Review: Star Wars The High Republic Adventures Annual 2021

Star Wars The High Republic Adventures Annual 2021 is a huge event as it gathers all five of the architects in one place for the first time. They each tell a unique tale highlighting the breadth of the characters and history they have crafted. They use this anthology to bring back lost friends, tell early tales and highlight great characters. The artists are all also top tier making this a rich experience filled with varying styles and perspectives.

This annual highlights just how much these five architects have accomplished in a short time, creating so many great characters and collaborating between different forms of storytelling to create a massive tapestry. What the architects have achieved in the scope and variety of The High Republic is rivaled in literature only by what Rucka, John’s, Waid and Morrison accomplished with 52.

The annual is bookended by appearances by Porter Engle, with the first flashback tale by Charles Soule and Sam Beck beginning with Porter sending Bell Zettifar and Loden Greatstorm on a mission to save people from a collapsing mine. Beck is a simple but incredibly strong artist, especially in depicting Bell’s fan-favorite pet Ember. The story gets interesting as one of the miners gets greedy, valuing treasure over his own life making the job of the Jedi more difficult. Loden reminds Bell that a Jedi’s duty is to save all, not just those who are deserving.

The second story written with heart and humor by Claudia Gray features the return of another fan favorite. Geode saves the day in a way only he could when Affie and Leox seek to take a treasure that they learn has great value to the native people. The terrain is an astounding rocky maze with art by Jason Loo and amazing colors by Megan Huang that draw the reader into the action.

Justina Ireland brings us the earliest lessons of Vernestra Rwoh in her days as padawan to Stellan Gios. It not only shows us Vern’s inyerligence and the duplicitous nature of the Hutts, but also allows for an action scene featuring Stellan’s already classic lightsaber.

Daniel Jose Older and Jesse Lonergan try a very different approach, introducing relatively new characters with the Correlian security team lead by Crash and featuring something we need more of: a crew of non-humanoid heroes. The art featuring this crew as they work to protect Una Soh and her lion-like guards is massive in scope, unique in style and absolutely fascinating. Lonergan is a talent to keep an eye on given the character work and detail as the team works to counteract a Nihil attack using scav-droids.

The story by Cavan Scott and Stefano Simeone begins as a standard Nihil assault but is quickly revealed to be a character study of Lourna Dee. Lourna is as ruthless in her assault as she is callous in her willingness to abandon others. The incredible, action packed art makes full use of the comic page and caps things off with an excellent battle against Porter Engle.

This is an excellent comic that reminds us just how much the use of the comic book format has influenced The High Republic’s story-telling. As much as novels can describe action, Star Wars has always been a visual universe and comics brings a context to this epic that the novels alone could not accomplish. Hopefully the future of The High Republic comics brings brings even more characters from the novels to the fore and allows us the thrill of seeing them in action in more great tales such as these.

Writing: 4.8 of 5 stars
Art: 4.5 of 5 stars
Colors: 4.6 of 5 stars

Overall: 4.7 of 5 stars

Writers: Charles Soule, Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Daniel Jose Older, Cavan Scott.

Artists: Sam Beck, Jason Loo, Yael Nathan, Jesse Lonergan, Stefano Simeone.

Publisher: IDW Publishing

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.