Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: Flashpoint #1

Contains issues #7-12.

Being on the run in the galaxy is hard. Along with running away from everyone, you have to worry about food, supplies, and money. So, what can you do to survive? Scam of course. Zayne and his group have a brilliant plan in stealing supplies from a Republic sector mining station, making them believe that the Mandalorians are attacking. The plan works, except, a few minutes later, the Mandalorians actually do attack and capture Jarael, who they mistook as a Jedi. Now Zayne and his friends goes on a journey to rescue her that takes them to a station called Flashpoint, where a Mandalore scientist call Demagol conducts experiments on captured Jedi.

John Jackson Miller provides another great volume of Knights of the Old Republic, providing three stories filled with adventure, suspense, and plenty of shenanigans. The Mandalorians never got a real good explanation on what makes them hardcore warriors outside novels and the video game (with a lot of research), but during this story, there's a sense of why they fight, and what makes them unique. The middle of the book tells the backstory of Lucien Draay and how the Jedi Covenant came to be. With this side story, we have a better understanding with Lucien's character. He has a legacy to uphold, trying to prevent the Sith from returning by any means necessary. The final story involves Gryph planning another scam to withdraw his money from the bank, only that his plans doesn't go exactly as planned, and Zayne also gets a surprise from his father.

Characterization continues to be the highlight of the series. Zayne has finally accepted that he's a fugitive, but that doesn't stop him from seeking justice, nor does it stop him from being a Jedi (despite being a terrible one). He makes up for it with his quick thinking. Jarael continues to be a treat, showing off even more abilities like being a master of disguise and capable fighter. Still hot-headed in the first volume, she does show trust in Zayne. Gryph is still the comic relief of the group, but when the situation calls for it, he can be serious. Camper continues to be the senile old man, but sometimes comes off as being sane. There's something mysterious about him. But the one character who stands out is Lucien Draay. While he comes off as an antagonist, he is still a Jedi. His background and ideals are what makes him unique. There's also a couple of cameo appearances from the video game KOTOR like Revan, Admiral Karath, Madalore the Ultimate, and Darth Malak-err Alex aka. Squint.

The only negative I can give about the stories overall is that the main story, Flashpoint, is a bit short, and the last story boarders on being filler material.

The majority of the artwork is great, only falling short a bit in the last part of the volume. Dustin Weaver does the majority of the work, mostly in the Flashpoint story. Brian Ching does the Homecoming interlude and the first half of Homecoming. Harvey Toliabo finishes the last part, with the negative going towards the way the aliens of drawn exaggeratedly.

Overall:

Flashpoint is another great volume in Knights of the Old Republic. It's slightly weaker than Commencement in terms of story (due to Commencement being one story), but the characters and adventures continue to be great.