Review: Phase III of ‘The High Republic Adventures’ Is Off to a Strong Start With Issue #1 (No Spoilers)
The High Republic Adventures is always a fun time. Amidst all the dark and depressing storylines in Phases I and II, The High Republic Adventures provided fun, light-hearted material that felt fresh for Star Wars.
But for those who know anything about Phase III of The High Republic, everything is dark (to some degree). And it’s the same here with Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures issue #1. It begins with the main characters (Zeen and Qort) still recovering from the fall of Starlight Beacon. But as the story unfolds, Zeen and Qort uncover a possible lead on where their missing friends are.
Editor’s note: This review contains no major story spoilers, but does include pages from StarWars.com’s exclusive preview. The issue releases this Wednesday, December 6.
I won’t spoil any story details regarding this first issue, but I will discuss events from past issues. The first phase of The High Republic Adventures ended on a cliffhanger. With Krix apprehended on Starlight Beacon, Padawan Lula Talisola stayed behind on the descending station to prevent Krix from escaping. Now, a full year later, Lula still hasn’t been found. Many consider her to be dead, except for Zeen and Qort. As expected, Zeen is the one who’s been affected the most by this.
Seeing Zeen and Qort in such a despondent state is a far cry from what was seen in Phase I. But it understandably fits the tone of Phase III. It doesn’t take long for Zeen and Qort to get back into the action.
And with artist Harvey Tolibao back to illustrate, the action and emotion have never looked better. Issue #1 contains some of the best art in the series, capturing the heartfelt emotions of its main characters, while also delivering on some of the hectic and wild action similar to what was seen in the past. If I were to nitpick just a bit, I’d mention that some shots don’t look quite as strong as others, with some odd facial emotions and unclear action shots, but that’s entirely minor.
Joining Zeen and Qort is a new droid companion named 5A-G3. The small yet violent droid has a snarky and nihilistic attitude similar to Knights of the Old Republic’s HK-47. It’s a great addition to the team, bringing back that levity and humor that fans have come to expect from the series.
The High Republic Adventures is off to another great start, thanks to Harvey Tolibao’s excellent art and Daniel José Older’s quick pacing and witty humor. There’s a lot more to uncover in the next few issues and a lot of unaddressed questions. But I’m more than excited to see where the series goes next.
Score: 8.5/10
Thank you to Dark Horse Comics for the advanced copy of Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #1 used in this review. It will be available at local comic book stores and on digital shelves on December 6.
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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.
