Expanded Universe Round-Up #2

Commencement (KOTOR Vol 1)

One of my favourite comic book series of all time - and my love for it has never waned. This is a fantastic start. A fantastic volume. The pacing is perfection, the emotional stakes are present from very early on, the hero is immediately likeable and you just want to slay the Masters who put him in this terrible position. Gryph and Zayne play off each other so well - and I totally shouldn't like Gryph, but I do.

​Flashpoint (KOTOR Vol 2)

A cracking continuation that doesn't disappoint. I'd forgotten some of this and I have to say, the stories collected in this TPB are incredibly well paced and characters are introduced at exactly the right moments. I really love this series.

​Days of Fear, Nights of Anger (KOTOR Vol 3)

​Another very strong TPB. Zayne and Gryph are still my faves (and always will be) and I have no complaints about their side of things. However, much as I liked finding more about the mysterious Camper and those who were looking for him, I found this portion much weaker and the momentum of previous stories all but disappeared. But I will give it the benefit of the doubt until I crack open the next TPB.

​Daze of Hate, Knights of Suffering 
​(KOTOR Vol 4)

Now that we're past the space slug story, the series returns to his previous excellence. Zayne returns home to Taris, a long-awaited moment, and Raana meets her (very satisfying) end. I couldn't love this TPB any more if I tried. Let's see if the Vector crossover causes the series to have another dip in quality, as already seen in volume 3.

​Vector Vol 1/KOTOR Vol 5/Dark Times Vol 3

Storywise, this does not disappoint. Or rather, it exceeds expectations - because crossovers are generally cringey and place profit over quality (heck, they even admit to the blatant cash grab in a brief editorial at the start of the TPB). But Vector, so far, is engaging and does great things with the characters. But...artwise, I was very disappointed while reading Knights of the Old Republic segment. Terrible choice of artistic style. It does not gel with the series or the general tone of Star Wars comics. So I've deducted a star for that.

​Vector ​Vol 2/Rebellion Vol 4/Legacy Vol 6

Wow. What a significant upgrade from the first half of the tale (and I actually liked that half!). The art is as awesome as the storyline and the conclusion in the Legacy era is everything a fan could want. I haven't read the Rebellion comics in a long time, but I do remember being slightly miffed that Able's death was so unworthy of him. It is a very minor quibble. Some crossovers really are as epic as they seem.

​Vindication (KOTOR Vol 6)

​I had to sit on my thoughts about this for a minute, because most of them contained expletives (in a good way!). Because this TPB really was amazing. Zayne has gone through so much and the conclusion to this particular arc was incredibly satisfying - and it was easily some of the best content the EU had to offer. Zayne is my favourite character from the ancient past of the Republic. No contest.

​Duelling Ambitions ​(KOTOR Vol 7)

Given how mind-blowingly brilliant Zayne's exoneration arc was, I admit to feeling a little trepidatious about what was coming next. Obviously, this new phase of the KOTOR comics will never be as brilliant as what came before it, but so far it seems it will be enjoyable in its own right. This is largely due to how likeable the characters are.

​Destroyer ​(KOTOR Vol 8)

This TPB is quite good, though it is let down somewhat by an ending that I felt was out of character for Zayne. This darker storyline - strange to think the series could get darker after the original arc! - is engaging, so I am looking forward to reading more of it. I think it will be worth it. Either way, I can cross off more titles in my epic EU re-read.

​Demon ​(KOTOR Vol 9)

There is always some concern when you pick up a TPB that is noticeably shorter than the rest. That concern proved to be something of a premonition. This is a very rushed ending to an arc that would have benefited from more pages, more care and more... just more. But I still enjoyed this adventure, largely due to my ship finally paying off! Zayne/Jarael 4eva.

​War (KOTOR Vol 10)

Extremely disappointing and has nothing that previously made the series great. I think I'm going to pretend this TPB doesn't exist. The series, in my mind, ended with volume 9.