“I want my cash and I want it now!” — Camper
“Reunion” Part 1
Fugitive Padawan Zayne Carrick and the crew of the Last Resort devise a plan to nab some much needed cash, unaware the bounty on their heads is about to catch up to them…
Art by Brian Ching
Lettered by Michael Heisler
Colored by Michael Atiyeh
Cover by Hoon
Edited by Jeremy Barlow and Dave Marshall
Our foolproof and cunning plan, following the six-issue “Commencement,” had been to break the next six issues up into three shorter stories – a one-, a two-, and a three-issue story. The idea was to allow for Dustin Weaver to get into the cycle as the second artist. With scheduling problems delaying issues #8-12, the result was that the three-one-two pattern wound up being two-one-one-two — and even then, that last issue needed to go out to a third artist.
“Reunion” fit in as that final two-parter of the year — and it is deliberately lighter in tone than what preceded it, a bit of a comic oasis between the heavy events of 2006 and 2007. Even with the comedic elements, though, it’s invested with quite a number of bits relevant to larger storylines – more than immediately meets the eye. There is, in fact, one panel that sets up a huge chunk of the year — though it’ll be a while before people realize which one it is. (No, I’m not telling. Whatever you think it is, you’ll guess wrong!)
Apart from all that, we wanted a storyline that would really show what Zayne and Gryph’s working relationship was like. There had been few moments since the beginning when someone wasn’t trying to kill them; even in the opening to #7, they were in a hurry. Here, we get to see them in all their dysfunctional glory. And bringing Jarael and Camper into the “Mission: Impossible” motif was also a lot of fun. They clean up real nice…
We also introduced the Moomo Brothers, who may be the galaxy’s only antisocial Ithorians – and if you get the enemies you deserve, well, these are Gryph’s just desserts. It’s tough to play mindgames with unarmed opponents. Both Moomos think they’re “the smart one” – and they’re both wrong!
This issue had Hoon’s first cover on the series; another would follow on #12. They both make the Moomos look a good deal more competent than they actually are!
“Even Valius Ying sacked these guys. They put the ‘oop’ in stupid.” — Gryph
The original title for this story was “Target of Opportunity,” and it wasn’t until close to the solicitation that I suggested changing it to “Reunion” to fit with the other scholastic titles of the year, “Commencement” and “Homecoming.” That title, along with the clues to Arvan’s identity that I had dropped in #7 and #8, helped a few readers guess who the “reunion” might be between before the issue came out. That change also had the effect of making all the titles for 2006 one-word titles.
Larry Hama’s “The Third Law” in Marvel’s Star Wars series had been our first look at a Star Wars banking world — and while that vision of Aargau was from millennia later, we assumed the bank was still around even in the Old Republic. Telerath — your bank’s customer service center by way of Disneyland — was a different take on the notion of the banking planet, and Brian Ching brought it to amazing life. I described the bank as having a mountainous central tower and spidery veins stretching across a gorgeous countryside – and Brian took it several steps further, adding a sea, airships, and other islands.
I had been working with the name Telerath for some time until I realized its pronunciation was “teller wrath.” Well, maybe that’s why the bank picked it!
Camper’s monocle always gave me a chuckle. One of the last broadcasts of the CBS Evening News that Bob Schieffer did famously closed with an interview with a guy wearing a monocle — and afterward, Schieffer broke up laughing, saying “I’m sorry, but when was the last time you saw anyone wearing a monocle?” It reminded me of the great “pistachio incident” on the NBC Nightly News in the 1970s when David Brinkley and John Chancellor cracked up while trying to announce a story about a pistachio famine in Iran!
The nine-panel page where the code is being read is a first for this series — and pretty much only possible because of the nature of what’s happening. While I long to try a story in the old Steve Ditko grid one day, I’m not sure my artists would agree!
To the list of Gryph and company’s aliases, add Chantique and Baron Hyro Margryph. (Not to be – but certain to be – confused with Baron Hieromarn, Gryph’s handle in #0’s text page.) These guys are going to need to carry extra wallets for all their fake IDs!
Meanwhile, we have the Moomo Brothers, who may have trouble recalling the only names they have. When I first posted this note, it was to say that, for your future Moomo Brothers reference, check the scarves. Dob’s is red and he has a scar over his eye, Del’s is blue and he has armbands. (Like the “hat rule” with Donald Duck’s nephews. Lord, I hope there aren’t three of them!) But, looking at #12, Dob’s in the blue and Del’s in the red — at least, judging from the dialogue. We’ll look at resolving this in the trade…
Latest edition
Star Wars: Legends Epic Collection – The Old Republic Vol. 1
Padawan Zayne Carrick is suddenly a fugitive framed for the murder of his fellow Jedi-in-training. Little does the galaxy know, Zayne's own Masters are behind the massacre and dead set on recovering him before he can reveal the truth.
Collects Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #0-18. Back in print in May 2023!
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Earlier editions
Star Wars Omnibus: Knights of the Old Republic Vol. 1
Padawan Zayne Carrick is suddenly a fugitive framed for the murder of his fellow Jedi-in-training. Little does the galaxy know, Zayne's own Masters are behind the massacre and dead set on recovering him before he can reveal the truth.
Collects Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #0-18.
More info →
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Vol. 2: Flashpoint
Nearly 4,000 years before the Death Star, fugitive Padawan Zayne Carrick's quest to clear his name for the alleged murder of his fellow Jedi-in-training brings him head to head with the galaxy's most feared fighting force - the Mandalorians! Along with a petty crook named Gryph and Elbee the grouchy droid, Zayne is a passenger aboard the Last Resort, a renegade ship piloted by the senile genius Camper and his fierce protector Jarael. Together, this motley crew will face kidnappings, hijackings, maniacal scientists, Mandalorian traitors, bumbling bounty hunting brothers, and a few really big explosions.
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