Comics Join Me In Rereading: Knights of the Old Republic

I still remember the story from your site's notes on how one issue opened with the Arkanian Legacy docked next to a gigantic refueling station because the artist misunderstood the script saying "holding station", or something like that.

 

Yeah, this sort of thing can happen, especially when there's a translation issue involved. Early in my career I had a character who shielded himself from falling debris by raising "a defensive arm" — and was surprised when suddenly that character had a gun. I learned to be more specific then, and to avoid words that could be interpreted different ways. (Of course, sometimes it happens when there's no language difference at all: a famous writer told an artist to leave room around Spider-Man "for the balloons," and suddenly there were physical balloons around him. He meant the word balloons!)

My current Galactica series is one where I'm being super-cautious, because there are literally two versions of things, and simply Googling isn't always going to pull up the right character or ship. So lots of footnoted images — and I am getting to see the work in progress. So far, so good!

 

To be fair, I think the chain was portrayed as well as it could be. I mean of course the ships were totally not to scale with the planet and the north and south were unguarded, but the important thing was that it showed that the ships were linked together as one. Realistically we can imagine the ships being scattered around and covering the whole planet, thousands of miles apart from each other, virtually linked by chains of data rather than being a literal chain of ships.

 

Knights of the Old Republic 32: Vindication, Part 1

Notes: http://www.farawaypress.com/comics/swknights/swkotor32.html

We in there, the final arc of the first "Half" of Kotor. Its a strange feeling, but a good one.

The Draay estate will be are setting as we arrive there, Xamar leading a thoroughly evil looking Zayne as his "prisoner", Topped off with a fake Muut's talisman to really tie it all together. Seriously, the Kotor cast use disguises so often they could all probably easily win a cosplay contest..

Once inside the Estate Xamar drops some more info about the Covenant and just how big they are, its also were the Tales connection's become even more direct, as the statue of Vodo nicely shows. (Speaking of Vodo, Exar was so comically evil before he turned for real that he makes PT Anakin look like Zayne, another example of using the events from Tales while deftly avoiding just how badly written most of it was.)

He also directly the various factions in the order and how the Council is kinda burying there head in the sand, which goes back to what I have mentioned a bunch previously about how centralization and how far away from it the Jedi are at this time. But regardless of there vast differences they both agree on Krynda's importance, and her pardon got Xamar to confess to everything. And while talking with Gryph about how he knew which ship to stow away on, muses that he can see the future after all. With that Xamar becomes the only member of the Covenant to ever really understand that they were self fulfilling there own prophecy, and he just had to look towards other futures, its a nice moment for the most sympathetic member.

He also chats with Zayne about how he doesnt know if Zayne is on the Darkside and he doesn't trust himself anymore to make that call, but at the same time Lucien lied about Krynda's approval and just shoved Q'Anilla full of drugs so he sure as **** isn't qualified either and can go to hell.

Speaking of which, he's as haughty and dismissive as ever, banters with Gryph for a sec before doing what he does best, draw his weapon ready to kill despite Xamar wanting to bring them before Krynda, only for Haazan to finally take center stage. Him and Lucien argue and this knocks the plans timeline off, so Zayne tells Xamar to open the compound for the Jedi to get in while he secures Krynda, to keep his promise to Celeste.

What follows is of course Zayne putting all the acting skills he has gained to good use, bluffing about more Artifacts that the talisman controls, giving Xamar a chance to go back to the gate.

Course Haazan isn't any where close to as dense as the rest of the Covenant, so he quickly see's through Zayne's ruse. He also correctly guesses it was Gryph's idea, but before that can go any further Xamar opens the gate and Vrook's strike team rushes into the Estate. One more nice character bit for Xamar as he tells the strike team to be merciful towards there fellow Jedi.

Back inside before Lucien can get haughty about the fact Zayne wasnt willing to kill Celeste the alarm goes off and Haazan gives a signal to the entire Covenanat, lying to them that the Sith is in the Jedi Council and ordering them to stage a coup to save the order and protect Krynda. Lucien says it was just a precaution, not what he wanted, but Haazan aint having that excuse and states that he has always wanted what Haazan made him want up to and including Q'Anilla, which is realllllllyyyyy creepy given he says that in the same sentence that states Lucien hated her for replacing him in Mommies eye.

And despite what Zayne says he aint to worried about the Jedi raiding the Estate either as he has a gauntlet that is hooked up to the fleet, which fires down on the Sky bridge killing poor Xamar along with other and wrecking buildings. Still despite his sad end, he did manage to change his fate in important ways that mattered. In the end he was really the only member that actually learned anything without the threat of imminent death forcing it on him

And we get a full shot of Haazan decked out in Sith artifacts*

-Funnily enough despite the full shot of Haazan and his clearly robotic arm there was still quite a;lot of arguing in the threads back then that he could still somehow be Sion

 

I have to agree with everything said about Xamar.

In fiction when a Bad Guy becomes a Good Guy, there's sometimes this nagging issue where it seems like the former Bad Guy was too easily forgiven. The Good Guys and the former Bad Guy are getting chummy, and the audience reaction is "Um, does no one remember that this guy killed a lot of innocent people?" This especially is a risk in Star Wars when characters come back from the Dark Side.

There is some awkwardness between Xamar, Gryph, and Zayne, which is to be expected when Xamar murdered his student, and helped to try and frame Gryph and Zayne for the deed. But they do seem to understand that Xamar is at the very least trying, and I really liked the bit where Xamar tells Zayne that his judgement is skewed. Not quite forgiveness, but understanding.

For the next book, I can't wait for the flashback!

 

I read today that my college dorm for which Zayne Carrick is named is being treated for mold and other allergens. Shades of Camper and the Last Resort!

 

Sorry just got caught up.

I would like to add my 2cents.

Zayne is my fav main character, for the reasons people have given here. I was so happy to see him get a big station named after him in SWTOR (The codex mentions Zayne Carrick by name).

I always assumed that during the games and post KOTOR2 he was rebuilding the jedi. (no offence to the exile and her crew I just never saw them rebuilding order on their own and I think Zayne is an exemplar of what the jedi should be)


Also Hayzen is a great villain, and the jedi covenant are a great example of what jedi should never be, killing their apprentices is not their only crime.

Also what I love most about this comic is that it's not dark. Don't get me wrong dark things happen (we literally open with a massacre of children), but it doesn't dwell on them. In that it reminds me of A New Hope.

 

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 33: Vindication, Part 2

Notes: http://www.farawaypress.com/comics/swknights/swkotor33.html

Haazan's backstory the issue, y'know on some level the fact that he has his revealed in a sort of interlude chapter right in the middle of highly important present day events just like his student Lucien feels very appropriate.

So yeah, as Lucien so rudely states, Haazan was another failed padawan just like Zayne. Right down to repeatedly failing to deal with a seemingly petty criminal and the much more classically talent best friend. In his case, Lucien's dad Barrison. Who seems like a decent chap all things considered, easily better then his son, not that thats hard. Haaz is also clearly sporting a crush on young Krynda, but she is of course with Barrison.

Adasca's dad is a drunk and we get to see and here mention of several very prominent Jedi Masters from Tales, including Arca Jeth, the trio's Master. But of course there hardly direct copies of each other, which becomes rather easy to see when Arca Knights Barrison and Krynda, not Haazan who despite his obvious lack of skill makes very clear he still expected it. Whereas Zayne had already good naturally expected his likely failure. Haazan lashes out, angry he didnt get what his friends did while Zayne was preemptively happy for his.

He storms off after his rant while Barrison follows and tries to comfort him, but Haazan only shows more ways in which he is nothing like Zayne and spitefully blames him for not using his money to get him in and takes a mean dig about using it to "buy" Krynda. Barrison decks him for this which isn't very Knightly at all, but its easy to understand why.

But something specific to point out, I have mentioned alot before about how the Covenant uses obscene amounts of money to get what they want, its gross and endemic in the organization. But here with Barrison, the originator of all the money, and also the flashpoint for everything that became of the Covenant, and he is firmly against using his money to influence the Jedi. This issue caused a lot of arguments about class-ism and such, but I think the fact that Barrison is ironically the only one firmly against using any of its perks. Meanwhile his widow inherited it and used it while manipulated by Haazan himself, who is all to happy to use the money he spitefully lashed out at Barrison having for his own desires. Like a lot of things in Kotor its a neat subversion of what you would expect.

Jump to ten years later right in the middle of Exar Kun's war* and Barrison is every bit the strapping Jedi hero with Haazan as his man servant cleaning up bodies. While doing so Dossa reveals herself to him, having started working for the sith, but she says there starting to lose and immediately starts working on his envy for Barrison's everything, suggesting there is a way for him to gain his life. He admits thats what he wants and she tells him the plan. Shortly after Haazan leads Barrison and the other Jedi down into the Caverns and ditches them calling to Dossa to blow them up, but she pulls the trigger before he is out of the explosions range.

He awakes later mutilated and his body now grafted with several Sith artifacts, the Yoke being the thing that would let him tweak how others saw him. They plan to use Haazan to infiltrate the Jedi, but he has other plans and murders Dossa and the others.

Years later we see him with Krynda talking Covenant business, reiteritaing some stuff we already know (Using the Trust to influence what they want, she is a bad mom with no message for her son and Lucien is a bad teacher happy to ignore Zayne etc) She thanks him for his years of service, he brings up there past but gets rebuffed, and we flash back to the present with Haazan in full Sith Artifact regalia seemingly triumphant.

- I have mentioned before how much I appreciated how the Sith War was expanded on by other writers after the fact into feeling like an actual war. By far one of Tales greatest failures was how much it didn't. Till this day that it all happened in about a year is still absurd to me, but the fleshing out is real nice.

 

I remember this issue being a high point for me. I really enjoyed seeing how the events of the KOTOR comic had their roots in the TOTJ comics, and seeing the events and characters of the latter show up again to get fleshed out.

I also thought it was kind of ridiculous when the events of this issue got referenced in the Darth Plagueis comic... is Dossa really the sort of Sith who, thousands of years later, Sith Lords would immediately remember?

 

Darth Plagueis comic?

 

Even assuming he means novel, I have no memory of this whatsoever.

 

Safe to assume that's a typo. Wookiepedia sais the Darth Plagueis novel mentioned Dossa briefly.

I think I wanted to shut Dossa out of my mind. Personally, I like how Master Vodo gets a nod with Krynda's interview.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dossa
Millennia later, Darth Plagueis would remember learning about her when considering taking another Nautolan, Naat Lare, as an apprentice.

 

None of you remember Derek J. Reda's Darth Plagueis comic run? A pity. Good times, that. I would scan the page in question but my copy appears to have been consumed my some sort of viper.

 

Heh, hadn't realized the character came up in that book.

This issue was crafted to be a stand-alone amid Brian's run so he could work ahead -- the flashback story seemed an organic way to make the different art styles work.

I only vaguely remember the debates surrounding this issue, but don't go too easy on Barrison: he did Haazen no favors by constantly finding him a place. If there hadn't been a massacre and Zayne had washed out, Shad wouldn't have tried to keep him around as a caddy. He'd have understood that wasn't merciful.

 

Did Dossa even have Force powers? I thought she was a mercenary.

And yeah, Barrison wasn't rude to Haazen, but Haazen did basically end up his corpse disposal guy.

Speaking of which, something about the "these Massassi stink!" line is memorable to me. I think it's because it's taking the proud warrior race, the mysterious namesakes of the ancient Yavin temples the Rebels used, and de-mystifying them, talking about a pillar of Star Wars lore in a casual way. It's like seeing some legendary battle, or an ancient, mythic monument being constructed, and hearing one of the soldiers or workers crack a BO joke.

. . . Or, I could be way over thinking and over analyzing a one-off line.

 

Issue #33 was quite a memorable issue. The art composition in the flashback scenes stuck with me.

 

I like to think she had a bit of force sensitivity which she used for coercion, getting people to tell her their true feelings/secrets, and quickly making them trust her. She didn't make Haazen do it, but I think she helped him act on his feelings.

Was the purple plasma/lightning blade that Dossa had, another ancient Sith artifact? Strange how it was only seen in three panels, two activated and one where its turned off and looking like a spiked spade handle.

 

Knights of the Old Republic 34: Vindication, Part 3

Notes: http://www.farawaypress.com/comics/swknights/swkotor34.html

Above the planet Karath and co are blindsided as there ships are hijacked through the chain and start firing down onto the planet. To Saul's credit he isn't happy about it, but sense the only way to get it to stop is to destroy the source or the Swiftsure, he orders the ship evacuated.

Haazan is bust yukking it up at the estate explaining how the Covenant bought the company that developed the Chain and slipped in a direct line for himself. The navy will be able to deactivate it, but not before his plans are finished. Lucien trys to act like he ever had any real power by trying to stop him, but Haazan is decked out in old Sith artifacts, one of which only lets people he wants to touch him,so Luci gets flung aside. But he isn't very smart, so he just tries again in his typical blunt way and gets sent flying this time.

Some of the strike team Jedi bust in, but there quickly dispatched by Haazan's force lightning and saber, meanwhile Lucien bursts out of the rubble as Zayne tries to dig him out and they start arguing, Luci basically saying Zayne would never have passed because he wasn't ready to murder innocents at the drop of a hat for the "greater good", even after being forced to go on the run for his life. Of course Zayne just throws back how badly that him doing that worked out.

Haazan interrupts and insists there all on the same team, with him revealing the role they all have to play in the Prophecy of Five.Of course he sees himself as of and above both Sith and Jedi, and drops a cheeky reference to how Sith naming conventions tend to go, with his choice being "Darth Haze". He plans to control both sides of the Force through Jedi and Sith, and with the Covenant as his Jedi half, Lucien will train his Sith and of course the closest we ever get to Kotor 2, directly name drops the possible title Darth Sion.

Also Haazan once again pointing out that regardless of any manipulation, Lucien was always super willing to go along with it.

He gives them both sabers, and Q'anilla runs off once again not caring about anything but Krynda and Gryph follows, but Zayne gets blocked by the saber wielding Lucien

Upstairs Q'Anilla has murdered her way into Krynda's bedroom. I assume there the Acolytes Haazan mentions, but the bodies are drawn with Strike Team outfits. so huh, I guess it could be both. Regardless, Q'Anilla's obsession really makes her a vile person.

Inside Krynda is in the same type of artifact Celeste was put into, but Q'Anilla doesn't know that, she can't sense her and things she is dead. Like any rational person she poisons herself and as Gryph tries to help her, interrupter her blaming Zayne for her fellow members deaths, by admitting he is the more direct cause of all there fates She grasps at straws, saying at least Zayne's prophecy was proven wrong, but then Gryph drops the bomb that many fans suspected, Zayne prophecy was a lie, a play by Gryph to scare them off a bit. And as Gryph says, the fact that they fell for it just shows they never knew anything about Zayne at all. Seriously it takes other characters about 1 convo to know that about him. They neglected him completely.

Q'Anilla passes while muttering more apologies to her lady, and Gryph recognizes the Oubilette and that Krynda is still alive.

Downstairs Lucien chases Zayne while Haazan muses on being told he had a force disability to, and goes off to greet the arrival of more relics. Lucien's rampage is interrupted by the arrival of his mother. And she is rather aghast at what her visions showed her son doing, so much so that the last one gave her a stroke, so Haazan put her into the Oubilette to keep her alive. She says she still believed he could never do that*, but he admits to ordering it she is distraught, wondering how he could have come to believe that only for Lucien to reveal its because of her that he thought such measures were kosher. This is the final nail in her coffin and she passes admitting she was wrong, telling her son to be humble in his future. Gryph mentioned her being in stasis dying when he took her out and Lucien promptly blames him for her death

- Nice parallel with the Covenant believing Zayne could be a mass murderer with Krynda believing her son could never sanction something like that. There both incredibly wrong for the same reasons, they neglected them so much they had no actual idea what type of person's they were/grew into or what that made them capable of

 

Knights of the Old Republic 35: Vindication, Part 4

Notes: http://www.farawaypress.com/comics/swknights/swkotor35.html

Were here, the end of the first "Half" of Kotor, and what an ending it is.

Lucien and Zayne are fully engaged in a fight at this point as Zayne tries to talk him down from killing Gryph(Hey at least its not him for once) but Lucien doesnt care that the device was basically a torture chamber, it keeping her alive is all he cares about. But Zayne doesn't give up and Lucien dejectedly says he can't change his future. However they have made there way to a large view screen which show Haazan killing other Jedi, and there Zayne brings up his own rejection of a terrible teacher and asks why Luci can't do the same? Or he can stay pretending to not have a choice and continue be a pawn like he has been his whole life.

Outside Haazan has killed the Coventers who brought more Sith Relics to him, and with those in his possession he plans to destroy the High Council building and install Lucien as the head of a puppet council under Krynda's name with him in charge behind the scenes obviously.

As it happens, Gryph runs outside seemingly persuaded by a furious Lucien. Zayne comes flying out after him and they resume there "duel". A fight that apparently ends with the statue of Barrison Drey toppling over onto Lucien as he says he wont let it fall, and Zayne stabbing him.

Haazen is impressed by this and beckons Zayne to approach him, turning down the Gauntlet to let Zayne touch him. In return for his obedience Zayne asks that he stop bombing the planet. As he does so, Zayne grabs him and claims to be having a vision, Haazan is delighted until Zayne drops a cool one liner and hacks the Gauntlet off his arm.Furious he blasts him with Lightning, a propelled and dazed Zayne grabs Zayne and leaps off the side of the Estate, with a force assisted push from Lucien, who reveals his father would never hurt him as he grabs the gauntlet and directs the fleets fire at himself and Haazan seemingly killing them both.

Down below Zayne and Gryph managed to survive...by falling into a vat of sludge, because of course.

"The force does not want me dead. It does not want me happy but it does not want me dead" is another all time "sum up Zayne" quote.

Gryph is flabbergasted conned him, which actually sorta foreshadows some other things Zayne will pull over on him latter on.

Days later a cover up has of course occurred, framing it as a Mando terror plot, but Zayne and Gryph have also had there names cleared, even if the public doesn't know the real reasons why.

Of course now the Council is even more against Jedi getting involved in the war. Jarael and Gryph talk about what she is gonna do, but she isn't sure, torn between helping Rholan or Malek to start.

Grpyh almost leaves but Zayne appears and reveals that while the Jedi offered to Knight him, he turned it down as they weren't there for him when he needed it, and there not gonna be there for the little people in the future. But thats where he wants to be, and he isn't up for killing either way. So he and Gryph strike a deal to do just that, they hit people who deserve it to help those who don't.

And off far away on a planet that to this day was never named, Lucien reveals himself alive sans his sight. Having used his money long ago to buy a secret hide out for a new, simple"True Covenant" that comes with some premade Jedi apparently. He also reveals he saw a future with him as Darth Sion but rejected it, and with his blindness ironically his eyes are finally open to visions.

-The fact that nobody from the comic ended up being anybody from Kotor 2 was mostly seen as a great fake out, but there were a few posters who felt "lied" to. Silly IMO, but eh different strokes.

-Likewise Zayne rejecting Knighthood was seen as in character and logical by most but still bitter sweet because he very much is exactly what a Jedi should be in every way and without him there less.

-Lucien being the one "spared" also had a lot of discussion, but for me as much as a guilty jackass as he was (and BOY WAS HE) his fellow members sans Xamar didn't need his prodding to murder children, two of them suggested it before he did. Now I suppose in a "fair" world Xamar would be the survivor, but Lucien isn't redeemed or forgiven, more like he survived and learned something from it so he will make the best of it. "Salvation" as the notes say.

Man what a satisfying ending (To part 1)

 

I always liked the fan theory that the planet Lucien was on at the end was actually him in the Force Afterlife, or maybe Force Purgatory, doing common work to redeem himself.

 

Eh I prefer the idea that these jedi are the seed of the new order after KOTOR2 (along with the Rouge Moon project)

 

IMO Lucien redeeming himself by working with actual, real living people is a lot better than him redeeming himself by working with visions/ghosts/whatever.

 

Knights of the Old Republic 36: Prophet Motive, Part 1

Notes: http://www.farawaypress.com/comics/swknights/swkotor36.html

And so begins the final 3rd/second half of the Kotor comic, I'll note something right away about the fan reactions at the time.

There were fans who wanted more Covenant fall out, but more then that there was a general sense of not ambivalence but a question of "Whats the next real myth arc" and such. A lot of general impatience with Prophet Motive, love for Faithful Execution as a standlone issue and then some impatience with Dueling Ambitions again, until of course the final Jarael plots twist at the end of that arc that lead right into Masks, where people went nuts and back all in. This is really the only period pre War where any more then minor discontent could be felt in the issue threads, but surprise surprise alot of stuff was being set up here that matters a metric ton later on. Frankly I enjoyed getting to see the majority of the main cast interact in a less high stakes environment.

But enough of that, we catch up with them on Metellos 3 a Space Station trade and big business bidding off planets for hyperspace routes, resource extraction, trade rights etc.

Gryph is dressed in a rather spiffy suit for his disguise, he looks like a Hogwarts teacher. Of course selling contracts for places nobody has been to yet brings up how anybody can claim the rights in the first place, but as the man given exposition to Gryph says, its more selling the promise of it then anything else.

Also, at last the crew has a new ship to truly be there own....and unlike the Falcon and many of it's copies the Hot Prospect really is a big piece of ****. Because that's just Zayne's world.

Jarael and Demagol make there entrance in full disguise, this time Jarael is posing as a Pirate (Jareal in cute disguises, name a more iconic duo) They start to pull a con about a planet that had been auctioned off in Mando space, claiming Demagol is from there and his people want a huge cut if there planet is being sold for profit. Kindly straight shooter Gryph of course offers to "represent" them forcing the Chev's running the floor to close down trading for the day.

There Master, Nunk, is of course ain't thrilled with there scheme being thrown this huge curveball. And yes, this whole thing is revealed to be a racket, Nunk also shows himself to be rather more on the ball when it comes to Con, and immediately sniffs out that it' Gryph based on his past reputation.

Course Jarael is also always on the ball and pickups that there stalling. She also mentions wanting to send some of the money they make to the friends she made back on Arkania, and that it's been a month sense the end of Vindication, evidently Zayne has been gone on vacation that entire time.

There chat is interrupted by straight up ninjas, which Jarael and Demagol take out over a nice page spread with a nifty weapon switch. Only got the Kotor battle Droid models to get an appearance as they subdue the two and start to push Gryph into a window so hart it starts to crack open to Vaccum. Luckily Zayne makes his return saving Gryph on the final page with his new "Main" outfit and a new Blue saber.

-Pinstripe suits existing SW is still hilarious

 

The agreed-upon direction immediately post-Vindication was that Year Four begin with more lighthearted stories which seemed to stand alone — a needed breather from the heavy continuity and frenetic pace of the previous year. There was still always something going on relating to the Jarael/Rohlan arc and hinting at the Rogue Moon Project, but it was never front and center. Legacy was very dark at the time, and Invasion was coming soon -- so we were naturally better suited to being the "fun" book.

Touching on Lucien, earlier: definitely a real place he's at. I intended to go back to him eventually; the two stillborn post-War KOTOR proposals — one comics, one prose — were fairly sprawling, both offering places where he might have returned (among a number of other new and returning subplots).

 

Are you allowed to say anymore about those post WAR plans? This is the first I have heard of it and would LOVE to know more!


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