Star Wars: La tribu perdida de los Sith - Espiral

Star Wars Legends: Comics #24

by John Jackson Miller, Andrea Mutti (Illustrator)

Kesh —un planeta gobernado por una tribu de sith que lleva generaciones apartada del resto de la galaxia— debuta en el mundo del cómic en una historia completamente nueva escrita por John Jackson Miller al hilo de su exitosa colección La tribu perdida de los sith: antología.

Obligado a exiliarse a los páramos helados por traición, Spinner, un ambicioso rebelde sith, realizará un hallazgo que cambiará el destino del planeta. Además de descubrir una antigua civilización y un arma olvidada hace mucho tiempo…

Takara, la hija del gran lord de la tribu, le ha seguido en secreto guiada por su propia ambición. Juntos, se enfrentarán a bestias inimaginables, se toparán con fuerzas que podrían llevarlos a las estrellas y, al final, ¡acabarán enfrentándose para decidir el futuro de su planeta!

Genres: Star Wars, Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Fantasy, Adventure

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

New York Times bestselling author John Jackson Miller has spent a lifetime immersed in science fiction. His Star Trek novels include the Discovery – Die Standing, the acclaimed novel Discovery — The Enterprise War, the Prey trilogy, and Takedown. His Star Wars novels include A New Dawn, Kenobi, Knight Errant, Lost Tribe of the Sith, and the Knights of the Old Republic comics, available from Marvel as Legends: The Old Republic.

He’s written comics and prose for Halo, Iron Man, Simpsons, Conan, Planet of the Apes, and Mass Effect, with recent graphic novels for Battlestar Galactica, Dumbo, and The Lion King. Production notes on all his works can be found at his fiction site.

He is also a comics industry historian, specializing in studying comic-book circulation as presented on his website, Comichron.. He also coauthored the Standard Catalog of Comic Books series.

Reviews

[Maria Dimitrova · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always John Miller wrote a great story. It was entertaining and engaging. The art was great - Andrea Mutti is a very talented artist. I enjoyed her work on KotOR: War miniseries as well. The story is set after the events of Pandemonium - the last of the Lost Tribe novellas and it follows Parlan Spinner aka the Death Spinner and Takara Hilts. While both of them are Sith they have very different understanding of what it means. Spinner is uncontrollable storm with no real purpose other than destruction, while Hilts is more of a strategist with clear plan on how to get what she want. Spinner's rashness and stupidity lead to unleashing one of the ancient Dark Jedi - Remulus Dreypa. As you can guess things went downhill from here with Dreypa, being a typical darksider, trying to conquer all of Kesh and then eventually the stars. Our two protagonists, who can't decide whether they hate each other or not, have to work together to stop him. In the end Spinner shows some backbone and finally faces his responsibilities. Probably not the most Sith thing to do but the Lost Tribe is hardly convectional Sith.

[Milo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the Review Here: http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/04/....

“An entertaining Star Wars tale that unfortunately is probably not the best jumping on point to newcomers to this era.” ~The Founding Fields

Writer: John Jackson Miller | Penciller: Andrea Mutti | Inker: Pierluigi Baldassini | Cover Art: Paul Renaud | Publisher: Dark Horse Comics | Collects: Star Wars: The Lost Tribe of the Sith – Spiral #1-5

An ambitious Sith rebel, Spinner, is about to upset the balance of a lost tribe of Sith. When he is arrested for treason and sent away on a prisoner vessel, thoughts of overcoming his station, destroying the Tribe, and even finding a way to escape into the galaxy lead Spinner to a powerful, long-forgotten weapon. A rival stowaway Sith on that same vessel has her own ideas about the future of the Tribe. They don’t need eradication; they need a new leader—her! Collects Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith #1–#5.

I’m a fan of Star Wars. I’ve seen all six films, and read more than ten novels. However, The Lost Tribe of the Sith: Spiral is my first graphic novel that I’ve read set in the Star Wars Universe, unless you’re counting the first two issues of Brian Wood’s current Star Wars series for Dark Horse, and if I’m honest, it probably wasn’t the best jumping on point for somebody who hasn’t read anything from the Lost Tribe of the Sith era beforehand, as I didn’t really have that much of an idea as to what was going on.

It turns out that the Sith featured here are not Sith that newcomers like myself know from the films – there’s more of them for one, and they don’t stick to the whole One Master and Apprentice act that actually, wasn’t really introduced until Darth Bane’s arrival on the scene, many years after the end of this graphic novel in particular. But hey, it’s always nice to read about the Sith, right? I mean, whilst I’ll take the Jedi over their evil counterparts any day, the Sith are always entertaining to read and or watch from. This graphic novel itself set up the chance for a unique take on the Sith, but instead – we get Darth Spinner, called that way for reasons not quite clear to us, who is along the same vein as characters like Darth Maul. Darth Spinner’s character however was never one I sympathized with, or indeed, wanted to root for, and he didn’t stick out as being very memorable either. And he’s not the only character who didn’t make a lasting impression on me, for I fail to remember the names of every other character in this graphic novel that we saw, which is a shame. Then again, Miller is only given five issues to work with the characters in this trade paperback collection, which I think is far too small amount of issues to be included in a collection – the standard for me is probably 7, any less than that, unless of course the price is low as well, doesn’t really make me want to check out the trade itself.

I wanted to like this graphic novel, I really did – but it didn’t just work for me, which is unfortunate as I love a good Star Wars tale. It’s unfortunate that I happen to be a newcomer to this corner of the Star Wars timeline, but I’m sure that if you’re a fan of either Miller or are more knowledgeable about The Lost Tribe of the Sith then maybe you’ll get more enjoyment out of the graphic novel than I did.

However, I still think the book has some strong points. It’s nice to see a Star Wars tale filled with lightsabers, Sith battling it out in a comic format and whilst the artwork isn’t too memorable there are some pretty awesome scenes contained within. Miller’s Spiral is also a fun read as well, with some well crafted action sequences and a fairly interesting story that as mentioned above, I’m sure I would have enjoyed more if I was more familiar with the setting.

VERDICT: 2.5/5

[Iset · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that was a quick read. I practically tore through it - it was pacy and very readable, the action comes fast and thick, no complaints there. I only realised afterwards that I didn't think anything about the art style - either good or bad. I have to say it was probably good but not oustanding if it wasn't something that either bugged me or stood out either way. The story adds another interesting twist to the Lost Tribe tale, although I did think it was a little on the short side and resolved too quickly - could've been been as a two-parter maybe.

[Aliix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi corazón Sith está demasiado feliz con este comic <3

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable sequel to the Lost Tribe of the Sith stories. I liked the characters and it was fun getting to "see" Hilts and Iliana. The art was nicely done, too.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent tale of power and corruption from back when Star Wars still told stories rather than just regurgitate propaganda.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this was nicely done. The story takes place around the middle/end of the 'Tribe of the Sith' series. So I must say that before reading this, go read at least the first 4 books. They are just novella's so they should not take very long. It gives a lot of backstory to what is going on.

One of the first things I liked it this book was a line when the the Keshiri (the land natives) are talking about who the Sith are, and they say “We know, because they told us so!” I had to laugh. Poor fools do not realize any world exists besides there own so the think the Sith are basically Gods (or descendants of Gods).

The Sith have been stranded on the world for around 2000 years. They have re-cultivated a new life for themselves. Yet it is also painfully obvious they have forgotten some of the true ways of the Sith. Yet they strive to use what they know.

An escaped slave and Sith come across a group in the southern reaches, previously unexplored. There the meet The Doomed. Also they unleash an old Dark Lord (Dreypas).

While most Star Wars fans are aware of the Jedi Code and Sith Code, this book introduced a new code. The Code of the Doomed. "War is a Lie. There is no defeat, there is serenity. There is no victory, there is death. Through power, I am enslaved. Through the force, I am doomed.” I loved it!

The artwork was probably the biggest downfall. It seemed rushed. And too much red was used all over. Now I know the artist is good because at the end are some great full page signed pictures that are great, and more varied in color. I just wish that detail went into the rest of the book.

Overall, a fun adventure. It is a great portrayal of what happens years after a powerful nation may be crushed and isolated. How different group evolve/adapt. The snarky comments made throughout the story made it that much more fun.

A big thanks to Diamond Book Distributors for the book.

[CS · Rating 5 out of 5]

I continue to be impressed with the quality and creativity of these "Lost Tribe of the Sith" stories. Sure, this book does seem to dive into comic book stereotypes - larger than life evil dudes and giant wormy monsters - but that doesn't hurt the story, the characters or the world in general.

Takara and Spinner go down as yet two more fascinating characters in this series. I like their love-hate relationship, withOUT them resorting to "falling in love" with each other. I like how there are females in this series, females that DON'T have to be constantly rescued by the dude. And I like how each one has his or her own motivations and desires.

The story expands on the concept that there are more continents and people on Kesh. It was a little hard for me to place WHEN this occurred - apparently after the events of "Pandemonium" from Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories.

Even the artwork, which tends to trip me up, was great. Consistent characters, nice action, good flow (with a few spots that made me go, "HUH?" but overall good).

When a lot of recent Star Wars books seem to be shooting for the mediocre (Revan, Knight Errant, Star Wars: Scourge, not to mention all the comics), this series has kept me A) interested in Star Wars and B) excited for each new installment. Please, Dark Horse, let John Jackson Miller continue writing Lost Tribe of the Sith!!

[Eoghann Irving · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an example of the Star Wars Extended Universe disappearing up it's own backside.

If your exposure to Star Wars is purely through the movies then nothing you read about here is going to be even slightly familiar. These are not Sith in any way that you would recognize them. Which could actually be an interesting angle for a story, but it's one this graphic novel totally fails to follow.

Instead we're giving a Sithier than Sith villain who makes Darth Maul seem understated. Oh an a self-labeled anarchist who wants us to call him "Death Spinner". Why? Well they never really properly explain that.

There's a lot of things that aren't properly explained actually. Despite the giant info dumps at regular intervals, the story has a way of jumping rather haphazardly forward. It's lazy. People suffer from amnesia until a convenient moment. Stuff happens without proper setup. Power levels fluctuate wildly. One minute the villain can level a town, the next he's scared off by a bunch of guards on flying animals.

The characters are one note at best. And one of the main characters seems to go through a radical off-page transformation that is... wait for it... not properly explained on the page.

To add insult to injury despite the mentions of Sith and Jedi, this doesn't even feel like a Star Wars story. It's *that* generic.

The art is okay. It's not terrible, it's not special. Really everything about this product is just... eh. It has no good reason to exist.

I feel like there is an interesting story to be told about this lost tribe, but it doesn't get told here.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Miller's work, but this is probably my least favorite of his --- the protagonists are Sith, so they not going to be "heroic", but they lack the class of their more villainous brethren and are.... well, schmucks. Selfish assholes who manage to get a lot of their own people killed and are hailed as heroes for cleaning up their own mess (one character waits until almost the last minute for his gheel turn").

[Ithlilian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read books about the Lost Tribe of the Sith and enjoyed them. This was definitely not as good as those. The bad guy was about as stereotypical as you can be and the two main characters' personalities didn't shine through enough for their motivations to make sense. The plot didn't intrigue me and it all felt a bit simplistic. More action oriented than the more in depth or exploration based Star Wars I've read. The longer I read the less interested I became.

[47Time · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aside from references to lightsabers, the Force, Sith and Jedi, this is a pirate story or something. No star travel, no proper pew-pew action scenes, no high tech. They use ships with sails, for crying out loud! I wanted scifi - scientific fantasy - not this swashbuckling nonsense. It's also quite lovely how the story jumps around like a rabbit on smack. Or there are pages missing? I don't know. This author failed to impress before, also in the Star Wars universe. Why did I think this story would be better?

Parlan Spinner is a descendant of the Sith now calling themselves the Tribe. They rule the planet of Kesh, but Spinner, like other Sith, can't cooperate well with others. He is captured by Takara, the daughter of the Grand Lord, who craves independence from her family name. He is sent to a prison at the South Pole. Takara stows away on a ship to get away from home. Their mutiny fails miserably, until they get saved by a group of non-humans who live in the shadows, but wield considerable power.

The group call themselves the Doomed. They live in Eskrene and commune with both light and dark sides of the Force. Their aim is to atone for the transgression perpetrated by all Force users. Spinner finds they guard a dangerous weapon he could use to have his revenge on the Tribe, so he steals and opens it. This releases Lord Dreypa, a cofounder of the Sith from thousands of years before. Like all Sith, he only wants to rule. His goal is to attack Kesh, then take to the stars.

The Tribe pushes back Dreypa's first attack. He resorts to awakening giant creatures he raised on the planet back when he was alive. Takara and Kaliska bring the Doomed into the fray. They do little more than delay him from finding out about a hidden starship that has survived the conflict on Kesh. Spinner steals it like the Sith that he is, but returns to free Takara who is captured by Dreypa and used as a bargaining chip. So he does love her. Cute! Spinner kills Dreypa's creatures using the ship's weapons, then tricks Dreypa into commandeering the ship as it's headed inside the active volcano. That should kill him.

Kesh is at peace again. Spinner is assigned to protect the Tribe at Takara's side and will perhaps rule it in the future. His mind remains on his goal to reach the stars.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Miller's novella series in the setting, and honestly can't remember if I read this comic then or not. It has the same odd relationship to the prose book as Knight Errant did, kind of sandwiched in among other stories including some of the same characters. But of course I don't remember any of that context, so this has to stand on its own. For the most part, it does just fine. The worldbuilding, which is among the most peculiar for Star Wars of any of the Old Republic stuff, is established fairly well, and the characters who are important here don't seem to have a ton of relevant history before.

One of the things that makes it so unique is that it actually flirts with a medieval kind of technological limitation. You see medieval architecture a decent amount in deep-cut Star Wars comics but usually it feels like an unimaginative placeholder taken from other pulp series, with effectively no implications for the story. Here, it's at least nominally a meaningful historical setting. These are Sith (and Jedi) who got trapped here, separated from the rest of the Universe, forced to develop in isolation for millenia. It's one of the few places anywhere in Star Wars where space and time feel like they have any historical implications at all, where things change at all. That's great. . . except it doesn't feel like it's put to particularly good use in this volume. Spinner is a very boring protagonist, and while Takara seems more interesting, she's not central to the storytelling. Just central enough to push Spinner out of place as a true lead. Then Dreypa shows up and the whole thing gets a bit out of hand, with a bunch of dumb giant Sith monsters and local beast riders and any hint of historicity seems to have gone out the window. There's nominally some stuff here the Sith philosophy being adapted and diversifying across a whole society, but it's not the focus of the story and I can't say I found it that satisfying.

[BIGnick BIGnick · Rating 2 out of 5]

The two protagonists are about to kill each other and the very next page one tries to save the other, with no explanation for the sudden change. Both characters aren’t particularly interesting and don’t do anything particularly sith-like. The antagonist is over the top, even for a comic book character. The writings sloppy: they say no communications can leave the planet that’s why no one’s discovered them, then a ship leaves the planet and immediately the antagonist contacts them (FROM THE PLANET) basically saying, “I’ve got this technology that allows me to contact you for a short period of time.” The illustrations are good but even there it’s confusing in some of the layouts, relying on dialogue to explain what’s going on in a particular frame. It’s a shame ‘cause there’s talent here but for whatever reason this is the end result.

[Marcin Kowalski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way to go JJM to ruin your own perfectly fine story with this lazy and messy comic book. JJM can write books, but comics... after the insignificant and directionless KOTOR comics this one is another step in the direction of the quality of the SWTOR comics.
The ploting is forced, with rabbids pulled out of the hat, the art is just medival times combined with Star Wars in a very bad way, the dialogue is so bad it ain't even funny and the characters are just bland cartboard cutouts...
And all this written by someone who made the book really enjoyable and unique... Just do your self one good and skip this unnecessary sequel.

[Mayank Agarwal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mediocre plot and art, bad dialogues and coloring, giving us a forgettable adventure.

My exposure to Star Wars has been just the movies and I am just starting the comics in chronological time order, this being the second series I picked up.

The storytelling was confusing but the story itself was simple, none of the characters felt interesting, the average art didn’t help the matter much. The bad guy just wants to be a bad guy for the sake of it. Another murderer’s swing of characteristics and other's treatment towards him feels pushed. Only bothered to carry on reading as it is just 125 pages long.

[Fantifica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reseña de Lorenzo Martínez · Nota: 5,9 · Reseña en Fantífica

El universo de ficción de Star Wars no sería el mismo sin Relatos de los Jedi. La serie marcó un antes y un después en el Universo Expandido, ampliando el trasfondo de la saga galáctica hasta un mundo de posibilidades inesperadas, creando una línea temporal compleja más allá de lo visto en las películas, sumando personajes, historias, planetas, enemigos y aliados, criaturas y tecnología, todo ello diferente a lo mostrado en los films y al mismo tiempo parecido. Esa época ha sido lo que, desde principios de los noventa, ha marcado el patrón de los cómics de Dark Horse ambientados miles de años antes del nacimiento de Luke Skywalker. La huella que dejó Relatos de los Jedi en el imaginario de la saga, y en la forma de hacer cómics dentro de la misma, es difícil de superar e incluso de igualar. Estamos ante un clásico que otras historias ambientadas en una época similar han intentado alcanzar con diferentes propuestas argumentales; pero la huella es profunda.

John Jackson Miller es, hasta la fecha, el autor que más historias ambientadas en la época antigua de la saga ha publicado. Desde su Caballeros de la Antigua República, pasando por Caballero andante y, ahora, La tribu perdida de los Sith. Esta serie de la que ahora Planeta DeAgostini publica el primer arco argumental, Espiral, tiene lugar en el año 2974 Antes de la Batalla de Yavin (ABY), justo al término de las novelas cortas escritas por el mismo autor (recogidas en un único volumen titulado Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories, de momento solo en inglés). La tribu perdida de los Sith se basa en dicha colección de novelas, pero ¿hace falta haberlas leído para sacarle todo el jugo a Espiral? Depende de nuestra exigencia lectora. Por un lado es recomendable haberlas leído previamente para ponernos en antecedentes, aunque por el otro, el propio Jackson Miller hace un pequeño recordatorio insertado en la historia del cómic, que en resumen es la historia de un colectivo de Sith que lleva generaciones al margen del resto de la galaxia, conviviendo pacíficamente en un planeta donde fueron recibidos como dioses a su llegada.

Pero John Jackson Miller no es un escritor hecho para mí. Las historias que surgen de su pluma pueden tener interés para cierto tipo de lectores, no lo pongo en duda, pero en conjunto sus historias me parecen demasiado frías, distantes, con unos personajes en esencia planos y poco trasfondo, sumado además a una falta de imaginación apabullante. Muy diferente es el caso de Relatos de los Jedi, donde los personajes tenían carisma, sabías que tenían un desarrollo, e incluso los temas eran diferentes, tenían un sabor distinto y rico en paralelismos con las películas. Pero las historias que he leído de Jackson Miller no encajan con lo que espero de la saga en cómic: algo que me atraiga, que me haga volver a ella. No logré conectar con Caballeros de la Antigua República ni con Caballero andante (salvo la primera entrega) , como tampoco lo he hecho con La tribu perdida de los Sith; reconozco, eso sí, que al final de la historia se intuye que mejorará con el segundo arco argumental. Esperemos que así sea. El villano (un Sith megalómano típico del autor, nada que ver con los de John Ostrander o cualquier otro), los personajes protagonistas involucrados, el entorno… todo me parece demasiado artificial, sin nada que indique que realmente estamos visitando una época antigua de Star Wars. Es una historia olvidable, que no deja el poso que en su momento sí dejó Relatos de los Jedi.

Pero aunque su guión no es rotundamente malo, el dibujo sí podemos decir que es como mucho irregular. Andrea Mutti, aunque no es ni de lejos el mejor dibujante de la saga, tiene momentos salvables, un «quiero y no puedo» que no termina de arrancar gráficamente, y que en conjunto refuerza la sensación de irregularidad, con unos rostros en los personajes que cambian demasiado dependiendo de la escena y de sus posturas —especial toque de atención a esto último, que el dibujante no domina en absoluto—. Le falta consistencia, algo que también ha ocurrido a otros ilustradores de la saga, algunos de los cuales, por ejemplo, parecen incapaces de dibujar bien a Darth Vader. Incluso el color de Michael Atiyeh es soso y anodino, cuando ha demostrado un gran talento en los cómics de Mass Effect, por ejemplo.

Pero ¿es La tribu perdida de los Sith: Espiral un mal cómic? Lo anteriormente expuesto apunta a que sí, y así es. En caso de que seas un lector exigente de los cómics o las novelas de la saga, seguramente terminarás su lectura con un regusto amargo, pensando que la historia podría haber dado mucho más de sí mejorando los personajes, las situaciones, las premisas, la ambientación y, por supuesto, el dibujo, con una obligatoria mejoría en lo que se refiere a la composición de las viñetas, los gestos, las expresiones y las posturas de los personajes e incluso los entornos por los que se mueven. El aspecto gráfico de un cómic es fundamental, y La tribu perdida de los Sith: Espiral tropieza con un dibujante que no está a la altura. Las expectativas eran altas, pero sintiéndolo mucho el cómic recibe la catalogación de título menor dentro del catálogo de Dark Horse.

[Jedi Master Nate Lightray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tend to like the random microcosms of Star Wars over the main storyline and characters, so this is perfect for me. No Skywalkers here; just a lot of Sith doing the things Sith do. Miller has the freedom to play with these characters, since they’ll never matter (not that the EU ended up mattering in the long run, but you get the idea), and does a great job telling a story that feels both thrilling and ended. I hope Disney gives us these stories about characters we never meet on screen.

[Malcolm Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've found other Sith-heavy stories hard to relate to any of the characters, but in this story they were much more relatable. That being said, the anarchist, Spinner, was a little insufferable and I did find his continued survival amongst the Sith people a quite surprising.
The action, when it kicks off, was okay and full of good ol' giant Star Wars monsters.
This was a fun little addition to the world of Kesh and it was nice seeing some of it.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah. The Lost Tribe of the Sith. My guilty pleasure. I'm glad there was one last piece of their history left to read - and of course I enjoyed it. Sure, we've had secret starships and secret inhabitants on the planet in other stories already... but this was undeniably fun (if a bit bonkers). Hilts was a fave of mine in the Lost Tribe print collection so I was pleased to see him. Too bad there's no more. I'd have happily read more of these.

[Luis Reséndiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

de lo mejorcito de legends que ha sacado panini méxico. buena historia (como salida de heavy metal, digamos) y dibujo regular. sin embargo, la decisión de publicarla es un poco extraña. no ha habido ninguna publicación previa de panini méxico acerca de lost tribe of the sith, entonces la lectura es un poco sin contexto, un poco a la deriva. fuera de eso, bien.

[Roberto Diaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

JJ Miller writes a fun fantasy adventure that could replace jedi and sith for anything else, since is as isolated from other star wars lore as its characters are from the rest of the galaxy, but still, it's and enjoyable and well ilustrated tale, that just happens to take place in the same universe of star wars, without any familiar character (at least from the films) showing.

[Javi Mejías · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un comic bastante interesante, sabiendo que ya está fuera del canon. Me sorprende el desarrollo que le han dado a un tribu basada en la religión Sith, muy lejos de lo ortodoxo a lo que estamos acostumbrados. No obstante, recomiendo leerlo como parte de lo relativo a la antigua republica.

[Pablo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining but too short to develop anyone or anything

[Jorge · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not good enough. If you forget about the "Star Wars", the story is really plain and without any surprise. You would not read this comic without the Star Wars logo

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I wasn't a huge fan of the Lost Tribe of the Sith short stories, I really enjoyed this comic miniseries that focuses on a smaller scale story.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find the Old Republic a fascinating era but these stories are just meh. The art’s good but every character just feels bland.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool artwork, initially a very confusing story which manages to end the most expected way imaginable.

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Wars Legends Project #31

Background: Lost Tribe of the Sith: Spiral was first released in 5 issues from August to December 2012. The trade paperback was published in June 2013. The story was written by John Jackson Miller, with artwork penciled by Andrea Mutti. Mutti has worked on a hugely diverse slate of projects, including War with Miller, and, most recently, a comic tie-in with Mad Max: Fury Road. Miller continues his extensive work in the earliest Star Wars era (which includes the fantastic Knights of the Old Republic comic series) here, with this comic follow-up to his prose Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories (my review).

Spiral is set around a year after the final Lost Tribe of the Sith story, 2,974 years before the Battle of Yavin. One of the two main characters is Takara Hilts, daughter of Grand Lord Varner Hilts, the protagonist of the previous 3 stories. Hilts himself also appears as a secondary character, along with his wife Iliana. There are frequent references to events depicted earlier in the series, and as with all of the other stories, this one is confined to the planet Kesh.

Summary: Parlan Spinner is a petty vandal with delusions of expanding his acts of minor mayhem into full-blown rebellion. As a member of a family permanently enslaved by the Sith Tribe on Kesh, he has no hope of advancement through normal channels. Captured by Takara Hilts, he faces exile aboard an exploratory vessel headed to the South Pole, but is surprised to learn that Takara has also joined the expedition as a stowaway. In keeping with her Grand Lord father's philosophy of a Sith meritocracy, Takara is chafing at her low-rank among the other Sith and itching for a chance to prove herself. These enemies-turned-contentious-allies will find far more than they bargained for at their destination, when an old Keshiri legend that the Sith Tribe has capitalized on for generations turns out to be not quite so legendary as they had all presumed.

Review: This is an engaging additional entry in the Lost Tribe saga, that has the added bonus of being in a different medium, just to keep things fresh. If you enjoyed the rest of the series, particularly the final 3 stories, you'll no doubt appreciate this continuation of the tale, too.

I'm hesitant to say too much more about specifics lest I give away key elements of the plot, but I really appreciated the way the story tied in with several events and elements established throughout the other stories, while still doing something totally different. There were some fun surprises and twists scattered throughout that definitely kept my attention.

Probably the worst thing that I can say about it (aside from a few head-scratchers in the exposition) is just that it doesn't feel necessary to the rest of the series. Not that it feels tacked-on, per se. Just that the previous story, "Pandemonium," ended on a totally satisfying note and left no real open questions in my mind that I felt needed to be answered before the Tribe's apparent reappearance in a much (much) later series of Star Wars novels. This story ends on a satisfying note, as well (and does establish a sense of how Hilts intends to ensure that his unique way of governing the Sith outlives him), but if you skipped it entirely, you'd never miss it. Maybe that's intended to be a feature rather than a bug, since it was published in a different medium from the rest of the series, but that's not what I'd prefer. Anyway, that's certainly not much of a complaint.

B