Canon Comic Review: The High Republic Adventures – Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #4

– Spoiler Review –

An emotionally strong check-in with Ty Yorrick, and several other Cavan Scott mainstays, makes for an excellent send off to the miniseries, and set up for what’s to come as the era closes in on the end, in The High Republic Adventures: Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #4!

I’ve been a very big fan of Ty Yorrick since her introduction back in 2021 and the culmination of her character arc in 2024’s The High Republic Adventures: Saber for Hire miniseries, also written by Cavan Scott like this issue, was everything I could’ve hoped for, so much so that Scott and artist Rachael Stott earned Top Creatives spots and Ty’s emotional breakthrough hit the Top 5 Moments in my 2024 Star Wars Comics Year-in-Review article. To say I’ve been eager for this issue is an understatement, as I’ve been curious to see how much Ty has changed since Saber for Hire ended, and Scott absolutely delivers in this final issue of Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone. The Ty we meet here is the natural progression after her revelation in the previous miniseries in several ways: where she once shunned the Force for the most part, she opens herself up to it and relies on it here; normally she’d run if helping others wouldn’t benefit her in some way, but she charges head first into helping others without caring if she’s getting paid or not; she’s in touch with and has control over her emotions, calling on them to help in a vital moment which got me all misty eyed; and even her monster hunting knowledge still comes in handy. She still has places to grow (don’t we all) since she still makes assumptions here when running into ex-Nihil Lourna Dee and Tey Sirrek using his Hand of Siberus, but the Ty in Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #4 feels like her final form, at least that we’ll get to see before the era wraps up in June of this year. And what really feeds into the sense this is her final form is Vincenzo Riccardi’s artwork, where Ty looks almost angelic in moments, bursting out of vines or embracing a soul that needs it, it’s nothing short of mesmerizing. The issue ends with hints at where we’ll see her next, which I’ll get into more, but this feels like the perfect coda to her story, so if she’s just one of the crowd helping the final struggles of the era and doesn’t get much more in the coming stories, I can definitely make peace with that after her time in the comics.

In true Cavan Scott fashion, his characters collide in Dispatches #4, as the story centers on Ty, now working alongside the Order and the Republic, taking Drewen and her droids behind the Stormwall, thanks to their Path drive, and picking up the EX droids Jedi Master Elzar Mann sent out. Their latest EX droid hunt takes them to Dalna, a planet vital to Phase II of the era and last seen at the end of Phase I, devastated by the Nihil, and not just any Nihil, but Lourna Dee herself. Funnily enough, they run into Lourna, as well as Tey Sirrek, down in Dalna’s caves, fighting it out with supposed Nihil, but the truth is far more intriguing than either Ty or Lourna could imagine. If you’ve listened to Tempest Breaker, the audio drama which fills in some vital and interesting story for the characters of Scott’s The High Republic – Phase III series before they all appear again in the upcoming The High Republic: Fear of the Jedi comic, much of this issue shouldn’t be a surprise, but if you haven’t had the option/cannot check out the audio only release (currently, the script book is out in May), this fills in the broad strokes and feels like a great bridge. Lourna, running her own bounty hunter’s guild, and eager to atone for her sins at Dalna, is here because they, much like Ty, thought the downed Nihil ship that crashed into the EX droid was full of the marauders. The reality is, these are refugees from a Nihil work camp who stole the ship and one of them happens to recognize Lourna and lashed out in fear, and now she can barely control herself, which is affecting everyone since she’s a Lonto plant-mage and her vines are hurting everyone around her. As the vines close around her, Ty attempts to reach out to the young girl, speaking about how lashing out against those who hurt us only perpetuates the cycle, something she’s all too familiar. With the Force, Ty breaks out of the vines and, whereas she’d have balked at making such a connection and baring her emotions, she embraces the mage in a hug, telling her it’s time to heal, not hurt (yes, I definitely got misty eyed during this, it’s so good!). It’s a great message for Scott to bring up, as it makes the vital distinction we need to take our time in our responses to hate or hurt thrown at us, as the immediate response can cause just as much harm as the original one, which makes us no better than those who would harm us. This doesn’t mean we don’t find ways to respond, but we should do it in a better way. To have Ty, notorious for her gut-reactions and actions, say this really speaks a lot to the message itself and Ty’s change.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s Vincenzo Riccardi on art with Tyler Smith and Jimmy Betancourt from Comicraft on lettering. Riccardi has typically done stories and issues where what he’s covering isn’t necessarily canon, more a story of a story, so it was interesting how he not only maintained what makes his style so distinct and memorable, but held back in small ways so it felt like part of the larger tapestry. For Dalna itself, this is where Riccardi feels the most like what we seen before, to the point he feels like the only person who could do what’s happened to Dalna justice. It’s clear on the opening page, when viewing the planet from space, the swirling lakes of lava and the wisps of smoke between what little landmass survived, the colors vibrant despite the devastation, hinting at the way life will find a way to survive and adapt. This works well when we get on Dalna too, the rocky, desolate surface giving the appearance Dalna will never recover, with a duller color scheme, yet when they go underground, into the caves, the walls are lively, with magentas and blues, giving the impression the planet will find a way, much like the bright colors did when seeing Dalna from space. The Lonto plant-mage, Vila, is a memorable design in Riccardi’s hands, with her silver skin lined like stained glass, her wild hair with a flowery wreath inside it, and the simple, torn clothes that both look natural for someone so connected to nature yet fits with her refugee story. The vines are also very well done, as they are often thick and veiny, with copious amounts littering each panel, which makes her lashing out and wrapping everyone up in their embrace all the powerful, as the page which depicts the ground around her, covered by vines, is one of my favorites. It starts with Vila in the background, looking angry and telling Ty she doesn’t understand, with Ty in the forefront, her head about the only part of her that isn’t covered in vines, held up high, just trying to get her final words out, but then there a few inserts which show Ty about to be covered completely, head held low, eyes closed, admitting she’s understands more than Vila can know, followed by an insert where Ty’s completely covered. Underneath that is Vila, with a solid “thump” sound FX from Smith & Betancourt, kneeling in the center of the vine consuming madness she’s created, Riccardi giving color mainly to the vines and Vila and nothing else, though a “rustle” and Vila’s hopeful glance beneath that gives us the clue all might not be lost and Vila might not have gone too far. Ty bursting out of the vines is the most angelic she’s looked and it seems fitting given what she does next, hugging Vila, a clear showcase of her growth that is just a lovely feast for the eyes.

Here are a few other things:

  • Keeve Trennis and Sskeer appear at the end, as it’s revealed the EX droid has helped identify Naboo and Eriadu as the places of interest for the Republic to help against the Nihil’s hold in the Occlusion Zone, and Trennis is the Marshall of a fleet meant to lead the charge and rescue those stuck behind the wall from the Nihil, once and for all. We saw a battle at Naboo in Temptation of the Force already but the planet’s about to take the hot seat again, while the battle for Eriadu just kicked off in The High Republic Adventures #14 – Phase III, also out the same day as this issue.
  • It really is the beginning of the end, folks, as the cover for Charles Soule’s Trials of the Jedi, the final novel of the era, was finally revealed this week!
  • As for upcoming High Republic releases, January 29 is a big day, as not only does this issue and the aforementioned High Republic Adventures #14 – Phase III come out, but also The High Republic Adventures Phase III Annual and The High Republic Adventures: Echoes of Fear #4. Beyond January, on February 12: The High Republic Adventures #15 – Phase III; February 19: The High Republic: Fear of the Jedi #1; March 19: The High Republic Adventures #16 – Phase III. Keep up to date with our release schedule on our High Republic page!

The High Republic Adventures: Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #4 is an excellent coda to Ty Yorrick’s journey and a fun tease of what’s to come in the final few months of the era!

+ Ty in her final form era

+ Stunning work from Riccardi and team!

Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky.

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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