Review: Marvel’s The High Republic #8 Sets Up For a Thrilling Conclusion
Marvel’s The High Republic comic series has recently been a series of highs and lows. Each issue has had some amazing “pros” as well as some disappointing “cons” that, at times, bring some great moments of storytelling, and at other times, some dull moments that never truly land. Thankfully, issue #8 of the series is a high point for the series, as writer Cavan Scott delivers some much-needed character development and plot progression, while artist David Messina steps up to the plate and knocks out a few good hits.
Spoilers ahead…
In issue #8, The High Republic comic series picks up right where the last issue ended, with Jedi Vildar Mac and Padawan Matty Cathley taking refuge from angry rioters in Kradon’s bar, The Enlightenment. The two must find a way to escape and help their friend, Jedi Oliviah Zeveron, who was stabbed at the end of the last issue. Tey Sirrek manages to sneak away amidst this kerfuffle into the sewers and in the direction of Oliviah, the crashed statue of the ancient Jedi, and the raiders seeking to ransack the hidden archive underneath the statue.
Cavan Scott’s writing has been fairly consistent throughout The High Republic series, and it’s no different here. Issue #8 offers some welcome character development as Vildar Mac, a character that’s been portrayed as grating, hot-headed, and set in his beliefs, shows more trust in Tey Sirrek. Rather than believing that Tey is running to steal Jedi artifacts, Vildar shows character growth by believing that Tey just wants to help out Oliviah. He begins to believe that he has altruistic motives rather than self-gain. Even Tey — a character I’ve never liked much — gets more moments to shine through his interactions with Vildar and by providing much-needed levity through his humor.
As Tey and Vildar fight their way to Oliviah through the sewers, Padawan Matty Cathley and her group try to escape The Enlightenment, but they are cut off and forced to go back to the locale. While issue #8 offers development for Vildar and Tey, unfortunately, Matty still gets the short end of the stick and doesn’t get much to do. I would’ve liked to see her get an opportunity to shine here, especially as the series nears its end, but hopefully, the next few issues remedy that.
Finally, after reaching the destroyed Jedi statue, helping Jedi Oliviah, and making their way through the Jedi vault, Vildar and Tey find The Herald of The Path looting the vault, taking The Rod of Daybreak and combining it with The Rod of Seasons. With it, he hopes to control The Leveler, a creature similar to The Nameless that preys on Force wielders.
Issue #8 also brings in artist David Messina. While The High Republic comic series has had some “hit and miss” artists, Messina is one of the best the series has had so far. Each page contains a minimal amount of panels, simpler compositions, and fewer characters taking up each space. This simplicity is a great benefit to the issue as the flow of the page is easier to follow, and important characters are given more detail and better focus. This is evident in Messina’s full-page spreads, giving certain moments a bigger impact with heroic character shots, and in Messina’s close-up shots, highlighting his ability to capture small, subtle facial expressions that match the moment.
Overall, as the Star Wars: The High Republic comic book series comes to a thrilling conclusion, both writer Cavan Scott and artist David Messina offer some excellent story beats that live up to the moment. Numerous chunks of plot and character development leave me excited for what may transpire in the last two issues. And Messina’s art for issue #8 is clean and elegant, offering a few great full-page spreads as well as close-ups that pack nuanced expressions of each character.
Score: 9/10
Born and raised in Hawaii, Jay Goodearl runs the YouTube Gaming channel “Good Games, Dude” His channel aims to open up video games to beginners and immediate players and help them understand what makes games the art form that it is.
