World Famous Comics: Star Wars Omnibus: Tales of the Jedi Volume 1
Star Wars Omnibus: Tales of the Jedi Volume 1
By: Various Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Dark Horse Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 395 Publication Date: October 24, 2007 Reading Level: Young Adult
Amazon.com: Star Wars Omnibus: Tales of the Jedi, Volume 1 is a generous and entertaining book about the early years of the Star Wars universe, taking place 4000-5000 years before the movies. The first story, written by Kevin J. Anderson and drawn by a large team of artists, focuses on Jav and Jori Daragon, a brother-sister explorer team who find themselves in the middle of a deadly war between the Republic and the Sith Empire. The second major story, written by Tom Veitch with art by Janine Johnston and David Roach, tells the tale of Nomi Sunrider, who faces a life she never wanted after her Jedi husband is murdered. This Star Wars Omnibus, at 400 pages in full color (though slightly undersized), is excellent value and worth a look for any Star Wars fan. --David Horiuchi
Product Description: Discover the earliest known stories of the Jedi and the Sith in this massive collection!
Five thousand years before Luke Skywalker's successful assault on the Death Star, the Sith Lord Marka Ragnos ruled the galaxy. That is, until his death ignited a battle for ascension that would spell the end for his empire and nearly the entire galaxy! It would be another thousand years before two young Jedi novices Ulic Qel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider would rise for the cause of justice, first in the case of a Jedi-killing Hutt, and then against a dark Jedi spirit threatening to engulf an entire planet!
Containing the Tales of the Jedi stories "The Golden Age of the Sith," "The Fall of the Sith Empire," and "Knights of the Old Republic" this humongous omnibus is the ultimate introduction to the ancient history of the Star Wars universe!
Great idea, but the worst chapters come first Of the many Star Wars comics issued by Dark Horse, the Tales of the Jedi line was far and away my favorite. The series' setting (5000 years before A New Hope) let authors Kevin J. Anderson and Tom Veitch really go wild in creating the early tales of the Jedi Knights and their Sith adversaries, and resulted in the creation of some of the Star Wars Universe's most memorable characters.
Since many of the original Tales of the Jedi trade paperbacks are out of print, Dark Horse has issued Omnibus collections of the Tales of the Jedi comics. This is the first volume, and it collects the following stories:
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - The Golden Age of the Sith This series was useful in recounting the original schism between the Jedi and the Sith as well as the Sith's defeat and exile across the galaxy. In this series a pair of Force-sensitive hyperspace explorers accidentally discovers the Sith homeworld. After a power struggle among the Sith Lords, the explorers are used to bring the evil of the Sith back to the Republic. As important as these events are to Star Wars continuity (never mind that the prequels would undo much of what Anderson had established regarding the Sith), the series just runs too long and has too many bland characters. The artwork is downright ugly too, which doesn't help.
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - The Fall of the Sith Empire This series picks up where Golden Age left off, with Sith Lord Naga Sadow's invasion of the Republic. This series was plagued by uninteresting characters, ridiculous dialogue, and the same dreadful artwork as Golden Age. Honestly, they could have combined the two series and made the story far more effective. It also hurts that there really aren't any Jedi to speak of, which kind of defeats the purpose of the title.
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - Ulic Qel Droma and the Beast Wars of Onderon/The Saga of Nomi Sunrider (previously collected in the original Tales of the Jedi tpb) Finally we get to the good stuff! These were originally the first TOJ stories, and they are the focus for all of the TOJ stories that follow. Set 4000 years before A New Hope, the series introduces an exciting group of young Jedi Knights whose adventures would change the galaxy. The epic battle between good and evil, Jedi and Sith begins here.
Even though the first and second parts of the book aren't as connected as later TOJ series were, they are included in chronological order. If you can make it through the disappointing first part of the book, the second part will have you eagerly awaiting the second Tales of the Jedi Omnibus.
I love the idea of these mid-priced Omnibus volumes, but am not crazy about their size. Compared to Marvel's larger Omnibus hardcovers, these smaller (they shaved roughly an inch from the height and width of the trade paperback size) paperback collections fall a bit short (no pun intended). Still, if you're new to the Tales of the Jedi series, or like me never got around to buying all of the trade paperbacks, they are an ideal way to get the most bang for your buck.
PS - For what it's worth, my copy of this Omnibus has a different cover than what is pictured. I'll try and upload a scan to show the difference.
Excellent graphic novel Omnibus Tales of the Jedi is really my first experience with the Star Wars graphic novels published by Dark Horse. I must say that the experience was a pleasure. The book was entertaining and just has a great look about it. This one collects the earliest known tales about the Jedi and Sith originally published in comic book form with the action taking place several thousand years before the Battle of Yavin. The tales in the book are from the comic book stories "The Golden Age of the Sith," "The Fall of the Sith Empire," "Knights of the Old Republic," and "The Freedon Nadd Uprising,"
The Golden Age of the Sith: Prologue - 5,000 years before Yavin. We are introduced to a young Jedi named Odan-Urr as he is ordered to leave his study of old scrolls and documents and head off to the planet of Cinnagar to assist the Empress Teta. We also get to meet the brother and sister team of Gav and Jori Daragon in their early days.
The Golden Age of the Sith - 5,000 years before Yavin. The Sith Lord Marka Ragnos ruled the galaxy until his death ignited a battle for ascension. Great battles and evil doings among the Sith ensue. The Daragons are in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Ulic Qel-Droma and the Beast Wars of Onderon - 4,000 years before Yavin. Qel-Droma and two others are sent to the system of Onderon to help deal with the beast riders who are creating havoc. Once there they become involved with rescuing the queen's daughter who has been kidnapped
The Saga of Nomi Sunrider - 3,999 years before Yavin. We see the beginnings of Nomi Sunrider's rise to becoming a great Jedi Knight.
The Omnibus is great fun to read, and I look forward to more of them from Dark Horse.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
