– Spoiler Review –
Begun, the Battle of Jedha, has! The High Republic Adventures #5 – Phase II drops its characters into the middle of the warzone but never losses sight of furthering their journeys. Also, welcome back to the series, artist Harvey Tolibao!
With the Dank Graks contracted to cause and sow chaos on Jedha (we later learn by the Path of the Open Hand), Sav Malagán amongst their ranks in hopes of finding and saving Maz Kanata, and Maz’s motley crew summoned to the moon to help Sav, all our various characters in the series converge. They might not all overlap or meet, yet, but as the Holy City is torn asunder by the various forces of Eiram, E’ronoh, rioters in the streets, and other bad faith actors like the Graks, the real concern is if all of them make it out of the battle alive. However, besides maybe Sav, the larger-than-life crew searching for her and Maz doesn’t seem that concerned at all!
Dexter Jettster, Alak, Quiet Shan, Therm Scissorpunch, and Coromont might be in the middle of a warzone, but they are having casual conversations while punching their way through the city, actions befitting of their legendary status. It might seem like an 80’s action movie this way, but their conversations are the inverse of what you’d expect as it’s tender, open, and honest subjects instead, not false bravado and toxic masculinity which push outdated ideals on what men should be like, and it’s refreshing as hell to see writer Daniel José Older choose to showcase what should’ve been the norm all along. Alak, trying to figure out his relationship with pirate hunter Raf Thatchburn, starts to quiz Dexter on the one Dexter and Maz have, and I wouldn’t have known where Dex’s response fell if not for, you guessed it, the same wonderful being always delivering hefty, detailed explorations of this series’ queer themes over at Eleven-ThirtyEight. Dex tells Alak they don’t have a definition for what they are, just he’s smiling on the inside with her like no one else can make him feel, and they don’t necessarily have rules, instead honesty is all that matters. This what is called a queerplatonic relationship, which is essentially friends who aren’t romantic partners but have a deeper connection than friends typically do, placing those who identify in such a way along the aroace spectrum. Readers like myself, who don’t identify along said spectrum, or even younger readers, don’t need to know these definitions or what this would be called to appreciate the moment as honestly they only need an open mind, as this could help various readers maybe learn more about themselves or how else they can proceed with connections they make. And the most amazing fact: this is being described in a Star Wars comic book, for all-ages, and I love the Saga is being allowed to open more and more avenues for its readers, allowing more and more of its fans to see themselves in it and maybe even find themselves. On top of that, Alak’s response is to chatter on about his and Raf’s disabilities, and while just as short as Dex’s little discussion, it’s just as important their disabilities are recognized and given space as well, as it’s another place where the Saga can be used to increase representation, which in turn can help normalize them as well in time. And this just from about two pages of the issue!
As the group clears their way initially, the issue turns to focus in on Therm Scissorpunch, who doesn’t seem happy. Coromont asks him about it and Therm is just as honest as Dex is earlier, revealing all the stories about him were ones he made up, and while Coromont can relate, he’s a little surprised it’s ALL the stories. So who’s the best to help him through this internal crisis, where he’s not sure he’s good enough to be with this crew or ready for a battle this large? Why, no one better than OFFICER RADO?! That’s right, the law himself, the little man who hangs around on Coromont and admittedly still wants to turn them all in even as he tries to help them work through dilemmas like the one Therm is going through. While it reads as one of the funnier parts of the issue, self-doubt and imposter syndrome are imposing mental health issues, so while this sort of simplifies the problems with Therm with Rado’s way of making him call himself his own worst enemy, it’s important to recognize the problem starts within so you can face it. So later in the issue when the group encounters more rioters, more than they can hope to handle, Therm faces down his problems and confronts them, aka himself, in the best way he knows how: actually living a story he can tell others. He enters the “Therm State,” which I absolutely love the silliness of, and shows off some impressive scissor-punching only someone with the last name Scissorpunch could deliver!
Last, but certainly not least, is Sav’s part of the story! The issue actually starts with a flashback to her younger days in the Temple, letting us see a baby Sav, as she builds her lightsaber. In my review for last issue, I talked about how it’s clear the Jedi Order, or mainly her Master, need to shift how they treat her if she’s ever to make the choice to come back, as while we know she will and there’s a good case for why the life she’s been running away at night to enjoy might not be all it’s cracked up to be, the Order hasn’t been making a great argument for her return. And her Master got it all started way back when, as he stifled her even then, ignoring her obvious skills and affinity for the Force and mistaking them instead with disobedience and misunderstanding. Just because she may have done it in a way he didn’t approve of or faster than he ever did doesn’t mean he should’ve attacked her and singled her out, a sentiment which could be applied to other aspects of personality or identity as well. In the present, Sav’s having a much better time with the life she’s chosen and already her and Saya Keem have formed quite the bond over the similarities to their problems with being stifled by authority figures in their younger days. The war around them allows the focus to shift from trying to understand who she really is, but when her lightsaber causes members of the Path of the Open Hand (the anti-Jedi/Force user cult central to this Phase’s story) to claim she’s a Jedi, Saya parroting her lie about not being one, it seems there’s no situation in which she can’t escape scrutiny. When worse, with no idea on Maz’s whereabouts, Sav finds herself the target of a vicious attack of puppy licks from Raf’s hound, meaning the pirate hunter got Alak’s message and is trying to ascertain what’s going on/join the fight. Sav gives the hound her lightsaber to hopefully send a message to Raf about the complicated situation and to get the target off her back for now. I’ll be curious to see what happens when Saya learns the full truth about Sav, which I imagine might come next issue…
While Harvey Tolibao returned to the High Republic era on Free Comic Book Day 2023,* this marks his grand re-entry into the main series, and what a fitting time and story for him to take over for! Tolibao’s work often feels like there’s no panel or page big enough for him, as details explode out of every inch and the amount of characters in a panel making video game developers drool, and issue #5 is no exception. Having him back when the series decides to go to war seems fitting given this pedigree, as there are several panels and pages where our characters are overcome with enemies to fight back, even if they are so very casual about it with their conversations. One of the wildest pages is of course Therm’s “Therm State” moment, a double-page spread of pure, unadulterated Scissorpunch-ing my eyes almost couldn’t handle. This spread is busy and almost too hard to follow, starting with lettering duo Jimmy Betancourt & Tyler Smith basically being Grogu in IG-12, spamming the “Therm” SFX button rather than Grogu’s “No” button, as the chant fills in the background of the page and even the insert panels on both sides, though they do help pull your eyes across the carnage. The mass and tangle of bodies the SFX helps readers swim through is variations on Therm himself, as his pep-talk with Rado identified himself as his biggest enemy, so every single being Therm is tearing through here looks like Therm, hence why it’s even harder to follow. Having it this chaotic means only highlights the depth of the problem he was facing and how big this moment is for him, facing so, so, so many versions of himself. Michael Atiyeh’s colors is the spread’s final, special ingredient, helping us differentiate as much as possible these many Therms from one another, the original’s yellow-ish white coloring on his face and up his arms like a bright red pin on a green map. Elsewhere, I like Tolibao’s ability to give characters a variety of expressions: there’s the little looks Saya and Sav shoot one another, showing how quickly these two youngin’s from different sides of the hyperspace lane have bonded, sharing a self-satisfied grin as they Force push away a throng of Path of the Open Hand members away, or the delivish look as Sav tells her she didn’t even have to ask if she wanted to have fun; while Alak’s uncertainty over how to explain his feelings might not be clear due to his concentrated look at the fight around them, but the way he pauses when expressing his concern for Raf’s health or hold’s his head in embarrassment over his gushing provide us more than expected in how this really makes him feel. Other lettering I quite liked include Tanteek’s sloppy dog noises SFX, an almost Nickelodeon slimey composition to them, while the lettering for the Galactic Databank spread doesn’t overwhelm despite it being a lot of text. Atiyeh’s colors in the Databank spread have good consistency, making small, packed designs for the E’roni and Eiram forces distinct with the former being Earthy tones and the latter water toned, considering their homeworlds, so at a glance you can tell who is who, while the Sepia-like filter for the opening flashback gave it the immediate feel of something even older than we’ve already gotten.
Here are a few other things:
- This issue was originally meant for earlier this month, while the remaining three issues were looking to head into July, almost two full months after every other aspect to Phase II wrapped up. Things changed when Dark Horse announced a delay for this issue…and that the final three would be released together on what should now be known as: The High Republic Adventures Day! Issues #6-8 will come out June 28, so just around a month from now, bringing all of Phase II to a close! The other recent Phase II final works include Path of Vengeance, The Edge of Balance – Precedent, and The High Republic #10 – Phase II from Marvel. Otherwise, expect some Phase II related, as well as Phase I and III, content in Tales for Light and Life in September.
- I was absolutely delighted this issue saw the return of the Galactic Databank section! These sections were neat little additions originally included every so often in The High Republic Adventures – Phase I, as they further explained aspects or events in the larger story of the era, especially since these are all-ages and many readers might not be old enough to experience all The High Republic has to offer. This issue’s Galactic Databank explained some of the details and sides of the Battle of Jedha, a nice refresher for those of us who have read more and a nice summary for those who haven’t. It was neat to see little versions of Jedi Masters Aida Forte, Creighton Sun, and SILANDRA SHO!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL, MORE SILANDRA SHO ARTWORK!! She’s my favorite character from Phase II, and besides in the upcoming anthology novel, it seems like her part of the Phase is over so any little morsel is a blessing.
- *Older delivered some great content this issue, but he absolutely slashed our hearts in the recent The High Republic Adventures Free Comic Book Day 2023, which was Tolibao’s initial return to the era! Previously, he provided artwork for 10 of the original run’s 13 issues, with Toni Bruno taking over for the remainder, and Phase II sees their roles reversed.
The High Republic Adventures #5 – Phase II sees war take over its pages, though its characters and their dilemmas remain the focus, making for another delightful entry in the series.
+ Broadening representation
+ Saya and Sav goodness continues
+ Therm State madness by the art term
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.
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.