Review: The Blade of Bardotta’s Story Is Told in Marvel’s ‘The High Republic: The Blade’ #1
The Blade of Bardotta is a title fans of The High Republic are all too familiar with. Porter Engle earned this name after his exploits at the five-day siege of Bardotta. Little of this event is known, but after his introduction in Light of the Jedi, he quickly became a fan-favorite. In the novel, he is much older, wiser, and calmer. He has taken on the life of the mild-mannered cook who doesn’t take himself too seriously. His days of being the gunslinging Jedi of old have long gone; instead, he is perfecting the art of cooking the best Nine-Egg-Stew you’ve ever had.
This comic arc, The Blade, dives into the legend of Porter Engle. Within this series, we will peel back the curtain of this famed Jedi and learn of the tragic events that plagued much of his younger life; and the triumphs and fame that followed his acts. I have been counting down the days until Charles Soule brought us this first issue. The Blade promises to be a thrilling, awe-inspiring, and touching tale. The first issue sets the stage well for what’s to come, and spends most of its time giving us insight into his wonderful relationship with his sister, Barash Silvain.
Spoilers ahead…
To begin, the opening pages held a pleasant surprise. A young Porter Engle is using the Force to wield knives to do his chopping for him. Yes, Porter Engle is making stew in the first pages of his comic arc. Seeing him talk himself through the art of making this stew was hilarious. It made it all the better when the individual he presented the stew to spit it out. Porter Engle may become a cook of great renown, but those days are still far away.
Our first peek into Engle’s prowess in battle comes next. His sister Barash calls him out to help handle a dispute. The attempt to settle things diplomatically soon turned into what Anakin calls aggressive negotiations. Two people open fire on the last Jedi they should test. While discussing terms with them, Porter used the Force to levitate several Sabacc cards around him. When the two opened fire, he didn’t even have his lightsaber in his hand. In a flash, he was able to whip it out, ignite it, and deflect multiple bolts at a time into the spinning Sabacc cards.
The looks on the faces of the would-be attackers were something to behold. Porter didn’t fire back a single shot directly at them but made his skills well known. Each Sabacc card lay smoldering at his feet with a single blaster hole directly in the middle of each card. Many Jedi would have deflected them straight back at the attackers, either out of self-defense or not having the skill to deflect them to a precise location. Instead, Porter demonstrates the absolute mastery of his saber and his attunement to the Force in battle by simply sending some warning signs his attacker’s way.
Once the dust settles after the skirmish, the comic takes on a flashback journey. It travels back 25 years to Porter and Barash’s time as younglings in the temple. It was the beginning of saber training, and Porter was far from the best. There are images of him getting whacked with the practice saber here and there. His bright-eyed expression when seeing the sabers for the first time was a cute little treat. The main purpose of the flashback was not to show us he wasn’t exemplary with the blade at first or to show his eagerness to begin lightsaber training. No, it was to look back at how his most important friendship began. He and Barash become friends in this flashback, but not the way you might think. Barash lets him know that she doesn’t need friends and is perfectly fine on her own. The ever-exuberant Engle is determined to prove to her that friends are just fine, and they agree to test that theory by becoming friends themselves.
We know this friendship turns into as close a bond as allowed by the Jedi Order, as this first comic spends ample time showing us how close they are. They refer to each other as brother and sister. Each seems to know how the other will respond to situations, and evidently, there’s already a bevy of shared history between the two.
Back in the present, the two have made their way to the Office of the Frontier to choose their next assignment. The two have offered help in the outer rim as the Republic attempts to expand and unite the galaxy. Communication is scarce, and people are desperate for assistance in 100 directions, but the Jedi are doing what they can.
After reaching out to the Force, Barash feels confident in their next assignment. The two are to travel to Gansevor in the Tammuz sector. A fortress city is under siege by an army from a rival faction. The Jedi are to assist in breaking the siege and ending the conflict. Located far away from any standard transport station, neither of them had heard of Gansevor. Despite all of the unknowns, Barash believes this is where the Force wants them to be. The two find transport with a pathfinding team led by a Jedi named Helion and their Padawan, Benj.
Before you start wondering if this siege is the famous Siege of Bardotta where Engle gets his infamous name, I must caution you from getting your hopes up. Bardotta is said to be in a completely different sector, and while this takes place such a long time ago in canon, and Soule could have anything up his sleeve, it’s more likely we’re going spend some time building into some of his more famous escapades.
It takes about five minutes for the Jedi on board to realize who they are transporting. Once Helion heard the name Porter Engle, they knew it was time to get some sparring practice. Barash acts as if this is a common occurrence, and while Porter feigns ignorance as to what Helion wants with him, we all know he knows exactly why. His abilities with the saber are already legendary, and every Jedi knows his name. They engage in a sparring session I am sure Helion hoped would’ve lasted much longer.
It was brilliant, honestly. Porter engages Helion’s saber briefly, and then simply backs away and uses the Force to direct his saber in combat. Helion is stunned by what they are witnessing before realizing it, Engle’s arm was around them, with a lightsaber across their neck. I had to flip through these pages a few times to get a full grasp of what he did and to just take in the spectacle. The Blade of Bardotta is a master at his craft.
The final pages set up their arrival on Gansevor. The planet has no access to comms, so they won’t be able to reach any Republic stations. They’ll be forced to rely on the pathfinding team to pick them up when they circle back or find their own transport.
The landscape of the besieged city was a sight to behold. The mountainous region and rough terrain make for an intriguing location in the next issue. I can’t wait to see what they do next. I thoroughly enjoyed the time Soule took to establish this relationship with Barash and Engle. Surely this will continue to grow and evolve as the arc moves on, but I wonder if things will end tragically for Barash. I hope not, but there are many reasons Porter Engle puts down his blade and becomes a cook. I wonder if her downfall is one of them.
Rating: 8/10
Finding ways to nonchalantly incorporate Star Wars quotes into 8th grade classroom, Tyler lives and breathes Star Wars. His morning tradition is sending the latest number in the countdown for different Star Wars projects and loves engaging in uplifting Star Wars dialogue. If you are passionate about Star Wars you can follow him on Twitter at TyBrad5.
