– Spoiler Review –
Crash Ongwa’s personal journey due to her part in the struggles of Corellia against the Nihil, as well as how her crew is dealing with the wild card that is the newly freed Krix Kamerat, crystalizes in an often darkly funny and revealing sequel to Crash Landing, The High Republic Adventures – Crash and Burn #1!
Ever since the moody and rather dark, and very explosive, ending to The High Republic Adventures – Crash Landing, where Alys “Crash” Ongwa dreams of herself being blown up next to the family tree on Corellia, I was hoping for a little more clarity on the intriguing though confusing development…what happened to make her feel this way, to dream such emotionally damaged thoughts? There was a sense we were missing out on vital information during Crash Landing which, while I still really enjoyed the issue, made me feel like it didn’t quite hit like it could’ve. With the main THRA – Phase III series, the story of these characters picked up after the end of Crash Landing, as we’ve spent time with Crash and even her newest recruit, the easily hated Krix Kamerat, but nothing in the main series seemed to hint at what could’ve happened/filled in those blanks around Crash personally. Since this issue was promised to continue her and her team’s adventures, I wasn’t too surprised when, within the first few opening pages of Crash and Burn, writer Daniel José Older lays out exactly what we needed to make sense of what we were seeing for Crash, as we learn just how far she went to help bring the war on Corellia against the Nihil to an end, which leads to these tortured thoughts over her actions. Between the two issues, Crash’s journey, and how those around her try and help and the choices she makes along the way, really crystalizes into something interesting for the character and her overall story since The High Republic Adventures Annual 2021/Midnight Horizon, but reading one or the other issue by itself reminded me of The Acolyte‘s “Destiny,” which omitted information to keep the mystery and, while the eventual answers were intriguing, it felt a little too late/”Destiny” probably should’ve had a little more information upfront. Of the two issues, I felt like Crash and Burn was stronger, not because it provided answers, but because there was a clarity the initial was lacking, characters resolve internal stuff and push one another, while it has some interesting developments which should be interesting to see more about in not only the main THRA – Phase III series, but the overall Phase III as well.
For Crash herself, we start with her digging in a barren part of Corellia, only to find out later it’s where the family tree was before her plans with Ovus Buckell decimated the area in a brash attempt to stop the Nihil’s assault on their planet. I appreciated how she saw her actions, as something to be held accountable for being maybe a step too far if it meant destroying a location full of her, and her family’s, key memories, and her desperate bid to give something back to her mother for what she’s done. Crash likes being too hard on herself and this was all a very understandable reason for being so, though I love how her mother continues to factor into her story, as most Star Wars mothers don’t last long or are ever seen, as her reminders about who they are and their nomadic lifestyle as a culture helps her daughter to pull back and see the larger picture of what she’s done and what it means for the future. Her team also factors into things heavily, as they stand up against her choices to use Krix Kamerat despite the increasingly problematic, in a very not surprising way, actions of the delusional former Nihil, though I wish Svi’no, her girlfriend, could’ve had a little more personal impact than just being part of the team’s decision to call her using Krix out. Crash’s ultimate choice shows she’s learned from her mom’s lesson, finally deciding to be better and grow, and how she’s willing to put more trust in her team, giving the character some much deserved growth I hope we’ll get to see more of before Phase III comes to an end by mid-2025. There was no Crash one-shot promised at the end of this one, but hopefully we’ll get one more?
With Krix, in Crash Landing we saw how delusional he’d become, with the crazy belief he could take down Marchion Ro, get back Zeen Mrala (no one tell him about the recently announced wedding special one-shot), and would become Chancellor of the Republic, while in the main THRA – Phase III series afterwards, we saw this delve into him boldly boarding the Gaze Electric and thinking he could just talk his way through, though thankfully for him he had help from someone less delusional than him. What both the main series and these two one-shots didn’t quite convey is how deeper down, while Krix truly believes these false images of the future, manipulation hides behind the surface of almost everything he does, as he’s a little more cunning than he quite comes off here, which was all intriguingly shown in Alyssa Wong’s “Chronicles of Corellia” short story in Star Wars Insider #227 (it takes place sometime between Crash Landing and THRA #7), so make sure to check it out to get a fuller picture of the character because, well, let’s just say…we might be running out of options to revisit him (I read it via the Libby app via my local library, so check if yours does the same!). I do wish readers of just these Crash one-shots and/or the THRA series got more of this nuance, but Older conveys enough with how much Krix believes these delusions via a hilarious little “Internal File” page, which shows the outlandish claims Crash and her team were spreading to help make him seem like a bigger Nihil than anyone would’ve ever thought was possible, all in the hopes he might be able to get to Marchion and kill him like he promised. Krix is on the Electric at the start of Crash and Burn, with the help of low-level Nihil Crank Flat, and we find out he’s the reason Eriadu is swallowed up by the Stormwall (as seen in the main series). His actions alert the entire ship he’s not supposed to be there and he’s chased off, though he’s lucky Crash was still working through her own stuff and was actually there when he needed her, helping him escape. His Stormwall shenanigans catch Marchion’s notice and clears Krix’s return to the Gaze for an audience with the Eye, but because of those same shenanigans and how he left poor Crank Flat in the dust in his escape, the Crash’s team is ready to ditch Krix but Crash persists, following his plan, alone…only for her to make the right decision and leave him to his fate. Marchion is about as Marchion as he gets when Krix meets him again, revealing he’s never cared for Krix like the young man believed, and the resulting assassination attempt certainly seems to suggest Krix failed, and failed big, in a rather shocking potential end for Crash and Burn. Is there more Krix to come, maybe interrupting the upcoming nuptials, or is this where his story ends?
On art for Crash and Burn is Nick Brokenshire, who joins the usual suspects of Michael Atiyeh on colors and the duo of Tyler Smith & Jimmy Betancourt on lettering. Brokenshire recently impressed on his split-issue duties for the main THRA series, his style a unique contrast to that of the series’ Harvey Tolibao, and with a whole issue in his hands with Crash and Burn, he doesn’t disappoint. When the team confronts Crash after they rescue Krix, Brokenshire highlights how alone in little ways, adding to the charged feeling of the scene, either by placing a great distance between her and the others or always maintaining they stand on higher ground than her, or at least the perspective is always skewed towards looking down at Crash. Atiyeh joins in heavily, bringing in a sun-set color-scheme with the sun’s brightness always on the side of Crash’s team, not hers, but when they begin to understand the emotional issues she’s going through, she’s finally shown with the orangeish/redish background instead of the dark, purple one, as if when her team reaches out to her, trying to show they care/can help, she’s bathed in the same light as them in the process. When Crash decides to ditch this plan to kill Marchion Ro, and in the process ditch Krix, is a memorable page not just for what happens. Crash initial look on her face, as if she’s not quite sure yet of her choice but she’s ready to start trying to be, is sort of a flat, unsatisfied look at what she’s about to do to Krix, who while we can’t see his face, Smith and Betancourt make it clear he’s eager and excited with their word bubble. When she says no, Krix’s reaction is about the level of shock as you’d expect, and Crash not being able to look at him yet shows she’s still churning over what this decision means for her and for him. But the next panel, when he turns to anger and finger pointing, mischievousness takes over her face and Smith and Betancourt put their words between one another, the rift between them clear. Older’s choice for “D’urf!” being the sound Krix makes as she kicks him into an airlock is outright funny, but it also serves to knock him down to size, making him seem more like a kid than he likes to think he is, while Smith & Betancourt’s clunky and satisfying sound FX of ‘shnk’ feels like a finality on Krix and Crash time together.
Here are a few other things:
- It’s almost cruel to keep seeing The Acolyte marketed on these covers, but I love the reminder of the show to fans, as hopefully, despite its surprise non-renewal for a season two, people keep checking it out. Make sure to sign the petition (over 64k already!) and get your letters in to push for the show’s renewal, as while there’s no guarantee this stuff will do anything to sway the corporate decision behind this move, it’s better than nothing. Show star Amandla Stenberg took to Instagram recently to finally talk about the situation, who is just damn wiser than you could ever image as they break down the hate and their reaction to it all. Older shared his thoughts on the situation in his recent newsletter too!
- What’s to come this month in The High Republic?! Also out the same day as this issue is The High Republic Adventures – Echoes of Fear #1 (which I guess people who bought The High Republic Adventures #9 – Phase III via Amazon last week got early) and The Acolyte: Kelnacca #1 (make sure to pick this up to show your love the show!!); on September 18 comes The High Republic Adventures #10 – Phase III; and George Mann’s Tears of the Nameless closes out the month on on 9/24. Check out the full release schedule here!
The High Republic Adventures – Crash and Burn #1 is a strong second showing for the one-shots, with character development, clarifying details, and some surprising events.
+ Crash and Krix’s journeys
+ Clarifies some lingering threads…
+ Bruno’s return plays up and Tarkin family divide
– …but somewhat makes the first issue feel more anemic
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
Vol. 1: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 — Vol. 2: #6 | #7 | #8 | #9