– Minor Spoiler Review –
While it’s been well over a year since the previous entry, Viz Media’s The High Republic – The Edge of Balance returns with its third volume and instantly reminds readers what’s made the manga series something to anticipate. With intriguing character development, new mysteries, and memorable art for the big and small moments, The Edge of Balance Vol. 3 is a read you do not want to miss.
The High Republic – The Edge of Balance Vol. 3’s story is by Daniel José Older and Shima Shinya, with art by Mizuki Sakakibara, and takes place around Wave II of Phase III – Trials of the Jedi, as it’s set sometime after the events of The High Republic Adventures #8 – Phase III, also by Older, since Eriadu has become part of the Nihil’s Stormwall. Since it’s been a while from the previous entry, Precedent (which came out May 2023), and we’re now halfway into the current Phase’s events, the early parts of Vol. 3 feel like catch-up, to the point it slows the pacing, though the information should be enough to catch up for readers who aren’t tuned into all the other content in the Phase. In my review of Vol. 2, which came out in 2022, I lamented what felt like a loss of the series’ separation from the main events, as Vol. 1 read like a true side-story which breathed in the era, not one which got swept up in its bigger story. I only felt that way since the change felt so sudden back then, as I realize now how important it was for The Edge of Balance to broaden its scope and in the process, which I realize is the more important aspect, hopefully not lose its uniqueness and focus on its specific characters. Precedent was a great move in that direction, especially since its tale of Jedi Knight Azlin Rell’s broken mind has become a vital part of Phase III, and Vol. 3 is the perfection of such an ideal, as we get some terrific scenes with Wookiee Jedi Master Arkoff and his ex-apprentice Rell, main star Jedi Knight Lily Tora-Asi learns an important lesson, and the mysteries of Banchii meld into the bigger ones of the era. As we head towards the end of the initiative, escalation of stakes makes sense and Older and Shinya manage it in an organic enough way it’s simply an expansion of the series three volumes in.
Jedi Knight Lily Tora-Asi’s growth and story really hits a high note in Vol. 3, which sees her unpacking the loss of her Padawan, Keerin, and make a change Jedi Master Sav Malagán, a staple of Older’s work, suggested she try. Back in Vol. 1, I felt Lily was a little too rigid, and while it was largely on purpose, I just didn’t connect with her as much in the main story, but as she’s changed over each volume, my views on her changed too. Vol. 3 sees her in a much better spot when she decides to embody Sav’s advice about being like water (Water Lily, I get it), which comes at the perfect time given the unique situation happening on Banchii and Arkoff’s reaction to his old apprentice getting involved, as she’s able to shift into the leadership role everyone needs from her. It was neat to see even Yoda listening and waiting for her command and it really shows how this much needed change made her into the Jedi Knight she always could be; staying on Banchii instead of joining the Coruscant recall aids in her focus on what matters here and now vs what could be. Her willingness to be more flexible comes in real handy towards the end during the Nihil’s attack, as she’s able to understand one of the era’s biggest enemies is actually an important ally in their current situation, leading to a neat surprise which sort of echoes off and builds on Keeve Trennis’ choice back in Phase I (and is also something Jedi Knight Burryaga stumbles on as well in the recent Temptation of the Force). I look forward to seeing how Lily continues to grow before the series eventually comes to an end and I hope she’ll eventually get a chance to cameo in a different medium, if only for a moment.
Once Precedent revealed the Nihil were after Azlin Rell’s journal, and Arkoff’s designs to keep it secret, keep it safe, and then we later learned Azlin was alive and well in Phase III, I’ve been very interested if the two would ever meet again, as both have changed, one more drastically than the other, and the journal could contain the answers the Order needs to solve the riddle of the Nameless…or something worse that’s started to spread unchecked across the galaxy. Early in Vol. 3, Lily pointedly asks Arkoff how he’s feeling regarding Azlin Rell’s survival, as well as all the deaths he recently caused, and it spooks the elder Jedi quite a bit, to the point Sav wants Lily to watch over him. When Azlin arrives on Banchii with Yoda and Reath Silas, who has been charged with learning what he can from the ex-Jedi, he has his own uncomfortable feelings about being around his Master again. In a way, both are dealing with fear, Arkoff fearful he could’ve done more to prevent what happened to his friend and for Azlin, fearful of falling down the well again like he did after the Nameless messed him up on Dalna. The absolutely terrifying visions of what Azlin sees return—Sakakibara honoring Tomio Ogata’s Precedent work in the process—and I love the suddenness of these POV moments throughout the story, as it offers a route to sympathy for the character even if it doesn’t make up for the darker actions he’s done, as I feel like I’d have done what it takes to quell those visions as well, while seeing it again helps reiterate part of why he broke. Arkoff can’t help himself, seeking to give empathy to his old friend as he feels he failed him, though his actions come at opposition to how Azlin feels initially (which is where we see those freaky visions of his POV), but as the story progresses and the Nihil show up, Nameless included, they both must learn to trust in one another. Their joint journey together was one of my favorite aspects of Vol. 3, with Azlin returning a bit to his old self thanks not only to being around Arkoff but also Lily’s leadership and new-found fluidity trusting him, and it all culminates in a big, surprising moment towards the end with the Nameless (something I’m still trying to understand given everything we know) which leaves me anxious to see how it could affect the era’s remaining story.
Sav Malagán, who delighted in her The High Republic Adventures – Phase I appearances and was an engaging protagonist of the series’ Phase II iteration, while also popping up in previous volumes of this series, gets a much bigger part to play in Vol. 3. With the Nihil’s Stormwall, an impassable barrier the Republic is slowly finding holes in, getting closer to Banchii, Sav takes it upon herself to stop the Nihil setting up a key base to launch attacks into Republic space from on a nearby moon in the system. She’s joined by the unlikeliest of allies, one being Shosho, a leader of the little Banchiians, and ZZ-10, the droid Arkoff put in charge of protecting the journal since Phase II… and the likeliest of her allies, a cache of explosives to cause maximum chaos! Sav’s always in her chaos era and it’s a blast to watch her work, barely explaining anything to her pals because she knows what she’s doing and she knows it’ll work, case in point a fun moment with a comm system and her sleeping. Given everything we’ve seen about her, it makes even more sense she’s so trusting in the Force, going about things with a care-free attitude because all is as the Force wills it, and her effect on Lily has really helped the young Knight. During Sav and Shosho’s work on the moon, they come across Zimtok, a local of the moon who looks like a sloth mixed with a raccoon, but with three eyes and the ability to use the Force! Zimtok and Shosho become quick friends, and of course the Nihil’s work on the moon is displacing her from her home, so she gets into the fight with them, though being able to use the Force makes her a target. Turns out Niv Drendow Apruk (who was first introduced in Older and Alyssa Wong’s Escape from Valo), a cohort of the Nihil’s dastardly Baron Boolan, is on the moon and looking for Force-sensitives for his experiments and in the chaos of Sav’s disruptions, Zimtok is captured! Before they leave the moon, Shosho jumps aboard, in hopes of saving their new friend! I loved the little friendly relationship Zimtok and Shosho cultivated so quickly and how Shosho’s actions shows the bravery of the little Banchiians again and again (they even help against the Nameless in Vol. 3!), both of which give readers a wonderful taste of the era’s rallying cry, “We are all the Republic!”
As I mentioned before, Niv Drendow factors into Vol. 3, and we get to see more of his and Baron Boolan’s working relationship, with Boolan’s demanding nature and Niv Drendow’s self-importance creating quite the entertainingly toxic workplace; their brief holo-call with one another really highlighted the Baron’s ruthlessness and I hope we’ll get to see more of it in the stories going forward. Niv Drendow remains an entertaining character, as he can never be bothered to do anything unless he deems it necessary to his goals, so he’s an easy one to love to hate. I was very glad to see the younglings Viv’nia and Nima return, as they’ve grown in their time away on Coruscant due to the recall at the end of Phase I, even helping to lead the reconstruction of the Banchii temple, though hopefully they’ll have a bit more to do in Vol. 4. As for the main mystery, the way the Drengir, the settlers they’ve turned to wood, and the blight which is spreading across the galaxy (though not seen here) mix together, it leads to some really fascinating moments and left me even more curious to see how these things are all connected and how the Jedi and the Republic will be able to stop it.
Mizuki Sakakibara is the main artist for the series and yet after Tomio Ogata’s work in Precedent, they had to not only live up to that, but expand on what they’ve already done, and Vol. 3 was my favorite showing of Sakakibara’s work yet. I only bring up Ogata’s work because of Azlin Rell, as Ogata was responsible for some of my nightmares with the demented, frightening things Azlin saw after his encounter with the Nameless, big, dripping, tentacle-y, amorphous versions of the beings before him, and with Vol. 3 bringing the character back to the series, Sakakibara had to add such scary things to their repertoire. Sakakibara already made some intriguing and spooky choices with The Edge of Balance’s unique flavor of Drengir, which looked more like horrifying Piranha Plants from the Super Mario games than how other artists drew them, so I wasn’t worried about them drawing the tentacled madness of Azlin’s POV, something they do not disappoint with. The goopy, wet, swamp-monster thing Azlin sees every so often when talking to Arkoff, and then the next panel is Arkoff as we all see him, is such an effective change, it’s startling every time it happens, as it feels random to as it does to Azlin, and the concern on Arkoff’s face is an excellent juxtaposition which Sakakibara handles so very well, their amount of detail to his fur and expression makes the change between these version so jarring. On the opposite end of the spectrum, and what really shows Sakakibara’s range, is just how adorable Zimtok and even Shosho looks, yet they can be fierce when the time calls for it. Zimtok has a peaceful countenance to her, inquisitive even, but her claws can and will come out, especially as seen in the lovely concept art in the final pages, while Shosho’s height and cute little hooded robe make them easy to dismiss, but their chirps and surety of stance with their staff make them seem instantly formidable. I really enjoyed the spectrum of emotions and tone Sakakibara can achieve at the whim of Older and Shinya’s script.
Here are a few other things:
- I really loved the concept of how the moon Sav goes to, its rotation causes it to pass in and out of the current Stormwall line freely. I never considered the rotation of planets that much in Star Wars, let alone a moon, so this was a smart little detail and I’d love to see if it could come into play for any future stories.
- Is Zimtok a distant relative, species-wise, of Pii-lor (from the Inquisitors comic miniseries), who also looks like a sloth, though far more like our galaxy’s than Zimtok?
- It’s great to think we have Arkoff, Burryaga, AND Kelnacca running about in the High Republic era as Wookiee Jedi!
- While Vol. 3 teases Vol. 4, it’s not the only The Edge of Balance release coming in 2025! Out April 8, The Edge of Balance: Premonition will feature Yoda who, according to the blurb, might be a captive of Marchion Ro’s?! And Marchion is unleashing another deadly weapon? We’ll know more as Phase III progresses! As for Vol. 4, it’s out only a few weeks later, April 22, and will follow-up on some of Vol. 3’s cliffhangers and bring Baron Boolan front and center (guess his capture doesn’t last terribly long, as he was just picked up by Keeve Trennis and a motley crew in The High Republic #10 – Phase III). Plenty of exciting stuff to come for the manga!!
- I’ve been trying to post more about upcoming releases as a friendly reminder for readers in each High Republic review, though our THR page has a release calendar as well, and recently Lucasfilm Publishing Creative Director Michael Siglain tweeted out a wonderful little infographic of August’s releases! Hopefully they can have those more often for each month coming up! Here’s still a list of upcoming releases, remaining in August and some in September, as of this publishing: The High Republic Adventures #9 – Phase III is slated for 8/21; The High Republic: Beware the Nameless middle grade novel is out 8/27; The High Republic Adventures – Crash and Burn and The High Republic Adventures – Echoes of Fear #1 on 9/4; plus The Acolyte – Kelnacca #1 on 9/9, bringing the Wookiee Master to the era’s story!
The High Republic – The Edge of Balance Vol. 3 delights on several levels, as the series’ foray into the past bears fruit here, with characters evolving and a central mystery only getting more intriguing by the volume.
+ Azlin and Arkoff’s journeys
+ Water Lily
+ Spooky yet lighthearted art brings great variety to the story
– Too much set-up to start
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.