– Spoiler Review –
With The High Republic Adventures #20 – Phase III, three series worth of connections, light and life, and relatable experiences for all comes to an end in the most poetic way possible. Get those tissues out, folks, you’re going to need them!
How do you wrap up something which has meant so much to so many different people in so many different ways? It’s a tall order and through each publisher and medium, we’re seeing what the Luminous authors of The High Republic initiative felt was the best answer for them and the fans on how to wrap up their connection to the story, and The High Republic Adventures #20 – Phase III is done in such a way there’s no mistaking it’s Daniel José Older and team’s goodbye to the series and its fans. There’s little to no dialogue across most of its pages, opening with a lovely eulogy for Jedi Master Torban “Buckets of Blood” Buck, which sort of felt like Older’s characters saying goodbye to him, and then features a song by Svi’no Atchapat throughout, which I hope spawns some lovely tribute videos like the Nameless rhyme did in Trail of Shadows, and finally ends with a proclamation of focusing on the future by the series’ two main characters. It’s all on Harvey Tolibao and team’s capable shoulders, so of course you know they deliver, to aid Svi’no’s already emotional song with dazzling images of favorites, new and old, rejoicing in the wake of all the sacrifices made and the friendships/relationships spawned to get them all to this point of happiness. The first time I read it, I was both in tears but wishing there’d be more, additional dialogue to better understand how these various reunions, Ram Jamoram’s Knighting, and Alys “Crash” Ongwa’s choice with the all-important family seeds affected these characters, but on a second read through, beyond tears once again, I realized it wasn’t necessary for more since it was essentially the point Older and team were making: our memories of these characters is more important anyways.
Memories are all we have in the end, good or bad, and are, as Svi’no’s song refrains throughout much of issue #20, what we are all made up of. While we always look forward to endings and finales, to see what happens with our favorite characters or how an event in our or our friend’s life goes, there’s the inevitable moment we end up reminiscing more about all that happened before than focusing on the final moments. As the saying goes, it’s all about the journey, not the destination, and while more specifics were initially expected when coming into issue #20, the way it celebrates these characters and the hard work they took to get to this destination by letting them live in the moment, helps celebrate our memories of the series, its characters, and all they’ve been through to get here. We’d not get a joyous declaration of being themselves, not hiding anymore, from married couple Lula Talisola-Mrala and Zeen Talisola-Mrala, if Zeen didn’t spend the year apart looking for Lula and if not for Lula choosing her love over the Order; we’d not get Crash putting down her and her family’s legacy and roots on Eriadu with their seeds if not for her struggles with decisions during the Nihil’s invasion of Corellia or leaving Krix Kamerat to his fate; we’d not get Farzala Tarbala reunited with the Star Hopper crew, just like he wanted, if not for his choices to in defense of those who needed it most on Eriadu; etc. These are our memories of these characters, all their struggles and celebrations, and it’s what we’ll carry forward long after this series ends. Will I want to know what happens to them next? Sure. Can I wait, enjoying what we already got in the time being? Absolutely. And for many fans, it’s going to be the memories of inclusion, being seen and accepted, through Older’s sometimes subtle, sometimes not, in all the best ways, queer-themes of acceptance, exploring various orientations, body positivity, and so much more which fans will carry with them long after they put down issue #20. And there’s the memories of watching a Star Wars comic uphold the Saga’s long line of politics, giving a voice and commentary on the genocide still perpetrated against the human beings of Palestine by Israel, reminding us to always carry in us the memories of those who asked for the world to care, to fight for them, despite such overwhelming and dark opposition. The High Republic Adventures, especially in its Phase III iteration, has meant a lot to so many different people, and by letting us see these characters happy and moving forward, Older allowed all fans to focus on the journey and our memories of them and I can’t imagine a more fitting and poetic end to such an impactful series. If this is truly Older’s final time with Star Wars (hopefully just for a while), he’s given us memories to cherish and I hope the fandom’s reaction to his work are ones he can take with him as well (and maybe convince him to come back!).
As I mentioned earlier, it’s the capable team of Harvey Tolibao, Michael Atiyeh on colors, and Comicraft’s Tyler Smith & Jimmy Betancourt lettering this wonderful little slice of a finale. Tolibao slings splash pages and double page spreads like a man possessed, packing them to edges with all sorts of characters from the series’ history, while giving specific moments the beauty and grandeur they deserve. There’s a lot to love but I quite enjoyed an early silly moment, with Sav Malagán appearing from the bushes, scaring the Valo younglings of Gavi, Tep Tep, and Kildo, as in one moment it seems all serious, they are done being on the run or fighting the Nihil, donning fresh gold Jedi robes, and then the next, even after facing bigger and more frightening situations, they’ve jumped back in fear from Sav’s sudden appearance. But only a few pages later, Sav’s remembering her own past as a Jedi youngling, how she has the memories of them and carries them with her, and tears come down her cheeks, a reassuring hand from Master Sinube to steady her as she rejoins the celebrations. It captures Sav’s complexity in a simple but heartfelt way and gives the issue one of its many bittersweet and fun moments. Another standout page for me was the splash of Crash, her memories and understanding of what her mother told her about the seeds they pass along in the family explored via several different moments in time surrounding Crash standing in the page’s forefront. Atiyeh’s colors do what lettering might’ve done had there been dialogue, as the change of colors per little scene draws readers through what’s being said in visuals alone. And then just seeing the connected dialogue boxes for Zeen and Lula again, like where it all started four years ago, felt like the most appropriate way to deliver a sense of coming full-circle, while seeing them kiss one last time sparks the memories of how far we’ve come and all the trials and tribulations the series and these two took to get there. Memories, they certainly keep popping up, and Tolibao are both a core part of this series and this finale and I can’t imagine a more gorgeous way to close out our final moments with these characters.
Here are a few other things:
- While there is only ONE more release left in Phase III of the High Republic, a recent round table interview with much of the Luminous authors behind the initiative ended with the reveal “Phase More” will see these characters and their stories continue! What could it mean?! Another anthology novel? Charles Soule’s The Broken Blade finally? Other new comics and novels? We’ll bring you the news the moment they reveal it, which might be at SDCC later this month!
- There’s only ONE release left for Phase III, July 30, 2025: The High Republic: The Finale – The Beacon, though there are some reference books and another The Acolyte tie-in coming, so visit our High Republic page for those dates.
- Included above is Older’s first cover for the series and over in his newsletter, he discussed the process, from initial designs, stumbles, and bringing it all together in the perfectly cute final version.
The High Republic Adventures #20 – Phase III caps off a wondrous series with a touching finale which promotes our memories of it, so we can always take it with us as the world and the Saga moves on.
+ Touching, emotional finale
+ Focusing on the memories…
+ …and what its legacy is for fans of all persuasions
+ Tolibao and team carry the memories into our hearts
– Will always wish for a little more, but glad we didn’t
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky.
DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this comic 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
Vol. 1: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 — Vol. 2: #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 — Vol. 3: #11 | #12 | #13 | The Wedding Spectacular (one-shot) — Vol. 4: #14 | #15 | #16 | The Battle of Eriadu (one-shot) | Vol. 5: #17 | #18 | #19