Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - The Golden Age of the Sith / The Fall of the Sith Empire by Kevin J. Anderson and Dario Carrasco, Jr. (Comicbook Review)

This is the first of a few Star Wars titles we will be delving into, and this one seemed only right for today. You see, I personally don't celebrate the whole "May the 4th Be With You" speel Disney has been hyping like there is no tomorrow. Star Wars day was always the 25th of May, due to A New Hope's release in the USA on that date. Yes, I should probably celebrate the UK one, but it's wedged right between Christmas and New Year's Eve, so that just complicates things.

However, if we're going to celebrate anything Star Wars related, it seemed only right to return to a distant chapter in the Expanded Universe. That of the Old Republic. The Tales of the Jedi comics were written when someone asked "What happened long before then?" The films had set up mention of the Jedi, the Republic and the servants of the Dark Side, but how did that all start? These comics did just that and were set five thousand years prior to the events of A New Hope. This is not the era of the Rebellion against the Empire, this is not the age of rebirth, this is a time of great empires, of new beginnings, heroes, and terrible mistakes. This is the age of the Sith Empire, and the time of its fall.

The Synopsis

As we're covering two linked story arcs, the synopsis here will only cover so much. There is more to it, but I do not wish to spoil everything.

In effect, a major conflict in the Koros system has been raging for some time, as a few remnants elements hold out against the forces of Empress Teta. Several Jedi are called to assist Teta in her actions, using the Force to break their enemy's morale and force them into retreat. Teta emerges victorious, but it is not without cost, and a multitude of supply ships attempting to assist the rebels are blown apart by their own anti-air weapons. Among them are the parents of Gav and Jori Daragon. 

As the Daragons attempt to continue their lives, growing desperation and unexpected threats drives them into a rash action, and they jump into a realm far beyond the borders of the expanding Republic. What they find is a hidden Empire ruled by banished Jedi, hungry for power and ready for war.

The Good

One thing needs to be established before everything else: This wanted to be something different. While this won't make too many comparisons or contrasts with the Mouse Canon, one thing which separates Disney from the EU is the fact that the former is adamantly focused only the Galactic Civil War. To many, it seems to be the only point of relevance, the only area worth building on, and anything else needs to either emulate or mimic it. The EU, for all its successes and failings, tried to do away with this. As such, you have events like this set millennia prior to Anakin's birth, which barely resembles the original films and yet remains quintessentially Star Wars. New concepts were introduced, new species were created, and the very history of the Jedi was expanded upon into a new age.

When you look back on this book, some of its concepts seem almost mundane and expected. Yet that's only because the EU itself repeatedly tried to push for something new and different. It's akin to how Alien is a victim of its own success, with exposure and oversaturation working against the xenomorph's unique design. You need to keep in mind that this comic was what helped to solidify the term "Sith" in place of "Dark Jedi" and that it was the first idea that there had even been a species of that name. The comic's very visuals and design aesthetic battled to reflect this, offering something more akin to a science fiction Conan civilization or John Carter of Mars over the world we knew. While small elements and points would creep through, much of it seemed to emphasise the idea of a high tech Bronze Age civilization. It's archaic, overly stylised and primitive yet advanced, but that helped to offer its own identity. It would give the reader just enough to ensure them that this was Star Wars, but one of a completely different time.

When you consider how overly homogenized and samey many science fiction settings become - especially the likes of later Star Wars and Star Trek - the boldness of a massively altered aesthetic cannot be emphasised enough. To strip everything down and rebuild it from scratch as a new cohesive aesthetic was near suicidal, and yet it worked. So many pages, through visuals alone, offer broader glimpses into this setting's nature, capturing what made the Cantina Scene and its like so effective. There are multiple panels where world building is executed purely through the actions of others, or the environment they are standing in. Even when it opts to utilise direct exposition, the artwork itself nevertheless still benefits the story.

More curiously still, the style of storytelling is even a plus here. That will likely leave a few people scratching their heads, especially with Kevin J. Anderson's name attached to this. However, while his novels have a questionable reputation, the man nevertheless has an eye for epics in the right setting, and with comics he seems to be in his element. Especially these ones. The story itself is told through big, bold and direct means. Characters are larger than life, often bombastically so in the case of major leaders, while the logic behind some actions seems questionable. Yet, what benefits this is its age, and the fact it is clearly working on its own internal logic. In an odd sense, this makes it all the more genuine.

When you look through any past epic - real-world ones here for a moment - you might notice one often defining factor. They're often insane. Ignore the adapted creations, reworked stories and updated versions, and go back to the originals. It's evident that they were written for a very different time and an extremely different set of values, emulating or venerating a different social system. This sort of thing has often been a problem for tales like the Forty-seven rōnin, where Bushido seems so alien to many readers now. Or, if you wish for another example, look to Arthurian legend. John Boorman's Excalibur was an extremely faithful adaptation, but to the point where many criticise it for odd characterisation and plot elements. It's a careful thing to manage, but Tales of the Jedi often accomplishes this in its stylings, and it avoids many typical narrative failings besides this. It never drags, never relies on deus ex machina to win the day, and doesn't utilise anything which has not been established before. As a result, it just about manages to capture this feeling.

Even if you don't agree with the above, stop and compare the writing with those of older Thor comics, especially Jack Kirby or Walt Simonson. Those which aren't determined to wink at the audience, or try to have a very faithful feel to them, strike a similar chord to this one in many places. It helps that, similar to those works, you have manipulating figures, plots, and shifting allegiances. Schemes, legends, and generation-spanning feuds all remain core to the work, along with a greater emphasis on using the Force as a force of sorcery. It's no Games of Thrones, of course, but it retains enough of those elements to make the characters engaging. They're direct, defined and interesting, which is why the likes of the villain - Naga Sadow - can remain in your mind long after the comic is done. It's akin to playing an older Final Fantasy game. Even when the characterisation and plot might be a little basic, it's still executed well enough that it's difficult to seriously dislike it.

The story also makes a point of throwing in enough human moments and surprising subversions to keep the reader surprised. Along with a philanthropic Hutt businessman, you have nice moments like Jori and Gav thinking of one another after they have been separated and isolated. While there's an emphasis on larger powers and a vast impending war, it always remembers to scale things back just enough to focus on the characters themselves for a while.

The action itself is rightfully grandiose and large scale. The creators seemed to realise that they could get away with things the films were never able to manage due to budget constraints, and as a result you have things which eclipse them. Thousands of sword-wielding Sith shock troops charging the Republic capital? Check. Multi-storey tall Sith warbeasts akin to elephants? Check. Vast armadas which makes the Battle of Endor look small? Damn right. When the comic needs to be big, it will go the full mile to be big, and this goes for everything from battles to large-scale environmental shots to define worlds.

However, no comic is without its problems, and there are a few to be found within Tales of the Jedi.

The Bad

You might have noticed something as this went along: Little time was spent talking about the actual protagonists. There's a good reason for that, as they have little standing in the story. It's not so much their tale or the fact that they are a core part of it, as they kick off a few key events. They're important at points, but all too often the much more interesting and important things are given to the side characters instead. It's why the villains have a more memorable role here, as they are more actively involved within the tale and do much more to make their presence felt.

While the grand scale combat is mixed, the smaller scale bits are unfortunately quite mixed. There are a few excellent duels to be sure, but these are very thinly spaced out throughout the book. Often single combat is reduced to a few panels before moving on to the next big thing. As a result, it often draws attention away from the characters to events, and it can feel as if said events are the driving force behind the story. Because of this, especially during the Fall of the Sith Empire, the characters are reduced to a few unfortunately small moments and several are unceremoniously bumped off. The actual moments themselves are good, but it seems as if they lack the time to actually make them more prominent within the pacing of events.

Oddly, the art itself is also mixed at times. At many points it is fantastic throughout, and it retains the striking and sharp visuals which made it so distinct. At others, however, details seem overly soft or the colour is slightly off. As a result of this, a few parts in the early comic especially can seem very disjointed, and it can take a fair bit of getting used to until it finally evens out in the end. Even then, there are times when it relies on single colour backgrounds over those of notable detail, and this takes away from the story at several key points.

In terms of the overall story department, however, there is a problem in how a major engaging point within the story is needlessly reworked into an "As you know" flashback. This details the exact rise of the Sith Empire and how it came to be, and yet it is told to other Sith Lords. Given that there were two outsiders on the way, it could have much more easily and natrually been left for them to discover, but this is passed up. It's a damn shame as well, because the history itself is well thought out and surprisingly fascinating for what was effectively a one-shot villain.

Finally, you will want to punch Gav Daragon in the face before this is over. While more than a few odd actions can be put down to the points above, Gav's blindness is nevertheless facepalming and could have been easily avoided. It's set up to be a sort of redemption arc, and yet it never fully pays off. Rather than turning to evil and becoming good once more, it instead just makes him seem as if he couldn't tell that the Sith were evil, even as he was helping conquer his own homeworld. It can't even be put down to Dark Side manipulation, as there's no hint of that here.

The Verdict

The first two parts of Tales of the Jedi here are aged to be sure. They were from a different time in comics and in the setting itself, but their qualities do still shine through nevertheless. It's not a story for everyone, and I could easily see a few readers being put off by the writing style. However, in the right mindset and approach, it is still a very entertaining and engaging chapter in the series history. Cap that off with the fact that this was the starting point which led to a multitude of key developments both in and out of the series, and it's one well worth looking into.

If you're an Old Republic era fan who wants to see more of that era and the road which led to it, this is definitely recommended. If you want something a bit more accessible, however, wait until later on this month.

Verdict: 7.6 out of 10