– Spoiler Review –
Farzala, Qort, and the crew of the Vessel come together to right a grievous wrong that could spell doom for the Jedi/Hutt alliance in the fight against the Drengir in The High Republic Adventures #7, another great issue that keeps its focus on Farzala and gives him a chance to really come into his own.
In my review of the previous issue, I was worried Farzala’s dour look/mood in the final page were from a feeling of abandonment and/or betrayal by his friends since the Vessel attacked the negotiations, and I’m glad I was wrong. The issue doesn’t waste any time digging into Farzala’s mood after being captured, where we find out his dour look is due to feeling fear, a complex emotion that plagues Jedi no matter their age, experience, or era they live in. According to the holos he and his pals Qort and Lula Talisola watched as (super adorable) younglings, their starring Jedi Master was without fear, so feeling it now makes Farzala believe himself a failure. Thankfully he has the teachings of his currently sleeping Master to explore as he grapples with the fear inside, finally understanding what Obratuk Glii was trying to tell him years ago. Obratuk offered some really excellent advice regarding being afraid and feeling fear, starting with normalizing those emotions since always avoiding it would mean not truly knowing you’ve fallen prey to it, then diving into the Jedi’s role and place in the Force, as even in death they stick with those still alive, adding to the cosmic Force which feeds the living Force they all rely on. Why be afraid of death if you know you’ll be with everyone afterwards anyways? Having the perspective of a long-lived character only adds to the lesson, as Obratuk’s time allows him to make peace with the passing of many he’s cared about over the years, his only memento of them being lightsabers he’s crafted. Alone in the dungeon, captured with vicious creatures below and no way of knowing what’s happening to his friends, Farzala revisits these memories, putting aside the holo Jedi Master they used to idolize for the Jedi Master he does have, and as he absorbs Obratuk’s teaching finally, he’s able to take a chance with his escape. It’s such a great and important conversation all Jedi need to hear and consider during their lives and it really gets to the core of who and what they are and how they should see their role in the galaxy: whatever the Force wills it. And the best way to fulfill their role is to face their fears and know they’ll never be alone. After Farzala breaks out, he and Leox Gyasi ride the giant beetle creatures below them and help save the Hutts’ henchmen from the Drengir attack, despite how they locked them up after the last time they saved them. Farzala’s confidence and assuredness cause them to all work together and complete the negotiations he started last issue, with some supporting evidence from Master Obratuk…last seen napping!
On the Vessel, Affie Hollow, Qort, and Geode turn the tables on the ship hijackers, each of them having a moment to shine, from Affie setting up a disguise to get the upper hand and Qort using his quiet demeanor to his advantage, but when the wild card droid gets a drop of Affie, who had the drop of a henchman who in turn had the drop on Geode, things don’t look so good. Thankfully Obratuk wasn’t napping very long, as he awakens in time to deliver a victory against the droid, his many tentacles swinging lightsabers that put General Grievous’ four arms to shame; I never thought about all his tentacles being able to hold and use lightsabers and it’s a fantastic sight to see! As Farzala and Ishtar, Skarabda the Hutt’s henchwoman, confront her, they find Jabba the Hutt already there, trying to worm his way into her post considering she doesn’t have the Drengir under control. Turns out Jabba sent the other hench-people to sabotage the peace talks to gain Skarabda’s position and once Obratuk helps those on the Vessel capture the troublemakers, peace and an alliance can continue with the Hutts. Well, I’ll be curious how long it lasts after the events of the big showdown with the Drengir’s Great Progenitor as seen in The High Republic #8, but for now it’s solid thanks to this wonderful mix of a crew! I’m really glad writer Daniel José Older put Farzala in focus, no matter how short the time, as this provided an excellent little palate cleanser after the longer opening arc and gave more characters the spotlight before going back to the full main cast.
I particularly enjoyed the Rebecca Nalty’s penchant for different colors for the different scenes through the issue, from the sickly green tapping into Farzala’s fear, the blue of the Vessel’s innards as the team stealthily takes down the interlopers, or the calm sunset-like hues for the segments between Farzala and Obratuk in the past to show the calmer days, while each scene returns to normal colors overall once Farzala’s fears have been conquered and the day’s been saved. Harvey Tolibao’s art continues to amaze issue after issue, from the damn adorable young versions of Farzala, Qort, and Lula or how he captures the oppressive feeling of Farzala’s fear with the tight cage, hung head, and large empty space he’s basically alone in. Obratuk’s awakening, his sabers slicing and dicing the funny and odd droid to pieces like he’s auditioning for a chef show, was a wonder to behold, especially once we saw him in his multi-saber glory. Another panel I really loved was Qort holding a lightsaber to the bigger hench-person, looking calm and powerful despite his stature compared to the assailant. Also, his penchant for making chaos look so dang good shines through in the panel of Farzala and Leox riding out the creatures into the halls of Skarabda’s Palace, the wall crumbing and the debris flying about as Drengir are stomped out. On lettering, Jake M. Wood doesn’t need much SFX to add to Tolibao’s detailed art, though when he does it leaves a mark, like the “VSH” along Qort’s lightsaber as he surprises the hench-person, which highlights the suddenness of its appearance.
Here are a few other things:
- The High Republic Adventures – The Monster of Temple Peak miniseries began earlier this month, a 4-part series that focuses on saber-for-hire and ex-Jedi Ty Yorrick and it’s already shaping up to be an excellent story.
- What’s next for The High Republic Adventures proper? According to the solicitations for September, October, and November, it looks we’ll unmask more about Qort as the Padawans visit…Takodana!! In the latest The High Republic Show, Older revealed some upcoming characters to look out for: Sav Malagan (spelling still unknown!), a Jedi there he considers the baddest, in a good way, character he’s ever written, and someone named Crash. In the SDCC panel last month, we learned he’ll be writing the Phase 1 Wave III young adult novel wonderfully named Midnight Horizon!
- Lastly, be on the look-out for Older’s next THR contribution: the Trail of Shadows miniseries for Marvel starting in October!
The High Republic Adventures #7 wraps up a great side story with Farzala learning an important lesson every Jedi should while he helps keep the fragile alliance with the Hutts!
+ Farzala conquering his fear
+ The many sabers of Obratuk
+ Colors hitting the moods right
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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