| Title | : | Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Vol. 1: Force Storm |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1595829792 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781595829795 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 128 |
| Publication | : | First published December 12, 2012 |
On the planet Tython, a group of beings--scientists, philosophers, and warriors--strive to maintain peace and to balance the mystifying power known as the Force. But a stranger is coming, one who will disrupt the balance with his arrival and his own connection to the Force. Everything in their system is about to change...The doors to the galaxy have been opened!
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Vol. 1: Force Storm Reviews
-
If my research is correct, this is the earliest novel in the Star Wars timeline. However, I thought I had read the earliest in the timeline already and then discovered this one a few weeks ago. How long until I find another one that took place before this!?
I enjoyed this one, it was okay. Not great, not bad, just okay. The art was not my favorite and I felt like the faces were a little off at times (I may be spoiled, though, because I have read some graphic novels lately with pretty great artwork).
I would recommend this to Star Wars completionists, but not casual Star Wars fans. But, perhaps my opinion will change as I read more of the graphic novels from this series. -
I was quite looking forwards to this series. I loved KOTOR, so believe me I got excited at the prospect of seeing the Rakatan Infinite Empire at its height, and throughout the Expanded Universe there have always been these snippets of information – a line here, a paragraph there – of the origins of the Jedi on Tython. Whilst I loved the original trilogy, the Expanded Universe has been somewhat hit and miss – and I say that as someone who avidly collected the EU books as a teen. There were cool moments, but there were also poorly written messes as well. And, the prequels? Well, the less said, the better. And I can’t say I feel optimistic or positively predisposed towards the new Disney era, especially since it threw out the entire EU canon. It’s not often that I rate a game above a book, but KOTOR, for me, had one of the strongest storylines of the Expanded Universe. Possibly movie-worthy levels of epic. As I contemplate the future of my EU collection, which Disney now tells me no longer matters in any way, and I consider decimating it by getting rid of the chaff and hanging on to only the stories I liked best over the years, I have to say I find myself gravitating towards the earlier eras as keepers. So I decided to make a rare addition to my dwindling collection, by adding this series.
So was it worth it? Too soon to say. This first volume of three unmistakeably feels like the opening act of the story. There’s a fair bit of introductions going on, various scene setting, and by the end threads are most definitely left hanging. I don’t know if I should cut it some slack on this front because it is exactly what it is – the start of a story. Also, it felt too short. I wanted more, and the story didn’t feel long enough. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. It depends on how the rest of the series goes. Either it was frustrating, or it has suitably whetted my appetite for the next part of the story. Other reviewers have commented that it’s frustrating that more time isn’t spent on how the Je’daii Order is set up – we’re given some background, but the narrative then skips ahead a few hundred years or so to when the original emigrants have pretty much colonised the rest of the Tython star system and the planet itself is home to the Je’daii alone – and then we’re dropped into a story that is somewhat familiar with what we already know in the Star Wars universe. Force users organised in a structured order, following a certain code, wielding blades (although it’s alloy blades in this case), fighting against the dark side of the Force. I agree a story set slightly earlier, focusing on a time before an order was in place, would be more interesting. However, I still found plenty to entertain and hold my interest.
The philosophy of the Je’daii is to keep balance between the light and dark sides of the Force – not to pursue the light side exclusively – which of course is deeply at odds with the Jedi of the movies era. It makes sense though. Who else was frustrated by the Jedi Council’s inability to see that Anakin Skywalker “bringing balance to the Force” was spelling their own culling in a galaxy populated by an order of light side users tens of thousands strong? Yeah, me too. So I kind of feel vindicated here in the suspicion I’ve harboured for years that the Jedi aren’t supposed to be viewing the Force in a “light side vs. dark side” simplistic, dualistic cosmic struggle, and that someday there’ll be a character that realises it’s more complex than black and white and takes the order back to its roots. Well, it seems I was right about those roots.
I know people have complained about the deus ex machina of the Tho Yor pyramids, and yes, they do raise far more questions than they answer. But on the other hand, I’m intrigued by this detail of the early Star Wars galaxy, and keen to know more. The Rakatan Empire appearing was a mixed bag. It was great to actually see the Empire in its heyday, but we don’t see too much at all here, and there’s a sense of clichéd, wholesale evil about the Empire. But until I read more it’s hard to say – it’s been established previously that the Infinite Empire was expansionistic so if we learn more about its culture and background I could maybe let that go. Also we haven’t met that many Rakatans yet, so… In KOTOR there was kind of an ancient, mystical sense of awe about this ancient Empire. They definitely come off creepier here. And much more sinister.
Shout out to Crystal Starr Light, who probably wants me to address the pressing issue of Shae Koda’s pocket-cut-out pantaloons. So… that’s in there. Seriously though it wasn’t a big deal for me. Yes, it’s silly and impractical, but at least it’s not too overtly sexual, and everyone else seems to be attired sensibly, which is something. I was paying more attention to whether or not the plot was satisfying. Speaking of Shae Koda… the characters. I’m not that keen on Shae. She’s okay, but comes off a bit too stereotypical “hard-woman”. Sek’nos Rath and Tasha Ryo were more interesting. Sure, Ostrander tries to play Sek’nos as the clichéd handsome brawn and Tasha as the spoilt princess, but enough was hinted at there being more to them that I was suitably interested – Tasha’s not a straight up spoilt princess, but heiress to a family crime clan, and caught between the Je’daii and defending her family’s interests… dubious interests... – whilst Sek’nos has spent time thinking about and experimenting with the nature of the Force. This at least suggests they have potential as characters, to me. And a Sith (species) character is rare enough for me to want to find out more. It’s hard to empathise with Xesh, or figure his motivations – but the past he hints at, being raised by the Rakatan Infinite Empire in some sort of communal pods where they breed their Force slaves – is creepy enough that I almost give him a free pass for being an unidentifiable, slightly psychotic weirdo. What does seem weird though is that Hawk Ryo and Rori Fenn refer to not being able to be with each other. I’m going to presume this is not for reasons of some sort of code. Because it would be weird that this far back, and having established this early order as a proponent of balance, not the light side, that there would be a dictat against relationships. I always figured that rule was voted in by the Jedi Council sometime after the KOTOR era, due to all the Exar Qun, Ulic Qel Droma nastiness.
Anyhoo. Other random observations. I’ve never been a big fan of “Force alchemy”. It’s just too deus ex machina for me. For me, the Force treads the line of mysticism and spirituality but doesn’t quite tip over into straight up magic. Force alchemy and the blending of beasts together and such is something I’ve never really liked because it just doesn’t seem to sit well within the pre-established laws and nature of the Force.
Interesting enough, entertaining enough, but the jury’s still out on this one. I need to read the rest of the series to see if this beginning pays off.
7 out of 10 -
What the fuck was that?! This isn't even prequel-level storytelling, this is so much worse! A ton of useless and boring characters doing some random shit which is impossible to follow, and all of that is between pages upon pages of long, dry, 60's style narration, with equally terrible dialogue. And John Ostrander is considered one of the best writers of the old Star Wars EU comics? No way. This book is absolute garbage!
The art was nice, but who cares — I would never recommend this incomprehensible pile of crap to anyone! -
I was very intrigued by the premise of this series. Set tens of thousands of years before A New Hope, the setup and series description indicates that this a story of the foundation of the Jedi and the discovery of the Force. This is meant to be a time before hyperspace travel, before lightsabers, before the Republic, etc. Also, John Ostrander has a knack for expanding the mythology of the Star Wars Universe without feeling boring or like he's teaching a history lesson. This had to be great, right?
Welllll. It's all right. The series starts off introducing the formation of the Je'daii Order, which is a little insane. You see, 8 mysterious, massive pyramids on 8 distant planets suddenly came to life one day, drawing certain inhabitants of the planets into them. Then those ships all took off for the ultra-Force-rich-planet Tython, where a 9th, even bigger pyramid was stationed, and dropped all the new people off on that planet to just start studying the Force of their own volition I guess. I mean, what? That is some Damon-Lindelof-level unanswerable bullshit. We don't get to see people discover the Force, or see what the struggles were to forge the Order, or anything like that. Instead we get what appears to be an almost literal deus ex machina that lifts all our heroes up and dumps them in one place to just start studying the Force by osmosis. Very convenient!
This also happens in about 5 pages. Ostranders BLOWS through this stuff, like it's just setup and not even that important. IT'S CRAZY. How are we blasting through the fact that the formation of the Jedi Order came about seemingly the same way as the space baby from 2001: A Space Odyssey? Also, I think it's safe to assume that the Tho Yor (the pyramids from earlier) are not a mystery that is bound to be answered, since people in Star Wars don't constantly walk around going "Remember how those bonkers pyramids came to life one day and started everything? Glad we finally figured out what that was about."
So, let's skip past that and get to the actual story. On Tython, the Je'daii are like a bunch of Space Buddhists, centered at the core of the galaxy. They already seem to have a really good grasp on the Force, which seems to kind of defeat the purpose of this series, but whatever. Meanwhile, on Tattooine, which is a thriving earth-like planet and not a desert planet, a bunch of evils are enslaving everyone. They use "Force Hounds" (Dark-Side using slaves) to detect planets with more Force users on them, then ransack the planet. So, remember the whole thing about Hyperspace travel not having been invented yet? Well, Tattooine is on the Outer Rim, the far edge of the galaxy. Tython is in the core, the very center. Yet somehow, a Force Hound is able to sense that a bunch of powerful Force users exist in the center of the galaxy, then he just kind of hops on over there to see what's up. Unless the Star Wars Galaxy is way tiny, this is impossible. Even lightspeed travel would've taken the dude hundreds of years to get there. So, there's another interesting setup out the window. Hyperspace travel hasn't been invented, but who cares! People do what they want!
From here, the story turns into a very standard Star Wars thing. The Dark Side guy shows up, and the Je'daii fight him. At the beginning of the series Xesh (the bad guy) is presented as having a scary-looking red-light mask, but he shows up on Tython without it, and with no explanation. So there's just a very sudden character design change in the middle of the book that made me wonder if we were even dealing with the same guy. Also, HE HAS A LIGHTSABER. This is presented as "a time before lightsabers." And sure, he's the only one who has one, but still. Why bother setting up that this is a time before lightsabers if the first guy to come along has a lightsaber?
The rest of the story is just kind of a cat-and-mouse chase scene. Ostrander is great at pacing and action, so it's not a boring read, but it's still very bland and uninspired. I feel like this series offered (offers?) a lot of potential, but right now is just not doing enough with its premise. Instead of an ancient society's early days, with totally new struggles, we just get the feeling that it's more of the same. The Je'daii are just the Jedi, doing the same stuff, though apparently only on one planet.
I'm sure I'll continue to read this series in the hopes that it gets better, but at the moment I am not super thrilled by it. Though, to be honest, I didn't love the first arc of Legacy, and that turned into a series I really enjoy. So here's hoping! -
I was sold on a prequel of all prequels, the very beginning of the Star Wars universe, how the Jedi first came to be at the dawn of time - yet it didn't go nearly far enough. All that stuff is quickly summed up in a backstory told ten thousand years after the fact! That's like giving us the first steps of human civilization, only to sum up the Sumerians and Egyptians in like two pages and then skip straight to the Greeks. I mean, come on.
And even the stuff we do see is notoriously vague and raises more questions than it answers. It's just a bunch of mystical space pyramids. No fumbling in the ways of the Force, no slow learning of space travel, no first contacts, no nothing - just an even more ancient precursor race of which we get to know nothing at all. So the Egyptians were taught how to build pyramids by aliens or something. And we of course don't hear anything more of them either: it's all just kind of glossed over.
So yeah, consider the premise completely flopped. It did not set me up for an altogether good mood to read the rest of the story either, but what I did read still wasn't all that bad: the tale of an interstellar invasion at the first Jedi is told compellingly enough, the Force-Hound guy is interesting, and the artwork is capable and the colours and the style do serve to make it seem like ancient times.
I'll keep on going. Maybe it will get better now that it's gotten over its preconceptions and I'm mostly through the disappointment. -
The Force is not strong with this one.
What should be a prequel of everything in the Star Wars Universe, skips ahead of the actual origin to tell a story with rushed characters and plot. -
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi is a bit of an ambitious idea for a comic book series from Dark Horse Comics and Lucasfilm. For years now, the various Star Wars “guides” have always included snippets about the civilizations that existed before the Old Republic, and the beginnings of the Jedi Order. It was always just a few pages or paragraphs, here or there, with tantalizing information.
Now, with this series, these brief mentions are being expanded, and the story of the pre-cursors of the Republic and the Jedi is finally being told. In the first volume of this series (which takes place many millennia before the beginning of the Star Wars films), Force Storm, the Force-sensitives of the galaxy are gathered together on living vessels and taken to the planet Tython. Once there, they begin to learn about this mysterious energy field that has been studied, worshiped, and is the center of much philosophical and scholarly debate, this “Force”. After the name of some philosophers that were part of the group taken to the planet, the new servants and students of this Force are called the Je'daii Order.
In this early period, the Je'aii are quite different from their successors that will follow them many thousands of years later. For one thing, they are not divided so sharply into different camps, as the Jedi and Sith are later to be. For them, too light-sided is just as bad as too dark-sided. They both blind you to the bigger picture of the universe, and put one out of balance. Though this view is wrong according to canon, for those just starting out in their knowledge of the Force, it makes sense. Particularly since whatever force (pun entirely unintended) drew them together for the purpose of studying and learning of the Force, also dropped them off on a planet in a system where too much of a wide-spread deviance to one side or the other of the Force will spell doom via deadly “Force storms” (hence the title of this graphic novel).
Another interesting plot point is that, at this time, the Je'daii do not have lightsabers. The lightsaber appears to be an invention of the evil Rakatan “Infinite Empire” who seem to be the main antagonists of the series. In fact, not all Je'daii have weapons, and those that do have some special “Force-forged” instruments. Think of the Sword of Leah in the Shannara books or other magically empowered or crafted weapons in various fantasy series, and that is the closes comparison one could make. Though far more powerful than other weapons, it couldn't stand up to a lightsaber, and maybe not even a blaster either.
The story continues on from the development of the Je'daii Order and goes forward millennia to the eventual discovery of Tython by agents of the Infinite Empire. These special agents, steeped in the Dark Side of the Force, are called “Force Hounds”, and they have sensed a planet with an immense concentration of Force-sensitives out somewhere in space. They seek this world, and when one of them finds it, the Je'daii must restrain him before his dark side presence, fueled by his incredible power, tilts the planet into a Force storm of cataclysmic proportions.
I quite enjoyed this book. Though the first volume ended rather abruptly only partway through (one of the pitfalls of an ongoing story), because it was interesting to see the beginnings of the Jedi, and how their religion and way of life differs from what comes later. It was also fun to just see the vague paragraphs of various “guides” and other sources expanded into a coherent story.
The only problem I had was that, despite the lack of many technological elements of later years, and a supposedly completely different way of life at the time, the actual culture, mannerisms, and even fashions, that we see are just the same as those that would come later on. There seems to have been a cultural, linguistic, and fashion stasis, and it kind of messed with my suspension of disbelief. This story takes place nearly 37,000 years before the original Star Wars film, and nearly 12,000+ years before any other published story. Why is almost nothing different?
The other issue that some might have (though not me so much) was that some of the concepts and ideas introduced completely conflicted with other Star Wars media that are set later on. But, given the fact that there are certain stories people, including myself, often pretend didn't happen in-universe (such as the prequels and most of the chronologically later books, in my case, for instance), this is not insurmountable. It's just if this is a major problem for someone, it may bother them.
Despite these two (minor) issues, this was a fun story that takes us back to the earliest periods of the galaxy far, far away. I quite enjoyed this one, and can't wait for the second volume to come out. -
I liked the first three issues better than the last two. The last one in particular was somewhat of a let-down. It's obvious that this is going to be a much longer series, but the conclusion was underwhelming and a little...boring.
My biggest problem happens to be personified in one character: Shae Koda.
What the flying kriff is with her pants? Who thought it would be good to give her harem pants with the hip sides cut out so you can see her boy shorts? How are people ever going to give respect to comic books when they keep making stupid, overly sexual costumes for their female characters?
I might check out the next volume. I did like the art overall, and I thought it was cool how the story was set many thousands of years in the past (and how it actually FELT like thousands of years in the past). -
Supremely vague at every level, this prequel to the 90’s era comic book prequels concerning the ancient origins of Star Wars has little going for it. Strictly depersonalized and bizarrely un-mythical in its internal structure and outward manifestations, everything here feels charmless, boring, and ultimately forgettable.
Seemingly taking all the bad cues from Episode I itself, there is no main character. Instead, we’re greeted to a bevy of proto-Jedi, their dark-side opponents, and a smattering of archaic historical events that are barely explained. Matching the occasional scintilla of character development, the historical happenings remain as mysterious as the the raison d'être for all of this.
Unlike IV where we get to see a clearly delineated main character grow and learn about the Force just as we the audience do, here we’re dumped into something that is seemingly devoid of a human touch. Instead, hefty recollections of KOTOR pave a road for fans, and certainly fans alone. As such, the pacing and story itself remain gunky throughout, banking on its brand name to push the narrative through more than anything.
And while I walked into this not expecting much, the sheer potential makes this disappointment, well… even more disappointing. If there is anything that should have been exciting and heartwarming, the initial discovery of The Force an the ensuing construction of the Jedi should have been it. Darning together the past and the future it gave birth too, we could have been privy to an emotional tale of discovery showing the very first Force Adepts and how they make sense of their mysterious powers and their new relationships with the outside universe.
Instead, we’re given another choppy, gunky piece of commercial garbage for the fans ,and the fans alone. And while their prequel predecessors of the 90’s were flawed, they were suffused with a charming mythology that utilized as much that of out world itself, as it forged its own unique path. Replete with tragedy, redemption, and and a solid dose of action, they remain pleasantly readable and eminently deserving of their place in the Star Wars canon.
Conversely, Star Wars dawn of the Jedi is truly pathetic its own. A cheap facsimile that is as much unfulfilled promise as unabashed plastinated commercial crap, the result of is a stillborn reflection of something so much more fecund. -
2nd time reading this:
Dawn of the Jedi starts 30,ooo years before the events of a New Hope. This tells the story of the Je'dai the predecessors to the Jedi order. Motivated by their desire to learn the ways of the force these Je'dai settle in Tython and contemplate the light and the dark sides. But, the Infinite Empire of the Rakata has found them and sent one of their Force Hounds named Xesh to see what the Je'dai are all about. Xesh is a dark side user and battles the Je'dai he encounters. Who will prove the stronger? Well read the comic.
The storyline is excellent. I am a big fan of the Expanded Universe and this shows many of the things I had read about in novels or were referenced in other Star Wars comics and books- places like Tyhton, Bogan or just showing us the Rakata. It is interesting that at this point the Je'dai use steel katanas while Xesh uses a forcesaber. Many cool things like that should appeal to any fan of the SW EU. Even if you aren't familiar with the EU or just aren't a Star Wars fan (how?) I think you will like this comic. Ostrander is a good writer and this is a good story even with no background. The artwork is good throughout. I enjoyed this vol and will certainly grab the next one. Highly recommend this for any SW fan.
But if you are a fan with a good background in the lore, you will find a great deal of interesting stuff- from the Rakatan of the Infinite Empire, to the concepts of the light and dark sides of the force. Xesh's interpretation of the Force is different than the Jed'ai and it sheds light on the complexties of the Force. Finally the moon of Bogan, a storehouse of Dark Side magic, also is a great addition. Looking forward to Vol 2 of this series. -
I liked it!
Nice story with how it all started, interesting and fun but nothing to get you too excited about!
Nice artwork and interesting characters that will keep you reading on to the next volumes. -
Before The High Republic, the new-canon Disney attempt to keep the Star Wars franchise alive, Dark Horse Comics, back in 2012, published a series entitled Dawn of the Jedi, which took place several thousand years before the events of the first film, long before the Empire, the Old Republic, and even before the Sith and Jedi existed.
Considered old-canon now, John Ostrander's series, starting in Volume 1, "Force Storm", was an exciting entry in the SWEU. Ostrander is best known for his series, Legacy, a popular long-running series that continued the Star Wars mythos roughly 150 years beyond the events of "Episode VI: Return of the Jedi".
"Dawn of the Jedi" begins with the ancient history of how many of the planets and races formed early alliances before the invention of hyperdrive, thanks to inexplicable alien artifacts that aided in bringing the planets of the galaxy together. It is these artifacts, lost to (Star Wars) history, that ancient cultures worshipped and built a religion, called Jed' aii, which would later evolve into the Jedi philosophy. -
This super writing duo were bound to slip at some point. If this can be seen as a slip after the heights of Legacy, well, it still represents great comic writing that you can pick up and eat up in one session and fill completely satisfied with. My biggest gripe here was that Ostrander hasn't created a universe that I feel fundamentally interested in or thrown in any characters that really made me excited to know them more. It was, however, pretty cool to see the Infinite Empire that we've all heard so much about and the early era Jedi are refreshingly different, particularly in their interest in bringing force balance rather than light/dark side worship.
Story wise too there's still a fair bit going on, although thr various threads - such as they are - do end up amounting to one big fight scene and a "I trust/don't trust you" moment that doesn't feel entirely satisfying, but with Duursema at the artistic helm it all goes more than smoothly and the scenes are quite thrilling to watch them play out.
Overall a fine new series but not looking, at this point, to knock my socks off in the same way that Ostrander's Clone Wars or Legacy sagas did. It may do yet though, this is still early days. -
I'm not a big Star Wars fan beyond the original three movies and
Timothy Zahn's Thrawn books but this is a well drawn and reasonably interesting look at the origins of the Jedi. -
Interesting history, but the art and the story didn't really speak to me. It didn't feel like it followed any of the stories that we already know. Not a bad idea, just different and hard for me to equate to what I already know about the Star Wars universe.
-
I like the art and the epic concept, but the dialogue? Ostrander & Duursema, you're better than this.
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Si quereis saber los inicios de la historia de los Jedi y como evolucionaron este es vuestro libro (cómic).
-
Star Wars Legends Project #2
Background: Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm was released in five issues during the first half of 2012, with the trade paperback being released in December of 2012. It was written by
John Ostrander and pencilled by
Jan Duursema, who previously collaborated on the Star Wars: Legacy series of comics. In addition, Ostrander wrote a number of issues in the Star Wars: Republic series, among others, with a total of over a hundred Star Wars comic books to his credit. He is the creator of the comic book character "Grimjack," and has written for both DC (most notably The Spectre and Martian Manhunter, as well as being responsible for recasting Barbara Gordon as Oracle in the Batman comics) and Marvel (most notably various X-Men-related series). Duursema has also drawn a number of other Star Wars comic series, including the adapatation of Attack of the Clones and various issues of Republic, and has drawn for a number of different DC and Marvel series (again, mostly X-Men-related). Force Storm is the first story arc in the ongoing Dawn of the Jedi series. The third is set to begin in November 2013.
The majority of Force Storm takes place concurrently with the climactic final chapters of
Into the Void (see my review
here). Aside from a brief backstory flashback to 36,000 years before the Battle of Yavin, most of the comic takes place some 25,000 years before Yavin. A few of the minor characters from Into the Void also make appearances.
Summary: Xesh, a dark, merciless Force Hound who serves the evil Rakatan Infinite Empire, has been tasked by his masters to sniff out an invasion route to the most coveted prize in the galaxy (to the Force-hungry Rakata): the Tython system, home to the Je'daii Order, and hidden within the deep core. His quest puts him on a collision course with three young Je'daii Journeyers: Tasha Ryo (a Twi'lek torn between her father, a Shikaakwa Crime Lord, and her mother, a Je'daii Temple Master), Shae Koda (a Dathomiri apprenticed at the Temple of Science), and Sek'nos Rath (an adept with Force lightning training at the Temple of Force Skills). This volatile encounter will change them all, and may even change the course of the Je'daii Order, and of galactic history!
Review: Really, the worst thing I can say about this comic is that it tries to do too much too fast, and only nearly succeeds. There's a pretty nice balance between action and exposition here overall, though the first and final issues are a bit of an information dump. Still, the first issue in particular has a lot of ground to cover, and it does so briskly and effectively. The story felt lightweight to me, but I'm not really used to the pacing in comics. While I was initially drafting the plot summary in my head, I suddenly realized that I was giving away about 60% of the whole thing, even though it felt like just the beginning.
There are also a lot of characters and complex relationships packed into this tiny space, and that meant that most of them really didn't get their due, which is unfortunate. I loved all of the characters and wanted to know more about them, and that was great. But I didn't get to see nearly enough of even the main characters, and that was not so great.
Overall, though, this is quite enjoyable, and it really felt like a Star Wars story, with hardcore awesome heroes, a mysterious and interesting villain, a compelling and dramatic clash between good and evil, great comic banter, a lightsaber (well, sort of, and yes, only one . . . but yay!), and a rancor-dragon (don't ask; wicked cool, though). I look forward to more!
B- -
I'm a big Star Wars fan. I'm not cool enough to own my own lightsaber or have all the movies in collector's edition format or even have Star Wars bobbleheads, but I have loved the series ever since I was a little kid. I loved the idea of being a Jedi and bringing intergalactic peace. And you get a lightsaber! When I saw this comic on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. I devoured it in the course of one night and one morning, and I looooved it.
It was fascinating to get to see the beginning of the entire Jedi Order, occurring thousands of years before the classic Star Wars story began. Force sensitive being were brought by large space ships to a dangerous planet, Tython, where they honed their skills and learned to use the Force and to balance light and dark. They come to be known as the Je'daii. They also had families (GASP), and some of their children were not Force sensitive; eventually these people had to leave Tython because the dangers on the planet were too great for those who could not use the Force. Eventually there is a huge war between the descendants of the Je'daii and the Je'daii, and although the Je'daii win, they take heavy losses. More than a decade later is when the main story of the comic begins. It follows three young Je'daii as they follow a call of the Force to track down a strong source of Darkness, the Force Hound Xesh, after he crashes on the planet.
This comic rocked. I liked all three of the journeyers that the story focused on: Sek'nos Rath (a Sith), Tasha Ryo ( a Twi'lek)and Shae Koda (a Dathomiri human). They were an odd threesome, all with different personalities and skill sets, which turned them into a pretty good team eventually, though they definitely still need some work. I could see them seriously kicking tail in the future, though. I also liked Hawk Ryo and Rori Fenn, and I would really like to know more about the romance that was hinted at between the two of them! Maybe they will get into that more in the next volume of the comic. I felt so bad for Xesh, and I don't like what happened to him at the end of the comic, but it could have been much worse! The illustrations were engaging and drew me into the story.
This is a completely awesome comic book series, and I would love to read more!
Thank you to NetGalley.com, Dark Horse Comics and Diamond Book Distributors for allowing me to read this galley! -
Чуть ранее
Into the Void впечатлила настолько, что было решено при первой же возможности познакомиться и с графической компонентой эры. И сейчас чувствую я себя примерно так же, как при просмотре Rebels после
A New Dawn. Ощущение, что авторы комикса писали для детей, которым надо разжевывать каждый принцип до состояния кашицы. Троица главных персонажей – импульсивные и довольно недалекие подросточки, бросающиеся сломя голову сначала драться, а потом спасать врага. Форсюзеров с малолетства не приучили сначала думать, а потом прыгать в пропасть? А понятия о чести, смелости и защите слабых поданы под таким незамысловатым соусом, что невольно начинаешь чувствовать себя десятилеткой, которому старательно объясняют алфавит.
Рядом с подростковым максимализмом гордо вышагивает господин Пафос. Если жертва – то капец какая жертвенная, если шторм – то самый крутой за тыщу лет, если коллективная медитация – то можно победить все на свете. А вот единственный антагонист за 5 выпусков успел деградировать до состояния овоща; его хозяева не показали себя достойными противниками. Вообще история засланного казачка идет параллельно с основной, и воспринимается отдельно от начала и до конца. Грустно за пацана пару секунд, но и все.
Еще меня напрягли эти летающие пирамиды. В книжке такой ереси не было, насколько я помню. Дикое и неправдоподобное объяснение появления такого скопления форсюзеров в одном месте. Сделаю вид, что мне это приснилось.
Из хорошего – мрачный и загадочный дядька на темной-претемной луне строит планы по захвату власти. Еще на фоне непреходящей скуки заинтересовал романс Ryo/Fenn – два стрипа на эту тему стоят всего выпуска. Если там в предыстории окажется океан предательства, то будет отлично. Ну и штаны одной из главных героинь –
srsly?
annikeh.net -
Surprisingly good...too bad it's only part of Legends since Marvel/Disney acquired the Star Wars universe.
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The other week I picked up one of the Tales of the Jedi omnibuses from the library, on a whim, and it's got me fully drawn back into the Star Wars universe. As part of that I've decided to become more familiar with the era before the films, as it's something I've been mostly ignorant about. This volume, set 25,000 years before the saga of the Skywalkers, is about as far back as you can go.
This volume is mostly just introduction, but at this point I almost feel like that's expected from a mainstream longform comic series; other Star Wars comics might be able to get away with piggybacking off of other media that readers already know, but in this case the creators don't have the luxury. They're set far enough in the past that there is no connection to any other Star Wars material, and have to create a universe whole cloth. They do it well, though, and by the end it feels like all of the pieces are in place for a crackerjack followup.
What I think is interesting about both this and the TOTJ series is how far apart their depiction of the jedi (or je'daii, in this case) are from the vision that Lucasfilm presented in the prequel trilogy. If I were feeling generous I would say that this was intentional, and that the unspoken truth of the prequels is that Count Dooku was right - the Jedi had strayed from their path and philosophy, becoming a venal and corrupted group of hermits and ascetics who needed to be brought down. There's a good chance that's not what they intended, but I think it's a fascinating reading of the world and saga. -
The origins of the Force, and the modern Jedi are revealed here, although in a convoluted way. The story goes from an historical account, to a Master and his apprentices, then jumps across the galaxy to Tatooine, a familiar planet, although lush with life. Here, on a familiar-named planet, we encounter another race, enslaving the planet through the assistance of a hooded creature referred to as a "Force Hound".
As the story bounces back and forth a bit, we get a glimpse of the possible origins of the Empire (and the Dark Side) we know so well. When the Hound arrives at the homeplanet of the je'daii, Tython, three young je'daii from strikingly different backgrounds join to bring the Hound down before his darkness destroys the delicate balance of Tython.
A very different look at the mysterious side of a familiar story, themes arise that will be seen again and again throughout the story. But Xesh's banishment can only have disastrous results, as the young je'daii, Tasha senses.
As mentioned before, the story jumps back and forth a bit much between story lines, and there is no origin of the Empire offered of suggested beyond being behind the Force Hounds. It may be shown in later stories in this collection, but left me guessing, and I kept having to flip back to previous scenes. They were beautifully rendered, but the story in some places actually detracted from the art, as I merely tried to keep up.
Good for fans of everything Star Wars, or those who have a complete knowledge of the mythos, but lightly suggested for anyone else. -
My rating is 2.5 stars.
This is a series that takes many, many years before the original trilogy. It provides an insight to the mysticism of the Force. Eight pyramids from around the galaxy collect species and travels to a planet where a giant pyramid is located. On this planet these collected beings become students of the force where the try to maintain a balance between light and dark. A force hound who sides with the dark side lands on the planet and throws everything out of whack on the planet and natives try to restore balance.
Let me first say the artwork is excellent. I enjoyed the history and the setup for this story and there was a storyline that was touched upon and I wish it went into more detail. I had problems with the main storyline. The time was suppose to before lightsabers and hyperspace but meanwhile the antagonist arrives as if it was no problem an he has a forcesaber. As of the main storyline I wish it went into more exposition rather than action scenes. The action scenes were great but I would like to know why the force hound is being sent to wipe out force beings. During this book I felt like I was missing something.
I did enjoy the characters and their interaction with each other. The highlight for me was the the planet's native animals. The detail in their artwork was fantastic.
In my opinion not the best start for a series. I will continue with it if the second issue falls into my hands but I will not go out of my way to attain it. -
I can’t even begin to explain what an utter failure Force Storm was and is. Minus Duursema’s fantastic artwork, there’s absolutely nothing to like about this, or really, the entire series. Confusing as hell plot line, boring exposition. A backstory that does nothing to further the mythos and history behind the Jedi and the vastness of the Star Wars franchise. I hated every second I spent reading this.
Even worse this was penned by none other than mothereffing Jon Ostrander, perhaps one of the best graphic novelists and easily one of my all time favorites in the Star Wars literary world. I couldn’t stop singing praise for Ostrander in Legacy, extolling his amazing storytelling capabilities and bemoaning the fact that he hasn’t been reinserted into Disney’s new vision of Star Wars. Maybe they saw the total and unmitigated disaster that Force Storm turned out to be and decided it was probably for the best to keep him far away from their new cash cow. And I think that’s what really hurts the most: the fact that Ostrander is just so much better than what this shitshow of a comic would have newbies to this world believe.
I had the next 2 volumes in this series lined up to read next but I think it’s pretty apparent those aren’t ever going to be seen by my eyes. 2 books (well, one novel and one graphic novel) into this series and I’m taking a hike. This “Dawn of Jedi” stuff is crap, plain and simple. -
I had picked up a copy of this as part of the Humble Bundle Star Wars Comic sale. Starting to read the comics in chronological order. This one takes place a long time before the movies.
I will have to say this is a mixed bag, as I'm not sure on my overall feeling. The art work for the comic is great. Nice renderings and is a great for capturing the characters. A couple of nods to the series, though I hardly expect the Empire to be using a design that is over 3,000 years old.
For the writing, the characterizations great. You start to get to know the characters during their story. As far as the plot, it is mixed. You have some early Jedis being called to a planet. It seems to be part trial part laying down the foundation for the series.
It is probably me, I could not get my head around the story. it is like reading a variation on Star Ward. There are links, but it is a completely different world and felt disjointed from Star Wars. It also probably did not help with more of a story to come since this is Volume 1.
My advice would be if you are a Star Wars fan, you might enjoy this. Though the enjoyment might come from reading the complete series instead of the one volume. -
Pretty heavy on the
Jedisorry, "Jed'aii" mysticism, and se a healthy 25,000 years or so before the Battle of Yavin, so you know there's no tangible connection to the "contemporary" Star Wars continuity...an opportunity squandered, to my mind, as, apart from the fact that there is no hyperspace travel and the proto-Jedi use steel weaponry and not light sabers, the setting remains a deeply familiar one, with human protagonists accompanied by the usual suspects of Wookiees, Twi-leks, Dathomiri, and the like.
The art was cool, but on the whole I felt they were trying to establish too many different characters and cultures too quickly to really give the reader much of a chance to get invested in any of them. Xesh the "Force Hound" is probably the most intriguing, but even he is ultimately underserviced by the breakneck pacing of the storytelling.
Bottom line: interesting enough if you want to know more about the earliest origins of the Jedi and the Sith, but not what I'd consider required reading. I doubt I'll carry on to Vol. 2. -
I was interested by the premise - a story about the origins of the Jedi and the earliest beginnings of the Star Wars universe. While this is all very interesting, it is actually only a very brief part of this story. The plot quickly changes into a fairly standard plot, which could have taken place at any point during the Star Wars timeline. I thought that was a little disappointing, especially as the start really sounded very interesting and promising.
Nevertheless this comic is still quite enjoyable, the artwork is very nice and the story is decent (nothing spectacular, but entertaining enough to keep reading). The characters could be fleshed out a bit more and overall the whole story feels a bit short, but I look forward to see how the story will develop in the next two volumes.
Actual rating would probably be 3.25/5 stars.
