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Star Wars: Republic #11
Star Wars: Clone Wars, Volume 2: Victories and Sacrifices
One graphic novel in a fantastic sseries of stories.
120 pages, Paperback
First published November 25, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
March 16, 2024
Set in 22BBY
Clone Wars' raging and shit happens!
Lots and lots an los and LOTS of action, along with some great artwork as well.
Clone Wars' raging and shit happens!
Lots and lots an los and LOTS of action, along with some great artwork as well.
June 13, 2020
I never enjoyed this one as much as the first volume, but it’s not bad. Unlike Volume 1, which contained five stories, this one has just three.
The New Face of War is the set piece story of this collection, in which Obi-Wan, Anakin, and some other Jedi discover a Separatist chemical weapon on a moon of Naboo. The bad news is it’s a story in which Obi-Wan, Anakin, and some other Jedi discover a Separatist chemical weapon on a moon of Naboo. Why is it that whenever Anakin shows up he tanks whatever story he’s in? I know, I know, he has to have a fatal flaw otherwise his eventual destiny won’t be plausible. But he’s so unlikeable. The only person he cares for outside of himself is Padme, and even then, their romance is so forced and bad that even when he shows care for her I can’t bring myself to root for it or give a damn. Worse, it’s obvious that the location of this story is only to give Anakin some kind of tension and so we have to suffer through his angst, despite the fact that there seems to be no logical or strategic reason why this moon should be a target. On top of all that, Clone Wars set stories where Anakin and Obi-Wan appear together have a soporific effect on me because we know they will survive and they pretty much show up only for the biggest set piece battles, do some flashy fighting, and then there’s never enough time for introspection or character development. Honestly I prefer the stories without them in because there’s scope for interesting twists and the unexpected to happen.
Blast Radius was somewhat more intriguing, mostly because when he’s freed of Anakin, Obi-Wan actually gets some decent plotlines. Like I said, lesser known or original Jedi tend to have the more exciting developments, so it was nice to see some more new faces here. The problem is they’re killed off so quickly with very little time to distinguish each, and the story is so short. I felt like the story showed some promise but it wasn’t fulfilled.
Catspaw was probably the most interesting in my book. Shaak Ti, Plo Koon, and Agen Kolar team up with some prisoners of questionable history in order to make a successful planetary assault for the Republic, all while grappling with the fact that on this planet the move to secession is majority driven and sparked from genuine complaints against the Republic. Quinlan Vos shows up again, continuing the through strand in this series of his undercover work, and Shaak Ti has to deal with a tense personal connection to one of the prisoners. It was a fresh angle to explore how some people just drive themselves down a dark path due to constantly thinking the worst of others, even if it did make for a bit of a grim ending. My one real quibble with this is that Shaak Ti came off almost too cool and collected; I would have liked to have seen more reflection on the unnecessary waste of life. And while I’m asking for things, a bit more Jedi introspection on the self-determination of this planet versus their role fighting for the Republic.
All in all, none of the stories is bad. Some are better than others. But none of the three truly grabbed me.
6 out of 10
October 19, 2017
As with the first volume, this is more of a collection of short stories.
The New Face Of War
Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi investigate strange goings on on one of Naboo's moons and find themselves battling a mysterious bounty hunter going by the name of Durge as well as Asajj Ventress. The artwork of this one really reinforces the Jedis' struggle in the poisoned air. The introduction of the Gen-Dai Durge to the franchise is brilliant, he's a real tough opponent for the Jedi to face-off against. It also one of those rare instances where a new Jedi is introduced who is not bumped off by the end of the story. Great stuff.
Blast Radius
A badly injured Obi-Wan Kenobi recounts his mission to an installation in his search for the antidote to the poison featured in the previous story.
A different art style grates initially, but really goes on to accentuate the chaos of the scenery later. In some ways, this is a rehash of the preceding story with a bunch of Jedi facing off against Durge and Ventress, but the interesting characters and dynamic setting makes this an exciting and compelling read.
Even though you only just meet them, the death of each Jedi is really poigniant.
Shaak Ti
Another bonus Jedi story this time following Shaak Ti as she breaks into a secured prison facility and enlists the aid of some of those incarcerated to fulfil her mission. Excellent artwork and an intriguing story, particularly as one of the inmates was put there by Shaak Ti previously. We also meet up with Quinlan Vos as well as Sagoro Autum from Honour and Duty. A brilliant story.
The New Face Of War
Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi investigate strange goings on on one of Naboo's moons and find themselves battling a mysterious bounty hunter going by the name of Durge as well as Asajj Ventress. The artwork of this one really reinforces the Jedis' struggle in the poisoned air. The introduction of the Gen-Dai Durge to the franchise is brilliant, he's a real tough opponent for the Jedi to face-off against. It also one of those rare instances where a new Jedi is introduced who is not bumped off by the end of the story. Great stuff.
Blast Radius
A badly injured Obi-Wan Kenobi recounts his mission to an installation in his search for the antidote to the poison featured in the previous story.
A different art style grates initially, but really goes on to accentuate the chaos of the scenery later. In some ways, this is a rehash of the preceding story with a bunch of Jedi facing off against Durge and Ventress, but the interesting characters and dynamic setting makes this an exciting and compelling read.
Even though you only just meet them, the death of each Jedi is really poigniant.
Shaak Ti
Another bonus Jedi story this time following Shaak Ti as she breaks into a secured prison facility and enlists the aid of some of those incarcerated to fulfil her mission. Excellent artwork and an intriguing story, particularly as one of the inmates was put there by Shaak Ti previously. We also meet up with Quinlan Vos as well as Sagoro Autum from Honour and Duty. A brilliant story.
July 26, 2018
Continuing on with my Clone Wars graphic novel re-read, we get to Star Wars: Clone Wars, Volume 2: Victories and Sacrifices.
Most of this book deals with the Jedi investigation of a missing colony of gungans on the Naboo moon of Ohma-D'un, and the subsequent fallout from this. It sees the introduction of Durge as a threat to the Jedi almost on a par with Asajj Ventress, demonstrating this with his murder of Zangiev-alike Jedi master Glaive and his ability to withstand Anakin and Obi-Wan (as well as Glaive's padawan) at the same time.
The rest of the book recounts a mission by Jedi master Shaak-Ti to Brentaal IV, encountering some escaped prisoners whom they recruit unwillingly to their cause. Again, this portrays the compromises that the Jedi must make in order to become a successful fighting force. Shaak-Ti is unrepepentantly manipulative and willing to sacrifice any- and everyone to achieve the Republic's aims.
As a comic book Victories and Sacrifices is able to portray the Clone Wars in a more graphic and grotesque way than the TV show, and it takes full advantage of this. The art continues the high quality established in Volume 1, although the stories themselves are a little more generic.
Still, this is definitely worth a read!
Most of this book deals with the Jedi investigation of a missing colony of gungans on the Naboo moon of Ohma-D'un, and the subsequent fallout from this. It sees the introduction of Durge as a threat to the Jedi almost on a par with Asajj Ventress, demonstrating this with his murder of Zangiev-alike Jedi master Glaive and his ability to withstand Anakin and Obi-Wan (as well as Glaive's padawan) at the same time.
The rest of the book recounts a mission by Jedi master Shaak-Ti to Brentaal IV, encountering some escaped prisoners whom they recruit unwillingly to their cause. Again, this portrays the compromises that the Jedi must make in order to become a successful fighting force. Shaak-Ti is unrepepentantly manipulative and willing to sacrifice any- and everyone to achieve the Republic's aims.
As a comic book Victories and Sacrifices is able to portray the Clone Wars in a more graphic and grotesque way than the TV show, and it takes full advantage of this. The art continues the high quality established in Volume 1, although the stories themselves are a little more generic.
Still, this is definitely worth a read!
December 11, 2024
“Jedi aren’t supposed to feel fear, but I am afraid”.
These words of Anakin Skywalker emphasize not only his continuing descent into the Dark Side, but also how the horrors of war are on full display as the Clone Wars continue.
(Spoilers to follow)
The first of the book’s storylines sees Obi-wan and Anakin tackling a mission on a moon of Naboo. A Gungan colony on that moon has run into trouble, and while investigating the Jedi discover to their horror that all the Gungans are dead. Of course, if the reader is someone with a strong dislike of Jar Jar Binks, perhaps seeing a two-page spread of dead Gungans is going to elicit a response of mirth rather than horror, but the intention is certainly to show what’s at stake.
The Separatists have developed a new chemical weapon, one deadly to organic life but harmless to their own droid armies. The deployment of such a weapon would therefore give them an advantage over the Republic’s clone troopers, not to mention the damage it could cause to civilian population centres (Anakin fears for Padme, whose homeworld they are orbiting upon discovery of this weapon). It becomes imperative to obtain an antidote to neutralize the weapon.
Opposing the Jedi on their mission is Asaji Ventress, wielder of two lightsabres and a trainee of Count Dooku is present as well, showing off abilities some might consider unnatural – she raises the dead to fight for her. Zombie Gungans! What a world! She is joined by a henchman called Durge, heavy where she is lithe.
There is a criticism I have to level at Haden Blackman’s writing here, not on a structural level but in regards to dialogue: something about it feels off for Star Wars at times. Anakin’s internal monologues are perfectly fine, as are the more sombre moments when remembering those lost in battle, but the one-liners thrown around during action scenes feel a little too pithy, and in this aspect the character of Durge just feels edgy in all the wrong ways, a teenager’s idea of a badass villain. Lines like “You’re not going anywhere except the afterlife” or boasting about all his kills and saying it’s been “a damn good week” just sound silly.
That being said Durge is an interesting creature, a mind and a nervous system inside an armoured suit but lacking things like a spine or other easily vulnerable body parts, packing a mind resistant to Jedi control and armed to the teeth, he’s very much what good evil henchmen are made of… when he’s not talking.
The plotline around this chemical weapon the Separatists developed takes place on two worlds, and the latter missions sees Obi-wan teaming up with a maverick group of four Jedi, each with a history attached to them, like they were the figures of countless other tales, and in-universe they certainly are. And they bring us to the title of this collection: victories and sacrifices. The four Jedi masters are given enough life on the page to make it feel like a loss when they die, and the weight of that loss is carried by Obi-wan Kenobi as he completes his mission. It’s a war and victories don’t come free.
To contrast with the horrors of the Separatist’s chemical weapons, the other storyline in this collection follows a conflict where the Republic is seen as the invader. The population of Brentaal IV relish the liberation that driving away the yoke of the Republic represents to them, and Quinlan Vos, who has been undercover on that world realizes that even if they should win against their enemies there, the civilian population would still resent them. Thus the two storylines show the reader two very different sides to the Separatist movement and by extension the Republic itself. The Jedi-Sith dichotomy may be black and white, but the Clone Wars are less so.
To further emphasize the ambiguousness of the conflict, Jedi general Shaak Ti, cut off from her main force, makes her way to a prison, where not only Quinlan Vos but a motley crew of criminals are to be found, and with these jailbirds they form an impromptu suicide squad, aiming to take out both the enemy leader and the shields keeping his stronghold protected from Republic bombardment.
If the Jedi from the previous story were interesting, these prisoners are downright fascinating. I’ve wondered before at Ostrander’s ability to sketch characters with such apparent ease, hardly a speech bubble wasted in the small number of panels used to establish who they are, what motivates them, implications of their past that inform their current actions. A Wookie driven to fits of berserker rage as a result of losing his family, a man who once served as a guard for the Republic Senate but was disillusioned after being forced to slay his own brother in the line of duty, a woman who killed Shaak Ti’s padawan and is now convinced the Jedi master is seeking revenge against her… even the silent clone trooper gets a moment to shine.
In the end the Republic triumphs, but there is not much rejoicing. Shaak Ti is beginning to experience reservations: “We fight for the Republic and its ideals, but on Brentaal IV we have imposed a government on its people that is not of their choice. I wonder what this war does to us. As Jedi, as the Republic. What it does to ME. All wars change all those who fight them – in ways we cannot foresee.”
Food for thought. In the previous volume of this collection, an alien used his pheromones to control someone’s mind in a manner which Quinlan Vos found repugnant enough to make him change his plans. This time around Shaak Ti employs the aid of similar manipulation without second thought. “His emotions cloud his mind. Leave him now to me,” she says of Shogar Tok, the beloved leader of the people of Brentaal IV. She tells him that the Jedi are his true friends and not Count Dooku. But Count Dooku talked to him from afar, via hologram, supporting him in a cause he and his people believed in. No mind control, no manipulation of his free will by pheromones or the Force needed. Who’s the good guy here?
That’s not the only scenario where one is left to ponder such questions. When Quinlan Vos is sprung from prison, it is discovered his codes had been compromised, that someone on the inside had been feeding data to the enemy. When he is leading his group through the sewers, they are beset upon by a beast (every sewer in the galaxy seems riddled with these) and he claims it wasn’t there before. It’s almost like the reader is being nudged towards suspecting Vos. But how could a Jedi be under suspicion?
The second collection of the Clone Wars era stories showcases war as horrific and the combatants as nuanced people (Durge notwithstanding), the stakes in both the larger and smaller scale are believable and lives lost carry impact. It’s easy to get invested in the ongoing struggle.
These words of Anakin Skywalker emphasize not only his continuing descent into the Dark Side, but also how the horrors of war are on full display as the Clone Wars continue.
(Spoilers to follow)
The first of the book’s storylines sees Obi-wan and Anakin tackling a mission on a moon of Naboo. A Gungan colony on that moon has run into trouble, and while investigating the Jedi discover to their horror that all the Gungans are dead. Of course, if the reader is someone with a strong dislike of Jar Jar Binks, perhaps seeing a two-page spread of dead Gungans is going to elicit a response of mirth rather than horror, but the intention is certainly to show what’s at stake.
The Separatists have developed a new chemical weapon, one deadly to organic life but harmless to their own droid armies. The deployment of such a weapon would therefore give them an advantage over the Republic’s clone troopers, not to mention the damage it could cause to civilian population centres (Anakin fears for Padme, whose homeworld they are orbiting upon discovery of this weapon). It becomes imperative to obtain an antidote to neutralize the weapon.
Opposing the Jedi on their mission is Asaji Ventress, wielder of two lightsabres and a trainee of Count Dooku is present as well, showing off abilities some might consider unnatural – she raises the dead to fight for her. Zombie Gungans! What a world! She is joined by a henchman called Durge, heavy where she is lithe.
There is a criticism I have to level at Haden Blackman’s writing here, not on a structural level but in regards to dialogue: something about it feels off for Star Wars at times. Anakin’s internal monologues are perfectly fine, as are the more sombre moments when remembering those lost in battle, but the one-liners thrown around during action scenes feel a little too pithy, and in this aspect the character of Durge just feels edgy in all the wrong ways, a teenager’s idea of a badass villain. Lines like “You’re not going anywhere except the afterlife” or boasting about all his kills and saying it’s been “a damn good week” just sound silly.
That being said Durge is an interesting creature, a mind and a nervous system inside an armoured suit but lacking things like a spine or other easily vulnerable body parts, packing a mind resistant to Jedi control and armed to the teeth, he’s very much what good evil henchmen are made of… when he’s not talking.
The plotline around this chemical weapon the Separatists developed takes place on two worlds, and the latter missions sees Obi-wan teaming up with a maverick group of four Jedi, each with a history attached to them, like they were the figures of countless other tales, and in-universe they certainly are. And they bring us to the title of this collection: victories and sacrifices. The four Jedi masters are given enough life on the page to make it feel like a loss when they die, and the weight of that loss is carried by Obi-wan Kenobi as he completes his mission. It’s a war and victories don’t come free.
To contrast with the horrors of the Separatist’s chemical weapons, the other storyline in this collection follows a conflict where the Republic is seen as the invader. The population of Brentaal IV relish the liberation that driving away the yoke of the Republic represents to them, and Quinlan Vos, who has been undercover on that world realizes that even if they should win against their enemies there, the civilian population would still resent them. Thus the two storylines show the reader two very different sides to the Separatist movement and by extension the Republic itself. The Jedi-Sith dichotomy may be black and white, but the Clone Wars are less so.
To further emphasize the ambiguousness of the conflict, Jedi general Shaak Ti, cut off from her main force, makes her way to a prison, where not only Quinlan Vos but a motley crew of criminals are to be found, and with these jailbirds they form an impromptu suicide squad, aiming to take out both the enemy leader and the shields keeping his stronghold protected from Republic bombardment.
If the Jedi from the previous story were interesting, these prisoners are downright fascinating. I’ve wondered before at Ostrander’s ability to sketch characters with such apparent ease, hardly a speech bubble wasted in the small number of panels used to establish who they are, what motivates them, implications of their past that inform their current actions. A Wookie driven to fits of berserker rage as a result of losing his family, a man who once served as a guard for the Republic Senate but was disillusioned after being forced to slay his own brother in the line of duty, a woman who killed Shaak Ti’s padawan and is now convinced the Jedi master is seeking revenge against her… even the silent clone trooper gets a moment to shine.
In the end the Republic triumphs, but there is not much rejoicing. Shaak Ti is beginning to experience reservations: “We fight for the Republic and its ideals, but on Brentaal IV we have imposed a government on its people that is not of their choice. I wonder what this war does to us. As Jedi, as the Republic. What it does to ME. All wars change all those who fight them – in ways we cannot foresee.”
Food for thought. In the previous volume of this collection, an alien used his pheromones to control someone’s mind in a manner which Quinlan Vos found repugnant enough to make him change his plans. This time around Shaak Ti employs the aid of similar manipulation without second thought. “His emotions cloud his mind. Leave him now to me,” she says of Shogar Tok, the beloved leader of the people of Brentaal IV. She tells him that the Jedi are his true friends and not Count Dooku. But Count Dooku talked to him from afar, via hologram, supporting him in a cause he and his people believed in. No mind control, no manipulation of his free will by pheromones or the Force needed. Who’s the good guy here?
That’s not the only scenario where one is left to ponder such questions. When Quinlan Vos is sprung from prison, it is discovered his codes had been compromised, that someone on the inside had been feeding data to the enemy. When he is leading his group through the sewers, they are beset upon by a beast (every sewer in the galaxy seems riddled with these) and he claims it wasn’t there before. It’s almost like the reader is being nudged towards suspecting Vos. But how could a Jedi be under suspicion?
The second collection of the Clone Wars era stories showcases war as horrific and the combatants as nuanced people (Durge notwithstanding), the stakes in both the larger and smaller scale are believable and lives lost carry impact. It’s easy to get invested in the ongoing struggle.
August 19, 2022
Der Ersteindruck von diesem Comic war sehr positiv. Der Artstyle hat mich umgehauen, er sieht einfach so gut aus. Was die Zeichner hier abgeliefert haben, ist unglaublich. Direkt nach dem lesen habe ich den Comic nochmals mehrmals durchgeblättert, nur um mir die Zeichnungen nochmals anzusehen. Was mir auch sehr gut gefallen hat, ist das der Comic eine ungewohnt düstere Seite von Star Wars zeigt, was ich immer sehr gerne mag. In dem Comic sieht man dutzende vergaste Gungans, abgetrennte Körperteile und viele tote Jedi. Ich wünschte wir würden diese Brutalität auch mal wieder im Kanon zu sehen bekommen, was aber unter Disney leider ziemlich unwahrscheinlich ist.
Was allerdings die grosse Schwäche des Comics ist, sind die Storys. Der Comics erzählt 3 Kurzgeschichten, die allerdings kaum in ein Kurzgeschichten-format passen. Das führt dazu, dass der Comic viel zu viel versucht in kurzer Zeit zu erzählen. Deshalb ist der Dialog sehr expositionslastig und wirkt hölzern und unnatürlich. Außerdem hat die Geschichte deswegen kaum Raum um sich zu entfalten und Spannung aufzubauen.
Deshalb macht es erstaunlich wenig Spass den Comic zu lesen, obwohl die einzelnen Geschichten durchaus Potenzial haben. Sie bräuchten einfach mehr Platz z.B in einem eigenem Comic.
Aber alleine für die Zeichnungen hat es sich gelohnt den Comic zu lesen :)
Was allerdings die grosse Schwäche des Comics ist, sind die Storys. Der Comics erzählt 3 Kurzgeschichten, die allerdings kaum in ein Kurzgeschichten-format passen. Das führt dazu, dass der Comic viel zu viel versucht in kurzer Zeit zu erzählen. Deshalb ist der Dialog sehr expositionslastig und wirkt hölzern und unnatürlich. Außerdem hat die Geschichte deswegen kaum Raum um sich zu entfalten und Spannung aufzubauen.
Deshalb macht es erstaunlich wenig Spass den Comic zu lesen, obwohl die einzelnen Geschichten durchaus Potenzial haben. Sie bräuchten einfach mehr Platz z.B in einem eigenem Comic.
Aber alleine für die Zeichnungen hat es sich gelohnt den Comic zu lesen :)
January 2, 2010
A good comic, but nothing really stands out.
August 24, 2017
The New Face of War - 3 stars
This tries to do a lot and doesn't necessarily succeed. It introduces both Durge and Asajj Ventress without much fanfare for the latter especially, as a kind of duo, which I'm not sure matches other stories? And it also debuts a chemical weapon developed by the Separatists to clear the way for the droid armies. Here that's established as a major point of articulation in the war--if this weapon isn't stopped, the CIS has won already. It also takes place on Ohma-D'un, the setting of the Gungan Frontier, which is kinda funny. Maybe meant to be fan service to show all these dead Gungans? Also Asajj reanimates some Gungan soldiers like a proper necromancer which I'm not sure has been done elsewhere in SW?
Blast Radius - 2 stars
Kinda annoyed by this one. It takes the big war-ending tech set up in the last comic and resolves it so the war can get underway. In order to make it suitably a Big Deal, they set up four new Jedi, and then kill them off dramatically. They're these historic heroes that just come up out of the blue only to be whisked away immediately, Obi-wan the only survivor. It helps to build up Durge and Ventress, but I wish they'd at least stretched it out a bit longer. And it just undercuts the magnitude of this sacrifice to have two or three more arcs later in the Clone Wars that just recapitulate this whole process. And then there's the art, which has this scratchy, ripped quality I really didn't enjoy.
Double Blind - 2 stars
Another setup story for this Quin undercover arc; not as thick on the grimdark art as Sacrifice but still full of male gaze shots of Khaleen. You can feel the gears turning on this plot as they happen, but not in an enjoyable way--the characters don't matter enough for the betrayals to matter, they're all just steps toward a later payoff.
This tries to do a lot and doesn't necessarily succeed. It introduces both Durge and Asajj Ventress without much fanfare for the latter especially, as a kind of duo, which I'm not sure matches other stories? And it also debuts a chemical weapon developed by the Separatists to clear the way for the droid armies. Here that's established as a major point of articulation in the war--if this weapon isn't stopped, the CIS has won already. It also takes place on Ohma-D'un, the setting of the Gungan Frontier, which is kinda funny. Maybe meant to be fan service to show all these dead Gungans? Also Asajj reanimates some Gungan soldiers like a proper necromancer which I'm not sure has been done elsewhere in SW?
Blast Radius - 2 stars
Kinda annoyed by this one. It takes the big war-ending tech set up in the last comic and resolves it so the war can get underway. In order to make it suitably a Big Deal, they set up four new Jedi, and then kill them off dramatically. They're these historic heroes that just come up out of the blue only to be whisked away immediately, Obi-wan the only survivor. It helps to build up Durge and Ventress, but I wish they'd at least stretched it out a bit longer. And it just undercuts the magnitude of this sacrifice to have two or three more arcs later in the Clone Wars that just recapitulate this whole process. And then there's the art, which has this scratchy, ripped quality I really didn't enjoy.
Double Blind - 2 stars
Another setup story for this Quin undercover arc; not as thick on the grimdark art as Sacrifice but still full of male gaze shots of Khaleen. You can feel the gears turning on this plot as they happen, but not in an enjoyable way--the characters don't matter enough for the betrayals to matter, they're all just steps toward a later payoff.
July 23, 2025
While not quite as fun as the previous Volume in terms of not covering any conflicts of quite as much interest or narrative weight, I really do enjoy this arc for the introductions of Dengar, and especially Ventress.
I feel like the authors were a bit too antsy to highlight Anakin's darker side this Volume. this is only a few months into the ear out if 3 years. We don't need character corruption THIS early, although I can understand that every author wants to be the one to start teasing it.
Still, Ventless and Durge were introduced very well and certainly had a great on page presence that, thankfully, would got on to have a great influence on this Era of Star Wars media. Well, Ventless at least.
Good Volume, just not as consistent in quality
I feel like the authors were a bit too antsy to highlight Anakin's darker side this Volume. this is only a few months into the ear out if 3 years. We don't need character corruption THIS early, although I can understand that every author wants to be the one to start teasing it.
Still, Ventless and Durge were introduced very well and certainly had a great on page presence that, thankfully, would got on to have a great influence on this Era of Star Wars media. Well, Ventless at least.
Good Volume, just not as consistent in quality
January 14, 2025
I saw that everyone in the Star wars EU reddit were saying that the Star wars Republic Comics , showed the brutality of war, , intresting characters eetc
et. I decided to see what the Hype was. I was'nt dissapointed. The art work was gorgous, the dialogue was fun , and the Characters , new and Old were intresting.
There were 3 stories in this Volume. Here is my opinons of these stories. Spoilers ahead
Story one is The New Face of wars is about Anakin and Obi Wan ( And another pair of Jedi , Master Glaive and Padawan Zule ) saving Naboo 's moon from a Sepratist Gas. The villans were big threats and the horror of war was shown.
Story 2 was about Obi wan and a group of Badass Jedi (who I wish showed up in other material than this comic that they were redshirts in) finding the Antidote.
Story 3 was about Shak ti . I loved seeing more of her . Also I like the focus on a seperatist planet where the people and leader have legitmate grevuances with the Republic.
et. I decided to see what the Hype was. I was'nt dissapointed. The art work was gorgous, the dialogue was fun , and the Characters , new and Old were intresting.
There were 3 stories in this Volume. Here is my opinons of these stories. Spoilers ahead
Story one is The New Face of wars is about Anakin and Obi Wan ( And another pair of Jedi , Master Glaive and Padawan Zule ) saving Naboo 's moon from a Sepratist Gas. The villans were big threats and the horror of war was shown.
Story 2 was about Obi wan and a group of Badass Jedi (who I wish showed up in other material than this comic that they were redshirts in) finding the Antidote.
Story 3 was about Shak ti . I loved seeing more of her . Also I like the focus on a seperatist planet where the people and leader have legitmate grevuances with the Republic.
July 29, 2019
So there's a plague and Jedi fighting super troopers. And then there's more fighting. The last story with Shak Ti was a bit more interesting, but it was still mostly fighting. The cartoon was way more interesting and complicated. Good German practice but not the most engaging.
December 4, 2022
Had that over-the-top grittiness that 2000s Star Wars comics from Dark Horse had but that's not always a bad thing. Alpha and Durge were both badasses and I enjoyed Anakin's rapport with the former. Mostly I have nostalgia thinking back to these Clone Wars comics.
January 4, 2021
Getting a lot of Ventress in here. The artwork is good too.
June 6, 2021
Really good. Artwork was great. Story was interesting.
June 15, 2023
An excellent volume with stories that really ramp up the pathos. I can't choose a favourite among them, as they are all so good. And I always enjoy seeing Quinlan Vos, obviously.
July 26, 2023
A very cool introduction to two great characters that establishes how much of a menace they actually are. It also have very good art and some solid stories.
September 27, 2024
Ok story overall, artwork was bleh. Read the "Jedi: Shaak Ti" issue as part of this and it was the best by far.
July 4, 2017
Star Wars Legends Project #109
Background: Victories and Sacrifices, released in September 2003, collects issues 51-53 of Republic and the second issue of the Jedi series of one-shots: Republic: The New Face of War (2 issues, March-April 2003) was written by Haden Blackman and pencilled by Tomás Giorello. Republic: Blast Radius (1 issue, April 2003) was also written by Blackman and drawn by Brian Ching. Jedi: Shaak Ti (1 issue, May 2003) was written by John Ostrander with art by Jan Duursema. All of them also contributed to Clone Wars - The Defense of Kamino and Other Tales (my review) with the exception of Ching, who (in addition to several other Republic issues) also did the art for about half of the Knights of the Old Republic series.
The New Face of War is set about 3 months after the Battle of Geonosis (22 years before the Battle of Yavin), features Obi-Wan, Anakin, Durge, and Asajj Ventress, and takes place on a moon of Naboo. Blast Radius takes place about a month later, and also features Obi-Wan, Durge, and Asajj Ventress. Shaak Ti (retitled "Catspaw" here) is set another month after that (5 months after the Battle of Geonosis), and features Shaak Ti (obviously) and Quinlan Vos. It takes place on Brentaal IV.
Summary: In The New Face of War, the Jedi stumble upon a Gungan settlement that has been wiped out by a chemical attack, and soon find themselves fighting for their lives against the Separatists' most elite assassins as they try to prevent a similar attack on Naboo.
In Blast Radius, Obi-Wan teams up with a group of legendary Jedi to steal the antidote to the Separatists' chemical weapon, but they find themselves in a trap that they may not all escape from.
In Catspaw, Shaak Ti leads a small team into an enemy fortress in a desparate ploy to turn the tide of a battle that the Republic has already lost once. Once inside, she is forced to trust old enemies and hope that at least one of several long-shots pays off.
Review: The New Face of War is probably the strongest of the three in terms of action, though it isn't long on plot. There's lots of well-drawn dueling, and depiction of Asajj Ventress particularly shines. It's reasonably exciting, even though the outcome never really feels in doubt (despite some obvious attempts to make us believe otherwise).
Blast Radius is fine, but it's greatest strength is also it's greatest weakness: It introduces several new and awesome Jedi characters, but never gives a chance to really get to know anything about them. And there's no reason to even try to care about them, because we know from the beginning of the story that none of them survives. It feels like a really cheap way to grind up some Jedi to prove that there are "stakes" to the conflict. And if you aren't a big fan of Durge (and I'm not) then you aren't going to care for much of this collection. I don't buy that he's so absurdly epic as to be more than a match for multiple "legendary" Jedi.
Shaak Ti has the most to offer in the way of plot and character development, but it's trying too hard to be a story about how Jedi handle the notion of "revenge" without ever really committing enough to flesh out its ideas. And here, again, there's an attempt to put the outcome in doubt without it ever really feeling like it is.
Overall, this collection is long on action, and there's some great artwork to go along with it, but it doesn't feel like anything of consequence happens. Hard Contact (my review) handles the idea of a threat of chemical warfare way better. This is super-skippable.
The New Face of War: C
Blast Radius: C
Shaak Ti: C
Background: Victories and Sacrifices, released in September 2003, collects issues 51-53 of Republic and the second issue of the Jedi series of one-shots: Republic: The New Face of War (2 issues, March-April 2003) was written by Haden Blackman and pencilled by Tomás Giorello. Republic: Blast Radius (1 issue, April 2003) was also written by Blackman and drawn by Brian Ching. Jedi: Shaak Ti (1 issue, May 2003) was written by John Ostrander with art by Jan Duursema. All of them also contributed to Clone Wars - The Defense of Kamino and Other Tales (my review) with the exception of Ching, who (in addition to several other Republic issues) also did the art for about half of the Knights of the Old Republic series.
The New Face of War is set about 3 months after the Battle of Geonosis (22 years before the Battle of Yavin), features Obi-Wan, Anakin, Durge, and Asajj Ventress, and takes place on a moon of Naboo. Blast Radius takes place about a month later, and also features Obi-Wan, Durge, and Asajj Ventress. Shaak Ti (retitled "Catspaw" here) is set another month after that (5 months after the Battle of Geonosis), and features Shaak Ti (obviously) and Quinlan Vos. It takes place on Brentaal IV.
Summary: In The New Face of War, the Jedi stumble upon a Gungan settlement that has been wiped out by a chemical attack, and soon find themselves fighting for their lives against the Separatists' most elite assassins as they try to prevent a similar attack on Naboo.
In Blast Radius, Obi-Wan teams up with a group of legendary Jedi to steal the antidote to the Separatists' chemical weapon, but they find themselves in a trap that they may not all escape from.
In Catspaw, Shaak Ti leads a small team into an enemy fortress in a desparate ploy to turn the tide of a battle that the Republic has already lost once. Once inside, she is forced to trust old enemies and hope that at least one of several long-shots pays off.
Review: The New Face of War is probably the strongest of the three in terms of action, though it isn't long on plot. There's lots of well-drawn dueling, and depiction of Asajj Ventress particularly shines. It's reasonably exciting, even though the outcome never really feels in doubt (despite some obvious attempts to make us believe otherwise).
Blast Radius is fine, but it's greatest strength is also it's greatest weakness: It introduces several new and awesome Jedi characters, but never gives a chance to really get to know anything about them. And there's no reason to even try to care about them, because we know from the beginning of the story that none of them survives. It feels like a really cheap way to grind up some Jedi to prove that there are "stakes" to the conflict. And if you aren't a big fan of Durge (and I'm not) then you aren't going to care for much of this collection. I don't buy that he's so absurdly epic as to be more than a match for multiple "legendary" Jedi.
Shaak Ti has the most to offer in the way of plot and character development, but it's trying too hard to be a story about how Jedi handle the notion of "revenge" without ever really committing enough to flesh out its ideas. And here, again, there's an attempt to put the outcome in doubt without it ever really feeling like it is.
Overall, this collection is long on action, and there's some great artwork to go along with it, but it doesn't feel like anything of consequence happens. Hard Contact (my review) handles the idea of a threat of chemical warfare way better. This is super-skippable.
The New Face of War: C
Blast Radius: C
Shaak Ti: C
August 30, 2022
Got from school library
I love Star Wars EXACTLY for it’s “no body wins” perspective. War is hell. Sacrifices are made, and are often not worth it.
I love Star Wars EXACTLY for it’s “no body wins” perspective. War is hell. Sacrifices are made, and are often not worth it.
January 13, 2017
Wasn't as enjoyable as the first volume in the series.
September 18, 2022
22 BBY. Three stories set in the months following Episode II.
Obi-Wan and Anakin lead a mission to a moon of Naboo where they encounter two deadly new foes; the bounty hunter Durge and the Sith assassin Asajj Ventress. Obi-Wan then allies with a team of unconventional Jedi to recover the cure to a deadly plague. Finally, Jedi Masters Shaak Ti and Quinlan Vos have to lead Republic forces against a Separatist uprising on Brentaal IV.
I originally read this book as individual comics back when they were released, when the Clone Wars was a brand new and unexplored era for Star Wars storytelling. These stories absolutely delivered what I wanted to see too, with Jedi going into full-scale battles against dangerous new enemies. It was therefore nice to revisit this book and find that it still captures that spirit two decades later.
I particularly enjoyed seeing Obi-Wan meet and work with a group of loner Jedi outcasts who don't usually team-up but who each recognise the threat that the Separatists' new chemical weapon represents. It means we get introduced to interesting new Jedi archetypes outside of those we've seen in the Prequel films but whose fates are genuinely undecided, adding a true element of danger to the story.
Ultimately, the best element of this book is three characters who appear in the first story. There's Alpha, the sassy and irreverent ARC Trooper, who's not afraid to tell the Jedi when they're being stupid (Obi-Wan: "I think he cracked my skull" Alpha: "Wear a helmet next time"). Then, the two villains of the piece are just brilliant; with Durge being gleefully vicious and Ventress proving a match for the Jedi in every way. Both of these characters (Ventress in particular) would go on to have much bigger roles in the Star Wars mythos, but here's where it all started.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
Obi-Wan and Anakin lead a mission to a moon of Naboo where they encounter two deadly new foes; the bounty hunter Durge and the Sith assassin Asajj Ventress. Obi-Wan then allies with a team of unconventional Jedi to recover the cure to a deadly plague. Finally, Jedi Masters Shaak Ti and Quinlan Vos have to lead Republic forces against a Separatist uprising on Brentaal IV.
I originally read this book as individual comics back when they were released, when the Clone Wars was a brand new and unexplored era for Star Wars storytelling. These stories absolutely delivered what I wanted to see too, with Jedi going into full-scale battles against dangerous new enemies. It was therefore nice to revisit this book and find that it still captures that spirit two decades later.
I particularly enjoyed seeing Obi-Wan meet and work with a group of loner Jedi outcasts who don't usually team-up but who each recognise the threat that the Separatists' new chemical weapon represents. It means we get introduced to interesting new Jedi archetypes outside of those we've seen in the Prequel films but whose fates are genuinely undecided, adding a true element of danger to the story.
Ultimately, the best element of this book is three characters who appear in the first story. There's Alpha, the sassy and irreverent ARC Trooper, who's not afraid to tell the Jedi when they're being stupid (Obi-Wan: "I think he cracked my skull" Alpha: "Wear a helmet next time"). Then, the two villains of the piece are just brilliant; with Durge being gleefully vicious and Ventress proving a match for the Jedi in every way. Both of these characters (Ventress in particular) would go on to have much bigger roles in the Star Wars mythos, but here's where it all started.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
October 12, 2016
This graphic novel contains issues 51-53 of Star Wars: Republic and the special Star Wars: Jedi-Shaak Ti, which I already reviewed as an individual piece. This graphic novel features the sections, "The New Face of War," "Blast Radius," and the aforementioned Shaak Ti story, which is actually subtitled "Catspaw." (see my other review for Shaak Ti).
"The New Face of War" drops the Jedi onto a moon that Gungans were colonizing, only to find that the Gungans were all brutally murdered. Brutally meaning they were burned and melted with an acidic substance by Ventress and one of her accomplices. Obi-wan, Anakin, and the other Jedi fight to try and eliminate these powerful foes that keep causing problems during the Clone Wars.
"Blast Radius" is a side story about four very unique Jedi sent out to retrieve the antidote for the acidic substance that appeared in "The New Face of War." With the antidote, Obi-Wan can heal his burns, and other survivors from the assault. Of course, our Jedi once again encountered Ventress and her accomplice, proving to be an extreme obstacle in the Clone Wars.
This graphic novel has stories that aren't quite as interesting as some of the other Clone Wars tales. The art is varied, but it's fairly decent; not as nice as some of the new canon art, but still pretty appealing!
"The New Face of War" drops the Jedi onto a moon that Gungans were colonizing, only to find that the Gungans were all brutally murdered. Brutally meaning they were burned and melted with an acidic substance by Ventress and one of her accomplices. Obi-wan, Anakin, and the other Jedi fight to try and eliminate these powerful foes that keep causing problems during the Clone Wars.
"Blast Radius" is a side story about four very unique Jedi sent out to retrieve the antidote for the acidic substance that appeared in "The New Face of War." With the antidote, Obi-Wan can heal his burns, and other survivors from the assault. Of course, our Jedi once again encountered Ventress and her accomplice, proving to be an extreme obstacle in the Clone Wars.
This graphic novel has stories that aren't quite as interesting as some of the other Clone Wars tales. The art is varied, but it's fairly decent; not as nice as some of the new canon art, but still pretty appealing!
August 30, 2013
Not the best Star Wars stories I've read. When a story is pretty straightforward and not very complex it can be pretty good if there's other good aspects like characterization or natural deepness. Unfortunately the three stories in this volume are rather arbitrary, not very meaningful, and feel plainly mediocre.
Also what's really ticking me off is how weak the pre-empire Jedi are. You'd think that in their 20+ years of training they would be competent at dealing with the dangers of a mission that they're sent on, but it seems that a Clone wars comic can't go without a Jedi getting their butt kicked and dying. It's freakin' lame. How the hell have they been the guardians of the republic if so many of them are so incompetent? It just bugs me how pathetic these writers are making the jedi order to be and how superior the dark side is.
I have a bad feeling that more and more Jedi are going to die arbitrarily in the next volumes of the Clone Wars series. That's really going to get on my nerves.
Also what's really ticking me off is how weak the pre-empire Jedi are. You'd think that in their 20+ years of training they would be competent at dealing with the dangers of a mission that they're sent on, but it seems that a Clone wars comic can't go without a Jedi getting their butt kicked and dying. It's freakin' lame. How the hell have they been the guardians of the republic if so many of them are so incompetent? It just bugs me how pathetic these writers are making the jedi order to be and how superior the dark side is.
I have a bad feeling that more and more Jedi are going to die arbitrarily in the next volumes of the Clone Wars series. That's really going to get on my nerves.
June 2, 2012
The first three interconnected comics here were all over the place and as uninteresting as the bland death-crazed villain "Durge" (A grievous prototype?) who is introduced. It's all about setting up Asajj Ventress as a villainess, and she's kinda cool, so it's all good. The longer story focussing on a particular Jedi, this time Shaak Ti, is again the stronger and thoroughly enjoyable addition. Basically a let's go and save a planet by taking out some shields and killing the bad guy story, but if it's executed well it's gonna be fun. This one was given colour and interest by the alliance of Ti with a couple of neewly released convicts, one of whom had killed Ti's Padawan, and the return of Quinlan vos who's a bit of a badass. The art is nice and it's all good fun. Would definitely recommedn to Star Wars devotees.
December 23, 2021
The New Face of War 2 1/2 Stars
Essentially one extended fight scene to save everyone from deadly gas (oh noes!), alright but nothing special. Durge is silly, especially when he flys.
Blast Radius 2 Stars
Lot's of Jedi die in underwhelming ways. Jedi seem incredibly depowered and you don't really feel anything when 4 rando Jedi get burned to death or eviscerated. Durge still silly, he's trying much to hard to be cool, was he bullied at bounty hunter school by Jango or something?
Catspaw or Jedi: Shaak Ti 4 Stars
Saved the collection. Shaak Ti takes Brentaal 4 with Quinlan Vos' help whilst dealing with the woman who killed her Padawan. Shaak Ti's concern for life is slightly undercut by her treatment of the Clones but still a great story.
Overall, a little underwhelming but the Jedi issues still continue to be banging.
Essentially one extended fight scene to save everyone from deadly gas (oh noes!), alright but nothing special. Durge is silly, especially when he flys.
Blast Radius 2 Stars
Lot's of Jedi die in underwhelming ways. Jedi seem incredibly depowered and you don't really feel anything when 4 rando Jedi get burned to death or eviscerated. Durge still silly, he's trying much to hard to be cool, was he bullied at bounty hunter school by Jango or something?
Catspaw or Jedi: Shaak Ti 4 Stars
Saved the collection. Shaak Ti takes Brentaal 4 with Quinlan Vos' help whilst dealing with the woman who killed her Padawan. Shaak Ti's concern for life is slightly undercut by her treatment of the Clones but still a great story.
Overall, a little underwhelming but the Jedi issues still continue to be banging.
August 25, 2012
Sur la lune de Naboo, un colonie de Gungan a cessé de donner signe de vie. Les Jedi envoient donc Anakin et Obi-Wan pour voir ce qui se passe. Ils découvrent que les séparatistes ont libéré un gaz toxique qui a tué la colonie. Ils font aussi connaissance avec Durge et Asajj Ventress. Dans la seconde partie, Obi-Wan et quatre collègues Jedi partent à la recherche d'un antidote au gaz toxique que possède Asajj Ventress. Dans la troisième partie, la République essaie de libérer la planète Brentaal IV du joug des séparatiste pour le empêcher de prendre le contrôle d'une importante voie spaciale.
Cette BD continue dans la voie du premier. L'action est au rendez-vous et les dessins sont parfait. J'ai autant aimé les deux histoires de Hayden Blackman que celle de Jon Ostrander.
Cette BD continue dans la voie du premier. L'action est au rendez-vous et les dessins sont parfait. J'ai autant aimé les deux histoires de Hayden Blackman que celle de Jon Ostrander.
February 9, 2014
This is the second in the Clone wars series - and I must admit things are getting interesting - they are certainly not afraid to kill characters off although at times it does feel like they are introducing them just to be canon fodder but then again you can accuse nearly every science fiction series of that - what was it said about the red shirts in Star trek. Anyway the reason I enjoyed this book is - again without giving away the storyline but it is interesting in how the war takes the peaceful and harmonious Jedi and turns them in to Generals of the clone army and what effect it has on them - you can see them actually realise that the shift in responsibilities and demands is slowly corrupting their purpose and beliefs - interesting ideas are being hinted at here
November 14, 2025
This book brings back a character that was awesome in the 2003 Tartakovsky clone wars series. Who is it? You’ll have to read and find out.
I really enjoyed this story as well. This run so far has been super cool and full of neat stories from new characters , and existing ones we didn’t get to see much in both 2003 and 2008 clone wars.
Great art & we love Alpha 17 being the macho hard@$$ clone he is. This is a great 2nd volume, and has some really interesting stories. I really enjoyed seeing ventesss shine again here, she is such a capable opponent to the Jedi in this series. Plus, the gas segment is dark but I love it.
I really enjoyed this story as well. This run so far has been super cool and full of neat stories from new characters , and existing ones we didn’t get to see much in both 2003 and 2008 clone wars.
Great art & we love Alpha 17 being the macho hard@$$ clone he is. This is a great 2nd volume, and has some really interesting stories. I really enjoyed seeing ventesss shine again here, she is such a capable opponent to the Jedi in this series. Plus, the gas segment is dark but I love it.
April 12, 2009
A set of three connected short tales from the Clone Wars era. They take place after the Geonosis battle and before the last of the new films (Episode 3). Art was decent, and the plot was pretty good. Overall, a nice quick read. If you like Star Wars in the Clone Wars era, you will probably like these and get through them quickly. Of the three tales, I liked the last one best with Jedi Master Shaak Ti, who does ponder what the wars will do not only to the Republic, but to the Jedi as well.
August 21, 2013
This volume has 2 main stories. One is the introduction of a new separatist weapon and more background on Ventress. The other concerns an attack on a planet that goes wrong for the republic. I like the way they constantly question whether the war is the right thing for the jedi. There's some nice character moments with jedi that are not as well known as others. A good read.
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