Republic #83: The Hidden Enemy, part 3 (of 3)

Best Blades is as perfect a SW comic as you can get, to put it simply.

 

Agreed, "The Best Blades," is just about the perfect SW comic. Although I'd have to say "Red Hands" (Jedi: Count Dooku) came pretty close. Basically the 5 Jedi specials were all just great.


Edit: Oh, and on the subject of Master Bayts. The best use of that, I thought, was in issue 4 of Obsession, where we say hey to him and within a page, he's dead, speared by Grievous. Adi Gallia: "Master Bayts, watch out!" . . . "ughhh!" . . . . A character whose sole purpose is a one-liner, I love it!

 

I believe the ultimate one-liner with that character was "Master Baytes and I will handle this!"

Hehe, handle ...

 

It's hardly the first somewhat dodgy Jedi name remember Master Fisto after all.

 

Thanks, all.

For the record, I considered a different ending to 83 but I felt this ending (approved by LFL) gave a ray of hope, thus tying it not to CW and its tragic ending but to the next episode, ANH. The other ending would have been, IMO, predictable. After all the sorrow and struggle, a touch of hope seemed nice.

-- John

 

agreed.

 

For the record, I considered a different ending to 83 but I felt this ending (approved by LFL) gave a ray of hope, thus tying it not to CW and its tragic ending but to the next episode, ANH. The other ending would have been, IMO, predictable. After all the sorrow and struggle, a touch of hope seemed nice.

With all due respect, and I love your work here and on the series in general, but I think it would have worked better if he had died.

I understand the need for a hopeful ending, but I think the survival of Tholme and T'ra, the birth of Korto, and the newfound "family" sensibility, especially the really touching relationship between Chak and Villie, would have been enough, especially considering that Quinlan would be the reason they were all together, the invisible bond between them: Quin had touched all of their lives before he died.

To be honest, I was starting to get all teary, and I really started to lose it with Villie whispering to Quin's pyre "All debts paid, Jedi," and then I turned a few pages and there he is, alive. It felt a little manipulative.

 

It's just a story honestly in the end.

We'll weigh the 'maybes' against whatever the real end is.

 

I am absolutely overjoyed by the ending, it's what I wanted to happen but never thought would actually happen. I was resigned to the worst - I never thought the finale could exceed my wishes, because I wanted so much from it- yet it did!

As for Quinlan being in the TV series, I really hope not, I don't want to see these characters touched by anyone other than John Ostrander.

 

Well said, dizfactor.

I agree 100%.

 

Well, dizfactor said it fairly well.

I give it a 'meh'. It was really good up until Vos was revealed alive, but that kinda knocked it back down. Personally, the funeral pyre and Villie's "all debts paid" line were a really well done and emotional scene, as was Khaleen's receipt of the holocron. Vos's miraculous reappearance killed that. And is Vos made of magic armor? How did he manage to survive a point-blank blaster shot to the torso?

Although, "anakkonas"? Heh.

 

I cannot praise this highly enough, quite a wonderful conclusion.

JB

 

He survived, because he was shot in the abdomen, not in the chest. Although, I agree that his sudden revelation of living seriously changed the mood, I think it was the right decision, and it was done very well.

 

Having Vos survive was probably pushing it (although I still greatly enjoyed the story) but I think having Ventress survive was worse. To me, that made no sense and left a loose thread hanging that didn't need to be.

 

In Isard's Revenge, Horn was shot in the torso point blank. He mowed down a dozen Imperials like a bulldozer.

Urban legends . . .

 

Do you fellas feel Vos's "departure" provided closure to his long story arc?

 

i thought it was wise to allow quinlan to live. Villie....he could have died, but i loved villies last line, and it showed how truly loyal he has been to quin over the years