Review – Ty Yorrick Returns in ‘The High Republic Adventures: Saber for Hire’ #1
In a franchise full of Jedi willing to jump right into action, no matter what’s at stake, it’s a breath of fresh air to switch things up occasionally. The Jedi of the High Republic are in a war with the Nihil, a fight that’s only getting more dangerous in seemingly every Phase III release. That pattern continues in the debut of Dark Horse’s The High Republic Adventures: Saber for Hire, which sees the return of former Jedi, monster-hunter, and reluctant participant in everything going on Ty Yorrick.
The first issue of Cavan Scott’s miniseries isn’t going to win any new readers over, but it does a solid job of getting inside the heads of its lead characters. Everyone has been through a lot in this initiative, and they are wearing a lot of battle scars. When terrible things happen, sometimes all you want to do is pretend it never happened. But as much as you may try, you’re eventually brought back into the fight. Ty Yorrick can’t escape it; she can’t escape the fact that she has a role to play. And finally, Saber for Hire #1 might have the answer.
Spoilers ahead…
I cover monthly solicitations for this site, so one would think my brain would have processed that Kip Soh would play a significant role in this series, but alas, it did not. I was surprised to see him open up the proceedings. Kip, being Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh’s son, has been in and around the initiative up to this point but hasn’t been a mainstay.
Kip and his partner, Jom, have made Abtin their home. We later learn that Abtin is a planet that lives inside the Nihil’s Occlusion Zone, but apparently, the pirates don’t bother coming by, so it’s been peaceful. It’s so peaceful that Kip doesn’t even really know what’s happening in the galaxy, nor does he care. In The Rising Storm, Kip wasn’t exactly thrilled about politics but was forced into the thrust of things when the Nihil attacked Valo.
Jom challenges Kip that it might be time to find a way home, but the chancellor’s son isn’t about to let his life of relative quiet run out. Unfortunately for him, a Nihil lurks on Abtin and identifies Kip as a high-value target. While I liked spending time with Kip, I can’t really figure out what’s happening. The Nihil will kidnap him, but how will it dovetail into the story with Ty that we’ll get into in a moment? Will it intersect seamlessly and not feel superfluous? Time will tell.
Thematically, Kip’s mindset coincides nicely with Ty Yorrick. The only difference is how their shared malaise towards what’s happening in the galaxy manifests. Ty is still taking jobs to hunt down the biggest and baddest monsters in the galaxy. Her reintroduction features a fun battle with a Trilark, which resembles a mix of a spider and a rathtar. Rachael Stott’s art is very pleasant to look at throughout, and she does a good job depicting the action.
Once again, Ty is partnering with Drewen. At the end of Phase II’s The Nameless Terror, she told Drewen she would train him. Insert *so that was a lie* image.
He is not happy about the way things have gone. As they land on Temerancé to scope out their next job, Drewen calls out Ty and brings up her old master. This sets her off in a rage, and she storms off. Temerancé is deep within the Occlusion Zone, which means the Nihil aren’t far away, as evidenced by what they discover. We meet some villagers who plead with Ty to help them with their Nihil problem. Something about these villagers strikes a chord with Ty, who forgets about her rough day, but will she help? What kind of mess is she about to find herself in?
The High Republic Adventures: Saber for Hire #1 is light on story but goes hard on character. Ty only wants to fight monsters and make money, but fate has different plans for her. Kip just wants to be left alone, but his blissful ignorance is about to catch up with him. Two characters on similar paths are on a collision course of some kind, but the jury is out on what form that will take. I wish Scott had given us more information in that regard, but as the kids say, let him cook. This issue didn’t move the needle, but it’s still a solid start all around.
RATING: 6.5/10
The High Republic Adventures: Saber for Hire #1 is available now wherever comics are sold. Thank you to Dark Horse Comics for providing the advance copy used in this review.
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Nate uses his love for Star Wars and movies in general as a way to cope with the pain of being a Minnesota sports fan. When he's not at the theater, you can usually find Nate reading a comic, listening to an audiobook, or playing a Mario video game for the 1,000th time.
