|
July 25, 2008
|
|
 Knights of the Old Republic #31, new in stores this week, is something of a departure for the two-year old comic. While the cast remains the same, and the story fits neatly into the overarching plot, the one-shot is essentially self-contained, and provides a point of entry into the title for readers who may have been away for awhile. Regrettably, not much has changed, as the title continues to serve up characters and stories to which I can most kindly respond with a "...meh."
Fugitive padawan Zayne Carrick hurtles toward Coruscant, bearing evidence he hopes will incriminate the elusive Jedi Covenant and exonerate him for the murder charges pressed on him by members of the shadowy sect. Along for the ride are his erstwhile partner Marn 'Griff' Hierogryph, a Snivvian con artist with a quick wit, Jarael, an Arkanian who looks like she stepped out of Middle-Earth rather than a galaxy far, far away, and ex-Mandalorian Rohlan Dyre, who leaves no impression at all.
While this motley bunch makes for some occasional humorous banter, the dialogue often feels forced, as John Jackson Miller's script is basically going through the motions. Its no secret that I've never been a huge fan of this title, and issue #31 doesn't do anything to change my mind. Yeah its got a token space battle (Carth Onasi from the KotoR video game even shows up, along with a couple of B-list Jedi Masters from the Bioware/Obsidian games), but it really is much ado about nothing, and I'm hard pressed to get excited about buying issue #32, never mind reading it.
Issue 31's artwork is the one saving grace. Alan Robinson's pencils, while extremely stylized, are nonetheless involving, as he paints vivid portraits of Zayne and company, along with Covenant baddie Xamar, a nasty-looking Khil Jedi Master who puts Zayne and Griff in an uncomfortable position at the issue's climax. Michael Atiyeh overdoses on color (though in his defense, KotoR has always been a candy-colored mess, for the most part), and the garishness is occasionally distracting. Conversely Brian Ching's cover is a masterpiece. Zayne has never looked better, from his gleaming yellow blade to his steely-eyed glare and smugglerish pistol strapped to his belt, the piece does everything right and makes a worthy addition to any Star Wars comic collection.
Ultimately, I know you'll probably pick up issue #31, just like I did. We are Star Wars fans, after all, and there's rarely anything more affordable or potentially fun than a comic book. That said, I do wish that KotoR would rise to the level of its Dark Horse brethren, as it is still lagging quite a ways behind in terms of an involving storyline and memorable characters.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
