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May 29, 2008
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 I can't tell you what a relief it is to be finished with the Knights of the Old Republic installments of Dark Horse's hype-ridden Vector story event. While I don't know if the author and artists on the KotoR team share my sentiments, the fact that issue #29 marks a successful return to the book's earlier formula leads me to believe that I'm not the only who found Vector #1-4 to be an exercise in frustration compared to the rest of the series.
Rogue padawan Zayne Carrick, along with his conniving compatriot Gryph, arrive at the Feeorin home world of Odryn, intent on furthering their mission to clear Zayne's name and expose the Jedi Covenant and the masters who framed him for murder. Before the issue is up, they're re-united with old friend (and fan favorite) Jarael, while away on Coruscant, Covenant leader Lucien Draay accepts a position on the Jedi Council and sets in motion a likely confrontation between Draay and his old adversary and former padawan.
John Jackson Miller's script does the job, propelling the story along at a reasonable pace and keeping things interesting. Miller's previous Vector scripts were among the weakest in the three year history of the book, and while much of that can be attributed to the necessity of setting up a year-long arc with a lot of exposition, its nonetheless good to see a return to form here. While things aren't always perfect (there's a few too many corny dialogue bits like "Hayaaaaah yourself!!"), the story elements fall together nicely, and part one of the two-part Exalted story arc reads like a winner.
Bong Dazo's artwork is also a breath of fresh air, his sharp detailing and realistically proportioned characters standing in marked contrast to the highly stylized look of the preceding Vector issues. His take on the Feeorins is impressive, as the muscled aliens look positively frightening with their multicolored skin, dread-locked tentacles, and fierce faces framed by layers of armor and deadly weapons. Dustin Weaver's cover is similarly spectacular, and easily my favorite in the entirety of the series. You can almost hear Gryph's goofy banter, as the pose perfectly captures the principles in extremely fine detail.
To sum up, issue #29 isn't Vector, and that's most assuredly a good thing, as the book returns to the rogues-on-the-run formula that served it well in previous arcs. Its gratifying to see that while Knights of the Old Republic remains the red-headed step child of Dark Horse's current line up, its still an enjoyable read more often than not.
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