Canon Comic Review: The High Republic Adventures – Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #3

– Spoiler Review –

After spending two issues on Eriadu, The High Republic Adventures: Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #3 heads out further into the Zone to follow Jedi Investigator Emerick Caphtor and his search for ways to combat the Nameless threat, though he finds himself with a surprising (forced) companion who might just change everything.

After a stylish noir debut in Phase I’s The High Republic: Trail of Shadows, written by Daniel José Older much like this issue is, Jedi Investigator Emerick Caphtor and private eye Sian Holt have had a limited presence in Phase III, with Older giving them cameos throughout The High Republic Adventures – Phase III and books like Tears of the Nameless making references to Emerick’s work, but we’ve not had any stories expressly focused on either of them. Sian Holt doesn’t get an appearance here, instead Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #3 is about Emerick and his quest to understand the Nameless and help the Jedi deal with them, but definitely check out The High Republic Adventures: The Wedding Spectacular (also out today) to see her. When the issue starts, Emerick’s recording his progress to the EX droids Jedi Master Elzar Mann sent into the Zone, calling a mysterious contact to help him, only for the Nihil to interrupt. And it’s not just any Nihil, it’s a group led by Niv Drendow Apruk, an acolyte of Baron Boolan’s (who has a big role in the recent Tempest Breaker audio drama), the Nihil’s mad scientist! Ever since the cover teased Emerick and Niv Drendow would be stuck together on an adventure, I’ve been very intrigued to see the how, why, and what happens between them, because while they are very different people, they share the quest for understanding and both seem laser focused on the Nameless, as earlier in this series we saw Niv Drendow both using beauty cream to help the creatures and also end up in a rage over them being jettisoned in space, while Emerick has been on the case since before Starlight fell.

While Niv Drendow captures Emerick, as the Jedi only has his Vector and they are flying the Squall Spider, the spider-like ship first seen in The High Republic Adventures #1 – Phase I, the scientist seems more intent on learning what Emerick knows than killing him, but he doesn’t get the option once their ship interacts with the mines over the nearby moon, grounding them. These mines are gifts from the Eye of the Nihil himself, Marchion Ro, to keep others away from Vrant Tarnum, where he found the Rod of Seasons alongside Krix Kamerat in THRA #5 – Phase I and, as we find out during the issue, is the home to Boolan’s earliest research, while it’s where Emerick felt like his work was guiding him to return to after he visited back in Trail of Shadows #1, hence why he was nearby. On their way to the cave Emerick originally visited, a pack of charhounds attacks them (guess they can’t all be as friendly as Ember) and the pair is forced to run, only to be cornered at their destination, and this is where the issue takes all sorts of surprising turns in the moments afterward. Prior to their crash landing, Niv Drendow tells Emerick how alike they really are, in the thirst for knowledge, and while the charhounds close in on them, Emerick reveals he thinks something similar, but instead it’s about how they both have attachments, a big admission from Emerick given his closeness to Sian Holt. He argues Niv Drendow’s attachment is to knowledge, but also to someone, finding someone who will help him solve these mysteries, and despite being on different sides they are the right person for one another in this moment, as Emerick hands over Azlin Rell’s journal! He also reveals Driggit Parse, who got a message off at the end of last issue to the Chancellor of the Republic, is now a valuable informant inside the Nihil, and the combination of Emerick’s actions, digging into Niv Drendow’s soul, and helping the scientist uncover new secrets about the Nameless, all adds up to Niv Drendow agreeing to help the Republic!! I really wish this hadn’t only been one issue between these two, as this turn totally works as is, but if we’d had an Insider short/another story/one more issue with more, it might’ve landed even better and felt less easy.

As for what they learned, it seems the combined knowledge of Azlin Rell’s madness and Boolan’s scribbles leads them to a way through the veil which surrounds Planet X! The veil is very dangerous to cross, as we’ve seen first in the Eye of the Storm comic and later in Path of Vengeance, Phase II’s closing novel, as it almost acts like the planet’s immune system, attacking anything foreign trying to get in or out, so if they have a way to get through it without danger, it’ll be a game-changer for when Planet X is found and the Jedi are trying to right the wrong done to the Nameless. Combine that with the Jedi likely about to get their hands on the Rod of Ages, as seen in The High Republic Adventures: Echoes of Fear, the final Nameless control rod created by an ancient race called the Tolemites who dealt with the Nameless and the Blight long, long ago, the stage is slowly being set for what will sure to be a trippy time back on Planet X for the era’s finale. It’s really neat to see these miniseries get to fill in some important moments on the path to the ending, and it’s even better yet that it builds off of story and character work laid in what came before.

For this issue’s art team, Lucas Marangon and colorist Dan Jackson return to Dark Horse after stints in Hyperspace Stories, while the usual Tyler Smith & Jimmy Betancourt remain on lettering. Only the second page in, but the sense of scale and how screwed Emerick seems to be when we see the giant spider ship against the little Vector, with its many arms ready to wrap it up in its webm, really sets up different expectations to help make Niv Drendow’s turn all the more surprising, while the numerous spooky red lights all over the bigger ship give it a very menacing look and the Vector’s closeness to the depths of space in color aid in making it look even more insignificant. It’s a smaller detail throughout the entire issue, but the journey of how much we see of Niv Drendow’s face compared to the big rim of his coned neck piece helps denote when he’s being real or opening up vs when he’s closed off and pretending to be something he isn’t. His face is more often covered in the opening several pages of the issue, when he has Emerick tied up and he’s postering in front of the Nihil troops/to the EX droid, though from the moment they land on Vrant Tarnum, as he lets out his emotions or gets caught up in what Emerick’s preaching, the brim of the cone doesn’t cover his face more and Marangon even softens Niv Drendow’s features, making him seem more child-like in specific moments, like when Emerick hands him Azlin’s journals. Dan Jackson plays up the switch too, as the orange and yellow coloring around Niv Drendow in the opening returns after they both get back to the Nihil ship, giving us the impression their time together and chat might not have meant much if we’re seeing the same coloring as when he was still a ‘bad guy,’ but it’s gone the moment he reveals his new allegiances by blasting at the Nihil around them. Another way we see Niv Drendow’s change is in the lettering, as Smith and Betancourt’s word bubbles are basically overlapping one another in the opening pages, the scientist being snippy and self-important, not necessarily liked/respected by the Nihil crew either, cutting one another off or even Emerick, but as the Jedi Investigator works on him, the word bubbles have less overlapping and allows for each side to have space to talk.

Here are a few other things:

  • Next on the Dispatches of the Occlusion Zone miniseries: the final issue, #4, is out January 22, 2025, with Cavan Scott writing another Ty Yorrick and Drewen story!
  • Also out today, December 18? The High Republic Adventures #13 – Phase III and The High Republic Adventures – The Wedding Spectacular!!!! These are the last High Republic releases for 2024, but January already has a few in store to enjoy: January 8, 2025: The High Republic Adventures – Echoes of Fear #4; January 29, 2025: The High Republic Adventures #14 – Phase III and The High Republic Adventures Annual – Phase III AND The High Republic Adventures – Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #4. Keep up to date with our release schedule on our High Republic page!

The High Republic Adventures: Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #3 might end with some big information to help with the era’s finale, but it’s the interactions between Emerick and Niv Drendow which really make this worth the read.

+ Emerick and Niv Drendow together, who’d have thought?!

+ Marangon and team leading us along to Niv Drendow’s turn

Feels too easy

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.

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