Leroy Douresseaux on STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC – The Lost Suns #3

STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC – THE LOST SUNS #3 (OF 5)
DARK HORSE BOOKS

["Star Wars Central" review page is here.]

SCRIPT: Alexander Freed
PENCILS: David Daza
INKS: Mark McKenna
COLORS: Michael Atiyeh
LETTERS: Michael Heisler
COVER: Benjamin Carré
32pp, Color, $3.50

The new Star Wars comic book, Star Wars: The Old Republic – The Lost Suns, is based upon the LucasArts online game, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Set over 3600 years before the events depicted in the first film, Star Wars (1977), this series takes place after a great war between the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire. Although the war ended with a Republic victory, the Sith gained control of seven star systems.

Agent Theron Shan, a spy working for the Republic’s Strategic Information Service (S.I.S.), reunites with the long-missing Jedi Ngani Zho. Zho trained Theron’s mother, Satele Shan, and was once Theron’s guardian. Zho and Teff’ith, a female Twi’lek Theron captured, join the young S.I.S. agent on a mission to discover the secrets of Darth Mekhis, an old enemy of Satele’s.

As Star Wars: The Old Republic – The Lost Suns #3 opens, the three, by hook and crook, enter Imperial space. They gain entry into the Vesla star system and set up S.I.S. spy rays and telescopes. What Theron discovers is beyond anything he expected.

Because this third issue of Star Wars: The Old Republic – The Lost Suns focuses on infiltration and espionage, it is the most tension-filled issue to date. Also, the narrative grows more suspenseful as it draws the reader into the secrets of Ngani Zho’s past. The last few pages race towards an exciting cliffhanger. This was the put-up or shut up issue for The Lost Suns; it put up.

This is one of the better Star Wars comic books, so fans of Star Wars Expanded Universe will certainly want to give it a try.

A-

Leroy Douresseaux on STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC – The Lost Suns #2

STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC – THE LOST SUNS #2 (OF 5)
DARK HORSE BOOKS

["Star Wars Central" review page is here.]

SCRIPT: Alexander Freed
PENCIL ROUGHS: Dave Ross
PENCIL FINISHES: George Freeman
INKS: Mark McKenna
COLORS: Michael Atiyeh
LETTERS: Michael Heisler
COVER: Benjamin Carré
32pp, Color, $3.50

I’m not really into that part of the Star Wars Expanded Universe known as Star Wars: The Old Republic, but I like the comic book. Star Wars: The Old Republic – The Lost Suns is a comic book based upon the LucasArts online game, Star Wars: The Old Republic. While Dark Horse has published two previous series set in the Star Wars: The Old Republic time period, this is the first one set concurrent with the game.

In the Star Wars Expanded Universe, the Old Republic is the time period 1000 to 25000 years before the Battle of Yavin (abbreviated at BBY). For those that don’t know, the Battle of Yavin is the climactic battle in Stars Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, during which Luke Skywalker destroys the Death Star.

Star Wars: The Old Republic – The Lost Suns is set in 3632 BBY and focuses on Theron Shan, a spy working for the Republic Strategic Information Service. Theron’s superior sends him on a mission to find Ngani Zho, the great Jedi who may have important information. Theron has strong ties to the long-missing Jedi, as Zho trained Theron’s mother, Satele Shan. Darth Mekhis, an old enemy of Satele’s, also wants Zho.

As Star Wars: The Old Republic – The Lost Suns #2 opens, Ngani Zho reveals the dark history of the Republic’s war with the Sith and the tragic peace accord. Theron finds Zho, but both his and Zho’s past complicate their mission.

While I’m only vaguely familiar with the whole “Old Republic” universe within a universe, I am enjoying The Lost Suns. The script for the second issue by Alexander Freed, a senior writer on The Old Republic online game, is more streamlined than the one for the first issue. Freed seamlessly weaves back story and the present action to create an engaging, enjoyable read. The art, with its clean compositions and no-frills design, makes it easy to comprehend this story, which is steeped in arcane Star Wars stuff.

B+

Leroy Douresseaux on STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC - The Lost Suns #1

STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC – THE LOST SUNS #1 (OF 5)
DARK HORSE BOOKS

[Visit the "Star Wars Central" review page here.]

SCRIPT: Alexander Freed
PENCIL ROUGHS: Dave Ross
PENCIL FINISHES: George Freeman
INKS: Mark McKenna
COLORS: Michael Atiyeh
LETTERS: Michael Heisler
COVER: Benjamin Carré
32pp, Color, $3.50

I love me some Star Wars, especially the original trilogy of films. To a lesser extent, I enjoy the Star Wars Expanded Universe. I try to read Star Wars comic books whenever I get a chance, so I decided to try the latest new Star Wars comic book series.

Star Wars: The Old Republic – The Lost Suns is a new Star Wars comic book from Dark Horse Comics. This new series is based upon the LucasArts online game, Star Wars: The Old Republic, which was developed by BioWare. Dark Horse has published two previous series set in the Star Wars: The Old Republic time period, but, according to them, this one is set concurrent with the game.

In the Star Wars Expanded Universe, the Old Republic is a time 1000 to 25000 years before the Battle of Yavin (abbreviated at BBY). The Battle of Yavin was the climactic battle in Stars Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, in which the Rebel Alliance attacks the Death Star and Luke Skywalker destroys the monstrous station.

Star Wars: The Old Republic – The Lost Suns #1 is set in 3632 BBY and focuses on Theron Shan, a Republic spy working for the Republic Strategic Information Service. Theron’s superior sends him on a mission to find Ngani Zho, the great Jedi who may have information important to the Republic. Theron has strong ties to the long-missing Jedi. Zho trained Theron’s mother, Satele Shan, known as the “Guardian of the Republic.” Theron isn’t the only one looking for Zho. Darth Mekhis, an old enemy of Satele, wants the information Zho may have.

I have never played a Star Wars video game, and I’m only vaguely familiar with the whole “Old Republic” universe within a universe. Still, I enjoyed the first issue of The Lost Suns. I guess that having Alexander Freed, a senior writer of The Old Republic online game, writing The Lost Suns is supposed to be a good thing, and it is, for the most. After squeezing what amounts to a book’s worth of backstory into the first five pages, Freed manages to establish the main players, conflicts, and goal in the remaining 17 pages in a way that makes me want to come back for the second issue. Also, the art looks good, although the visual storytelling is stronger than it is pretty.

I imagine that everyone who reads Star Wars comic books will want to at least try Star Wars: The Old Republic – The Lost Suns.