– Spoiler Review –
Dark Horse’s The High Republic Adventures comics expands again, this time with a new miniseries catching fans up with a variety of fan favorite characters and stories, with different writers and artists to go with them! The High Republic Adventures – Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #1 doesn’t stray too far from the main series, but it’s a helpful new point in that story which also sets up the stories to come in this series.
To in-universe justify the ability to check in with so many different characters and their tales while they’re stuck behind the Nihil’s Stormwall aka the Occlusion Zone, there’s a bit of a framing story to The High Republic Adventures – Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #1. Jedi Master Elzar Mann, trying to find any and all ways to help fellow Jedi and allies trapped behind enemy lines, has had a fleet of old EX droids (those used by the Pathfinding teams back in Phase II) commissioned to send into the Zone in the hopes those who receive them can send them back and give the Jedi Order and the Republic a clearer pictured about what’s happening behind the Stormwall, so that when they finally manage to bring it down, they’ll be best prepared to help. Who all finds these droids is what brings us the many different issues, but there’s a hint at the end the droids will be an important part of the story beyond an excuse to have this series. It does feel a little flimsy overall, as we know the Jedi/Republic have found ways to go in and out as they please, but I guess this is a safer option for the moment.
If you’re up to date on the main The High Republic Adventures – Phase III story, which is up to issue #10 as of this publishing, then the core events of Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #1 will satisfy your curiosity about what comes next for it, while if you haven’t read it but are here to check out this miniseries, this issue does enough heavy lifting you won’t feel left out; this shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, as the writer for this issue is of course the series architect for THRA since Phase I: Daniel José Older! Essentially, Jedi Knight Qort, alongside ex-Jedi Lula Talisola and her fiancé Zeen Mrala, as well as Alys “Crash” Ongwa (who has starred in two one-shot spin-offs from THRA recently), and 5A-G3, among others, are holed up on Eriadu, stuck behind the Stormwall, and are trying to figure out what side the planet’s ruling family will decide to back, the Republic or the Nihil. They had an inside track with a young Tarkin family member named Sevran, but after ascending to a leading role, with the help of the Jedi, she’s ghosted the group! Qort tells all this, and what happens next in their efforts to uncover just what she’s up to and thinking, to the EX droid 5A-G3 finds and brings to him. Qort was more in the forefront in earlier issues of THRA – Phase III, but lately he hasn’t been, so it was refreshing to have him step up and have such a vital role in uncovering the truth of what the Tarkins are up to. Dispatches really left me wanting more Qort and I hope he can factor in a tad more in the coming issues. 5A-G3 also has had less panel-time too in the main series, with at least a good joke or two spread out, but here she gets a lot of funny moments (I’m still thinking about the joke about Bell Zettifar) and a bigger role which makes me hope she’ll have more to do in the future now, too. Crash has had her own one-shots so I wasn’t surprised she isn’t in focus as much (next issue is hers though!), but her helping scheme and implement tracking Sevran’s shifty movements puts her in a familiar role and it was nice to see her doing what she does best. I liked the new Tarkin we meet, Sevran’s younger cousin named Emelsine, as it goes to show how secretive the family really is, if even she’s left in the dark about the true nature of their plans. What they all ultimately uncover about Sevran and the Tarkins offers an intriguing and unexpected option, as their lack of contact has less to do with wanting to pick one side over the other, but rather protecting something important which could lead to bigger devastation for the planet. It’s not always black and white with the Tarkins and I really appreciate that, especially given how much the main series did to build the current crop of the family into characters we liked.
Alongside Older’s writing, the art team consists of Paris Alleyne, his first work for interiors on Star Wars comics, and the usual Dark Horse suspects for coloring and lettering, Michael Atiyeh and Tyler Smith & Jimmy Betancourt respectively. It’s an early page, but the panels of the EX droids being shot out into space, flying to many worlds, feels a lot like the opening scene of The Empire Strikes Back, so it’s fun to see the script flipped and this is actually a good thing, as Older’s script in Betancourt & Smith’s semi-claustrophobic narration boxes tell us (the boxes so close as to remind us, no matter what our mind sees when referencing TESB, this is a good thing). This is Alleyne’s first Star Wars work and I wish that wasn’t the case, as I love the variety and range of expressions he brings to the characters, especially non-human ones, as he retains their alien look instead of making them seem more human to provide reactions, while the level of detail in the biggest and smallest panels, with lots of defined background, was exceptional. Everyone’s “if looks could kill” faces after 5A-G3’s Bell Zettifar joke really sell the humor, as I was reading and thinking, jokingly, “woah, too soon!” and their grumpy, threatening looks land the real offense one would take from that joke instead of my mock-offense. 5A-G3 looks even more terrifying than normal, from the swirling eye always looking different, which is yellow with a hint of red in it from Atiyeh’s colors, while the teeth for their mouth area are pointy daggers, as if they could chomp through someone’s arms like she’s threatened in the past. Qort’s big action moments, of which there are two, both read to this fan as fitting for the young Jedi Knight at this point in his life, as they both employ tactics to showcase his confidence and surety. The first is when he interrupts a fight about to break out in the streets, casually inserting himself into the scene and grabbing a person’s fist, his dialogue bubble closer to his hand than his face, reading as casual as his gesture to stop the fight, and the next panel, when we pull back to see all three of them, his stance reminding most readers of a martial arts master. The second is later on, where he just needs one panel, lightsaber swinging, to stop several Nihil blaster shots and directs them back at their attackers, which feels more like a showcase of his abilities than because of limited pages.
Here are a few other things:
- Fans who have been vocal and rightly concerned about Elzar Mann’s appearance, namely being drawn with far lighter skin than he’s supposed to have, will notch another win thanks to the art team’s work here.
- Love seeing Jake Bartok’s work for all main covers for the miniseries!
- Next on the Dispatches of the Occlusion Zone miniseries: issue #2 is out November 27, written by Alyssa Wong and art by Valeria “Lux” Favoccia, and will focus on Crash and Ruu, an ex-Jedi; issue #3 is out December 18, written by Older again, and giving Master Emerick Caphtor the lead; the final issue, #4, is out January 22, 2025, with Cavan Scott writing another Ty Yorrick and Drewen story!
- And this is a list of what’s coming out soon for The High Republic: also out October 9 are The High Republic Adventures: Echoes of Fear #2 and The High Republic Adventures: Saber for Hire #4; The High Republic Adventures #11 – Phase III hits October 16; Star Wars Insider 228 has another Chronicles of Corellia from Alyssa Wong on October 29, and then we have a drought until November 20, where we get The High Republic Adventures #12 – Phase III. Keep up to date with our release schedule on our High Republic page!
- Don’t forget about the petition for The Acolyte’s season two renewal, get those signatures in!!! We’re just over 81k now!!!
- October 9 is my birthday and I can’t believe Dark Horse released THREE High Republic comics! Best gift ever!! And Marvel had the beginning of the Ewoks miniseries as well!!
The High Republic Adventures: Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #1 provides some side characters to shine while still advancing the era’s overall story and yet making it accessible for new readers too.
+ Qort, and 5A-G3, getting main roles
+ Tarkin family’s secret
+ Paris Alleyne, please return for more Star Wars!
– Framing story is a little flimsy
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.