Star Wars: Path of the Lightsaber, Vol. 1

by Kenny Ruiz

Star Wars: The Path of the Lightsaber is an action-packed adventure that takes the reader along on the relatable journey to learn what it takes to actually be able to use lightsaber.

All Jedi Knights are bestowed an important item that only those in tune with the Force could wield—the lightsaber. These powerful objects disappeared with the Jedi when the Empire took over, but even if you find one, you may not be able to master it.

The First Order rules the galaxy, but some still remember the Jedi Knights who once bravely defended the Republic. Nioka, a resourceful young tinkerer, dreams of becoming a Jedi like the legendary Luke Skywalker. For now, though, she keeps a low profile aboard salvage ship the Random Luck with her crewmate Barun, an enthusiastic supporter of the Resistance.

During an expedition to a mysterious asteroid, Nioka stumbles upon an incredible find—a lightsaber, the weapon of the Jedi. As she tries to figure out how to use it, she realizes others are after the artifact as well, seeking to use it for sinister purposes. With danger closing in, Nioka must protect the lightsaber and herself while learning what it truly means to wield such power. But if she’s going to stand a chance, she’ll need someone to teach her the ways of the Jedi.

Genres: Star Wars, Manga, Comics, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

Published November 11, 2025

About the author

Kenny Ruiz (Alicante, 1980) se inició en el cómic en Granada a temprada edad, fundando con unos amigos alrededor de 1994 en el fanzine Proyecto Cómic, donde publicó historietas durante unos años. Posterioremente se trasladó a Barcelona, para estudiar (primero) e impartir clases (más tarde) en la Escola de Comic Joso de Cataluña, y trabajó durante un año realizando ilustraciones para Disney a través de una agencia. Profesionalmente comenzó publicando con editoriales españolas como MegaMultimedia y Dude Cómics, para dar pronto el salto al mercado francés con la editorial Paquet, para la que ha realizado cuatro álbumes. Actualmente se encuentra finalizando el primer álbum de una nueva serie para Soleil, que debería salir a la venta en unos meses.
Preguntado por sus autores favoritos, cita a Yukito Kishiro (Alita), Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira), Edvin Biukovic (Grendel Tales: Guerra de Clanes) y Enrico Marini (El Escorpión), que también son autores de sus cinco cómics favoritos.


Fuente: http://www.guiadelcomic.es/kenny-ruiz...

Reviews

[morgan ☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Doing our best doesn't guarantee we will succeed. We can't change that."

obsessed with the jawas being used to show different fighting concepts... when is the next volume coming out?

[Alex Hanlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been waiting for this for a long time and it did not disappoint. Interesting timeline placement. Intriguing characters right from the start. Cool looking bad guy. And a great surprise visit from a beloved movie character. Can’t wait for the next volume!

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably closer to a 4.5/5 honestly. This was really fun. Introduced us to two great new heroes to follow and a really cool new villain. We’ve seen this Ren Prospect fight more and he generally cooler than any of the other Knights of Ren! The lightsaber is cool and connecting the beginning of the current timeline to the end is just so cool. Using High Republic gear in the Age of the Resistance is making me happy. I’m just happy to have more canon Sequel trilogy content. This is set between Episodes 8 and 9, and the only main connection so far is the Resistance and the New Republic being severely depleted, and some small Kyle Ren and Knights of Ren references. Definitely worth the read and I’m desperately waiting for volume 2!

[Declan O'Keeffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

2 brand new Star Wars books out today, and of course, I choose the manga first.

I have been so hyped for this book/series, and volume 1 did not let me down at all!!!
I would absolutely put this volume up there with some of the best Star Wars Manga we've ever gotten.

Fun from the get-go, with some interesting twists and some exciting teases for future volumes. I loved the cameos and Easter eggs and links to the High Republic, and i already adore all the new characters.

It's just a really fun, really fresh new Star Wars manga to kick off what looks to be an excellent year for Star Wars Manga fans. Give me more right now!!!!!!

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book and a great start to, (I hope) a series. Good characters and great artwork.

Set after The Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker. As a continuity lover, I really enjoy the crossover of bit of the High Republic, the Originals (the best era) and the new Disney era being mixed together.

Nioka is a bright and intuitive young girl. A bit too intuitive she works out problems and ends up where she needs to be with alarming accuracy. Usually I hate heroes that just seem to be lucky, but I think with her it is more intuition than luck. I also like how she solves problem and finds solutions very quickly. However when she find a old lightsaber is she starting her own path or is she following it's path? Also who is the deadly person following her?

There has to be another volume of this book!! This story just has too much potential to be left like this.

[Admiral Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! This was so amazing, I actually finished it in one sitting! The world building, the art, the characters, every single part of this story was fantastic! It leaves you wanting volume 2 as soon as you finish it, so I hope the next one gets approved and comes out soon! I feel like it was the perfect mix of high republic, imperial, and resistance eras

[Kat Ice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Edelwiess and Viz Media LLC for the E-ARC of this manga!
This story is about some people going on adventures for the Dark Side. A couple of them find themselves on their own and find a lightsaber. The main character wants to be a Jedi and use the lightsaber and her journey.
I really enjoyed this manga! I loved how it was its own story but brought in some beloved Star Wars characters! I cannot wait to see where the story goes. The art was a little blurry but that could be because it's an ARC on a computer. But if you love Star Wars but are looking for new and different stories this one is for you!

[Phoenix Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re a star wars fan you’ll love this. Great artwork and a great story setup. Doesn’t break the mold, but tells more story in the world you already know.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been reading Star Wars comics and books for decades now. Some hit good and some don’t. This one hit me in all the right spots. Let’s look at those spots it -

1. Happens during new trilogy. I’m not a huge fan of the new trilogy, but there is so much to explore. It’s not like the last two trilogies which have had a lot of time to be developed by comics and books. This era is newer.

2. New Star Wars characters. I love the Star Wars characters we have, but the galaxy is huge. I always want to see new characters and not just have it be the same ones over and over again.

3. Knights of Ren. The concept of the knights of Ren is cool. The character designs were awesome. Then the movies wasted them. They did like zero things. Don’t get me started on what marvel comics did to them. Th is probably the first time we’re seeing a cool Knights of ren story.

4. Manga. Star Wars has not done enough with original mangas in my opinion. This style and pacing is a lot of fun and they need to do more of it.

5. Not a clear path for the hero. This is a hero’s journey tale and being a manga this is like the first chapter and it’s fun.

I’m enjoying this manga and hope to see more volumes of it to come out soon.

[Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good start to this manga series. The artwork was good, and the plot has me interested to see where the story goes. I really liked the character design for Nioka and the Ren Prospect. I also liked the tie-ins to the High Republic.

Hopefully they continue this series for several volumes. Star Wars is in need of some ongoing stories in publishing right now, especially ones that our allowed to develop their own isolated stories with original characters. The choice to set this in the sequel era is an interesting one, but does allow a more blank canvas for the story to develop. I like the idea of the son of an imperial guard seeking to defeat both Jedi and the First Order, so that character's arc is worth looking forward to.

It seems like this is a promising beginning that any Star Wars fan with an interest in manga would enjoy.

[J A SPONG · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit, I was a bit of a manga snob when I started reading this. I purchased from Waterstones as an impulse buy and then found out that the author was not of Japanese descent, it didn't read right to left so it was more 'In the manga style'. Kenny Ruiz may be from Spain but his artwork is pure manga. Yeah Nioka has the big manga eyes but Kenny's visual flair is breathtaking. Great action scenes, massive splash pages and incredible attention to detail. It is not just his artwork though, the story is fresh, the characters likeable and detestable (my favourite is the probe droid who wants to self destruct) and really clever fight sequences that have an incredible level of detail. Very highly recommended.

[Maddox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just incredible… The story was so interesting and engaging. A perfect mix of serious moments, action, and comedy. The characters were great too, I specifically love Nioka. I LOVE how even though this is set during the times of the sequel trilogy it has heavy ties to the High Republic era. And the art???? Don’t even talk to me ✋ Some of the pages in this were genuinely jaw dropping.

I cannot WAIT for the next volume to release. 4.85/5 stars 🤩

[Robert Pierson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably closer to 2 1/2 stars for me Art work is decent and there are some things about the story I like though it’s definitely really tropia times I’m not really sure if I’m probably gonna read the rest of this it seems to be kind of bland in my opinion I know there’s People who will like this I am just not in that category

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, the Star Wars manga stories have been amazing - and this is no different. I adored it. Nioka is an engaging and sympathetic main character. Her spirit, and the general vibe of the manga, reminds me of Star Wars Expanded Universe media released in the 1990s. There's really no higher compliment I can pay it.

[Francis Dominic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah I am going to need 20 more volumes of this.

It’s SO GOOD! The villain is immaculate!

The oracle?!?!? Insane and iconic character already.

Our main with the yellow lightsaber?! YEAH I LOVE HER!

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an exciting start to a new story in the post death star Star Wars canon. I like that the author showed they're willing to play for keeps immediately. The art was well done and the action was blocked out well, can't wait for the next volume.

[Raul Fernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really promising start to this series, I hope it doesn't get canceled. I'm up for any Sequel Era storytelling, and this one is set between TLJ and TROS. We need more of this!

My rating: 4.0 Stars

[James Regan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to see a fresh take on Star Wars! I really enjoyed Kenny's way of expressing the Star Wars story from people who aren't the OG characters, and aren't even connected to the OG characters at all!

[doowopapocalypse · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC from Netgalley

Picked this up on a whim but it was an incredibly fun story that I cannot wait to see continue.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun Star Wars read that explores the Sequels era, with Easter eggs from the High Republic! An exciting new adventure into the Star Wars universe!

[Jason Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story, amazing adventure, great characters, i highly recommend!! Set between movies 8 and 9

[Nic Mosman-Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story!
It’s cute and fun and has that Star Wars charm!
I can’t wait to see where this story goes!

[Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun, dynamic manga-style comic with interesting new star wars characters --- going to keep up with this series

[Shayla Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love more sequel stories and this is a great start!

[Jason Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this SW Manga.

No notes really, I'm psyched that it's got a 1 on the spine, suggesting there will be more!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to learn how to fight with a lightsaber without a master. The lightsaber is the key to a treasure. The book feels like Star Wars. Kick butt by running away.

[Gabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid characters and compelling art. Looking forward to more volumes.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story set during the sequel trilogy that leaves you wanting more.

[Ryan Huynh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing read with entirely fun new characters and a nice premise that makes me look forward to the next book! Has references to mainline characters without feeling shoehorned.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stellar story and art! Can’t wait to read the next one!