Published: September 1, 2021
Writer: Daniel Jose Older
Artist: Toni Bruno
Colourist: Rebecca Nalty
Letterer: Jake M. Wood
Cover Artist: Harvey Tolibao
The synopsis;
Back together and safe on the Starlight, Lula, Zeen, Farzala, and Qort recover from their adventures on the Junk Moon and Nal Hutta, but a new challenge awaits them in the form of an old friend. Meanwhile, Marchion Ro encourages Krix’s violent obsessions, leading to an attack on Takodana!
The review;
Where to even begin introducing this series? It is hands down my favourite Star Wars release that there currently is. A good series comes down to consistency yet Daniel Jose Older and Harvey Tolibao have not just done this, they’ve exceeded their previous work time and time again. It has been wonderful to go on this journey with them and see just how far they can go. Last issue saw the end of a duopoly of issues, which gave such a profound ‘force’ lesson moment that really surpassed any expectations I might have for this series. This week sees the start of a new arc Back Together and away Again with newcomer to the Star Wars universe, Toni Bruno. I’m excited to see what he’ll bring, along with Older, for this next instalment…
Before I delve too heavily into the story, I want to make note of when this takes place. This is after the events of The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott and Older’s own novel Race to Crashpoint Tower. Now the latter I have only just started to read but don’t feel spoilt in anyway. However, the same cannot be said for The Rising Storm and I would recommend that you read that novel before starting on this story. Both are referenced here, and I am glad they are. The entire High Republic series connects so well together, partly because every part is referenced within each other, the events so monumental that their repercussions are felts in further novels and comics. Older reunites the two groups at the start of this arc, to allow them a bit of a reprieve and allow readers to understand where they are in terms of the timeline. The story has moved on by several months, this can be seen by the fact that the characters appear older as well as the events that the characters refer to. This movement forward means that these characters aren’t getting stagnant, that their development is at a fast pace, meaning the story too, moves at a pace.
Older returns to how this series began, looking at it mainly from the viewpoints of two characters, Zeen and Krix. With Older’s work, again and again I keep coming back to the fact that Older always hits those same beats of the Original Trilogy, that although it is a new and exciting story, he makes sure to keep those beats, so it feels like Star Wars. He does it so incredibly well and its one of the big reasons I enjoy his work so much. This comic is no different. You can’t help but get a very Return of the Jedi feeling running throughout this issue. The reprieve the characters get almost feels like when Luke, Han and Leia return to Home One, to reconnect and get their next assignment. But it goes far deeper than that. Zeen has achieved so much, has grown so much as a character (and I’m sure does in Race to Crashpoint Tower) and is enjoying the time with her friends. Yet deep down, she knows there’s something that she still needs to deal with. Like Luke, who knows that in Return of the Jedi, that no matter that they have a victory in saving Han from Jabba the Hutt, the real task, his destiny, is still to confront Vader. Yoda even confirms to him that before he can be a Jedi, one thing still remains. Like Luke, Zeen knows that she still has unfinished business that Krix needs dealing with. Also, like Luke, the force, will bring these two together again. Although not on the scale of Luke and Vader (father and son), it is still Zeen’s destiny to face against Krix, who even refers to Krix like family. It also provides a perfect explanation for why the padawans are being brought into this conflict.
Krix’s story emphasises this further. He too has grown but in a far different way to Zeen, although the new style by Bruno I absolutely love. Krix is like Vader, craving more and more power. He says the right things to Marchion Ro, to prove that he is devoted to the Nihil, but Older makes it clear that Ro isn’t completely convinced, that he needs to see more from him. This is exactly the same in Return of the Jedi, Vader saying he is completely with the Emperor but the Emperor having doubts, pushing Vader to show his loyalty. It is the same beats of the film coming back and I’m sure it won’t be the last in this arc. Older has gone right through the Original Trilogy and I’m sure I know what we should expect from the finale, but what is a story without twist or two! It is these same beats with a twist that make these stories so powerful, that connect with fans in a way that give you that true Star Wars feel.
As well as bringing the story back full circle to Zeen and Krix, we are also introduced to new characters. I’m a huge Embo fan from The Clone Wars, him having the true ‘Boba Fett’ type mystery to his character. Sad Malagan, simply wow! This Jedi I am sure is going to become a firm fan favourite, in the same way that Embo is. There is a mystery to her that is just begging to be answered, but I hope Older can hold back from giving us too much. The character is connected to Takodona and Older bringing this planet in, along with Maz works very well. Although Older is good at connecting the High Republic, he seems an expert at bringing in vast areas of a galaxy far, far away from all over the timeline. This issues Data File includes a map of the region, showing just how integrated the Jedi are with Maz.
The crossover in artist for this issue was interesting to see. Bruno does an excellent job of picking up after Harvey Tolibao, creating a more mature look to the characters. As I’ve said, his work on Krix works very well, as it does with the rest of the characters. Yet for me, it’s his introduction of Sav, a quiet page full of silent panels, that really impressed me. It illustrates perfectly how well Bruno is able to create a natural flow with his work to conjure the movement in the panels. These quiet moments are also beautifully contrasted with very wide panels that really give you a sense of the scale of the battles taking place. A great introduction for Bruno into this galaxy.
Older also gives us moments of humour, dark moments and all those little details that make up a fantastic Star Wars story. He does an incredible job of recapping everything for the readers. There is a lot of High Republic material out there, which I think is great, but not everyone keeps up at the same pace. Older is able to weave it all together without letting much out, with the exception of The Rising Storm, which is the big book release for the series. What I found hilarious were the questions of the padawans to their masters. It feels like Older is laughing with us (perhaps even at us!), as the questions are the exact ones that we as readers have at this point. Where is Yoda?!
There is never a worry with this series. Older has shown issue after issue that he gets what a Star Wars story is and how to write one. He understands the fundamentals behind creating a new story set in an established galaxy, what beats to follow and where to go in a new direction. I’m always in awe of how easily he seems to be able to do this and it’s such a joy reading each of these issues. Toni Bruno does a very worthy job of continuing with the artwork and bringing Older’s vision to life, I can’t wait to see what other moments he gives us next issue. As with all of The High Republic, this is essential reading for fans, it fills in gaps in the story that you didn’t even know were there, underpinned with a real feeling of the Original Trilogy. Now, to get back to Race to Crashpoint Tower in the hope I can finish it before the next issue!
Availability;
Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures is an ongoing series available from IDW Publishing. This issue is available from all good comic bookstores in the USA and from Forbidden Planet in the UK. This issue retails at $3.99.
