Published: March 1, 2023
Rating: T
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Marco Castiello, Jethro Morales
Colourist: Jim Campbell
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli & Frank Martin
The synopsis;
The situation on the planet Gansevor has worsened, and Jedi Masters PORTER ENGLE and BARASH SILVAIN find themselves embroiled in a conflict with no clear solution. Certainty must be found and a side chosen…but new enemies have arrived, and time is running out.
The review;
Standing calmly as the sun sets, gilding his cloak in its golden rays, Porter Engle appears very serene in Camuncoli and Martin’s direct cover, even as mercenaries close in. It’s a fantastic summation of his character because Porter is not fazed by anything. Giangiordano uses a similar approach, this time with Porter in the middle of a hail of blaster bolts, calmly redirecting them with his lightsaber. Finally, Yu’s variant captures both Porter and Barash, framed by the flames of destruction that’s occurring on the planet of Gansevor.
Introduced in Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule, Porter Engle is a Jedi Master with a lot of history in the High Republic. Celebrated as the Blade of Bardotta and renowned for making nine-egg stew, he provided wisdom and guidance to the young Padawans at the remote Jedi Outpost on Elphrona. Porter is an Ikkrukkian with a long lifespan to rival a Wookiee, and in The Blade mini-series his earlier years as a Jedi Knight are being explored. Just how did Porter become so famous amongst the Jedi? And why did he learn to cook?
Mercenaries stand poised to take the city of Firevale, as their neighbours try to reclaim their kidnapped princess. As the city braces itself for a siege, Barash Silvain meets with the queen of Firevale in an attempt to find a diplomatic solution to this conflict. Meanwhile her brother, Porter Engle, leaves the city to try and stall the mercenaries. But not all is as it seems on the Planet of Knives, and secrets are about to come to light.
If the Battle of Helm’s Deep, from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, met Romeo and Juliet, then that would be a good summary for The Blade #3. Soule stirs this comic like it’s water waiting to boil, the tension bubbling up on each page. Every character is just waiting. Barash is waiting to see the princess. Porter is waiting for the mercenaries to strike. The people of Firevale are waiting for their walls to be breached.
Everything opens on the city walls of Firevale, which are meters thick of stone, only adding to the Helm’s Deep vibes. They’re practically impossible to breach – except for one slight weakness. The door into the city. With the mercenaries packing some immense firepower, including cannons, the people of Firevale have good reason to worry. Porter is significantly less worried. Even with the massive army of mercenaries, he’s sure that he can find a peaceful solution with the help of Barash. It really highlights the faith that these two characters have in each other, and Soule writes the pair with so much history. Whenever they talk to each other there’s the weight of years behind their lines. A lot of their interactions are also quite short because they don’t need to waste words when they’re so in sync. To have that already in only three issues is masterful storytelling, and fans would definitely be excited if Soule went on to explore Barash and Porter’s past even further.
While Porter has been quite reckless and headstrong in previous issues, now that there are lives at risk, his more serious side is coming out. Or as serious as Porter can get. It’s rare that fans meet a Jedi who’s so laid back about everything, with Quinlan Voss and Rael Averross from Master & Apprentice probably being some of the only other examples in the modern canon. Porter walks right up to the mercenaries and tells them to stand down and wait. Having not been expecting a Jedi Knight coolly standing amongst them, the mercenaries actually listen.
This gives Barash the time for an audience with the queen of Firevale. The civil unrest on Gansevor has been an intricately woven plot of deceit and half-truths, with it being hard to tell which side is in the right or wrong. While fans may have expected some political backstabbing, surprisingly this unrest is revealed to all be due to the love between Firevale’s prince and the neighbouring territories’ princess. Soule has never written a love story into his Star Wars work before, so it’s either going to conquer all or end in absolute tragedy. Considering the ending in Light of the Jedi, the latter might be more likely.
It also ties The Blade #3 into Convergence by Zoraida Córdova, as the princess reveals that she has heard of the love story between Eiram and E’ronoh’s royal heirs, and while those two warring worlds may have found peace, she does not expect Gansevor to be as understanding. It’s interesting that both of these stories are are including star-crossed romances into the central plots, as they are usually kept more to the side in Star Wars. Even for all the forbidden romance between Anakin and Padmé, the Prequels were still an exploration of political corruption and manipulation. Does it mean that love will play a role in defeating the unknown enemy for this phase of The High Republic? Or do the writers feel that fans need some happy endings after what happened to the couples in Rebels, Revenge of the Sith, The Rise of Skywalker, and Rogue One?
Providing the backdrop to this sweeping story of love and war is Castiello and Morales’ beautiful artwork styles. There is so much happening in The Blade #3, from hundreds of mercenaries to flashbacks on Coruscant, so each panel is just a treat for the eyes. A standout moment is when Porter leaps off Firevale’s walls, dodging blaster fire through the air, and spinning into the most epic landing. With movement lines and his hair whipping behind him, it’s so dynamic. Another great moment is actually the audience with the queen. She’s very cleverly framed by a window while a long hallway leads to her throne. Even without the dialogue it’s easy to tell she’s important.
The Blade #3 is pushing Barash and Porter’s skills as Jedi Knights to the test as they desperately seek a diplomatic solution to save the people of Gansevor. Soule is making fans fall in love with these two very different characters in such a short arc. The next issue is going to somehow conclude this epic love-meets-war story and what it might mean for Porter’s future!
Availability;
Star Wars: The High Republic – The Blade is a 5-part mini-series published by Marvel Comics. This issue retails at $3.99 and is available via The Marvel App, ComiXology and from all good comic book stores.
