Comics The Rise of Kylo Ren 4 issue Comic by Charles Soule

Issue #2 is out.

Spoiler

• Ben was indeed named for Obi-Wan, and he's also aware "Solo" isn't Han's real name.
• Snoke is already involved with the First Order to some degree, as he receives a message from General Brendol Hux. Nice moment where Snoke dodges telling Ben about it, then immediately says he won't lie to Ben.
• "I was not born Snoke. I became Snoke."
• Implies that "Kylo" (maybe "Kylo Ren"?) is a name Ben came up with as a child. Snoke sees it as representing his true self.
• The Mystery Voice speaks to Ben in the flashback, while Luke and Lor San are discussing their mission. I think this really paints a picture of that voice (Snoke, Palpatine?) as seeming like Ben's private confidante; someone he can talk to even while in the same room as Luke, and who listens to him when Luke doesn't. Insidious.
• So, the High Republic era was a period of greatly expanded activity for the Jedi in areas close to the Unknown Regions...now where have we heard that exact description recently?
• Ben's shown an interest in weapons. Lor San points out kyber crystals have powered many tools over the generations, not just weapons.
• Big Last Crusade vibes from the Petra-like Jedi outpost. Luke says he was almost killed by a trap in a similar place while obtaining a lightsaber. Guess he proved himself to be a penitent man.
• Reference to Luke finding Jocasta Nu's cache at the end of her arc in the Darth Vader comic, and her (or a) lightsaber rifle seems to be stored in this outpost.
• Luke lays the smackdown on Ren's Knights, who decide to retreat, but not until Ren senses "the shadow" in Ben, and reveals his face to him. He's...a dude with white dreads. His face lacks the same scarring on his body. He offers Ben another path, and tells him to look them up sometime.
• Ben does, returning post-massacre to the Jedi outpost, and contacts Ren via his discarded helmet. The sigil on the front glows while Ben's making contact -- possibly of the Force, but the speech bubble is one used for radio transmissions, so it's probably just that. Ren tells Ben to meet them on Vanrak in the Mid Rim, but the three surviving students find him.

 

I didnt really care for this issue overall

Spoiler

the dialogue exchange between Luke and Ren, it seemed very awkward. Ren looks like a white haired Jason Patric from Lost Boys. Very lackluster character so far, also these KOR warriors get beat pretty badly by a Jedi with a Lightsaber so early on that its so stupid they never gotten truly better training and weapons by the time they face down Kylo Ren that withstand a lightsaber - and get beaten so easily once he's got a Lighsaber too.

The repurposed Petra temple looks like something that was supposed to be on Pasaana for TROS but was not.

 

How would they get better if they haven't fought any Jedi in the meantime?

 

Is called practice and training. The Elite Praetorians were better trained and armed and they were not Force users.

 

KoR really aren't the types to train at all, though.

 

Looked more like braids than dreads to me.

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...and they got stomped too. The magic word "training" doesn't mean one set of characters can automatically defeat another set of characters.

 

Then they should not use weapons and go after people that do train, or even call themselves "knights", simple.

Spoiler

The Visual Dictionary has these guys as well seasoned, trained in the use of their personal weapons and brutal combatants and all use the Dark Side but to a stunted degree when they do battle in conjunction of their weapons and personalized battle preferences. Once they took away the KOR as being the handful of Jedi students hinted at in TLJ(and the novel) they just become duds. Probably worse than the Elite Praetorians. In fact there is no real good connection in Snoke having these guys around with the Dark Side and lack of training including Force training. Their lack in ability to challenge Luke Skywalker (Snoke knows about Luke and his resurgent Jedi Order obviously ) and his Elite personal guards whom are trained in various martial arts , clad in armor and weaponry that can do battle against Jedi and Jedi weapons. It should've been the opposite if anything,lol.

 

And the Sith shouldn't be trying to conquer the galaxy and slaughter everyone, but people are never their ideal version.

But even so, the KOR are surely among the countless other groups that do fine against non-Force-users but can't stand up to fully-fledged Jedi. Doesn't mean they're somehow not "knights".

 

Interesting

Spoiler

Brendol Hux is trying to contact Snoke during the issue which means that Snoke was a part of (if not already Supreme Leader) of the First Order already at the time of Phasma and Hux Jr's murder of the Hux Sr. Kylo must've also already been a part of FO at the same time.

 

Excuses, excuses. They didn't "do fine", thats the point. They're performance was lousy here in this issue and they performed just as bad in TROS - always worse than the Elite Praetorian Guards in TLJ - and thats a fact .

 

Speculation: Odds of this comic giving us the Kylo and Knights of Ren in the rain moment, slaughtering a village, that we see in Rey's Force Vision in TFA? 50/50?

 

I

I think that this run will finish with him killing the other 3 students and getting the mask, while the KoR calling him Kylo, maybe Snoke will kill Ren or Kylo.

But that scene showed a more grown Kylo with his lightsaber already.

 

Spoiler

That’s funny, I thought Ren just kind of looked like someone from an 80’s movie, but I liked that reveal. Not every villain has to be a creepy, gross middle to elderly aged man. He has a cool charm, like a surfer dude. Makes sense he would make an impression on a young Ben.

 

"Hey Kid"

...interesting choice of dialogue following TROS

 

"do fine against non-Force-users".

 

Ben Solo seems sympathetic and a decent kid in these issues so far. I remember the prequel EU where Rogue Planet and Jedi Quest couldn't go a few chapters without Anakin committing another questionable deed and basically showing him to be a teenage Sith Lord in training.

 

If it's not in this series, it's because it's being saved for a sequel series

 

This should be the next issue--

Luke: I see you have a new apprentice, Snoke. Or should I call you Supreme Leader of the First Order?!
Snoke: Master Skywalker, you survived.
Luke: Surprised?
Snoke: Your arrogance blinds you Master Skywalker. Now you will experience the full power of the Dark Side! (blasts Luke with Force lightning)

(cuts to Kylo brutally slaughtering his former classmates)

Snoke: I have waited a long time for this, my one-handed friend. Once again, the Jedi are no more.
Luke: Not if I have anything to say about it!
Snoke: You will not stop me. Kylo Ren will become more powerful than either of us!
Luke: Your faith in your new apprentice is misplaced, as is your faith in the Dark Side of the Force!

 

I think Kylo Ren is getting the fall to the dark side story fans expected for Vader in the prequels.

 

Semi interesting I guess. When Ben and Ren first met, he was a kid so it makes sense. Also, Luke says to Kylo in TLJ, "See you around, kid."

***

I'm trying to figure out where Kylo gets the name Kylo. Is it a Hodor - Hold The Door esque situation. Is Kylo short for a longer phase or something? Did Ben have a friend named "Kyle Lobot' when he was a kid?

 

I think it was just a cool moniker he came up for himself as a young child, as kids are wont to do.

 

I loved the issue.

Spoiler

I completely understood the Knights losing, because I think there is a point to that. They lost, sure (they obviously would) but they were defeated by Luke Skywalker, whom at this point could very well be the most powerful Jedi in the history of the galaxy. I think the scene is meant to make Luke look good, not the Knights look bad. They look every bit as dangerous to me now than before, and we just had them having a massive victory in issue 1. The way I see it, Luke means that they haven't had the kind of training a Jedi would have: a rigorous, austere and disciplined way of using the Force. The Knights just abuse others through the dark side, and are most certainly undertrained next to Jedi, Sith or Inquisitors, for that matter. Doesn't make them immediately weak, since Snoke seems interested in Ben to join them...

Snoke was one again one of the most intriguing parts of the issue. The garden isn't quite as heavenly as it first appeared, and Snoke´s darkness is slowly being revealed. He said he made himself... what would he remember from his time on Exegol, if at all? I'm totally interested in this. Besides, having Lor San Tekka with Luke and Ben was a nice touch, too. We are beginning to see the background they have with Ben, and how shocking must have been for him to see Kylo Ren in a Knights of Ren attire in Episode VII. All in all, great issue to me!

 

I'm sure we'll find out, probably in issue four. I wouldn't put it past Charles to sneak in a Kybo Ren reference.