– Spoiler Review –
Barash and Porter’s latest chance to help the citizens of the Outer Rim is far more complicated than they bargained for, as The High Republic – The Blade #2 continues to develop the excellent connection between its leads while introducing quite an intriguing hurdle for them to cross.
Charles Soule’s writing of Porter Engle and Barash Silvain certainly endured me to them and their connection very quickly, in fact I was calling for more of their adventures set prior to this miniseries to be explored, so I had high hopes The Blade #2 could keep up what made them so special. Thankfully it does, and then some, as we get another glimpse into their shared past while deepening our knowledge of how deeply intertwined they are. While the second issue of The Blade is heavy on the dialogue and exposition, as has to set up the conflict on Gansevor and the many sides involved and their many versions of the story, which might be more complicated than even Barash’s abilities can handle. In fact, they end up trusting many of the players they encounter, keeping an eye open for all the information regardless, but already one party betrays that trust, calling in another party to the conflict though this one’s lack of connections to it all makes them the most dangerous. Fighting doesn’t seem like that big of an issue for this pair though, as their ability to work in unison or boost one another makes them almost unstoppable, like when Barash utters mantras to help center Porter as he pulls off some impressive blaster reflection. The real issue is figuring out who to fight and why, and while always trusting Barash has its advantages, it’s bound to backfire at some point and this information rich and complex situation on Gansevor might be the place their system all comes tumbling down. Another glimpse into their Temple days, this one when they are in their teens, shows the danger of their connection, as Barash suggests pretending not to be as skillful a Jedi so the Masters won’t split them up. Porter’s a little concerned about the deceptiveness of the plan, but agrees they work the best together, so he decides to go along with it. I liked how this flashback shows how far Barash has come since being a youngling, as she didn’t want any friends and was content to be alone and now she’s finding ways to deceive Jedi Masters to keep her near Porter; they might not think it, but they are definitely more attached than the Order likes and it seems like their tale could very well be another cautionary one about attachments, as the younger Barash, or one who was separated and spends more time away from Porter, likely wouldn’t try to deceive others to keep herself close to someone. How this connection becomes a problem, leading to the Barash Vow, remains to be seen, but the pathway to tragedy is laid out before us.
At only 4 issues long, The Blade has to jam a lot into a smaller space, so it’s quite impressive how many new characters and various sides to the conflict all managed to make their way into these panels. For starters we meet Envoy Seleen, the one who put in the petition for help, who explains the situation how the walled city of Firevale has come under siege by a rival town Bethune because its the only location where a precious mineral (always those precious minerals!) resides, and said precious mineral is vital to the planet’s energy infrastructure. She’s asking them to take supplies, and supposedly no weapons, to Firevale, but something about the whole situation already seems a bit off, where not even Porter needs Barash to tell him to question Seleen and her motives; after all, the woman did put on a small, yet wicked smile when confirming Porter’s assumption Gansevor is called the planet of knives due to its spiky mountains. When the besiegers open fire on the Jedi and the supplies, Porter, with Barash’s encouragement, disarms the Bethune perpetrators and initiates a meeting with their leader. The Bethune have their own version and reasons why, claiming, beyond the overpriced precious mineral, Firevale stole their princess (“But our princess is in another castle!” couldn’t help myself). Porter and Barash get the Marshal’s agreement to ferry in the supplies, where they meet Firevale’s magistrate and the prince, who claims the princess, now his wife, fled Bethune originally for asylum. Bethune doesn’t look like the most trustworthy of the options considering the Marshal calls in reinforcements, via a really silly yet dark visual for a communication droid, led by General Viess, a Mirilan who has a funny entrance that guarantees they’ll be someone to look out for (and not because Soule has hinted she’s somehow tied into hints for Phase III of the era!). I’m really beginning to think the mountains are not inspiration for the planet’s knife-heavy nickname, but rather they are really good at stabbing one another in the back far too often. Are the Bethune in the right, the princess actually stolen from them? Did Firevale tell the truth about her seeking asylum? Does Seleen actually have weapons amongst the supplies, alongside other plans regarding the siege? How will this all wrap up in two more issues? If this is how the next two will go, it’ll be something fans won’t want to miss.
On art for issue #2 is both Marco Castiello and Jethro Morales, and while I didn’t quite pick up when they switched in my original reread, subsequent returns to the pages makes me believe Castiello does everything before the flashback sequence and Morales takes over from there, though regardless the two have Jim Charalampidis on colors and Travis Lanham lettering. It’s been great lately that when an issue has more than one artist on the same story, the styles are close enough or complimentary it doesn’t come off as jarring when the switch happens, and Morales and Castiello are no exceptions. While Morales’ Porter has less of the ages lines or wrinkles Castiello puts in his work, regardless Barash looks younger and smoother faced, as it sort of fits how the pair works, with Porter out in the frontlines, getting dirty and putting on a spectacular lightsaber display time and time again, it would be understandable his face could be a little more worn out, while Barash in the background, watching from a distance and occasionally joining the fray, with her confidence in her abilities, would be less stressed; she is the one calming Porter during battle after all. With Castiello’s work, I loved the sharp, cutting look Seleen has when she counters Porter’s assumption on the planet’s nickname, as it’s our first big hint there’s more here than meets the eyes, while he gets to handle some of Porter’s tricky and impressive lightsaber work, deflecting a ton of blaster fire and eventually using it disarm his opponents; the way Barash sort of ambles behind him, Castiello giving her a relaxed look, also help sell Porter’s proficiency. On Morales’ side, I don’t know who designed or came up with the communications droid the Marshal uses, but it’s such a dark visual it’s both a delight to see and also totally understandable given what we know of this era, how communications are sparse and they are taking the time now to make it reliable for future generations, so the need to have a discreet yet operational way to send transmissions is very necessary. A little phone pops out of the droid’s face, connected to it still by a phone cord like home phones had to be for years, helping ground us in how this part of the era is even more different than Phase I’s timeframe. The big page of General Viess’ ships coming to help with the siege, their imposing size and number set against a blank sky, highlights the scale and scope of the problem coming after our intrepid heroes, while Viess’ entrance itself, from her large, double-bladed weapon, hooded appearance, and shouting for directions on who to kill, certainly leaves one wanting to learn more. Charalampidis’ colors for her outfit, purple cape with gold interior with maroon clothes under silver and black armor, are an arresting array of color, making her showy compared to everyone we’ve met so far, from the Bethune, the Firevale, and even our Jedi leads; it says a lot about her confidence since she isn’t concerned about picking out an outfit to blend it, instead choosing one which puts her in the main focus, standing out from all around her. And Lanham’s speech bubble for her demands on who to kill make it both a little funny and even more concerning given she’s not trying to conceal what she’s about and why she’s here, doing away with formality and all about the job, something which comes at odds to Porter and Barash given how much talking they do this issue over trying to fight anyone. Charalampidis’ usage of orange for Firevale and Envoy Seleen helps link the groups together in some degree, or at least the symbioses between the two, while the Bethune’s blue with greenish-yellow armor sure seems to suggest they aren’t amongst what’s normal for this planet, considering the precious mineral matches the Firevales’ look. Lanham’s SFX make readers sure to understand the staggering amount of blasterfire Porter is up against, tons of them lighting up the panels where he’s deflecting their shots, though the sound he chooses sort of gives them a old Western ricochet sound, giving this an old school feel.
Here are a few other things:
- While issue #3 slipped to March 1, the final one is still set for March 29, so there won’t be a big wait thankfully between the two issues.
- Issue #4 will be part of the Women’s History Month variant covers, where Barash herself will be drawn by Peach Momoko!
The High Republic – The Blade #2 expands on the intriguing dynamic of Barash and Porter, while opening up quite the mystery box and potential nemesis for them to deal with!
+ More of the Porter/Barash dynamic doesn’t disappoint
+ All the complexity in their current mission
+ Art adds to the potential for backstabbing and how formidable this new character will be as an opponent.
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
THE HIGH REPUBLIC – THE BLADE REVIEWS
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