by Kevin J. Anderson

Fall of the Sith Empire is the conclusion to The Golden Age of the Sith (read my review here), and tells the tale of the Great Hyperspace War when the Sith, led by Naga Sadow, launched a 2-prong attack on the Republic. Gav Daragon, now Sadow’s student of Sith arts, commands the flagship on its way to attack the Koros system while another fleet attacks Coruscant.

I would have liked this story better if Gav wasn’t such an idiot. Sadow didn’t need to seduce Gav to the dark side; all he had to do was trick him because Gav was too stupid to figure out what was going on. Even when he realizes he’s been tricked one too many times and is determined not to let it happen again, he falls for yet another trick. He’s as dumb as Billy Budd — more so. Billy Budd, at least, brought destruction only upon himself and Claggert, not the entire galaxy. (Interestingly, Terrence Stamp played Billy Budd in the 1962 movie; he also played Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum in Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace.)

The only cool thing about Fall of the Sith Empire is that the cover of each issue, when placed side by side, form a mural. I don’t know if the TPB contains the cover art, however.

by Tom Veitch

I wrote this a while ago in an old category I had called: Book Reviews – 100 Words or Less.

***spoilers***

Show ▼

by Makoto Kobayashi

Collection of short comics about orange tabby, Michael. Recurring characters: Richard Kimbly, fugitive veterinarian; Catzilla — overweight calico; Popo — Michael’s sometime girlfriend/wife; and his various owners, though not passed from one to next; belongs to several households, it seems. Almost like he has — heh heh — nine lives going on simultaneously. Unlike Bucky Katt or Heathcliff, Michael doesn’t walk on two legs or speak to humans, i.e. Pluto : Goofy :: Michael : Garfield. Interacts with people as a real cat would. Simple lines, little detail, but excellent cat drawings, down to how kitty bodies quiver when pooping.

by Motofumi Kobayashi

Follows a trio of Roadrunners and three Montegnards during tour of duty in Viet Nam — code name Cat Shit One (play on Dog Shit One, reference to West Point lowerclassmen). Mission to destroy Ho Chi Minh Trail. Americans and Vietcong portrayed as rabbits and cats. Whimsical yes, but serious stories. Scenery and dialogue contribute to “realism.” Historical info in sidebars and gloss for military slang. No interest in Vietnam War history, and admittedly purchased because of cute cats and rabbits. However, Kobayashi’s art and writing are engrossing, as well as educational. Always a good mix. Not for kids under 16.

by Kevin J. Anderson, Dario Carrasco, Jr., et al

Of all the literature of the EU, The Golden Age of the Sith (GAOTS) is the earliest “record” of the Republic and the Sith’s history, dating back 5,000 years before the Battle of Yavin (BBY). It’s a five-part comic mini-series from Dark Horse Comics, though an intro issue, #0, was published first.

The events take place on Cinnagar, a city on Koros, one of seven planets in the newly united Koros system, ruled by Empress Teta. Other locations include Korriban and other Sith planets in what is currently known as the Corporate Sector in the Outer Rim, just south of the Hydian Way.

The story follows brother and sister Gav and Jori Daragon, in their desperate effort to chart a new hyperspace path to facilitate trade to other systems. Their ship, the Starbreaker 12, is being repaired. Because they’re impoverished, they have no way to pay for it. In a last-ditch effort to earn money, they steal their own ship from the repair dock, and set random hyperspace coordinates to explore. This leads them to Korriban, which is ruled by the Sith Empire.

(more…)