wars Role Playing Game
Star Ships of the Galaxy
Threats of the Galaxy
Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide
Scum and Villainy
The Clone Wars Campaign Guide

Check out all the Star Wars Saga:
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Recommended: Yes