Published: February 22, 2006
Writer: John Jackson-Miller
Artist: Brian Ching
Colourist: Michael Atiyeh
Letterer: Michael Heisler
Cover Artist: Travis Charest
The synopsis;
Life in the Jedi Order isn’t supposed to be easy. It’s a culture of strict discipline, hard work, and self-control, and only the galaxy’s brightest and most gifted graduate to the Order’s upper echelon of Knights and Masters. This is a dilemma Padawan Zayne Carrick has faced most of his life, knowing that he might not possess the smarts or the abilities needed to rise above his station – it’s a problem compounded by his being accused of murder and put on the run, his former friends and allies out to get him, and the alien con-man he’s chained to doing everything he can to shake the young Jedi. But there are greater forces at work and Zayne’s about to learn that the will of the Force moves in mysterious ways.
The review;
After discovering his friends, Padawans like himself, slain at the hands of their Jedi Masters, Zayne Carrick runs for his life. Pursued by the Masters he once thought were his protectors, Zayne’s escape takes him to the lower-levels of Taris city, leaving a trail of frenzied destruction in his path. However, he’s not alone. Con-artist Gryph is bound to the young Jedi, with the two forming an unlikely alliance in order to discover the truth behind the Jedi Masters’ treacherous crime.
Knights of the Old Republic #2 throws readers straight into the heart of the action as Zayne desperately tries to escape. Desperation is the exact feeling emanating from these pages as Ching’s artwork perfectly captures the panicked, confused emotions across Zayne’s features. In stark contrast are the treacherous Jedi Masters themselves, whose body language is drawn so menacingly and with an air of looming towards their prey. As a reader you can’t help but feel sympathy for poor Zayne.
Considering Zayne is fleeing for his life this could have been a very dark issue, but Jackson-Miller incorporates some fantastic, light-hearted moments. Gryph and Zayne’s banter during the speeder chase could be that of Obi-Wan and Anakin when hunting Zam Wesell from Attack of the Clones. It doesn’t stop there either, as Zayne brings back the famous, and extremely catchy, ‘Jedi business’ line.
One really surprising element of Knights of the Old Republic #2 is that as Zayne flees the Taris Jedi Temple, he passes through a cargo bay where there are load-lifter droids. This might not sound that exciting, but they are extremely similar to the ones just seen in “Gone with a Trace” from The Clones Wars Season 7. It just proves that design influences from what is now the Expanded Universe (EU) can still appear in the modern Star Wars canon.
A true highlight from Knights of the Old Republic #2 are the colours used by Atiyeh. Practically every panel uses dark tones and deep shadows, reiterating the gloomy feelings of Zayne. It gives ‘fall from the Light’ a new context. Meanwhile the Jedi Masters are always in harsh lighting, usually artificial, that ties-in with the coldness and brutality of their murderous actions. On first reading of this comic fans might not notice this fact, but read it a few times and the lighting choices, although subtle, are just as important to the story. If fans still don’t see it then they should ask themselves this – would the story work in daylight? No, because the mood would be all wrong.
Although Zayne Carrick is the main character of this story, it’s Gryph who really steals this issue. He has every right to hate the former Padawan, after being accused as an accomplice, yet he doesn’t. Jackson-Miller has written their relationship in a very similar way to Caleb Dume and Janus Kasmir’s from Kanan: The Last Padawan mini-series by Greg Weisman. Both tales have a gangster with a curmudgeonly exterior (but secretly good hearts) take on a lost Padawan. Will the Jedi of the High Republic be trying to reduce criminal activity on frontier worlds? Could there be any smooth-talking swindlers who may even help these Jedi?
With the plans Zayne and Gryph make at the end of Knights of the Old Republic #2, both of them are clearly going to be searching the galaxy for clues about the Jedi Masters betrayal. The young Jedi believes there was always something strange about his Masters, but he just couldn’t see it before. A classic case of hindsight! So, what will they uncover? And will Zayne Carrick be able to let go of his anger towards his mentors – or risk losing himself to the Dark Side? Fans will have to wait till next week as their clue-searching journey begins in Knights of the Old Republic #3.
Availability;
The original Dark Horse Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series ran from 2006 to 2010, encompassing 50 issues. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #2 is currently available in digital format from the Marvel Online Comic Store, via the Marvel App, comiXology or by subscribing to Marvel Unlimited. A physical copy can be found in one of the many trade paperback releases from Marvel. Please check with Amazon UK and US or your local comic bookstore for availability.
