Published: February 3, 2021
Rating: T
Writer: Cavan Scott
Penciler: Ario Anindito
Inker: Mark Morales
Colourist: Annalisa Leoni
Letterer: VC’s Ariana Maher
Cover Artist: Phil Noto
The synopsis;
ALL-NEW SERIES CONTINUES! WHO DESTROYED ONE OF THE JEDI’S DEADLIEST ENEMIES? The NIHIL strike! A ship found adrift in space, the crew brutally slaughtered and cargo stolen. What terror awaits the THE JEDI OF STARLIGHT BEACON as they explore the wreck? Newly knighted KEEVE TRENNIS must overcome her insecurity in the face of new teammates, but can she trust her closest ally?
The review;
Well, The High Republic #2 almost has as many cover variants as its predecessor and they are all stunning takes on this new era of the Star Wars timeline. Noto’s direct cover is bold and thought-provoking. Master Sskeer holds his lightsaber ignited against an unknown combatant. If that’s not enough to get fans to pick this up, then nothing will. On the other hand, Witter’s is beautifully still and contemplative, focussing on newly Knighted Jedi Keeve Trennis. Then Pagulayan and Villanelli’s variants are filled with Jedi, a rainbow of lightsabers and the star-scapes of the galaxy beyond.
While most of The High Republic #1 was filled with a sense of celebration, the ending of that issue left a foreboding cliffhanger. That’s where this issue picks up. Keeve Trennis is assigned her first mission as a Jedi Knight to the galactic frontier in response to a distress signal. Accompanied by her former Master Sskeer and Force-twins Ceret and Terec, they arrive to find a ship utterly wrecked and the crew left floating in the void of space. Only the Nihil could have caused such destruction. In their search for survivors though, Keeve becomes ever increasingly worried, but not about the murderous Nihil…
Scott clearly isn’t afraid to dive into the underworld of the Star Wars galaxy in The High Republic #2. This is a very dark story. However, this makes sense because the Nihil need to be a serious threat to the Jedi. It wouldn’t be realistic if the pirates just went around making a mess and bashing things with sticks. None of the actual violence is shown, only the aftermath, so although some scenes are a bit gruesome, they’re not particularly scary. Anindito has also been very clever to keep the artwork from being too gory, only suggesting violence behind the blaze of a lightsaber, or cutting panels to hide anything gruesome. Fans of Scott’s classic-horror inspired Vader’s Castle series by IDW will love this story.
Through all this darkness, young Keeve is a shining light. Her character progression is fascinating to read. She’s gone from Padawan to Knight in only a few days, back in action without any time to adjust. This isn’t something that’s really been explored before. How does it feel to have your role in the Jedi Order change? How do you deal with it? Keeve now has a totally different relationship with her former Master Sskeer, and the expectations of her have changed too. Keeve is only a teenager and it’s almost impossible not to feel for her as she tries to navigate her new world. One of the things that makes the Star Wars universe so relatable is the humanity of the characters, whether or not they have fur or multiple limbs. Scott has created such strength yet also vulnerability within Keeve and she’s on her way to becoming just as compelling as Padmé or Rey.
The High Republic series by Marvel can be read just by itself, but for those fans who have also read Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule, then Scott weaves in some noticeable connections. There’s Avar Kriss’ ‘song of the Force’, the mention of the Great Disaster and most importantly of all – the Battle of Kur. This battle involved Sskeer and the ramifications of it start to come through in this issue. It will be very interesting to see where Scott will take Sskeer as seeds are being planted that hint at tragedy to come.
Anindito’s artwork for this issue has a mysterious yet looming nature throughout. Smoke hangs over everything, often obscuring the panels, and it has been creepily coloured sickly green by Leoni. Looking at the art truly feels like trying to see through a smoky haze. While there’s plenty of wonderful details to absorb, the characters expressions are outstanding: Keeve’s wariness as she picks across the wreckage, Sskeer’s rage against the Nihil, and the twins Ceret and Terec who Anindito has managed to make subtly different. The emotions drawn across their faces is as realistic as any actor could portray in a film.
While darkness rises in The High Republic #2, the story is strong and continues the high standard of writing Scott achieved with the first issue. Much like that first issue, The High Republic #2 also ends on a cliffhanger of life and death, quite literally, but can Keeve manage to save everyone this time in The High Republic #3?
Availability;
Star Wars: The High Republic #2 was published February 3, 2021 by Marvel Comics. This issue is available via The Marvel App and from all good comic bookstores and retails at $3.99.
