– Spoiler Review –
The dust clears on Takodana’s attacked Jedi Temple and as everyone recovers, who will save the Padawans, Masters, and Maz from the imminent Nihil attack? In The High Republic Adventures #10, a Padawan steps up to save the day and finds themselves in the process.
In the previous issue, Qort’s history and why he wears the mask was revealed, as it ties to a coming-of-age process for his species, the Aloxians. As exciting as it was to have these details unveiled, what it meant for the character or what readers could take away from his journey through self-discovery was far more important, which is why his big moment here hits so damn hard. As the dust clears, Qort finds his mask shattered on the ground in front of him, reflexively grabbing for the pieces and covering his face; after all, it’s supposed to shatter when he’s grown old enough, his head’s natural growth shedding the mask. It’s a paralyzing moment for Qort, but he doesn’t have long to linger, the Nihil strikeships coming in to finish off the survivors of their deceitful attack on the Temple. When he was a young boy, he was dropped off at the Temple and put under the supervision of Sav Malagán and Maz Kanata, with Sav offering the advice he needed for exactly this moment all those years ago: He’ll know when it’s time for the mask to be gone. Qort hears those words again, casting off the remnants of his mask…and going full Sav on the Nihil!! Just like her impressive performance taking out the last batch of strikeships with just her lightsabers, Qort pulls of some seriously sick moves, driving back the attack and saving the day. When he lands, his friends Lula Talisola, Farzala, Zeen Mrala, and Ram Jomaram all take a moment to bask in his reveal…and then hug him!! I’ll admit, I got close to crying when they embrace him, embrace him for who he is, embrace their friend Qort because, mask or not, he is and always will be their friend; Getting misty just typing about it! Writer Daniel José Older has crafted such a loving, fun group of characters to follow these past 10 issues and made it feel like us readers are a part of their family, so this moment between them all lands so effortlessly, it almost felt like I was in on the hug too. Qort even begins speaking Galactic Basic without the mask, slowly, so soon the unofficial cyphers of his speech can be laid to rest. Qort’s revelations brought us some excellent issues, but with the final pages teasing Krix and Marchion Ro’s next plan is in motion, it looks like we’ll be getting back to the larger story next.
Sav and Maz have a wonderful little conversation this issue, watching Qort dismantle the ships like two proud mothers/aunties, and I hope we’ll get more of these two in future The High Republic content…maybe when Nan shows up on Takodana, as mentioned in Out of the Shadows? Maz is eager to get medics and recovering teams to the Temple, hoping to secure whatever relics managed to survive the blast, adding to her collection, but Sav waves it and the Temple off, like a true Jedi, unattached to things, though obviously not unattached to someone: Qort. Considering Sav’s going to crash at Maz’s now, they will be a riotous, perspective-filled twosome to follow in any formant.
It’s been a fun run with the art team of Toni Bruno and Rebecca Nalty, with Johanna Nattalie’s lettering, but sadly for now it’ll be the last of Bruno’s time on the series. After the cute baby Qort butt, he’ll always truly be missed, especially as draws much badassery to Qort’s big moment but also captures the fullness, and acceptance, of the big hug at the end. The symmetry last issue between the serene opening and not-so serene ending was a nice touch, but how the team employs similar perspectives for Qort’s destruction of the Nihil ships vs Sav’s really brought home the connection between the two. The POV panels for Qort, as he sees his mask destroyed, were a great surprise adding to his disorientation by giving us some, while the final reveal of his admittedly handsome face feels both profound but not as important as his confidence and the acceptance his friends. Nalty’s colors really make the explosions in Qort’s wake pop, while his lightsaber seemed to glow brighter than ever before, breaking through the thick smoke of the Nihil’s drivetails. And for Nattalie’s lettering, I LOVED the “gronk” SFX as the two Nihil ships crashed into one another, but I also appreciated the small, but impactful little “friends” word bubble as the group hugs. Thanks for the cute Qort butt and kick ass Qort moment, Toni Bruno!
Here are a few other things:
- The issue opens with young Qort and Sav tossing a ball between each other with the Force, calling to mind the scene in The Mandalorian’s “Chapter 13 – The Jedi,” as Ahsoka Tano first tries it with Grogu and then Din Djarin, thanks to their connection, makes it work.
- I am getting more and more excited for this Galactic Bake-off Spectacular one-shot in January, as it seems like it’ll be the rare bright spot in a dark month for the entire initiative.
The High Republic Adventures #10 is a special issue allowing Qort to come into his own, a moment earned by the team with all their amazing work so far.
+ Qort’s unmasking
+ Maz and Sav’s little convo
+ Thanks for all the great work, Toni Bruno!
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.
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