– Spoiler Review –
The High Republic Adventures #2 – Phase III picks up the pieces from the bombshell opening issue, revealing how the moment came to be thanks to some intriguing flashbacks which helps make pushing the story forward even more interesting.
With the revelation Lula Talisola’s alive out in the wild now (it made my Top 5 Moments of 2023’s Star Wars Comics!), the how of her survival and why she’s been hanging out as a self-proclaimed warlord casts an even wider shadow over her story. The issue opens with a glimpse at how it all came to be, Lula telling her long lost love Zeen Mrala the details, all rendered in a different art style to differentiate her retelling. The flashback picks up shortly after the events of 2023’s Free Comic Book Day issue, which saw Lula confronting Krix Kamerat as Starlight Beacon fell around them, and we start with her washed up on Eiram’s shore, yet Lula has lost all memory of who she is and why she’s there. Amnesia can be a tricky storyline to tackle, and sometimes feels too gimmicky, but if there’s anyone who deserves our trust in what he has in store, it’s Daniel José Older, whose nearly 7-year track record with writing Star Wars stories speaks for itself. Lula quickly creates a suit of armor from the fallen Nihil around her, in a sequence which also includes a quick reveal Krix is still alive that little jerk, and she flees the shore as Republic Longbeams come searching. In a nearby bar, now adorned in her Warlord Tartak armor, Lula ends up being prayed upon by some of the bar’s denizens, but she’s able to protect herself with the Force. She doesn’t know what power she has and is eager to understand it and who she is, all while dedicating her focus to survival. Lula’s retelling of these events comes to a halt when the situation on Bracront gets out of hand, despite Qort’s best and tireless efforts, though we’re clearly going to see more of what led Lula to this point in future flashbacks.
Zeen’s taking this all very well, but given she has Lula back, alive, despite the memory issues, there’s no reason not to take it all in stride. The other Mikkians outside are growing ever more restless and Qort, as much as his insatiable desire for a lack of violence keeps him going, can only do so much on his own, so Zeen calls a rain check on Lula’s story so they can help him and leave. Lula/Tartak tries to talk the Mikkians into peace, but it fails very miserably as they are too upset with the situation to consider her very poor attempt to appease to their better natures, and the group must flee back to the ship. Some of what the Mikkians say here leaves me a little confused at the whole situation and I look forward to learning a little more about Lula/Tartak’s time on Bracront to maybe clear it up, as I can’t tell if these Mikkians were already here or just recently from the call or were actually under her rule for some time. Regardless, while Zeen’s taking it well, Qort’s unable to believe it, shock nearly overcoming him once she takes off her mask and he’s able to see her. Zeen refocuses them all, saying they need to get Lula home and she interrupts, pulling them all in together for a giant, Older-High-Republic-hug-special, claiming she might already be home!! It’s such a sweet way for the issue to end, as while she might be suffering from amnesia to some degree, we already saw her instinctually remember using the Force alongside Zeen and get the feeling she’s home when she’s with her friends, so somewhere, deep down, Lula’s got to be in there. I’ll be curious to see how the rest of the Jedi react to her return, more of her story while being Tartak, and how she’ll overcome it (or not)!
Nick Brokenshire opens the issue for Lula’s retelling of events, while Harvey Tolibao continues on in the main story, both working with Michael Atiyeh on colors and the lettering duo of Tyler Smith & Jimmy Betancourt! I liked splitting the stories up, art-wise, as it gives the flashback a more haunting, lonely feel in Brokenshire’s distinct style, while there’s a fun moment of Tolibao sort of wrestling the issue from him as Zeen brings them and us back to the present, their art sharing a page as Tolibao takes back over. As I said before, Brokenshire was such a fantastic choice for the flashback, as his darker style, which Atiyeh gravitates towards just as easily as he does to the brighter look of Tolibao’s part of the story, feels much more fitting for the confused and scared way Lula awakes after surviving Starlight Beacon’s fall. It’s not a happy, uplifting situation, waking up on the edge of a disastrous event without any memory, and Brokenshire packs in some frightening visuals. The burning Starlight in the distance, a haunting shadow of itself as it sticks out from Eiram’s ocean, Lula’s torn outfit, and the debris around her, including armored Nihil, marks this as a terrible event. One of my favorite panels though is of the Longbeams searching nearby, their long beams (sorry, not sorry!) piercing the night, but it’s framed in such a way that instead of looking inviting or helpful, they look like an unknown force looking for any survivors so they can destroy them instead of save them, and you can feel Lula’s free of being found, not knowing what they are, from this simple framing and Atiyeh’s deep purples choking out the night sky. On the Tolibao side of things, much like the final page of issue #1 framed such a beautiful moment in the most deserving way, the final page of issue #2 does the same thing: like, who doesn’t want to be in on that hug, it looks like the most comfortable, friendly hug in the galaxy!! Seriously, if you’ve ever hugged someone you’ve cared about, friend, family, partner, whatever, one look at this page and you can feel that hug all over again, which is much of how reading The High Republic Adventures over the years has felt. Betancourt and Smith put Lula’s sentiment about already being home up and off to the side of her impressive, beautiful ‘fro, as if the words being spoken almost aren’t needed, as a hug like this would tell you all you need. The contentment on everyone’s faces, even Cham Cham, while Atiyeh shines a glow to them which adds an extra layer of comfort to the scene. The double page spread with a few inserts of Qort repelling the explosives the Mikkians keep tossing had some wonderfully delightful heroic, calm, confident looks for the slightly older Aloxian. Without his mask, it’s great to see him so sure of himself and his abilities, chatting with the Mikkians about how he’ll just keep throwing their explosives away to explode safely all day, made manifest in one of the insert panels where Smith & Betancourt place his word bubble saying he’ll do so under the explosive sound FX for the latest diverted bomb, as to underscore how he’s able to keep them at bay and protect himself.
Here are a few other things:
- The Galactic Database returns this issue and it’s…not the most heartening, as it lists the current status of many favorites and new characters, dead or alive! Most are considered dead because they’ve been missing for a year, much like we learned in issue #1, though two who faced a Nameless weren’t confirmed dead until now, while I’ll be interested to see where we’ll meet (or not meet) the two new Jedi characters.
- Older’s next The High Republic release is out January 30, Escape from Valo, which he co-wrote with Doctor Aphra scribe Alyssa Wong!! I am through the roof in excitement for this book, even more so after this beautiful, sweet, and terribly delightful interview between the two of them about the book, working together, teases for upcoming characters/stories in this series, and how they have both opened up the floodgates on queer characters in Star Wars, amongst fun other things (new character reveal included)! Make sure to read it!!
- How does February look for High Republic content? The High Republic Adventures #3 – Phase III hits 2/14 (what a nice Valentine’s Day gift for THR fans!); The High Republic #4 – Phase III is out February 28. March 5 sees the next novel for the era arrive: Defy the Storm! Keep your eyes on our High Republic page for up to date release schedules, our reviews, news, and more!
The High Republic Adventures #2 – Phase III has some big shoes to fill after the opening issue and it does so in its own unique way, presenting a glimpse of what happened while still managing to move the plot forward, leaving us curious to learn more and see where it all goes next!
+ Lula and Zeen falling back into a groove so quickly
+ Opening details on Lula’s survival are intriguing!
+ Mix artists really play their part for what emotions we need in which part of the story
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.
DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this book from the publisher at no charge in order to provide an early review. However, this did not affect the overall review content. All opinions are my own.
THE HIGH REPUBLIC ADVENTURES – PHASE III REVIEWS
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