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Star Wars Omnibus #8
Star Wars Omnibus: Rise of the Sith
Collected in this newest Star Wars Omnibus are tales leading up to The Phantom Menace. First - previously uncollected and out of print - Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi save a sinking ship in The Aurorient Express and investigate an unexpected death in Last Stand on Ord Mantell. The origins of bounty hunter Aurra Sing are revealed in "Aurra's Song." Then, in Jedi Council and Prelude to Rebellion we follow two key Jedi Masters, Mace Windu and Ki-Adi-Mundi, as they face new foes that will try the Jedi ways to the very limit. And finally, in Darth Maul, the terrifying Sith apprentice leaves a trail of death in his efforts to keep the secrets of his Master.
448 pages, Paperback
First published December 17, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
April 17, 2021
Solid writing and art direction across the board here.
March 5, 2019
One of the things I love about the entire Omnibus is that every issue chosen for it was coloured very well. The vibrancy popped out of most of the pages.
Also, unlike other Omnibi (Omnibuses?), there are a few additional pages of cover art at the end. :)
Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan - The Auroient Express
This is easily a 0.5/5 stars. The art was not drawn well here. The story is mediocre. And very little screams fantasy, let alone 'Star Wars.'
The Auroient is a luxury cruise liner that's gone off-orbit and is sinking in the atmosphere. Most of the people on board have their own agendas, which mostly work against the others'.
The Earth words drive me BONKERS.
Jacuzzi...breath mint...cash cow...hash brown...butter & jelly...butterfly...tooth butter...bobby pins...tae-jitsu...pumpkin...corn flakes...
At the end though, Qui-Gon was spectacular.
Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan - Last Stand on Ord Mantell
The art was better here, but the story was forcing too much humour/jokes. It wasn't very natural, IMO, especially when Obi-Wan was talking about Omino possibly having feelings for Qui-Gon.
Baroness Omino wants to bring Republic unity to her system of Vena, but doesn't trust the Jedi to help. Apparently, Qui-Gon wronged her in the past. On Ord Mantell, there's a Force-using baddie (ah, here are the Sith) and a group of monsters found on the dejarik board.
At the end, the real question is what actually defines a monster?
Aurra's Song
Aurra was drawn young here, but it IS supposed to be earlier in the saga.
Torgo Tahn was once in the Guild, and had bought Aurra off the Anzati (even though she was still entrusted to them). She looked so weird! Aurra wasn't asked into the Guild, and years later Tahn asks if she knows why, and if she knows why a bounty was put on her.
At the end, Aurra shows how cunning she is and gets her revenge against the once-slaver.
Jedi Council: Acts of War
Oh my goodness, the cover art is beautiful!!
We see a lot of the Jedi Council here: Yaddle, Oppo Ranciss, Adi, Depa, Plo Koon, Saesee Tinn, Eeth Koth…and some dude named Micah Giett who I never knew of before.
Many of them (including Mace, Obi-Wan & Qui-Gon) split into 3 groups to the Yinchorri system. The species has only recently learned of interstellar travel, and there are issues arising with it.
K'Kruhk is in this as an apprentice!
The Devaronians are under Darth Sidious' thumb (and Maul's) to wreak havoc against the Jedi.
And the Jedi fight amazingly together. I love the battle scenes, including the two-page 172/173 spread.
I didn't enjoy how on page 178, Yoda got angry at someone jumping to defend him. Then afterwards, the others are helping each other out and it's mentioned that they're going to need to watch each others' backs often. There was no need for him to get so mad.
The entire purpose of this story (which jumped around a bit too much) was so that Palpatine's future plans weren't ruined…and he comes out the victor in the end.
So does Ki-Adi Mundi, with the death of Giett, as Ki's chosen to replace the other on the Council.
Prelude to Rebellion
I have these issues separately, but it was nice to read this as a full story within the Omnibus. Ki heads to his home planet of Cerea to speak with the Elders about a new push to be more technology-based. Cerea's history and core values are threatened by Bron, an outsider rallying the youth. One of Ki's daughters, Sylvn, is wrapped up in the cause.
I like seeing how the Cerean culture is. Because there is 1 male to 20 females, polygamy is rampant - though there's a main wife and essentially concubines who are also wives. The government is also strict on the removal of a natural plant, which can be turned into spice. It's something Ephant Mon is capable of doing, and he's the main reason chaos on Cerea has ensued.
The Trade Federation also seems to have their hand in it.
Ki follows Ephant and a group of teens (including Sylvn) in an escape pod to Tatooine, where he does what he can to save the kids and the droids.
I had to chuckle at the droids' names: 2-ROB and J1M. Droid names that are easy to read and to form a name from.
(I hate reading See Threepio…and even C-3PO isn't a roll-off-the-tongue name).
Vow of Justice
HUZZAH! Penciled by John Nadeau and coloured by Dave Nestelle!
I'm so confused as to why this is placed where it is. It's about Ki 67 and 88 years ABY (should that read 88 and 67?), so shouldn't it be at the start of the Omnibus?
*looks it up* Oh, that's because it's the latter half of the Prelude issues.
Ki's taken at 4 to the Jedi, and comes back years later for "justice" against chief Bin-Garda-Zon, who tried to kidnap Ki multiple times as a child (since males are rare). The new chief is female, and young Knight Ki has a lot to learn.
Darth Maul
Oh, my heart be still. Look at this gorgeous, realistic art. Check out how dark, red, orange, yellow, black it all is. Feel Maul's anger through the pages, meaningless rage because of who he is.
Sidious sends Maul to put Black Sun in disarray, which includes killing off some Vigos and families. Maul's given his Infiltrator at this time.
Maul's abilities allow him to single-handedly take out multiple enemies with few injuries (and besides, pain doesn't matter as a Sith, you get through it) and he can addle minds as well. He meets a Dathomiran Nightsister.
THIS PROVES THAT TCW IS NON-CANON! HE HAS NEVER HAD TO FACE A NIGHTSISTER BEFORE AND SHE NEVER FACED A SITH. I HATE THAT STUPID BACKSTORY.
This is much better :)
Also, unlike other Omnibi (Omnibuses?), there are a few additional pages of cover art at the end. :)
Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan - The Auroient Express
This is easily a 0.5/5 stars. The art was not drawn well here. The story is mediocre. And very little screams fantasy, let alone 'Star Wars.'
The Auroient is a luxury cruise liner that's gone off-orbit and is sinking in the atmosphere. Most of the people on board have their own agendas, which mostly work against the others'.
The Earth words drive me BONKERS.
Jacuzzi...breath mint...cash cow...hash brown...butter & jelly...butterfly...tooth butter...bobby pins...tae-jitsu...pumpkin...corn flakes...
At the end though, Qui-Gon was spectacular.
Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan - Last Stand on Ord Mantell
The art was better here, but the story was forcing too much humour/jokes. It wasn't very natural, IMO, especially when Obi-Wan was talking about Omino possibly having feelings for Qui-Gon.
Baroness Omino wants to bring Republic unity to her system of Vena, but doesn't trust the Jedi to help. Apparently, Qui-Gon wronged her in the past. On Ord Mantell, there's a Force-using baddie (ah, here are the Sith) and a group of monsters found on the dejarik board.
At the end, the real question is what actually defines a monster?
Aurra's Song
Aurra was drawn young here, but it IS supposed to be earlier in the saga.
Torgo Tahn was once in the Guild, and had bought Aurra off the Anzati (even though she was still entrusted to them). She looked so weird! Aurra wasn't asked into the Guild, and years later Tahn asks if she knows why, and if she knows why a bounty was put on her.
At the end, Aurra shows how cunning she is and gets her revenge against the once-slaver.
Jedi Council: Acts of War
Oh my goodness, the cover art is beautiful!!
We see a lot of the Jedi Council here: Yaddle, Oppo Ranciss, Adi, Depa, Plo Koon, Saesee Tinn, Eeth Koth…and some dude named Micah Giett who I never knew of before.
Many of them (including Mace, Obi-Wan & Qui-Gon) split into 3 groups to the Yinchorri system. The species has only recently learned of interstellar travel, and there are issues arising with it.
K'Kruhk is in this as an apprentice!
The Devaronians are under Darth Sidious' thumb (and Maul's) to wreak havoc against the Jedi.
And the Jedi fight amazingly together. I love the battle scenes, including the two-page 172/173 spread.
I didn't enjoy how on page 178, Yoda got angry at someone jumping to defend him. Then afterwards, the others are helping each other out and it's mentioned that they're going to need to watch each others' backs often. There was no need for him to get so mad.
The entire purpose of this story (which jumped around a bit too much) was so that Palpatine's future plans weren't ruined…and he comes out the victor in the end.
So does Ki-Adi Mundi, with the death of Giett, as Ki's chosen to replace the other on the Council.
Prelude to Rebellion
I have these issues separately, but it was nice to read this as a full story within the Omnibus. Ki heads to his home planet of Cerea to speak with the Elders about a new push to be more technology-based. Cerea's history and core values are threatened by Bron, an outsider rallying the youth. One of Ki's daughters, Sylvn, is wrapped up in the cause.
I like seeing how the Cerean culture is. Because there is 1 male to 20 females, polygamy is rampant - though there's a main wife and essentially concubines who are also wives. The government is also strict on the removal of a natural plant, which can be turned into spice. It's something Ephant Mon is capable of doing, and he's the main reason chaos on Cerea has ensued.
The Trade Federation also seems to have their hand in it.
Ki follows Ephant and a group of teens (including Sylvn) in an escape pod to Tatooine, where he does what he can to save the kids and the droids.
I had to chuckle at the droids' names: 2-ROB and J1M. Droid names that are easy to read and to form a name from.
(I hate reading See Threepio…and even C-3PO isn't a roll-off-the-tongue name).
Vow of Justice
HUZZAH! Penciled by John Nadeau and coloured by Dave Nestelle!
I'm so confused as to why this is placed where it is. It's about Ki 67 and 88 years ABY (should that read 88 and 67?), so shouldn't it be at the start of the Omnibus?
*looks it up* Oh, that's because it's the latter half of the Prelude issues.
Ki's taken at 4 to the Jedi, and comes back years later for "justice" against chief Bin-Garda-Zon, who tried to kidnap Ki multiple times as a child (since males are rare). The new chief is female, and young Knight Ki has a lot to learn.
Darth Maul
Oh, my heart be still. Look at this gorgeous, realistic art. Check out how dark, red, orange, yellow, black it all is. Feel Maul's anger through the pages, meaningless rage because of who he is.
Sidious sends Maul to put Black Sun in disarray, which includes killing off some Vigos and families. Maul's given his Infiltrator at this time.
Maul's abilities allow him to single-handedly take out multiple enemies with few injuries (and besides, pain doesn't matter as a Sith, you get through it) and he can addle minds as well. He meets a Dathomiran Nightsister.
THIS PROVES THAT TCW IS NON-CANON! HE HAS NEVER HAD TO FACE A NIGHTSISTER BEFORE AND SHE NEVER FACED A SITH. I HATE THAT STUPID BACKSTORY.
This is much better :)
April 30, 2016
Star Wars Legends Project #59
Background: Rise of the Sith, released in January of 2009, collected around half a dozen series of comics that take place in the years leading up to The Phantom Menace, but only a few of those series were not previously collected in a trade paperback of their own. This is a review of the 2 Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan series The Aurorient Express (2 issues, released in 2002) and Last Stand on Ord Mantell (3 issues, released in 2000-2001). I will review the other series separately in connection with their trade paperbacks, and link to those reviews below.
The Aurorient Express was written by Mike Kennedy with art pencilled by Lucas Marangon. Kennedy also wrote The Yavin Vassilika comic and a few short pieces for Star Wars Tales. He has written for a few other comics outside of Star Wars as well, including Superman. Marangon is best known for his artwork in the Tag and Bink series as well as a few other more humorous Star Wars titles. His other work is equally random, with titles like Super Ego, R.I.P.D., and Abyss.
Last Stand on Ord Mantell was written by Ryder Windham with art by Ramon F Bachs. Windham has written a huge number of Star Wars things, and been involved in a great deal more as an editor at Dark Horse Comics during the 1990s. Most of Windham's work is adaptation (like junior novelizations, or tie-ins to TV shows) reference books, and series like Star Wars Missions and Episode I Adventures. Bachs has worked on various random Star Wars titles, including Jedi vs. Sith (my review). He also worked on Marvel's Civil War and World War Hulk and on DC's Detective Comics.
The Aurorient Express is set 38 years before the Battle of Yavin, 6 years before The Phantom Menace, and Last Stand on Ord Mantell is set 1 year after that. Aside from Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, there aren't a lot of connections, although Yoda and Chancellor Valorum do pop up in Ord Mantell (along with the planet itself, obviously).
Star Wars: Jedi Council - Acts of War (my review)
Prelude to Rebellion (my review)
Star Wars: Darth Maul (my review)
Summary: In The Aurorient Express, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan board a luxury cruise liner in mid-air after learning that it is sinking into the depths of a gas planet and no one on board has responded to hails. Once there they find a weird web of plots and counterplots and all sorts of conspirators, with only a short time to unravel it all before the entire ship is doomed and them along with it. In Last Stand on Ord Mantell, the two Jedi are personally asked to investigate the disappearance of a ship in deep space by a noblewoman who has reason to bear a grudge against Qui-Gon. The mystery leads them to Ord Mantell and a conflict between a local tyrant, the people under his thumb, and a terrifying race of monsters that prowls the area . . . but nothing is what it seems.
Review: Though quite different in style and tone, these comics are pretty consistent in their depiction of the partnership between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan at this point in their relationship, with Obi-Wan in his late-teens and early twenties. Unlike their partnership in the Jedi Apprentice series, when Obi-Wan is much younger, here they seem much closer to being equals, and they engage in banter reminiscent of the rapport between Anakin and Obi-Wan in Attack of the Clones. My favorite exchange was a moment when Obi-Wan delivers the classic line, "I have a bad feeling about this . . ." and Qui-Gon drily responds, "I'd appreciate if for once you didn't feel an obligation to mention that . . ."
That moment occurs in The Aurorient Express, which is by far the less serious of the two stories. You can kind of tell that just from the title (yeah, ha-ha, we see what you did there), but there are also some pretty silly characters names, like the ship's lead engineer "Chief Bouyardy." The alien characters mostly look like transplants from a cartoon show (like a couple who resemble the Swamp Thing but with glamorous Hollywood hairdos).
The plot is ridiculous and confusing, with lots of reversals and re-reversals, but it never slows down enough for you to worry about it, from the opening panels where Qui-Gon delivers the plot exposition to Obi-Wan as they plummet several hundred feet through the air towards the sinking ship. Overall, I liked the artwork and the dialogue and the way the main characters were portrayed, and I even laughed a couple times. I could ask for more, but it was fun.
Last Stand on Ord Mantell wasn't devoid of humor, but it definitely had a more serious streak. The plot isn't any less absurd than the other, but again, it's not something that you think about until after you've finished reading. The artwork is less cartoony, and I enjoyed some of it, but it had some issues. Most notably: Qui-Gon's face looked really weird in most of the panels he appeared in. Like, deformed. And not even consistently deformed. He was just all over the place.
The story did introduce some interesting ideas about prejudice and morality. Qui-Gon's actions are consistent with his character in The Phantom Menace in that they are somewhat questionable, ends-justify-the-means decisions. Obi-Wan mentions this in passing, but it isn't explored with any depth, and the story spends a lot more time on Obi-Wan's false assumptions and the conclusions he draws as a result. I guess that makes sense, both from the standpoint of Obi-Wan being the learner here, and from the fact that we know Qui-Gon hasn't changed by the time The Phantom Menace rolls around. If anything, he goes rogue on his own initiative with more certainty, regardless of what others think. I don't know if we can reasonably call this character progression from the Jedi Apprentice series, since this comic came out in the middle of that series, but it kind of works out that way, I guess.
Overall, these are entertaining and enjoyable, if not much more than that.
B-
Background: Rise of the Sith, released in January of 2009, collected around half a dozen series of comics that take place in the years leading up to The Phantom Menace, but only a few of those series were not previously collected in a trade paperback of their own. This is a review of the 2 Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan series The Aurorient Express (2 issues, released in 2002) and Last Stand on Ord Mantell (3 issues, released in 2000-2001). I will review the other series separately in connection with their trade paperbacks, and link to those reviews below.
The Aurorient Express was written by Mike Kennedy with art pencilled by Lucas Marangon. Kennedy also wrote The Yavin Vassilika comic and a few short pieces for Star Wars Tales. He has written for a few other comics outside of Star Wars as well, including Superman. Marangon is best known for his artwork in the Tag and Bink series as well as a few other more humorous Star Wars titles. His other work is equally random, with titles like Super Ego, R.I.P.D., and Abyss.
Last Stand on Ord Mantell was written by Ryder Windham with art by Ramon F Bachs. Windham has written a huge number of Star Wars things, and been involved in a great deal more as an editor at Dark Horse Comics during the 1990s. Most of Windham's work is adaptation (like junior novelizations, or tie-ins to TV shows) reference books, and series like Star Wars Missions and Episode I Adventures. Bachs has worked on various random Star Wars titles, including Jedi vs. Sith (my review). He also worked on Marvel's Civil War and World War Hulk and on DC's Detective Comics.
The Aurorient Express is set 38 years before the Battle of Yavin, 6 years before The Phantom Menace, and Last Stand on Ord Mantell is set 1 year after that. Aside from Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, there aren't a lot of connections, although Yoda and Chancellor Valorum do pop up in Ord Mantell (along with the planet itself, obviously).
Star Wars: Jedi Council - Acts of War (my review)
Prelude to Rebellion (my review)
Star Wars: Darth Maul (my review)
Summary: In The Aurorient Express, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan board a luxury cruise liner in mid-air after learning that it is sinking into the depths of a gas planet and no one on board has responded to hails. Once there they find a weird web of plots and counterplots and all sorts of conspirators, with only a short time to unravel it all before the entire ship is doomed and them along with it. In Last Stand on Ord Mantell, the two Jedi are personally asked to investigate the disappearance of a ship in deep space by a noblewoman who has reason to bear a grudge against Qui-Gon. The mystery leads them to Ord Mantell and a conflict between a local tyrant, the people under his thumb, and a terrifying race of monsters that prowls the area . . . but nothing is what it seems.
Review: Though quite different in style and tone, these comics are pretty consistent in their depiction of the partnership between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan at this point in their relationship, with Obi-Wan in his late-teens and early twenties. Unlike their partnership in the Jedi Apprentice series, when Obi-Wan is much younger, here they seem much closer to being equals, and they engage in banter reminiscent of the rapport between Anakin and Obi-Wan in Attack of the Clones. My favorite exchange was a moment when Obi-Wan delivers the classic line, "I have a bad feeling about this . . ." and Qui-Gon drily responds, "I'd appreciate if for once you didn't feel an obligation to mention that . . ."
That moment occurs in The Aurorient Express, which is by far the less serious of the two stories. You can kind of tell that just from the title (yeah, ha-ha, we see what you did there), but there are also some pretty silly characters names, like the ship's lead engineer "Chief Bouyardy." The alien characters mostly look like transplants from a cartoon show (like a couple who resemble the Swamp Thing but with glamorous Hollywood hairdos).
The plot is ridiculous and confusing, with lots of reversals and re-reversals, but it never slows down enough for you to worry about it, from the opening panels where Qui-Gon delivers the plot exposition to Obi-Wan as they plummet several hundred feet through the air towards the sinking ship. Overall, I liked the artwork and the dialogue and the way the main characters were portrayed, and I even laughed a couple times. I could ask for more, but it was fun.
Last Stand on Ord Mantell wasn't devoid of humor, but it definitely had a more serious streak. The plot isn't any less absurd than the other, but again, it's not something that you think about until after you've finished reading. The artwork is less cartoony, and I enjoyed some of it, but it had some issues. Most notably: Qui-Gon's face looked really weird in most of the panels he appeared in. Like, deformed. And not even consistently deformed. He was just all over the place.
The story did introduce some interesting ideas about prejudice and morality. Qui-Gon's actions are consistent with his character in The Phantom Menace in that they are somewhat questionable, ends-justify-the-means decisions. Obi-Wan mentions this in passing, but it isn't explored with any depth, and the story spends a lot more time on Obi-Wan's false assumptions and the conclusions he draws as a result. I guess that makes sense, both from the standpoint of Obi-Wan being the learner here, and from the fact that we know Qui-Gon hasn't changed by the time The Phantom Menace rolls around. If anything, he goes rogue on his own initiative with more certainty, regardless of what others think. I don't know if we can reasonably call this character progression from the Jedi Apprentice series, since this comic came out in the middle of that series, but it kind of works out that way, I guess.
Overall, these are entertaining and enjoyable, if not much more than that.
B-
April 18, 2023
This collection started off strong, with an unfortunately titled storyline -- "The Aurorient Express". The story doesn't take itself too seriously, and as a result, it winds up being this surprisingly tight, well-written, occasionally humorous story that's dealing with a life-or-death situation. In that sense, it reminded me a bit of Scooby-Doo and Zombie Island, even though the stories have zero similarities other than being unexpectedly good.
The rest of the collection didn't quite reach the heights of that story (and "Last Stand on Ord Mantell", which was a part of the same original series), but Jedi Council: Acts of War was another standout series. The rest of the book (Star Wars: Republic and Darth Maul) were just a return of the usual EU dross, and didn't quite live up to the start of the collection. Still, of all of the omnibuses I've read so far, this one takes the top spot, namely for those Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stories.
The rest of the collection didn't quite reach the heights of that story (and "Last Stand on Ord Mantell", which was a part of the same original series), but Jedi Council: Acts of War was another standout series. The rest of the book (Star Wars: Republic and Darth Maul) were just a return of the usual EU dross, and didn't quite live up to the start of the collection. Still, of all of the omnibuses I've read so far, this one takes the top spot, namely for those Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stories.
July 5, 2021
Some solid stories I mainly enjoyed the Darth Maul issues at the end.
December 23, 2022
Great read to get ready for Episode I.
May 20, 2012
Holy shit, Darth Maul is so badasssssss. LOL! Loved this. I must find more Star Wars fiction pertaining the awesomeness that is Darth Maul. That fool would have been the next Sith Lord had he survived Palpatine and Qui-Gon Jinn/Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber duel in Episode I. Which is still the best lightsaber duel in all the films, hands down. BECAUSE OF MAUL.
June 27, 2017
The Rise of the Sith Omnibus from Dark Horse comics collects 7 different storylines from various Star Wars comics and miniseries. These stories all take place shortly before The Phantom Menace and include lots of familiar faces from those series. Please note that a lot of the individual storyline reviews are included in my reviews of the Rise of the Sith Epic Collection Volume 1.
The first storyline, "The Aurorient Express", comes from the Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan comics. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are investigating a space yacht on a cruise that is sinking and in danger of imploding. They meet the various oddballs on the ship and quickly discover there is a plot to destroy the ship. This comic is not good, it's a weird attempt at a humorous Star Wars story and it fails because the jokes are mostly just terrible puns. The artwork is bad, the writing is bad, and this one can be skipped easily.
The second storyline from that series is better. "Last Stand on Ord Mantell" has the duo being sent to investigate a missing baroness's son and that leads them to a poor farmer and his daughter who live in fear of a local taxman named Sundown and a race of dangerous aliens. The story and artwork here are decent enough, it's a pretty interesting comic and is surprisingly violent. There's an interesting moment in the comic where Obi-Wan questions Qui-Gon about him excessively using the Jedi mind trick to get what he wants out of people and Qui-Gon just dismisses the questions because he's a terrible Jedi.
Next up is very short comic from about a character who appeared very briefly (no lines, on screen for less than 10 seconds) in The Phantom Menace named Aurra Sing, a bounty hunter who targets Jedi. She became a fan favorite and featured heavily in a lot of comics that take place between Episodes 1 and 2. "Aurra's Song" explores her origins and is colorized here for the first time. Interesting enough, but I felt a bit lost without reading the other comics that feature her first.
The 5 part story arc "Acts of War" from the Jedi Council series tells the story of an alien race that is aggressively invading planets outside their homeworld and the Jedi Council being called to action to stop them. We get to see all the members using their powers and doing stuff besides sitting in a circle making decisions. We also get hints of the events to come with Palpatine's manipulations that start the events of The Phantom Menace. It's a fairly decent storyline and clearly was meant to be some sort of starting place for a possible series about the Council itself, but never took off.
The first six issues of the STAR WARS (1998) comic series (later called REPUBLIC) make up the story arc "Prelude to Rebellion". The story is about Jedi Knight Ki-Adi-Mundi dealing with the potential of technology being implemented on his otherwise nature based homeworld. His daughter joins a gang of rebellious youngsters who are eager to have technology brought to the peaceful world and soon he finds himself having to rescue her when she gets in over her head. It's a good introduction to this particular comic series and really helps bring to light some of the underlying issues in the Republic that set off the events of Episode 1. I wish there had been more of these kinds of stories in the prequel movies instead of just implying what happened through endless political arguments. A highlight of this collection.
The three part micro-series, "Vow of Justice" appeared in the last few pages of 3 issues from the Star Wars comics that were published in 1999. It gives the backstory for Ki-Adi-Mundi, another Jedi Council member who has very little actual screen time in the trilogy, but here is given another very compelling and interesting backstory. They collect them together here rather then keeping them on the tail end of their respective issues from "Prelude to Rebellion".
DARTH MAUL is a four issue miniseries about the infamous Sith that takes place shortly before the events of Episode 1. Darth Sidious wants Maul to take on the criminal organization Black Sun, as they pose a threat to his nefarious plans to control the Senate and start the Empire. Maul then spends four issues slaughtering his way through this organization. This miniseries is pure fan service really, there's no deep revelations about Darth Maul here or a complex storyline, it's just a basic action oriented plot. It's awesome and a lot of fun, my favorite in this collection.
This is a way better collection than the first volume of Marvel's Epic Collection of pre-Episode 1 comics. It flows better, is more coherent in it's purpose and only has one weak point at the very beginning. Highly recommended!
The first storyline, "The Aurorient Express", comes from the Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan comics. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are investigating a space yacht on a cruise that is sinking and in danger of imploding. They meet the various oddballs on the ship and quickly discover there is a plot to destroy the ship. This comic is not good, it's a weird attempt at a humorous Star Wars story and it fails because the jokes are mostly just terrible puns. The artwork is bad, the writing is bad, and this one can be skipped easily.
The second storyline from that series is better. "Last Stand on Ord Mantell" has the duo being sent to investigate a missing baroness's son and that leads them to a poor farmer and his daughter who live in fear of a local taxman named Sundown and a race of dangerous aliens. The story and artwork here are decent enough, it's a pretty interesting comic and is surprisingly violent. There's an interesting moment in the comic where Obi-Wan questions Qui-Gon about him excessively using the Jedi mind trick to get what he wants out of people and Qui-Gon just dismisses the questions because he's a terrible Jedi.
Next up is very short comic from about a character who appeared very briefly (no lines, on screen for less than 10 seconds) in The Phantom Menace named Aurra Sing, a bounty hunter who targets Jedi. She became a fan favorite and featured heavily in a lot of comics that take place between Episodes 1 and 2. "Aurra's Song" explores her origins and is colorized here for the first time. Interesting enough, but I felt a bit lost without reading the other comics that feature her first.
The 5 part story arc "Acts of War" from the Jedi Council series tells the story of an alien race that is aggressively invading planets outside their homeworld and the Jedi Council being called to action to stop them. We get to see all the members using their powers and doing stuff besides sitting in a circle making decisions. We also get hints of the events to come with Palpatine's manipulations that start the events of The Phantom Menace. It's a fairly decent storyline and clearly was meant to be some sort of starting place for a possible series about the Council itself, but never took off.
The first six issues of the STAR WARS (1998) comic series (later called REPUBLIC) make up the story arc "Prelude to Rebellion". The story is about Jedi Knight Ki-Adi-Mundi dealing with the potential of technology being implemented on his otherwise nature based homeworld. His daughter joins a gang of rebellious youngsters who are eager to have technology brought to the peaceful world and soon he finds himself having to rescue her when she gets in over her head. It's a good introduction to this particular comic series and really helps bring to light some of the underlying issues in the Republic that set off the events of Episode 1. I wish there had been more of these kinds of stories in the prequel movies instead of just implying what happened through endless political arguments. A highlight of this collection.
The three part micro-series, "Vow of Justice" appeared in the last few pages of 3 issues from the Star Wars comics that were published in 1999. It gives the backstory for Ki-Adi-Mundi, another Jedi Council member who has very little actual screen time in the trilogy, but here is given another very compelling and interesting backstory. They collect them together here rather then keeping them on the tail end of their respective issues from "Prelude to Rebellion".
DARTH MAUL is a four issue miniseries about the infamous Sith that takes place shortly before the events of Episode 1. Darth Sidious wants Maul to take on the criminal organization Black Sun, as they pose a threat to his nefarious plans to control the Senate and start the Empire. Maul then spends four issues slaughtering his way through this organization. This miniseries is pure fan service really, there's no deep revelations about Darth Maul here or a complex storyline, it's just a basic action oriented plot. It's awesome and a lot of fun, my favorite in this collection.
This is a way better collection than the first volume of Marvel's Epic Collection of pre-Episode 1 comics. It flows better, is more coherent in it's purpose and only has one weak point at the very beginning. Highly recommended!
August 31, 2017
The Aurorient Express - 2 stars
This is an exuberant and flashy mess, constantly falling over itself to reveal new twists and turns in its gambit pileup. It's heavily stylized with all these nautical and gangster flourishes and it feels closer to something out of Futurama than Star Wars; I was generally not a fan of its aesthetic (far too cartoonish) or how cheeky it feels. They named a character Chief Bouyardy -_- Obi-wan and Qui-gon are fine but they don't ever do anything interesting--the murder mystery allusion doesn't bear a mysterious fruit so much as a mess of schemes, something these comics seem to love doing without any of the storytelling that would make them worthwhile.
Last Stand on Ord Mantell - 3 stars
This is another scheme mystery, but this one finally takes it slow enough to at least competently execute that story. While it's not the most interesting arc, its flaws are not the sort that really bother me. There's a few occasions for good dialogue and philosophical teaching between Qui-gon and Obi-wan, and a few decent characters. I'm not a huge fan of the mind-control device (and the whole "fake Jedi" thing could have been played up more) or the black-market sale of Savrip meat--neither feel convincingly in tune with the rules of the universe. It's mostly fine, though.
Aurra's Song - 3 stars
A solid piece of backstory for Aurra Sing, drawing in a Dark Woman plot and the Anzati. It feels pretty fragmentary here, and I'm still not sure where the main part of her story is?
Jedi Council: Acts of War - 3 stars
Like the Stark Hyperspace War arc of Republic, this series fleshes out a namedropped event from some sourcebook. It isn't quite as good, for a couple reasons. There are some nice Jedi moments here, but it doesn't match the sense of closeness of the narration in that other series. And the antagonists are, on one hand, dull lumps of lizard-brain violence, and on the other, an odd conjunction of over-played and under-explicated Sidious plotting. The less warped perspective doesn't make the direct involvement of Sidious and Maul in this scheme any less weird. And where Stark and Tarkin make compelling and complex antagonists, the Yinchorri are very uninspired, and the politics of this conflict are very straightforward compared to even the Ord Mantell arc (which I mention because they're adjacent in the omnibus but also because the Yinchorri resemble the Savrips more than a bit; they just lack the moral complexity hiding behind their monstrous image).
Republic: Vow of Justice - 2 stars
An odd exclusion from the upload I got of Republic proper; this one expands on Ki Adi Mundi's backstory and Cerea's politics. The costumes are still weird/dumb, and there's oddly no mention of the tech isolationist angle here (and now that I think of it, there's a big missed opportunity here not to have had Ki Adi Mundi involved in the Yinchorri Uprising, using him as a lens to compare tech isolationism on Cerea and Yinchorr). It also builds out Ki as another parallel to Anakin (along with Quin and Hett, in different ways), taken old from his family, after local grudges had gotten under his skin. That sort of fell by the wayside as Republic progressed, though I'm not sure how valuable it might have been?
Darth Maul - 2 stars
If I hadn't just read Son of Dathomir I would have felt a lot more negatively about this. It's a very different kind of story, of course, reflecting the shifted tone after Clone Wars. This arc is more serious and feels almost stately in its abstention from stupid faff (aided by some nice imagery around Maul). There are actually more commonalities than I expected, though--this seems to prefigure Maul's Black Sun control in that later arc, and there's even also a Nightsister here. It's not very interesting--Maul kills a lot of people very quickly, and there's not even any of the fun swagger of something like that Mace Windu one-off in Republic. It just isn't nearly as dumb as it could be. It does feel like a bit of a shame, to have Maul carve through all of Black Sun so quickly--it builds him up, but it burns this narrative candle real quick and inevitably makes BS feel a lot more piddly in comparison.
This is an exuberant and flashy mess, constantly falling over itself to reveal new twists and turns in its gambit pileup. It's heavily stylized with all these nautical and gangster flourishes and it feels closer to something out of Futurama than Star Wars; I was generally not a fan of its aesthetic (far too cartoonish) or how cheeky it feels. They named a character Chief Bouyardy -_- Obi-wan and Qui-gon are fine but they don't ever do anything interesting--the murder mystery allusion doesn't bear a mysterious fruit so much as a mess of schemes, something these comics seem to love doing without any of the storytelling that would make them worthwhile.
Last Stand on Ord Mantell - 3 stars
This is another scheme mystery, but this one finally takes it slow enough to at least competently execute that story. While it's not the most interesting arc, its flaws are not the sort that really bother me. There's a few occasions for good dialogue and philosophical teaching between Qui-gon and Obi-wan, and a few decent characters. I'm not a huge fan of the mind-control device (and the whole "fake Jedi" thing could have been played up more) or the black-market sale of Savrip meat--neither feel convincingly in tune with the rules of the universe. It's mostly fine, though.
Aurra's Song - 3 stars
A solid piece of backstory for Aurra Sing, drawing in a Dark Woman plot and the Anzati. It feels pretty fragmentary here, and I'm still not sure where the main part of her story is?
Jedi Council: Acts of War - 3 stars
Like the Stark Hyperspace War arc of Republic, this series fleshes out a namedropped event from some sourcebook. It isn't quite as good, for a couple reasons. There are some nice Jedi moments here, but it doesn't match the sense of closeness of the narration in that other series. And the antagonists are, on one hand, dull lumps of lizard-brain violence, and on the other, an odd conjunction of over-played and under-explicated Sidious plotting. The less warped perspective doesn't make the direct involvement of Sidious and Maul in this scheme any less weird. And where Stark and Tarkin make compelling and complex antagonists, the Yinchorri are very uninspired, and the politics of this conflict are very straightforward compared to even the Ord Mantell arc (which I mention because they're adjacent in the omnibus but also because the Yinchorri resemble the Savrips more than a bit; they just lack the moral complexity hiding behind their monstrous image).
Republic: Vow of Justice - 2 stars
An odd exclusion from the upload I got of Republic proper; this one expands on Ki Adi Mundi's backstory and Cerea's politics. The costumes are still weird/dumb, and there's oddly no mention of the tech isolationist angle here (and now that I think of it, there's a big missed opportunity here not to have had Ki Adi Mundi involved in the Yinchorri Uprising, using him as a lens to compare tech isolationism on Cerea and Yinchorr). It also builds out Ki as another parallel to Anakin (along with Quin and Hett, in different ways), taken old from his family, after local grudges had gotten under his skin. That sort of fell by the wayside as Republic progressed, though I'm not sure how valuable it might have been?
Darth Maul - 2 stars
If I hadn't just read Son of Dathomir I would have felt a lot more negatively about this. It's a very different kind of story, of course, reflecting the shifted tone after Clone Wars. This arc is more serious and feels almost stately in its abstention from stupid faff (aided by some nice imagery around Maul). There are actually more commonalities than I expected, though--this seems to prefigure Maul's Black Sun control in that later arc, and there's even also a Nightsister here. It's not very interesting--Maul kills a lot of people very quickly, and there's not even any of the fun swagger of something like that Mace Windu one-off in Republic. It just isn't nearly as dumb as it could be. It does feel like a bit of a shame, to have Maul carve through all of Black Sun so quickly--it builds him up, but it burns this narrative candle real quick and inevitably makes BS feel a lot more piddly in comparison.
January 14, 2023
Star Wars Omnibus: Rise of the Sith collects six different stories that take place 38-33 BBY, six years to one year prior to Episode I: The Phantom Menace. A seventh story, Republic: Vow of Justice, takes place 88 and 67 BBY. It was really great to experience some stories that take place prior to the Sith revealing themselves. The Jedi are beginning to be pulled into battles that will lead into the greater war but they have yet to understand their meaning.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan: The Aurorient Express (2002) (38 BBY: 6 years prior): 3/5 The art isn’t the greatest, it’s too cartoonish, but doesn’t completely remove you from the story. There were also quite a few too many Earth terms in this story which were very jarring; I have no idea why they were allowed. But overall, this is a fun little adventure with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan: Last Stand on Ord Mantell (2000-2001) (37 BBY: 5 years prior): 4/5 This was quite an interesting story with the Republic wanting the planet Vena to join them. Qui-Gon is caught in the middle of things when it turns out he has a history with the Baroness Omnino. There’s some humor between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon that I appreciated, as it totally fits with the characters’ personalities as witnessed in the Jedi Apprentice series. I wish there had been a bit more to the background of the imposter, but overall the moral questions the story asked were powerful.
Aurra’s Song (2000) (36 BBY, with flashbacks: 4 years prior): 5/5 A short piece on the bounty hunter, Aurra Sing’s background. An interesting first look that is expanded upon in a few other comics and a book.
Jedi Council: Acts of War (2000) (33 BBY: 1 year prior): 5/5 This really starts getting into the behind the scenes machinations of Darth Sidious and thus leads into one of the first real battles the Jedi enter into prior to the Clone Wars. It’s really interesting to see the Council have to make decisions that involve possibly losing Jedi and maybe, just maybe, these conflicts are something larger at work. This story also has Ki-Adi-Mundi being considered as a candidate for the Jedi Council.
Star Wars 1-6 (1998) (33 BBY: 1 year prior): 5/5 I took this story as pretty much happening concurrently with the Acts of War storyline. It takes place on Ki-Adi-Mundi’s homeworld of Cerea where they are having problems with Republic representatives trying to insist on Cerea joining the rest of the galaxy. They try to say that the people of Cerea are backwards for not embracing all the technology that could be at their disposal but read further and there is something darker at work. It’s an interesting game of politics that Ki finds himself right in the center of. I found myself feeling with Ki’s predicament and wondering how the story would play out!
Republic: Vow of Justice (1998) (88 and 67 BBY): 5/5 The backstory of Ki-Adi-Mundi; how he became a Jedi and his first real mission as a Jedi Knight. A shorter story but a good one that shows Ki learning a lesson about the difference between revenge and justice.
Darth Maul 1-4 (2000) (33 BBY: 1 year prior): 5/5 Darth Sidious is beginning to put into motion the blockade of Naboo and doesn’t wish to have interference so he sends Darth Maul to cause chaos amongst the crime syndicate of Black Sun. This story is mostly action-focused but you really get to see Darth Maul’s viciousness and his complete dedication to Sidious. Plus, the end battle Maul has with Black Sun’s leader’s bodyguard is great!
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book if you can get your hands on it. These stories do a wonderful job of expanding the story leading up to Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan: The Aurorient Express (2002) (38 BBY: 6 years prior): 3/5 The art isn’t the greatest, it’s too cartoonish, but doesn’t completely remove you from the story. There were also quite a few too many Earth terms in this story which were very jarring; I have no idea why they were allowed. But overall, this is a fun little adventure with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan: Last Stand on Ord Mantell (2000-2001) (37 BBY: 5 years prior): 4/5 This was quite an interesting story with the Republic wanting the planet Vena to join them. Qui-Gon is caught in the middle of things when it turns out he has a history with the Baroness Omnino. There’s some humor between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon that I appreciated, as it totally fits with the characters’ personalities as witnessed in the Jedi Apprentice series. I wish there had been a bit more to the background of the imposter, but overall the moral questions the story asked were powerful.
Aurra’s Song (2000) (36 BBY, with flashbacks: 4 years prior): 5/5 A short piece on the bounty hunter, Aurra Sing’s background. An interesting first look that is expanded upon in a few other comics and a book.
Jedi Council: Acts of War (2000) (33 BBY: 1 year prior): 5/5 This really starts getting into the behind the scenes machinations of Darth Sidious and thus leads into one of the first real battles the Jedi enter into prior to the Clone Wars. It’s really interesting to see the Council have to make decisions that involve possibly losing Jedi and maybe, just maybe, these conflicts are something larger at work. This story also has Ki-Adi-Mundi being considered as a candidate for the Jedi Council.
Star Wars 1-6 (1998) (33 BBY: 1 year prior): 5/5 I took this story as pretty much happening concurrently with the Acts of War storyline. It takes place on Ki-Adi-Mundi’s homeworld of Cerea where they are having problems with Republic representatives trying to insist on Cerea joining the rest of the galaxy. They try to say that the people of Cerea are backwards for not embracing all the technology that could be at their disposal but read further and there is something darker at work. It’s an interesting game of politics that Ki finds himself right in the center of. I found myself feeling with Ki’s predicament and wondering how the story would play out!
Republic: Vow of Justice (1998) (88 and 67 BBY): 5/5 The backstory of Ki-Adi-Mundi; how he became a Jedi and his first real mission as a Jedi Knight. A shorter story but a good one that shows Ki learning a lesson about the difference between revenge and justice.
Darth Maul 1-4 (2000) (33 BBY: 1 year prior): 5/5 Darth Sidious is beginning to put into motion the blockade of Naboo and doesn’t wish to have interference so he sends Darth Maul to cause chaos amongst the crime syndicate of Black Sun. This story is mostly action-focused but you really get to see Darth Maul’s viciousness and his complete dedication to Sidious. Plus, the end battle Maul has with Black Sun’s leader’s bodyguard is great!
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book if you can get your hands on it. These stories do a wonderful job of expanding the story leading up to Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
January 1, 2026
Whenever I think of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, one word comes to my mind. That word is "complements." The EU complements the Star Wars universe. It takes this wonderful world of the six movies created by the maker, George Lucas, and expands it. Stories that Lucas didn't have time to tell, or briefly touches upon, due to film limitations, are taken to something entertaining, which was all approved by Lucas. Additionally, providing ideas, opinions, and other notes.
The EU provided an opportunity for authors, writers, and others to create and share their stories. Told by novels, games, or comics. Before the prequel trilogy, GL didn't allow anyone to touch anything from that era until he made his movies. When The Phantom Menace was announced for release in May 1999, it opened the door to exploring stories connected to that film.
This led to many books, games, and comics. One notable one is the novelization of The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks. But the other memorable ones are found in Omnibus. These tales cover a lot of ground leading up to TPM. Mainly focusing on characters and situations they may find themselves in.
Characters such as Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi are featured, along with several Jedi, including Mace Windu and Ki-Adi Mundi. The fan-favorite Sith, Darth Maul, also makes an appearance in a well-praised comic, and even Aurra Sing, who was in the movie for just three seconds, received her own issue.
Regardless of what you might think of the stories, you have to give credit to the writers for exploring these characters. A movie can go as far with development, but it cannot develop everyone. That's why the EU exists. Reading these stories and seeing what the characters encounter is always a treat.
The Star Wars comics are notable for it's remarkable art style. Yes, they are a bit exaggerated, but that's what makes them unique. The color palettes and illustrations highlight the darkness of these stories. They don't always have vibrant tones, as this varies by the artist. The way I view them is like playing with your action figures. Each imagination is different.
Please don't ask me to choose a favorite; it would be like trying to pick a favorite child, even though I don't have any kids at the moment. What I can say is that they are much better than some of the Disney Star Wars comics I unfortunately read. I'll take EU comics any day.
If you're looking to get into Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU) comics, I believe the Omnibus issues are the best place to start. They include a well-curated selection of highly regarded issues from various eras of the Star Wars universe.
To put it bluntly, the Omnibus issues are recommendations from Lucasfilm and Dark Horse Comics.
Rating: 4/4 stars.
The EU provided an opportunity for authors, writers, and others to create and share their stories. Told by novels, games, or comics. Before the prequel trilogy, GL didn't allow anyone to touch anything from that era until he made his movies. When The Phantom Menace was announced for release in May 1999, it opened the door to exploring stories connected to that film.
This led to many books, games, and comics. One notable one is the novelization of The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks. But the other memorable ones are found in Omnibus. These tales cover a lot of ground leading up to TPM. Mainly focusing on characters and situations they may find themselves in.
Characters such as Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi are featured, along with several Jedi, including Mace Windu and Ki-Adi Mundi. The fan-favorite Sith, Darth Maul, also makes an appearance in a well-praised comic, and even Aurra Sing, who was in the movie for just three seconds, received her own issue.
Regardless of what you might think of the stories, you have to give credit to the writers for exploring these characters. A movie can go as far with development, but it cannot develop everyone. That's why the EU exists. Reading these stories and seeing what the characters encounter is always a treat.
The Star Wars comics are notable for it's remarkable art style. Yes, they are a bit exaggerated, but that's what makes them unique. The color palettes and illustrations highlight the darkness of these stories. They don't always have vibrant tones, as this varies by the artist. The way I view them is like playing with your action figures. Each imagination is different.
Please don't ask me to choose a favorite; it would be like trying to pick a favorite child, even though I don't have any kids at the moment. What I can say is that they are much better than some of the Disney Star Wars comics I unfortunately read. I'll take EU comics any day.
If you're looking to get into Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU) comics, I believe the Omnibus issues are the best place to start. They include a well-curated selection of highly regarded issues from various eras of the Star Wars universe.
To put it bluntly, the Omnibus issues are recommendations from Lucasfilm and Dark Horse Comics.
Rating: 4/4 stars.
May 30, 2018
An excellent companion to Episode 1 and "Darth Plagueis", for that matter. A must read for fans of the Episode 1 characters. Speaking of, this might be the only comic that features Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan together. They do have a book series for kids featuring their adventures, though.
A bit of trivia: before Darth Maul's origins was reconned, this comic was the closest origins story for him. There was a little bit of a contradiction that they played off well. You know how Star Wars is with their cryptic points of views.
Now, had it not been for the ridiculously boring origins story for Ki-Adi-Mundi, this collection would get a full 5 stars. That story was quite eyerolling...
Conclusion: an overall, easy, fun read if you're fans of those characters and curious about Ki-Adi-Mundi. His was the longest comic in the collection. The are was enjoyable, as well.
A bit of trivia: before Darth Maul's origins was reconned, this comic was the closest origins story for him. There was a little bit of a contradiction that they played off well. You know how Star Wars is with their cryptic points of views.
Now, had it not been for the ridiculously boring origins story for Ki-Adi-Mundi, this collection would get a full 5 stars. That story was quite eyerolling...
Conclusion: an overall, easy, fun read if you're fans of those characters and curious about Ki-Adi-Mundi. His was the longest comic in the collection. The are was enjoyable, as well.
July 8, 2017
This was a mixed bag. Nothing here really stood out as great, but some of it was pretty good. This is all stuff that was published between the release of episodes I and II, I think. Some details seem contrary to stuff that was established in episodes II and III. And I guess none of it counts as part of the "canon" anymore, anyway. But if you just look at it as some random sci-fi comics that happen to be set in (an outdated version of) the Star Wars universe, it's ok.
The Jan Duursema art on the Darth Maul series was great. And most of the other art was at least very good.
I wouldn't recommend seeking this out; there are better Star Wars comics out there. But if you see a copy in a discount box at a con or something, it might be worth picking up.
The Jan Duursema art on the Darth Maul series was great. And most of the other art was at least very good.
I wouldn't recommend seeking this out; there are better Star Wars comics out there. But if you see a copy in a discount box at a con or something, it might be worth picking up.
February 10, 2024
This is a solid Omnibus, if not perfect. There are a lot of strong stories, like Jedi Council: Acts of War, and some weaker stories, like Republic #1-6. These Ki-Adi-Mundi stories aren’t bad, but they’re weaker than most Star Wars comics I’ve read thus far. It’s more interesting as an intellectual exercise, seeing the interpretation of the Prequel Era Jedi before the Prequels actually came out. Things I’ve always taken for granted (good guys don’t have red lightsabers) apparently wasn’t a universal truth back then. Things like that make the book an intriguing read, but mostly skippable. The best part is the miniseries about Maul, but it’s not so much about the story as it is the atmosphere and seeing Maul kick ass.
August 10, 2022
Stars: 2.5
Re-read: Doubtful
Recommend to: Probably only the hardcore fans and those who are into comics.
I'm new to the modern SW comics having only read the old Marvel ones, and I'm not sure this was the best place to start. The stories were a mixed bag, and the art was at times way too cartoonish. I enjoyed two of the series (Jedi Council: Acts of War and the story focused on Ki Adi Mundi). I was pretty disappointed in how shallow the last series, which is about Darth Maul going after the Black Sun organization, was. I had been looking forward to that story most of all, and the story basically didn't even exist.
Re-read: Doubtful
Recommend to: Probably only the hardcore fans and those who are into comics.
I'm new to the modern SW comics having only read the old Marvel ones, and I'm not sure this was the best place to start. The stories were a mixed bag, and the art was at times way too cartoonish. I enjoyed two of the series (Jedi Council: Acts of War and the story focused on Ki Adi Mundi). I was pretty disappointed in how shallow the last series, which is about Darth Maul going after the Black Sun organization, was. I had been looking forward to that story most of all, and the story basically didn't even exist.
October 11, 2020
Fabulous and Entertaing Collection of Star Wars Tales!!
This graphic novel is well composed and is original in its sotrytelling. Continued exploits of Qui Gon Jinn, Obi Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu feature in this novel. There are great stories Of Ki Adi Mundi Jedi Knight and of Darth Maul. The artwork is top notch and full of colour. Congratulations to the graphic novel's creative team!!
This graphic novel is well composed and is original in its sotrytelling. Continued exploits of Qui Gon Jinn, Obi Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu feature in this novel. There are great stories Of Ki Adi Mundi Jedi Knight and of Darth Maul. The artwork is top notch and full of colour. Congratulations to the graphic novel's creative team!!
April 8, 2023
Reading these comics has reminded me just how crowded the storytelling timeline around The Phantom Menace was in that era. Not all of the stories contained in this omnibus are good, but most of them are entertaining - and it was fun watching Darth Maul ferociously cut Black Sun down to size. The Ki-Adi-Mundi stories... are awful. It felt like the writer had a story they'd always wanted to tell and forced it to fit (if somewhat clumsily) into the Star Wars universe.
February 18, 2024
This book takes place shortly before The Phantom Menace. It shows insights into the crumbling Republic and the Siths pulling strings to slowly prepare for Palpetine's take over. If you enjoy the Clone Wars show, you'll enjoy this collection of stories.
September 3, 2024
I was tempted to give it three, but then realised I've already forgotten most of what happened. The prequel era is fun to hang out in though, that's largely why I wanted The Acolyte to continue – oh well!
June 10, 2017
It's nice to get some background.
January 4, 2020
Some of the comics collected in this were great (especially the Darth Maul one), some weren’t so good
May 16, 2024
For something titled Rise of the Sith, there's not much Sith.
January 3, 2011
Many times when I review graphic novels I talk about value for money. I believe the Omnibuses by Dark Horse are one great example where what your dollars fetch is important. I will summarize my entire opinion of the Rise of the Sith by saying that I think if you're interested in this era of the Star Wars storyline, you will enjoy this Omnibus and feel you got a bargain. There are a lot of solid, four star stories in this omnibus and it will take some time to read through them all. Since this is a collection of stories, I will share my thoughts on each.
Qui Gon & Obi Wan: The Aurorient Express - This is unfortunately the opening story in the collection. Its a goofy whodunit that isn't particularly dramatic or interesting. I kind of like the art, but also see a lot of empty panels in this short story. This is easily the worst story in the Omnibus and sets the wrong tone.
Qui Gon & Obi Wan: The Last Stand On Ord Mantell - While this continues the apprentice/master story style of Aurorient, the mystery and action is much more interesting. I like to think Ord Mantell is a little more gritty and grimy than what is portrayed here, but I still enjoyed this story for what it was.
Aurra's Song - Aurra Sing is The Phantom Menace's version of Boba Fett or is she? In this short story, her origin is revealed and it is surprisingly intriguing. I guess you could be skeptical that Aurra was a lame attempt to copy the mold of Boba Fett, but I think she is her own character and I've enjoyed most of the stories I've seen her in including this one.
Jedi Council: Acts of War - Unsurprisingly, the Jedi Council take the center stage in this story. The Sith make their opening move and blood is shed! I haven't read many stories about the Jedi Council so I liked seeing some of the faces from the movies that I know little about. I found the story to be interesting and best of all, Davide Fabbri does the art! His lines are great and if the inker was just a little better, this story would probably be my favorite in the collection.
Prelude to the Rebellion - I read this story arc when it came out in issues and really enjoyed it. As I reread Prelude, I was surprised that I still find the story really solid ten years later. The art has a really throwback feel and to me the inking could have been less simple, but Prelude is just an intelligent well-written story about someone hard not to respect. There is a clash of technology (does a primitive planet embrace it and open up to the outside world?) as well as personal conflict for Ki-Adi-Mundi. Major props for using a character like Ephant Mon too. He's delightfully ruthless! This is probably the best story of the bunch.
Darth Maul - The art is pretty good in this story and if you like Darth Maul and or dark side characters, I can't imagine being disappointed by this one. Another Sith ploy is at hand and the Black Sun and a Nightsister are involved. The story itself is somewhat dark and there is an emphasis on action, but I really liked it and wished it could have been longer for even more panels with Darth Maul fighting.
Qui Gon & Obi Wan: The Aurorient Express - This is unfortunately the opening story in the collection. Its a goofy whodunit that isn't particularly dramatic or interesting. I kind of like the art, but also see a lot of empty panels in this short story. This is easily the worst story in the Omnibus and sets the wrong tone.
Qui Gon & Obi Wan: The Last Stand On Ord Mantell - While this continues the apprentice/master story style of Aurorient, the mystery and action is much more interesting. I like to think Ord Mantell is a little more gritty and grimy than what is portrayed here, but I still enjoyed this story for what it was.
Aurra's Song - Aurra Sing is The Phantom Menace's version of Boba Fett or is she? In this short story, her origin is revealed and it is surprisingly intriguing. I guess you could be skeptical that Aurra was a lame attempt to copy the mold of Boba Fett, but I think she is her own character and I've enjoyed most of the stories I've seen her in including this one.
Jedi Council: Acts of War - Unsurprisingly, the Jedi Council take the center stage in this story. The Sith make their opening move and blood is shed! I haven't read many stories about the Jedi Council so I liked seeing some of the faces from the movies that I know little about. I found the story to be interesting and best of all, Davide Fabbri does the art! His lines are great and if the inker was just a little better, this story would probably be my favorite in the collection.
Prelude to the Rebellion - I read this story arc when it came out in issues and really enjoyed it. As I reread Prelude, I was surprised that I still find the story really solid ten years later. The art has a really throwback feel and to me the inking could have been less simple, but Prelude is just an intelligent well-written story about someone hard not to respect. There is a clash of technology (does a primitive planet embrace it and open up to the outside world?) as well as personal conflict for Ki-Adi-Mundi. Major props for using a character like Ephant Mon too. He's delightfully ruthless! This is probably the best story of the bunch.
Darth Maul - The art is pretty good in this story and if you like Darth Maul and or dark side characters, I can't imagine being disappointed by this one. Another Sith ploy is at hand and the Black Sun and a Nightsister are involved. The story itself is somewhat dark and there is an emphasis on action, but I really liked it and wished it could have been longer for even more panels with Darth Maul fighting.
July 3, 2014
The first story aurorient express, was pretty good and I even thought the plot was decent, art was solid. I would have liked a better ending 3.9
I really enjoyed last stand on Ore Mantell. It had a remarkable plot and the characters were great. I felt like this was a fresh. new idea and the writer gave me a lot to think about. 4.5
Aurra's Song was decent but way to short. It was going in the right direction but lacked greater detail. I am still left confused in some instances. what and who is Aurra mixed with? 3.1
Jedi Council: Acts of War, What can I say this story had everything, great art, outstanding action and the plot was exceptional. You see the suttleness of the darkside, also how the Jedi knights can sense something. There is also a unique metal that is a defense against lightsabers. Wow! 5.0
Prelude to the rebellion: Great Ki-Adi-Mundi story. It involves him and his family and gives great detail about the ways of his home world. I see a lot of our American society in this story. Lets not forget the ephant mon appearance. Good stuff. 4.8 grade
Vow of justice: Ki-Adi-Mundi origins story. There is a lesson on vengeance and justice. I enjoyed this story as well. Rating 4.4
Darth Maul: The title says it all what an outstanding character. This was non-stop action packed. Maul was on on a war path destroying everything in sight. The art and action was great! Rating is 5.0.
Book overall is roughly a 4.5
I really enjoyed last stand on Ore Mantell. It had a remarkable plot and the characters were great. I felt like this was a fresh. new idea and the writer gave me a lot to think about. 4.5
Aurra's Song was decent but way to short. It was going in the right direction but lacked greater detail. I am still left confused in some instances. what and who is Aurra mixed with? 3.1
Jedi Council: Acts of War, What can I say this story had everything, great art, outstanding action and the plot was exceptional. You see the suttleness of the darkside, also how the Jedi knights can sense something. There is also a unique metal that is a defense against lightsabers. Wow! 5.0
Prelude to the rebellion: Great Ki-Adi-Mundi story. It involves him and his family and gives great detail about the ways of his home world. I see a lot of our American society in this story. Lets not forget the ephant mon appearance. Good stuff. 4.8 grade
Vow of justice: Ki-Adi-Mundi origins story. There is a lesson on vengeance and justice. I enjoyed this story as well. Rating 4.4
Darth Maul: The title says it all what an outstanding character. This was non-stop action packed. Maul was on on a war path destroying everything in sight. The art and action was great! Rating is 5.0.
Book overall is roughly a 4.5
May 11, 2018
Que yo soy muy fan de este personaje no es ningún secreto, ya que es uno de mis favoritos por excelencia y más desde que sabemos mucho más de él a parte de 'La amenaza fantasma'. Así que leer este libro era un must en mi vida, ya que mi hambre de conocimiento sobre Maul nunca está saciada.
Pero es verdad que al titularse el libro Darth Maul, me esperaba una carga más grande de historia protagonizada por su parte, cuando en realidad vemos historietas que, no me malinterpreteis, son geniales para seguir conociendo el UE de Star Wars, pero que no todas tienen a Maul como protagonista. Las que sale él las he disfrutado enormemente pero me esperaba más material. Aún así, a todos aquellos que seais fans de los Sith y queráis tener más información sobre su creación y su auge al poder, os lo recomiendo muchísimo, ya que contiene datos y historias que ayudan mucho a comprender mejor a la orden Sith.
A pesar de la falta de protagonismo de Maul en muchas historias, se comprende muchísimo sobre el mundo de los Sith. La edición es una maravilla, completamente a color y sus dibujos y viñetas, un deleite para la vista del lector.
Pero es verdad que al titularse el libro Darth Maul, me esperaba una carga más grande de historia protagonizada por su parte, cuando en realidad vemos historietas que, no me malinterpreteis, son geniales para seguir conociendo el UE de Star Wars, pero que no todas tienen a Maul como protagonista. Las que sale él las he disfrutado enormemente pero me esperaba más material. Aún así, a todos aquellos que seais fans de los Sith y queráis tener más información sobre su creación y su auge al poder, os lo recomiendo muchísimo, ya que contiene datos y historias que ayudan mucho a comprender mejor a la orden Sith.
A pesar de la falta de protagonismo de Maul en muchas historias, se comprende muchísimo sobre el mundo de los Sith. La edición es una maravilla, completamente a color y sus dibujos y viñetas, un deleite para la vista del lector.
January 24, 2021
the aurorient express - ⭐️
far too many new characters for a two issue story, bad art, bad alien design, and weird writing
last stand on ord mantell - ⭐️⭐️
better, but that doesn’t make it good
aurra’s song - ⭐️⭐️.5
😑😑😑😑😑
acts of war - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
lol these comics are very slowly but surely increasing in quality
prelude to rebellion - .5
i spoke too soon. how do you have a race with a 1:20 ratio of men to women and still make the society patriarchal and heteronormative? seriously fuck off
darth maul - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
a fun sith murder romp
with an average rating of 2 stars, it gets a rating of 1. some of these were just- *smh*
far too many new characters for a two issue story, bad art, bad alien design, and weird writing
last stand on ord mantell - ⭐️⭐️
better, but that doesn’t make it good
aurra’s song - ⭐️⭐️.5
😑😑😑😑😑
acts of war - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
lol these comics are very slowly but surely increasing in quality
prelude to rebellion - .5
i spoke too soon. how do you have a race with a 1:20 ratio of men to women and still make the society patriarchal and heteronormative? seriously fuck off
darth maul - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
a fun sith murder romp
with an average rating of 2 stars, it gets a rating of 1. some of these were just- *smh*
October 10, 2010
I liked how this book focused on some of the Jedi from the prequel trilogy because I don't know as much about them because there have been more books written taking place after the events of the original Star Wars trilogy. I also liked how this book took place a few years before The Phantom Menace because the only other books that do that is the children's series, Jedi Apprentice by Jude Watson thats about Obi-Wan Kenobi's apprenticeship to Qui-gon Jinn.
April 25, 2010
So far, I'm really loving this comic omnibus. The art is great as is the writing. The voices of characters we already know are not distorted and new characters are enjoyable.
Also, being able to fill in some of the back-story is pretty great. I love being exposed to new worlds in the Star Wars galaxy.
Also, being able to fill in some of the back-story is pretty great. I love being exposed to new worlds in the Star Wars galaxy.
May 21, 2009
More like Rise of the Randomly Selected Star Wars comics.
December 20, 2012
Nice collection showing a good cross-section of the history behind SW:TPM
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