– Spoiler Review –
With Baron Boolan’s ship going down and all our heroes, and the villains, still on it, who will make it off alive? And if they do, will it be with who we want them to be with? Find out in my review of the emotional, packed penultimate issue of the series, The High Republic #9 – Phase III!
Only having ten issues really started feel apparent in issue #8, as there were some things which sort of happened and we didn’t get as much explanation for, but knowing the end was nigh helped it not matter as much. With issue #9, the end being so close doesn’t help, as the events within feel like we’re closing in on the ending of another arc/storyline, not the entire series. It’s not to say issue #10 couldn’t be satisfying, or this issue isn’t, which it’s quite entertaining and emotional still, but not only has this series hit its stride as of late, this makes it feel like ending it before it really got started. A death happens in the issue and it doesn’t quite get the time it deserves, the characters ready to move on because of the ticking clock situation sure, but it can’t help the issue escape the feeling it’s more because of this shorter issue count. I think this wouldn’t be the biggest problem if we knew these stories for these characters would end here, but knowing fans will need to check out the upcoming audio original Tempest Breaker to see what’s next, a different format and one many people might not be able to enjoy until the scriptbook releases a month or so later, while fits with the overall situation of how High Republic publishing goes, does seem like an unnecessary complication. If issue #10 can provide a satisfactory enough ending to their stories here, I just hope the comic fans will know or are willing to get the remaining story in the upcoming release. I guess it’s just different than the first two Phases, where Marvel’s mainline High Republic comic ran through the Phase, be it 15 or 10 issues, so it just feels weird to change the way it’s done in the final one. I personally am not terribly bothered by it, as I’ll be listening to Tempest Breaker when it’s out and I consume all the other releases anyways, especially if it’ll have Keeve Trennis in it, but for those who might be more limited in how much they can consume, I can’t help but think for them. We’ll see after issue #10 how it all pans out, but let’s focus on the here and now, shall we, and dissect issue #9!
Lourna Dee is really trying her hardest to change, but her chaotic self bubbles up from time to time and learning how to play by the Republic and Jedi’s rules isn’t the easiest after the life she’s lived. It makes sense she thought her bombs bringing down Baron Boolan would please her new tentative friend Jedi Master Keeve Trennis, as the scientist was obviously a problem for Force-users in general, but given all Keeve’s done to save Lourna, she should’ve realized it’s not the way Keeve would’ve wanted things to go. There’s a bit of a divide between the two now, but the ferocity of their conversations about what she did reminds me of a fight two friends would have, as they both respect what the other is doing, just maybe not how they are doing or trying it. Keeve orders Lourna to take the young Yacombe girl back to the Ataraxia, with ObraLin there to make sure she doesn’t do anything rash like steal the ship again, and along the way Lourna tries to help the Kobati bond twins of Terec and Ceret disarm her bombs over comms. When the situation gets even more out of hand, with Baron Boolan escaping while the Ataraxia uses its considerable tractor beam to hold his station together so the Jedi can escape, Lourna hops into a Vector despite not really being able to fly it or use it weapons, attempting to stop it! If we didn’t know Lourna would star in the upcoming audio original, I might’ve been a little more worried she died here, crashing into Boolan’s stormship as it jumps into hyperspace, but I can’t wait to see what her brand of chaos gets up to on Boolan’s ship, especially since she might have some help…
While we don’t quite unpack Keeve overcoming the Nameless effect to kill one, which we find out later actually isn’t dead despite losing its head (damn you, Boolan, for making the creatures even more scary!), she’s forced into the Child of the Storm H’tar’s effects again when rushing off save Tey and Sskeer. Without as much narration boxes as Phase I, I feel like Keeve’s more at the level Avar Kriss was in the opening Phase, with me hoping for more time with the character to better understand how these events or situations were affecting her (something the Phase III novels have corrected big time for Avar), so I hope Tempest Breaker will help dive into Keeve more than this series has been able to. I bring this up because I’d love to learn how she’s working through H’tar’s effects or the Nameless’, as when H’tar forces her into a vision of her younger self, Keeve turns it right back around again, with some help from Tey’s little ball droid, Skoot, so while the art team makes it a fun scene, getting to experience her struggle or method would go a long way into building up Keeve’s true might as a Jedi. Despite Keeve’s efforts, things get complicated when Sskeer gets a hold of Tey’s Hand of Siberus, unleashing it to help subdue Baron Boolan, which of course Keeve tries to interrupt, worried her old Master will lose himself again. She’s right to be worried though, as while Lourna was able to avoid the influence of Baron Boolan’s words, he seems to get through to Sskeer, whom leaves with the Nihil’s mad doctor after one of Lourna’s bombs explodes and separates him from Keeve. She’s barely able to believe it, especially after some tragic news about a fellow Jedi, but as Lourna points out, Keeve’s too quick to give up, as the tracker on the Yacombe girl suddenly activates…but this time it’s on Baron Boolan’s ship! Is it Sskeer, using this as an opportunity to find out more about the Baron’s operations before bringing him in? Or is it Lourna’s doing, who must also be on the ship after crashing into it? Whether it’s Sskeer or not, it’ll be fascinating to see what happens to him aboard the Baron’s ship, as he might not be in as much control as he believes he is, while I hope Keeve will get a chance to try and help him, no matter what happens.
As for the tragic news, Terec and Ceret come down to the ship in hopes of helping disarm the bombs to give everyone more time to escape, Nihil and Jedi alike, willing to risk the threat of the Nameless in the process. While successful at first, Boolan’s lackey Reek interrupts the pair from their job, only for the nearby bomb to go off! As the dust settles, Ceret awakes to Terec’s little animal trying to wake them up, and then begins to realize a gut-wrenching truth, they can’t feel their twin in the Force or their bond!! The Kotabi bond twins were maybe far too often the ones who were hanging on the edge of death, so despite Ceret’s words about Terec no longer being sensed, until we see a body it’s almost hard to believe Cavan Scott has killed one of them off, despite his reputation. It fits someone had to die in this big raid on the Baron’s lab, but as Ceret finally accepts their twin’s animal and the team moves on to the next crisis, it almost seems like Terec’s fate is hanging in limbo. And if Terec is dead, it’s a shame we don’t get a little more time to deal with it or see the others react more, but maybe parts of issue #10 will give the characters this opportunity, while my biggest disappointment with Terec’s death is rooted in the interesting divide between the twins that was just barely being explored this series is now potentially over before it really got to cook as a storyline/character development.
Laura Braga returns for art one last time in the series, the usual Jim Campbell as colorist and Ariana Maher on lettering alongside her. Braga’s first appearance on the series was with issue #6 and I was quite impressed, especially with her facial expressions, hoping she’d return. She brings a depth of definition to faces not all artists on this series have, providing extra layers to many interactions and reactions which help sell the turmoil characters are dealing with. As I said earlier, the art team makes Keeve under H’tar’s effects a fun scene, as while it starts with us seeing Keeve do something powerful, like Force pushing the two Children of the Storm away from Sskeer and Tey in a heroic pose where her robes gleam on her, the next panel is her running away from H’tar, knowing what’s about to happen. The first Keeve we see looks calm, almost serene as she pushes the villains away, but the Keeve who is running seems in shock almost, her robes not gleaming and billowing around her, but flying backwards, denoting the speed with which she’s trying to use to escape. Campbell switches us from a green action background emanating from Keeve as she pushes to a purple one emanating from H’tar, rushing out to grab Keeve, as Maher puts the Children of the Storm’s word bubbles over Keeve, helping to give the feeling H’tar’s pushing down on the Jedi Master. Keeve’s utter surprise only increases when in the next panel when she sees herself as a young girl, in Temple robes and a poofy ton of hair, the pink background giving the impression H’tar owns Keeve’s mind at the moment. The panel afterwards is H’tar standing there, a smile to her face, arm’s crossed in a self-satisfied way, but a little green lighting on her back reveals to us Skoot, Tey’s droid, hovering in the shadows behind her. The final panel on the page is a close-up on the young Keeve, who has a smug grin, the purple/pink coloring gone because of how close we are, and Maher’s word bubble placement making Keeve’s statement, “Not for me,” come off as smug as her grin is. The next page begin with Skoot shocking H’tar, followed by the really cool effect of people breaking out of H’tar’s effects, as it looks like little pieces of stained glass shattering, images of the young Keeve all over several of them. The visual of the headless Nameless was terrifying in the best way, while Lourna’s crash into Boolan’s ship, in a double-page spread, really sells the potential she couldn’t have survived the impact.
Here are a few other things:
- While the Wookiee Jedi Master Kelnacca looks to finally get more scenes in the seventh episode of The Acolyte, out July 9, don’t forget Cavan Scott will really give the Wookiee his due in the upcoming one-shot issue, The Acolyte – Kelnacca #1!
- With SDCC fast approaching, I imagine we’ll get some new High Republic-related comic news, as once this is over, Marvel doesn’t have any upcoming High Republic releases on the calendar besides the promise of The Broken Blade to follow-up on Porter Engle’s story post-Temptation of the Force.
The High Republic #9 – Phase III is a penultimate issue alright, though it might feel for just an arc and not the whole series, it’s setting up what should be a memorable finale either way.
+ Sskeer and Lourna’s choices
+ H’tar’s effects and headless Nameless shine in art team’s work
– Doesn’t feel like the story and characters are getting the proper time
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 | #8