Review: Star Wars The High Republic #1

It has been a long time since Star Wars comics have been this good. Cavan Scott just knows how to draw in readers and pairing him with characters we have learned to love over the past three years is a gift. Star Wars The High Republic comic is back for Phase 3 and within these pages it brings us right back into grand story-telling.

The High Republic had an incredibly odd structure with phase 1 and 3 being obviously related but phase 2 being a prequel with an entirely different tone. Returning back to the period following the destruction of the Starlight Beacon and the rise of Marchion Ro and his Nihil gives the story stakes and excitement. There is an energy returning to fan favorites like Keeve Trennis and Elzar Mann.

We see the scars of the losses on each character, even though we have moved forward by a year. Keeve is still really from the loss of her mentor Sskeer. Hopefully the emphasis on this loss means there is some chance Sskeer could return from his encounter against the Nameless. Terec and Ceret are also recovering from their own encounter with those monstrous beings who can turn Jedi frozen with fear and into stone.

We do get some new team members to replace the many who were lost. Commander Velko and Santar are also present on their ship named The Gios. The ship’s name is also a nice callback to another dead character. The book nicely builds up the smaller callbacks and plot points as it moves along quickly. Elzar sends the team to disrupt a meeting between the Nihil and the Hutt on Ballum.

The Nihil envoy Affanar arrives to meet the Hutt Skarabda, his steward Masakane and their mysterious assassin. The hostile negotiations are disrupted by the arrival of the Jedi. The battle allows artist Ario Anindito along with Jim Towe and inker Mark Morales to remind us just how amazing their are. The creatures, the characters, the action and the personalities all shine though across every panel. No space is wasted.

The only issue with the battle is that the space portion is not given much room before the Jedi arrive on the planet for combat. It is always nice to have a bit more of the stars in a Star Wars story. The space scenes are also not quite as strong as the others. What we do have planetside is spectacular. Jim Campbell is perfect on colors, with every lightsaber, every character, every creature filled with color and texture.

The battle is made more complex by the presence of a Nameless which brings out doubts and fears within the Jedi before bringing Terec’s ship crashing down and turning Santar to stone. The space battle closes with the arrival of the Ataraxia ship, now in Nihil hands. Finally, Keeve learns the Hutt assassin is actually the former Nihil commander and fan favorite Lourna Dee. The return of great characters, great concepts and incredible art makes this issue a welcome return to the era of The High Republic.

Writing: 4.5 of 5 stars
Art: 4.3 of 5 stars
Colors: 4.6 of 5 stars

Overall:
4.5 of 5 stars

Writer: Cavan Scott
Art: Ario Anindito and Jim Towe
Inks: Mark Morales, Ario Anindito, Jim Towe
Colors: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Author Profile

M.R. Jafri

M.R. Jafri was born and raised in Niagara Falls New York and now lives with his family in Detroit Michigan. He's a talkative introvert and argumentative geek. His loves include Star Wars, Star Trek, Superheroes, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Transformers, GI Joe, Films, Comics, TV Shows, Action Figures and Twizzlers.