– Spoiler Review –
An unlikely group behind the Stormwall is all that stands between the Nihil’s notorious Baron Boolan and his latest catch, but is one member too much of a rogue for things to go well? Find out in my review of The High Republic #8 – Phase III!
Lourna Dee’s transformation this series has been a delightful surprise, as she’s been the most level-headed of late in a group of Jedi, and now she’s leading a team consisting of Tey Sirrek and Sskeer to infiltrate Baron Boolan’s floating laboratory to rescue the young Yacombe girl! Had you told me this was going to be her arc when we first met her, or even after Tempest Runner, I wouldn’t have totally believed you, but writer Cavan Scott has made this arc feel like a natural progression for the character…after all, he’s been behind a huge chunk of her story so far. This issue might be her best yet, as while she has some of her typical behaviors come out and cause issues, like her impatience causing them to throw out the stealth approach, or her penchant for chaos, as we learn she put a bunch of bombs around the ship without telling anyone, she’s still the one who gets the Yacombe girl from Baron Boolan when it comes down to it. They have an interesting encounter, where he cuts down to her inner being, examining the core of who she is, and for a moment us readers are left wondering if he’s got her, if he’s going to undo all her progress, but she’s too much of an independent thinker for his usual methods to work on her…and that’s when she sets off the bombs for the ultimate distraction. As she runs away, hoping to exit the station, a Nameless pursues her, catching up with her and tackling her, and since the young girl is too scared to help, and Tey and Sskeer and otherwise busy fighting Children of the Storm, who can save Lourna? Well, someone who’s made quite the habit of it…Keeve Trennis! We’ll get to that in a moment, but for now I just want to say I love where Scott has taken Lourna so far and I don’t think I’ll get the image out of my head of Tey, Sskeer, and Lourna rushing into battle together, as it’s such a joyfully strange and unexpected collection of individuals bringing the era’s catchphrase, “We are all the Republic,” to life!
The plan to infiltrate the ship is a smart one, as the Jedi still attuned to the Force remain behind, as we learn the effects of whatever Boolan’s all doing on the ship are almost nauseating for them despite the current distance in the Ataraxia. Though it certainly wouldn’t have worked without Tey, as he’s sort of the middle ground between the anarchistic Lourna and the troubled Sskeer, managing to both help calm Sskeer down once they see the Yacombe girl on an operating table, and keeping Lourna in a check…at least initially. And the way Terec and Ceret are still at odds, as Terec expresses their dislike of Ceret bringing back the little creature from the jungle planet, it makes a lot of sense for them to stay behind regardless of the Nameless potentially in Boolan’s ship. As for Keeve, practically paralyzed but still able to kill the Nameless harassing Lourna, I can’t wait to see how this encounter has messed with her and how she’s able to recover, as they are under a ticking time clock of the ship falling into the nearby planet thanks to Lourna’s explosives! As for how Keeve managed to over come the effect, besides it probably helping the Nameless wasn’t focusing on her maybe limiting the effect, I wonder if it’s anything similar to what happens in Temptation of the Force…make sure to check out the novel on June 11!
Knowing this series will wrap in two issues,* I get the need to cut some corners/hand wave some things away, but I certainly wish we already had Baron Boolan in an extra issue or two before this, as he’s sort of here and we leave him behind too quickly without answering too many questions on his operation, while Children of the Storm H’tar and newly reveal Rrkak (who Sskeer might know?!?) are frightening to look at but not much else. Also, I was unsure how Ceret was able to open Boolan’s ship’s doors from the Ataraxia, how Keeve got in, and also how Lourna put explosives around the ship without the others noticing. It doesn’t break me out of the story, but these things are all a reminder of the shorter issue run, which I felt worked better for the scale and content of Phase II’s story more.
As for art, this issue we have Jim Towe back, joined by the usual coloring and lettering pair of Jim Campbell and Ariana Maher, respectively. Horror has always slithered its way into The High Republic series, no matter the Phase, and we get a nice little taste of it here in a great full-page panel reveal of a desiccated Nameless in a giant tank, like Luke Skywalker’s bacta tank dunking in The Empire Strikes Back. There’s what looks like almost two different skulls, or its face was split in two, but the usual Nameless face is still somehow there, on the outskirts of the top of its body, eye holes empty like the void. The amount of tentacles would put any eldritch horror to shame, while a strange brown mass, compared to the blueish hue to the rest of its body, bubbles through the skin in different areas, most noticeable between the two sides of the face. The sickly green chosen by Campbell makes it seem like its being pickled or something, while the overall initial look at it certainly makes it seem dead, helping ensure the eventual reveal it’s somehow alive is all the more unsettling. In fact, that panel is just as creepy, as while it’s a small horizontal slice, Towe’s warping to make its movement look sudden, combined with Maher’s gashing red sound FX for its nasty yell, almost made me jump like it did Lourna, whose face was right next to the tank. I adored the smiles shared between Lourna and Sskeer as they agree stealth is boring and they should raise some hell instead, as it was just neat to see these two being so chummy with one another, which is followed by a funny look at Keeve, rubbing her temples as their careful planning all falls apart. The final panel on the same page is the heroic one, Tey, Lourna, and Sskeer next to one another, shown in a sweeping and determined manner, countering the previous page’s look at the Children of the Storm rushing to confront our heroes. The return of the purple swarm effect of the Nameless when it’s revealed Keeve, who looks like she’s seen a ghost, was the one to slice the face of the Nameless and save Lourna and the girl, gives us an immediate idea of how much mental pain she’s in despite her heroic deed, while Lourna’s face is the shock we all have she’s here, saving the day again despite the perils to herself.
Here are a few other things:
- Gracing this issue’s Pride Month cover is Xylan Graf and his husband, Cair San Tekka, whom we get a lot more time with in Defy the Storm and we’ll see again in June 11’s Temptation of the Force!
- *It’s almost baffling this series will wrap up in only two issues, as it’s really picked up and has quite the interesting story and situation before it. It’s reassuring to know Keeve and Lourna’s story will continue in upcoming content, like Tempest Breaker in December and an issue of Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone in January 2025, but I hope we learn, sooner than later, if issue #10 will truly be the end of Marvel’s mainline comic or if it’ll return in some form prior to Phase III ending in June 2025.
- Whether this is the end or not, Scott has another High Republic comic coming…The Acolyte: Kelnacca #1 one-shot in September! We’ll learn a lot more about the Wookiee Jedi Master’s involvement in the conflict with the Nihil and about his tattoos! And while Kelnacca only appears briefly in the season premiere, expect to see more of him in upcoming episodes of The Acolyte!
The High Republic #8 – Phase III delves into the extent of Lourna Dee’s growth and sets up quite the story for the final two issues!
+ Lourna Dee’s journey really shines here
+ Unique collection of characters personify “We are all the Republic”
– Starting to feel the shorter issue count
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Bluesky, Twitter @MynockManor, and Instagram @mynockmanor.
THE HIGH REPUBLIC – PHASE III REVIEWS
Children of the Storm: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 — The Hunted: #5 | #6 | #7