Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #31 ( Dark Horse – Miller / Robinson / Atiyeh )
“Zayne Carrick, a fugitive Padawan accused of the murder of his fellow students, is on his way to the authorities in hope of clearing his name, shedding light on the Jedi Masters who framed him, and revealing the covert order to which they belong. But reaching the right people without facing off against his former masters is proving to be more difficult than Zayne imagined! Success is going to require help from every true friend Zayne has garnered in his long quest for justice.
The secret Jedi Covenant is on the brink of exposure!”
I don’t think I’ve made it any secrete of what a fan I am of the KOTOR series. This is fresh storytelling in the Star Wars universe that we just haven’t seen in, in comics, in a long time. Here we are in issue #31 and the big story arc that started in issue one is still building to its climax, and I mean that in a good way. John Jackson Miller has taking time and care to place everything in the right spots in this series. KOTOR is Star Wars storytelling at its best.
The down side of this book has come within the last year. It seems that Dark Horse cannot keep it steady artist on this book. Go back to the Commencement and Flashpoint trades, and you’ll see art by Brian Ching that fits the series perfectly. After that there is a revolving door of artist that never seems to end. Some are good, some are not so good, and some have an artistic style that just doesn’t fit the story. Here in issue #31 we have another new artist in Alan Robinson whose art is pretty good, at best. I put him in the same category of the random artists I see at conventions in Artist Alley who almost have it. As for his work on KOTOR #31, it seems inconsistent and unbalanced. The only way to really recognize the characters I’ve been reading for thirty-one issues is by the clothes they where. To me, that is unacceptable. With any luck, new editor Dave Marshall will get things under control and bring the art back to KOTOR standards.
Grade: B-
