Review – ‘The High Republic Adventures: Crash Landing’ Sets in Motion a Larger Redemption Story
The writer of the review you are about to read has been fairly busy recently. Unfortunately, a book he enjoyed had taken over his life. But now that his review for John Jackson Miller’s The Living Force is out, he can move on with his life, which means right back into the weeds of The High Republic. This week, Dark Horse’s The High Republic Adventures: Crash Landing sees a Phase III expansion as a new and intriguing storyline begins.
The “one-shot” features the return of Midnight Horizon‘s Crash. She is on a mission to hunt down those responsible for the Nihil’s attack on Corellia. It also follows the events of Rogue Element, a short story in the Barnes & Noble version of Tales of Light and Life. Written by Daniel José Older, Crash Landing explores the effect of the Republic’s war with the Nihil on the common folk. Crash won’t stand by and let her home be destroyed again, making the things she has to reckon with in this issue daunting.
This issue might lose you if you aren’t caught up with Older’s The High Republic Adventures. However, it feels like a necessary piece to a larger puzzle, so I’d give it a shot when you’re able.
Spoilers ahead…
First things first, I am not a huge fan of Midnight Horizon. If it wasn’t for the third act and the stakes involved, the young adult novel might have been my least favorite in the initiative. So, off the bat, Crash Landing is behind the 8-ball. Thankfully(?), I am a sucker for characters making questionable choices in their fight for inner peace. For the first time, I felt something for Crash. Aided by Rachele Aragno’s art, her mission to right the wrongs of the Nihil is noble, but is it misguided?
Older makes you ask questions about Crash’s actions. Is she going about things the right way? Is she capable of doing this by herself? What is the real reason she’s fighting? Following the issue and the shifting emotions on her face as she processes everything is powerful. It made me want to revisit the previous stories with her to see if I missed anything that might have made her more endearing.
The biggest surprise of the issue was seeing how it fits into the larger narrative. At one point, Crash checks in with Zeen and Lula on Eriadu. She is searching for information on Krix Kamerat. Last we saw of him in The High Republic Adventures #2, it sure seemed like Lula left him for dead.
The memory of Krix still haunts Lula, and Zeen has to calm her down. They don’t know where he is, nor do they care. The pair seem ready to move on from their once-friend, once-adversary, which says a lot about the direction of their story in relation to Crash’s. Both sides are looking towards a better future, but the path is very different.
Eventually, we come to find out that Krix is alive after all. Crash and Ruu break into the Republic prison where the former Nihil operative is being held. They are prepared to kill Krix when they find him, but he has something else in mind. He’s had one too many delusions of grandeur during his time imprisoned, thinking he still has a chance to be the hero of his own story. In any case, he proposes to Crash that they break him out so he can start over. Start over by re-infiltrating the Nihil and get back in good graces with Marchion Ro. And when he does, Krix will kill him. Simple enough. Sharing a common goal with the enemy always works out.
Crash decides to take Krix up on his word. Now, he has to live up to his end of the bargain. But did Crash just make the worst mistake of her life? Those who trust her think so. Is this one step too far? I wish The High Republic Adventures: Crash Landing had more of an answer. Mercifully, this story is not over. The final page teases a follow-up, Crash and Burn, in August.
As a first chapter, Crash Landing has enough of a hook to make me want to see where things go. Any story that has the potential of delivering a reckoning for Marchion Ro is one I want to read. One of the great strengths of The High Republic is that every character’s story matters. While Crash and Krix may be tertiary characters at best in the grand scheme of things, they now matter.
RATING: 7/10
Thank you to Dark Horse Comics for providing the copy used in this review. The High Republic Adventures: Crash Landing is available now wherever comics are sold.
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.
