– Spoiler Review –
Over a year since Starlight Beacon’s fall, Jedi Master Keeve Trennis has finally found her old Master, Sskeer, but will she be able to break through the monster he’s become? And can the Koboti bond twins overcome a threat in the forest and the ones inside their minds? And what surprising familiar face reappears to help? Witness artist Ario Anindito’s final contribution to the series with a script by Cavan Scott that’ll shock, awe, and bring readers tears in The High Republic #5 – Phase III!
Over a year with only hope on her side, Keeve Trennis has found Sskeer, her former Jedi Master, who she last saw sacrificing himself against the Nameless on Starlight Beacon to save Keeve and her fellow Jedi. Lourna only sees the monster before them, who almost looks like the Hulk on permanent rage, and she’s ready to run, but Keeve remembers and sees the soul inside Sskeer, the one we’ve gotten glimpses of in flashbacks of every issue so far of this run. If the stunningly frightening image of Sskeer at the end of last issue didn’t already tell readers it wouldn’t be an easy situation to bring Sskeer back to normal, there’s no doubts it’ll be hard fought when Keeve’s pleading to her old Master falls on deaf ears and he attacks with a ferocious leap. Keeve remains defensive against his aggressive assault, not only because she’s that good of a Jedi, but because this is her friend, her mentor, and she cares for him, not wanting to hurt him but reach out to him instead. Throughout their fight, she’s talking to him, to the Sskeer she knew underneath the Magrak Syndrome, but Lourna manages to get in the way, knocking him out with a giant rock to the head. This reprieve doesn’t last long and he attacks Lourna next, but Keeve starts to break through…only for Lourna to unfortunately regress Keeve’s work once she nabs the Jedi’s lightsaber and attacks Sskeer again, thinking the Jedi Master’s work is a lost cause. For what feels like the 100th time, Keeve ends up protecting Lourna’s life after grabbing back her saber, and in the tense showdown that follows, she manages to bring Sskeer back from the darkness he’s found himself in, pulling out the soul she knows and looked up to for years. It’s a tear wrenching scene, as the two embrace, Sskeer returning her hug and Keeve crying, making it absolutely joyous to see them reunited, at last! It’s made even more emotional considering it’s some of the final artwork we’ll have on the series from Ario Anindito, who brought these first two to life over three years ago. How long will this last for Sskeer before he’s lost to his syndrome again? Can she and the Jedi Order work to bring him back fully? Or is he damned to be forever flickering between madness and barely there? And how affected is his connection to the Force, because if it’s limited or fully gone, could he still be a vital piece in the Order’s efforts against the Nameless, much like I theorized when this syndrome was first taking its toll on him? Either way, only Keeve was the right Jedi for this situation, as she’s proved in the fight against the Drengir and when bringing justice to the supposed Eye, as both times she’s found another way that didn’t involve fighting to end the situation and she brings that ability here by talking with Sskeer until she can break through. Whatever causes her to leave the Order in the future, they are losing one of their absolute best in the process. Regardless, I can’t wait to see what these two can do together, no matter how short their time could be, as I’m glad they got this moment at the very least.
An even bigger question remains…why was Sskeer taking up residence in the temple? As Keeve chats with him, Sskeer’s ability to talk limited, fractured, we learn he’s been here, attacking his fellow Jedi like Goonral because, in his Magrak syndrome haze, he’s been protecting someone. In one of a few surprises this issue, that someone is a young member of the Yacombe, a group of Force-sensitive individuals we first met in The High Republic – Phase II series from Scott! They weren’t in the series for long, specifically only really when they showed up to join the Convocation of the Force on Jedha and instead were met with lightsabers drawn due to their past associations with the dark side of the Force, even though a member of the Convocation knew the group had already denounced the dark side at one point. We haven’t heard from the group since, so how and why is she here and why must Sskeer protect her? As one door closes, the search for Sskeer, another intriguing door opens!
Outside the events of the Temple, Ceret and Terec, alongside Jedi Archivist OrbaLin and an injured Goonral Monshi, find themselves at the mercy of a member of the Child of the Storm, who sabotaged their Ataraxia shuttle. The Jedi hunter doesn’t even need to make themselves known at first, as the lingering issues regarding the fissure between the bond twins I was curious to see the series dive into come to roost. As fear grips them both, Ceret strikes out again at Terec, knocking their cute little creature friend off their shoulder and causing Terec to leave the main group behind. Instead of finding their friend in the forest, Terec finds…the Drengir??!?! Ceret senses their twin’s danger, begins losing it despite OrbaLin and Monshi trying to calm them down, and then realizes not only are they alone, they are surrounded by giant, potentially Nameless creatures! It’s clear to us readers something is wrong, these fearful apparitions can’t be real, but to the twins, they overwhelmingly are, as these are problems hidden inside, fears they’ve tried to avoid naming, the differences between one another ever since their brush with the Nameless over a year ago made manifest. These fearful images are overwhelming them, to the point I was concerned they wouldn’t find their way back from the visions, until a mysterious stranger appears before Terec. This hooded stranger confirms Terec’s feelings the Drengir before them can’t be real, coaching them about fear and how for a Jedi there is no fear, Terec slowly getting it and finishing the sentence, “…there’s only the Force,” the visions shattering. Ceret feels this and uses it too, breaking through theirs, claiming the Nameless they thought around them weren’t real. It’s great to see these two find some sort of peace with their fears, their ideas of being more separate than usual, by using their bond to help one another get over this attack, and I hope things continue to get better for these two going forwards.
While Ceret said his visions of the Nameless weren’t real, Monshi says he can still feel the effects of one, with a panel showing the typical Nameless effect, and that’s when one lunges out of the forest! The mysterious stranger told Terec the Child of the Storm hounding them, pulling at their fears, was H’tar, and this is her very real Nameless. But the stranger isn’t done with its tricks helping the group yet, zapping the creature to death with a very familiar gauntlet! Confronted by Ceret, the stranger pulls back their hood and reveals their name: TEY SIRREK!!! Wielding the Hand of Siberus, much like he and Jedi Master Vildar Mac did at the end of The High Republic – Phase II, Tey now has a giant beard and has been roughing it in the jungle. How does he know who H’tar is? What else does he know? What has he been up to over the past 150 years? It’s not a TOTAL surprise Tey is in the series, as he graces the cover for issue #6 out in April, but Scott was quick to clarify the issue was a one-time trip back to Phase II…though that left the option open for the Sephi to be in this series/era regardless! Tey and Vildar’s story of friendship in the Phase II comic, and the wonderful way it blossomed in Path of Vengenace (the Phase II closing novel, also by Scott), was one of the best parts about the second Phase, so having Tey back and seeing what happened is something I’m really looking forward to!
All of this wouldn’t work without the artists involved and readers are treated to stellar performances for issue #5’s big moments. Ario Anindito provides pencils, in his final work for the series (!!!), alongside inker Mark Morales, while Marika Cresta offers her pencils/inks on the other half of the issue, with Jim Campbell and Ariana Maher continuing on colors and lettering, respectively. It’s hard to quantify my feelings regarding Ario Anindito’s work not only on this series, but in helping craft this era with concept art as well, as he’s brought such obvious passion and heart to his time with these characters, the emotional beats have hit that much harder for it; he’s also a joy to have interviewed, which we were so lucky to a few years before! It’s sad to hear this will be his last for the series (and Scott gave him a beautiful goodbye on his newsletter), but it’s a memorable way to end his time, especially since he went full circle by first bringing Keeve and Sskeer to life and then being here for them reuniting. The opening page honors the closing of the last issue, the fire roaring around them, Sskeer mostly in black and darkness to denote his mindset, though I loved the little red circle eyes, the passion and kindness gone in the black pits, but it’s the way Keeve’s resolve slowly begins to crack as he approaches that was such a great showcase of Anindito and Morales’ work. Right after the open page’s hulking Sskeer, the second page’s first panel is a close up on Keeve, determined and concentrating, her lightsaber out and behind her, just in case, while Lourna is over her other shoulder, eyes wide with worry. The next panel is a close up on Sskeer’s black holed eyes with the small red circle center, as is if only the rage is inside of him, and I loved Maher’s bubble placement, as it’s right in the center, above the nose, but so small compared to the close up it’s clear these words mean little to the soulless eyes before us. Keeve still looks resolved in the final panel on the page, but Anindito and Morales bring a tenseness to her face, like she’s not as sure as she’s making herself out to be. The third page has two flashbacks back in the middle of the page, squishing a present set panel, where we see Keeve and Sskeer when she was little and other more like what they looked like at the start of Phase I, while between Keeve’s worried now, a tear flowing out, pleading one last time for Sskeer to hear her, to remember her, while the final panel is a vicious looking, drool-drenched snarl from Sskeer, the SFX mimicking the drool in a creepy, feral way; it breaks the heart and makes the next scene feel inevitable, but unfortunate to see, him lunging at her, saber drawn, roaring. I loved the counterpoint to these pages, especially in one close-up panel by Cresta where we see Sskeer’s eyes again but this time the red/orange is the dominate color and the black spot is the smallest part, with Maher’s lettering matching the proportions, while still in the same placement between the eyes, denoting this time the words he’s saying are coming from his brain, from his soul returning. And then the page where Sskeer and Keeve hug?! Honestly, I don’t need to revisit the tears of happiness I had again, but know it’s such a great juxtaposition to his hulking opening appearance, having that gentleness back in his face, posture, and eyes is just…brilliant work, Anindito and Morales! Marika Cresta has been no slouch on the series so far and she continues to impress, with some of my favorite content being when Terec and Ceret break through H’tar’s fearful visions. There’s this broken glass effect, as if the vision had enclosed them in a sealed chamber, reflecting back on them the fears inside their head (which, essentially, H’tar was doing), and it’s just a great visual that hits on the moment, especially paired with the powerful expressions on both of the twin’s faces, Maher’s large sound FX helping them push their way out, Campbell’s colors matching their lightsabers as the Force comes back to them and they break out.
Here are a few other things:
- Released only a day before this issue published was the first trailer for The Acolyte, which is positioned closer to the end of the High Republic era! It’s a stellar first look at the series, with Phase I/III star Vernestra Rwoh making some brief appearances, while there’s lots of potential for some references to all the stories we’ve been enjoying. The series premieres June 4, the same month as the High Republic’s Phase III, Wave II kicks off with the Temptation of the Force novel!
- Don’t forget, Lourna and Keeve’s story, alongside Avar Kriss, will continue this December in the Phase III audio original, Tempest Breaker! It’s still in the air if that’s happening after this series is over, as it doesn’t feel like it’ll only be 10 issues long, or concurrent with it, but we’ll see!
- The Women’s History Month variant for this issue has Ahsoka Tano on the cover!
Tearful reunions and big surprises mark a memorable The High Republic #5 – Phase III! And the biggest of thank you’s to Ario Anindito for bringing so much passion into the series, no words can describe the joy you’ve brought us all, you will be missed!!
+ Ario bringing it all full circle in an incredible final performance
+ Keeve, even despite Lourna, breaking through to Sskeer. Hugs included!
+ Tey Sirrek?! A Yacombe?! What’s going on!!?!
+ Terec and Ceret getting over their fears
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