– Spoiler Review –
The Jedi Order sending ancient EX droids to communicate with the galaxy behind the Nihil’s Stormwall wasn’t always going to go smoothly, as while the first on Eriadu made it into Jedi hands, the other finds itself with the Nihil, in the hands of ambiguously-sided Driggit Parse. Can Crash Ongwa and former Jedi Ruu get it back? Find out why the answer is far more complicated than that in our review of Alyssa Wong’s entry for The High Republic Adventures: Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #2!
Alyssa Wong, best known in the Star Wars fandom for their phenomenal Doctor Aphra run, first joined The High Republic by contributing a story to the Tales of Light and Life, introducing fans to former Jedi turned Nihil hunter Ruu, the franchise’s first transgender character. Technically they joined earlier than that, as The High Republic Adventures architect Daniel José Older based Alys “Crash” Ongwa on Wong, a character who has shared the spotlight in THRA in Phase III, even getting her own spin-off one-shots. Later Wong joined Older for Phase III’s Escape from Valo, bringing in a new host of younger characters who have since made their way into various aspects of THRA, including this miniseries, some of which collide in Wong’s story here. In fact, this issue even takes place after Wong’s “Chronicles of Corellia” for Star Wars Insider (#227 and #228), which depicts more of Ruu’s involvement with Crash’s team, diving more into the character like in the original short story, uncovering his internal fight in complex and interesting detail, as well as Driggit Parse’s own struggles with her choices since Escape, and these “Chronicles” shouldn’t be missed (I use Libby to read Insider via my library!). If you’ve not read any of the following, Alyssa Wong makes sure the barrier to entry is still low with enough with dialogue to hint at what one has missed, and even a few flashback panels spread out, so even readers of just this miniseries will get enough of a gist, while overall the story is entertaining on several levels, keeping readers intrigued until the end.
Where Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #1 showed Qort receiving the EX droid and communicating Eriadu’s struggles, issue #2 shows what happens when Driggit Parse, first introduced in Escape from Valo, must decide the droid’s fate. Driggit’s story has been a fascinating one, though I wish she’d been in more prose given her history and choices (but thankfully she was in one of the “Chronicles of Corellia”), as she’s only really with the Nihil because, after the Jedi ran for the hills of Valo once the Nihil came with their Nameless, she’s decided to save her people from them by whatever means necessary, even if that includes joining the Nihil to destroy them from the inside out. It’s not always clear there’s this ambiguity, but Wong’s really able to let it shine as Driggit attempts escaping from Ruu as he chases down her and the EX droid she found. Ruu’s had his own crisis of faith in the Jedi, but having been one, it’s more about how it tears him up inside on how he’s abandoned the Order’s principles to make up for the loss of his Master and get revenge. In “Chronicles of Corellia,” we see Ruu make a choice about his future, about whether he wants to keep losing himself as a means to an end to destroy the Nihil, and in Dispatches #2 he decides whether to commit to his chosen path or regress. Driggit and Ruu are two characters who have come into conflict before, but they are different sides to the same coin, coming at the ends justifying the means path from different ways, and therefore their ultimate choices during this issue make sense and feel very fitting. The continuity of their characterizations and the development of their stories might be in various different mediums, but if you’ve been following along, this is an excellent continuation, while new readers might just want more retroactively.
Much like in the most recent THRA issues, there’s a message within that’s worth listening to, one I think younger ages might be able to pick up on and shouldn’t be lost on older fans, showing the force for good the all-ages comics manage to consistently provide. In the choices by Ruu and Driggit, to be better people, to have hope despite their situations, and make friends despite their past and current affiliations, felt to me like a twist on the “no one’s ever really gone,” line, talking more about views and opinions than what we leave behind. If they can overcome their bias about one another and find common ground to help others, isn’t that worth attempting with others around you, friends or enemies? And in the message Driggit prepares to Republic Chancellor Lina Soh, there’s a prescient tone to it, how aid and assistance from a powerful and seemingly benevolent government shouldn’t focus solely on those who benefit it, but rather anyone who needs their help, even if they might be amongst what one would call their enemy. Following just the money, just strong allies, leaves behind the very people and values such benevolent sounding powers claim to have in mind first and foremost.
For Dispatches #2, Valeria “Lux” Favoccia makes their Star Wars debut, while Dark Horse regulars Michael Atiyeh and Tyler Smith & Jimmy Betancourt are on colors and lettering, respectively. I could use a lot more of Favoccia for comics going forward, as they are able to really capture a good range of emotions, both via faces and poses, that bring out the nuances of Wong’s script, while also keeping the fun and light heartedness in play as well. For Ruu, Favoccia gives us a lot of his hesitancy for donning the Nihil mask again, forlorn as he holds it in his hands, but it’s the page when he does put it on, a little satisfying klik sound FX from Smith & Betancourt, which really stands out and highlights his struggle. When he puts it on, his narration kicks in and he’s no longer standing next to Crash, instead he’s obviously in his own mind, as the backdrop around him looks to be cloudy, with stars, a dreamy blue by Atiyeh, and in the insert panels we see his face under the mask thanks to a blue highlighted outline, where his grimace and scrunched eyes fit with his dialogue in the moment and brings out the struggle he’s sharing. With Driggit, when she’s alone with the EX droid, trying to crack its code and having no success, the exhaustion and sadness really comes through in her hurt eyes and the way she cradles the droid to her face, as she says it’s all she’s got since she torn her and Gavi apart, though her staunch determination to do whatever it takes follows in the final panel on the page, with alert eyebrows and an almost angry face. Only a few pages later, it was damn neat to see Ruu through Driggit’s eyes, as he looks absolutely terrifying in the mask, head titled slightly down, his saber down and dragging, while the intense red of the alarms gives it a horror-tinged feel. We get to see Driggit via Ruu’s eyes later, when she dons her bird-like mask, which at first seems to have glowing red eyes, and is covered in a similar shade of red, as if to highlight how truly alike these two are. Hopefully we can have you back soon, Valeria “Lux” Favoccia!
Here are a few other things:
- Wong has at least one more High Republic story on the horizon, The High Republic Adventures – The Battle of Eriadu #1, which will focus on former friends, now enemies on different sides (sort of), Padawan Gavi (also from Escape) and Driggit, as they confront one another against the backdrop of the larger battle that’ll play out in the main THRA series’ #14-17 issues.
- Given the Warden leaves for Valo during the start of this issue, Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #2 takes place then prior to the events of The High Republic Adventures #11 – Phase III, which is when the Warden arrives on Valo and the series turns its eye to the planet’s struggles against the Nihil’s return.
- Next on the Dispatches of the Occlusion Zone miniseries: issue #3 is out December 18, written by Older again, and giving Master Emerick Caphtor the lead; the final issue, #4, is out January 8, 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: December 3, 2024: Tempest Breaker (embargo was up 11/26 but I haven’t finished listening yet); December 18, 2024: The High Republic Adventures – Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #3, The High Republic Adventures #13 – Phase III, and The High Republic Adventures – The Wedding Spectacular; January 8, 2025: The High Republic Adventures – Echoes of Fear #4; January 14, 2025: The High Republic Adventures #14 – Phase III. Keep up to date with our release schedule on our High Republic page!
The High Republic Adventures: Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #2 is an outstanding continuation of two complex characters fans new and old can enjoy.
+ Depths of Ruu and Driggit
+ Messages within about their journeys
+ Hoping we can see Lux Favoccia back soon!
– Does a good job of catching up all readers but it might still be a problem for some
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 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 – DISPATCHES FROM THE OCCLUSION ZONE REVIEWS
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