– Spoiler Review –
Of the many highlights from the first Phase of The High Republic initiative was the story Daniel José Older cooked up in his IDW comics series, The High Republic Adventures, which centered around Padawans and a smaller scaled story of their connections and struggles throughout the Drengir and Nihil conflicts. Older returns with The High Republic Adventures – Phase II via Dark Horse and the same pedigree is already present, this time introducing us to a younger incarnation of Phase I character Sav Malagán and her own struggles with being part of the Jedi Order. Energetic, engaging, and grounded in Sav’s character development, The High Republic Adventures #1 – Phase II seems to promise, despite the shorter run, something as memorable as the first.
Set 150 years prior to Phase I, The High Republic’s Phase II: Quest of the Jedi finds the Republic and the Order exploring the frontier, bringing their light to lesser-known parts of the galaxy. Hyperspace prospectors and adventurers profit as they help chart the frontier, while the Jedi help where they can either with the Pathfinder teams or via their satellite Temples throughout the charted galaxy. Much like at the start of Phase I, there isn’t any real galaxy-wide conflict, meaning the Jedi aren’t always in battles and instead solving other problems as they arise. We find a teenaged Sav Malagán growing up within the Order during this timeframe, training out at the Takodana Temple, rebellious and unsatisfied within the confines of the Order. With the Jedi, Sav doesn’t feel like she can be herself, its stuffy rules and regimens leaving her incredibly sick of the Order already, despite evidence of her potential mastery in the Force. To offset these feelings, Sav sneaks out during the night, taking the ferry across the lake to…Maz Kanata’s Castle! There she can lose herself in the comings and goings of its many denizens, who live far more adventurous lives doing all sorts of things she can only dream about, being whomever they want in whatever way they want. At this point, Maz doesn’t quite know her yet, but when we first met Sav in THRA – Phase I, she and Maz are the best of pals, so they are destined to befriend one another, going on an adventure(s), (the previous series’s dialogue even mentioned a big, upcoming battle in Phase II….), and somehow it’ll help Sav see her future in the Order and not out on pirate adventures with Maz.
Young rebellious Sav is a fun character, not totally unfamiliar from her older, cheeky, wizened, and legendary Jedi self, so getting to see how her adventures will turn her back towards the Order will be an interesting story to watch because I know Older can deliver, even if this will only be 8 issues total. It’s also a relatable journey she needs to go on, figuring out how to be comfortable with yourself, to find a way to be yourself, despite the institutions around you, while finding the wisdom in them as well. It feels like a new variation on some of the deeper meanings Older packed into the original THRA run, from the expression of love in your teens to exploring the queer experience in a holistic way, coming to accept themselves and show themselves to the world, to be themselves even if parental-figures and friends try holding them back. From a pure enjoyment perspective THRA – Phase II looks to be a fun time, but all-ages will benefit from the deeper journey Older has planned under the service for Sav. In fact, even if you’re jumping into THR with Phase II or didn’t read THRA – Phase I (which shame on you, get on that now!!), despite the Phase I connections, with a few familiar faces, the accessibility of the tale’s story, to the main characters’ relatable internal plight, you can easily start with The High Republic Adventures #1 – Phase II.
At Maz’s Castle, we meet an intriguing group of new and old faces causing trouble out in the galaxy and within the pirate’s home. There’s Alak, a tattooed man whose lower torso is a metallic spider-like body, think Maul when he’s first found alive in The Clone Wars but far less scary and crazy; Quiet Shan, a prodigy to Alak who has half of her face modded; Coromont Vizzle, a frog-like person in a cool suit of armor; Therm Scissorpunch, first seen in Solo: A Star Wars Story and never forgotten due to his sick name; and then of course, definitely not last or least (and if you’re part of Star Wars’ online fandom, be it Twitter or Hive, there’s someone out there we should all know is about to scream over who this next character is), DEXTER JETTSTER! At around 375 years prior to sitting down in his own diner with his pal Obi-Wan Kenobi, this younger iteration of Dex isn’t settled down yet, instead he’s out in the galaxy, sharing his stories at the Castle, flirting with Maz (ahead of an eventual relationship). It’s really fun to see him in such a different light and combining him with all these blank slate characters (even Therm for the most part) we’re about to get to know, should bring some unique and delightful dynamics to the story ahead. To Sav, regardless if the stories they tell are real or fabricated for clout, they are living a life she can only dream of at this point. She’s here to make a story of her own, to not only enjoy the freedom of the night and sneaking away to the Castle, but to have one to share at the Castle to, to feel like she’s one of the gang, and tonight of all nights, looks to be the start of exactly what she wanted.
Sav sees Alak and a detective looking gentleman with his Corellian hound get into a stare down match, but since the rule of Maz’s Castle is no fighting, they part ways…only for Sav to inject some teenage chaos and use the Force to throw a pot at the Inspector, causing a brawl and for Maz Kanata herself to come out and break things up. She excommunicates Inspector Raf and gives Alak a pass because he’s on her side of the law, and just when Sav thinks she’s noticing her, Maz jumps into Dexter’s many arms. I absolutely LOVE Maz’s outfit in the comic, a pirate captain’s uniform, cape and all, that looks like the realization of the statue we see hanging over the Castle’s entrance in The Force Awakens.
Dex makes his leave and Sav follows, hoping to learn from him how he finds great stories and knows which ones to tell, only to find herself along for a new adventure. Dex is tailing Raf, who he says is a prolific pirate hunter who he thinks up to no good, but doesn’t think a kid like Sav should be wading into the trouble he believes is ahead. Save doesn’t take no for an answer and quickly no one has a choice of stopping her from tagging along, as they encounter Raf who is actually in the woods to investigate a mysterious group meeting. The meeting turns out to be the Dank Graks’ leader Arkik Von, introduced first at Celebration Anaheim’s THR panel with a hand drawn picture by Older himself, trying to consolidate several other organizations to wipe Maz and the Jedi off the face of Takodana! Spotting by the Graks’ deadly droids, Dex, Raf, and Sav attempt to get away, but Raf’s speeder is blown up and the ferry across the lake might be too far away, causing Sav to bust out her two purple lightsabers and get down to business! Not only is she rebellious and eager for adventure, Sav has a devil may care attitude, realizing she might face death due to the overwhelming amount of droids surrounding her, though Dex and Raf stick around and help her dispatch the remaining droids. Raf splits off and Dex and Sav return to Maz and the Castle, telling her what they found out in the woods. She’s not terribly surprised and already seems to have a plan in mind, which involves putting together a crew, and she’s asking Sav to join them! As you can imagine, from Sav’s narration throughout the issue, her thrill at the excitement unfolding with Dex and Raf to her happiness when she’s not within the confines of the Order’s rules, Sav has zero hesitation at joining Maz and her crew! Whereas she’s been sneaking out in the middle of the night, supposedly none of the Jedi at Takodana aware of her excursions, this will involve multiple days away and she’s certainly be missed then. I’ll be curious to see how the Order responds, if they’ll send someone out to find her or what they’ll say when she gets back, but regardless I’m just happy to see Sav get to express herself and enjoy these thrills, as we all know it won’t last or end up being what she choses in the end, a moment and revelation I’m curious to see her explore and Older handle. If the 13-issue run of the first THRA series is anything to go by, we’re going to be in for a real treat.
In fact, visually we already are, as Toni Bruno is back on illustrations, with Michael Atiyeh on colors, and Dark Horse’s go-to letterers Tyler Smith and Jimmy Betancourt. Bruno took over for only three issues of the original run of THRA, but he was instrumental in bringing Sav and Takodana to life for Phase I, so it’s neat to have him back and expanding what we know about both in Phase II! Due to his artwork being cartoon-like in nature, every character is starkly, visually distinct, making it easy to tell who is who in what panel at just a glance, but you won’t want to just glance, as Atiyeh’s colors (a long-time Dark Horse colorist who brought many pages to life in previous Star Wars series) really pop and provide the final aspect of distinctness. In particular that both stands out and is a good summation of their work is Maz Kanata’s pirate’s captain look, which feels like a cross of Napoleon-like general’s outfit and a space captain’s look as if it had been thrown through the 50’s imagination. There’s the red shoulder clasps that include the collar, a billowing black cape, a teal upper shirt with gold clasps across it, a gold triangle lower half that connects to red pants, with gold gloves, belt, and boots. I’m not doing any justice, mind you, but it’s such a loud, unmistakable, comfortable look it tells you a lot about Maz at this point in time. Bombastic, showy, and confident, daring you to say anything. Dexter’s appearance has a similar edge to it, the white shirt and visible gun more of a statement than functional, like he doesn’t care if you see him or that he’s armed, though the brown cloak allows him the opportunity to sneak around if he doesn’t need to show off, while his beard is darker and more prominent. I like the way Bruno draws the action here, as Sav jumps into the fray with her lightsabers, be it the swirling sabers as she initially puts up a shield, or the panel with the shadowy versions of her charting our eyes across to the “present” of the panel, a style which was fun to follow in Sav’s big action sequence in the first THRA series. Atiyeh’s colors bring a neat glow to her sabers, while the interior of Maz’s Castle, lit by fire, feels cozy and comfy, which is how Sav views it since she can be herself there. Smith and Betancourt’s lettering offers a visual consistency between the Dark Horse Star Wars series so far (they’ve been on Hyperspace Stories and Tales from the Rancor Pit) and they continue to do a great job overall. A few little things I enjoyed was Dex’s fright when Sav makes herself known, his “GAH!!” larger than the rest of the text, which quickly reverts to normal, showing his quick composure in sticky situations; as the brawl gets underway at the Castle, Maz’s “ahem” seems polite yet stern, an admonition from off-panel that’s barely visible, but draws everyone’s attention anyways. She doesn’t need to talk loudly or shout, everyone knows her and fears her wrath if they travel to the Castle, and this was a neat little way to show that. I also loved all the SFX for Sav blocking blaster shots with her lightsabers, bringing her proficiency with the Force into sharp focus, giving us a clear explanation why people would tell her she’s got great potential within the Force.
Here’s one other thing:
- Keep track of all the upcoming The High Republic Phase II releases, plus reviews and news, on our THR page. A quick overview of upcoming content includes: The High Republic #3 – Phase II on December 21; The High Republic – The Blade #1, The High Republic Adventures – The Nameless Terror #1, The High Republic Adventures #2 – Phase II on December 28; and The Battle of Jedha audio drama on January 3. Quite the packed ending of one year, beginning of the next!
The High Republic Adventures #1 – Phase II offers an absolutely delightful all-ages place to enter the newest part of the era, with the start of an intriguing internal and external journey for a young Sav Malagán to go on with familiar faces like Maz Kanata and Dexter Jettster.
+ Sav’s internal journey to come
+ Great energy for the opening
+ Distinctive art, captures the comfort of Maz’s Castle for Sav
+ Big cast with big potential
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.