Comic Review: The High Republic (Phase III) #10

After using the tracking beacon supposedly placed by Sskeer on Boolan’s ship, Keeve leads the remainder of her team to a secret Nihil base hidden within an asteroid field. As they venture into its murky corridors, they discover who really placed the tracker – Lourna Dee. She’s very much alive and complaining about the uselessness of Jedi starfighters. And beside Lourna is Terec. Now it appeared that the Kotabi twin had met his end in The High Republic (Phase III) #9, especially as Scott is not afraid to kill off main characters, but Terec made it out. Though not unscathed.

The Kotabi twin has split themselves off from Ceret. Ever since having to face down the Nameless, the twins have shared a strained connection. Terec has finally managed to permanently cut their bond, ultimately gaining independence from Ceret. It’s a huge character development for the twins but it’s not given the time to be explored fully in this story. Hopefully it might be picked up in Tempest Breaker as there’s a lot more that could be touched upon. Why did Terec finally break their connection? How did they use the Force to do it?

As the twins have their awkward reunion, Keeve is trying to find Sskeer. He’s far deeper in Boolan’s domain and seems to be willingly going along with the Baron’s experiments. Scott has been suggesting how broken Sskeer is throughout this series, yet to witness the Trandoshan going along with the Nihil is quite shocking. He’s clearly hoping that Boolan will be able to revitalise his weakened connection to the Force. Madness has driven Sskeer further from the Jedi path than ever before, with this selfish choice really emphasising how far he’s fallen.

Even after witnessing this betrayal though, Keeve intervenes. She refuses to let Sskeer be tricked by the Nihil, pointing out that Boolan’s methods have no guarantee. Sskeer may never be able to access the Force again but siding with the Nihil is not the way. Her unrelenting faith in Sskeer is so heartwarming and a complete flip in their roles. When she was a Padawan it was Sskeer’s faith in Keeve that gave her the confidence to keep training, yet this time it’s Keeve’s confidence in her former Master that saves Sskeer.

After their climactic battle, Sskeer disarms Baron Boolan but leaves him very much alive. And now a prisoner of the Republic. Considering his importance to Marchion Ro’s inner circle, Boolan’s capture is definitely going to be a key part in future stories in this series, whether in Tempest Breaker or the next part of Phase III in 2025.

The High Republic (Phase III) #10 delivers a relatively satisfying ending, though fans were probably hoping for more, especially as it’s still a while to wait for Tempest Breaker. Fans of Keeve Trennis certainly won’t want to miss this arc as she tries to step into the role of a leader yet will eventually leave the Jedi Order. Cavan Scott, Jim Towe, Jim Campbell, VC’s Ariana Maher, Phil Noto, and everyone else who has worked so hard on this series deserve all the credit for capturing the rollercoaster of emotions as this unlikely team of heroes dared to cross into the unknown and break into the Nihil’s dreaded Occlusion Zone!