– Spoiler Review –
The Jedi Archives hold some of the deepest collection of knowledge about the galaxy, but can they hold the key to a pivotal High Republic-era mystery? The High Republic Adventures – Echoes of Fear #1 finds the always studious Reath Silas delving into the history of the Echo Stones, resulting in a mesmerizing issue regarding an ancient Sith Lord!
Picking up a thread first teased in the mesmerizingly different Phase II entry The High Republic Adventures – Quest of the Jedi #1, George Mann’s The High Republic Adventures – Echoes of Fear #1 begins with Jedi Knight Reath Silas and Padawan Amadeo Azzazzo delving into the archives of the Jedi Order to understand the history and function of the Echo Stones. The Echo Stone itself was first seen in the aforementioned one-shot in a story set prior to even Phase II’s timeframe, where Jedi Master Barnabas Vim and his Padawan Vix Fonnick investigated a dying world and uncovered the Stone as the source. They split it up and went to different corners of the galaxy to hide it, but over the centuries, the pieces found themselves in special rods which Marchion Ro and the Nihil use to control the Nameless creatures they’ve brought out into the galaxy from Planet X. Will we learn the how and why in this series? This first issue is more about the Stone’s ancient history, and how powerful it can be, but since issue #2 promises a tale centered on Barnabas Vim, we might get to see what happened next to him and his journey. Also, considering this is confirmed to take place AFTER Mann’s upcoming September 24 young adult novel, Tears of the Nameless, we might at least get some more clarity on how and why Reath and Amadeo are concerned with finding one of the Nameless control rods in particular, the Rod of Ages, in this first issue. The Rod of Ages has only ever really been mentioned in Path of Deceit before this, so it’s been the most elusive of the current control rods, the others being Seasons and Daybreak, which can be combined together and then is called the Rod of Power. What adventures do Reath and Amadeo get into during Tears which lead them to look for the Rod of Ages and what do they hope they can achieve with it? The way Echoes of Fear #1 is written, besides them being alive and Vernestra Rwoh being called a Jedi Master now, it doesn’t really spoil much of Tears readers probably couldn’t already guess, so the release order happening this way shouldn’t cause much of an issue.
If there’s one thing clear in Echoes of Fear #1 about the Echo Stone, thanks to learning the oldest story about the Stone via the Jedi Archives, the object seemingly has nothing to do with the Nameless or Planet X at all, so it only deepens the intrigue around how or why it ended up being used to control the creatures. What we do see this issue is a mesmerizing tale about an ancient, ancient Sith Lord named Darth Ravi, who was name dropped in the Quest of the Jedi #1 issue as well, and his quest for the Echo Stone. I didn’t quite realize this was going to be a series with a framing story around these different stories per issue, but I love the concept for this exploration of the past and its tales about the Stone, especially since it means we got absolutely wild and gorgeous art from Vincenzo Riccardi, who previously stunned in Tales from the Death Star (which he basically pays homage to his work there by having a similar-ish double page spread of a ship approaching a moon-sized object in EoF #1). Since it’s an ancient Jedi passing along a tale she learned from a group of monks before they went extinct, there’s obviously wiggle room for someone to revisit this tale to reveal how true it all was at a future date, if they ever so chose (I still believe we’re going to Sith or ancient Sith after THR overall wraps up), but from what we got here, it’s both an interesting glimpse at earlier times in the galaxy and a cautionary tale which reminded me a lot of Mann’s excellent series of Myths & Fables/Dark Legends. Ravi hears about the Stone, attempting to find it and harness its power to further his insatiable conquest of the galaxy, but he comes across a giant, moon-sized roadblock: some ancient group locked the Stone in a puzzle built around a moon! Months fly by as he puts his followers to work, trying to crack the seemingly uncrackable puzzle, and while of course he and his lackeys are ultimately successful, if not at the cost of all their lives and much of Ravi’s sanity along the way, when he finally gets the Stone, ignoring a final warning costs him his life as well, supposedly rendering the Echo Stone to dust. Does that mean there was more than one Echo Stone out in the galaxy, even before Baranbas Vim split one? Or does the story claim it was destroyed in a way to throw anyone else off its scent and that’s how it ended up on Angcord in QotJ #1? As for the final warning, it stated only someone of pure intent could use its power, so how did it end up being used and/or are people able to use it to control the Nameless? Are both Marchion and Marda Ro full of pure intent on what they wanted so they could? Does an Echo Stone come from Planet X originally? There’s plenty of mystery, but this feels like we’re about to crack the shell on the Echo Stone story across this series and this first issue really felt me eager to see what Mann, and the various art teams, will have up their sleeves to deliver these revelations. Will it be enough, as Reath assumes, for them to not only find the Rod of Ages, but also how to use it?
The art for Echoes of Fear #1 is a tale of two Vinecenzos, as we have both the aforementioned Riccardi delivering Ravi’s story, but Vincenzo Federici provides the framing story, with the usual Dark Horse suspects of Michael Atiyeh on colors and duo Jimmy Betancort & Tyler Smith for lettering. Federici is new to me but the way his style was such a juxtaposition from Riccardi’s helped ground Reath and Amadeo’s framing story even more in the era as we know it, helping make Ravi seem ancient beyond imagination. The present-set story has memorable panels in its own way, with a favorite of mine being Reath standing amongst the rows and shelves of the Jedi Archives, as he seems so sure of himself despite the dizzying amount of rows and rows of knowledge before him, which is fitting for the character and gives all readers, fans of Reath or not, a quick shot of his love for the Archives and what they all hold; Atiyeh’s blues and whites for the archive’s stacks of knowledge, as well as the black lines which separate each individual entry, really gives the scene a claustrophobic yet dazzling effect. It’s also nice to see the Jedi Temple so packed, like looked in the prequels at times, even if it’s because of the recall of the Jedi due to the events in Phase I. Riccardi sets up his swirling, mythical-like art by not holding back in his first page, a full one depicting Darth Ravi, who is both solid in shape yet swirling in smokey ribbons like he makes much of the background of the panel, saturating the page with a dazzling amount of colors, a combination of which brings to mind the word primordial. Ravi’s story being so full of this look and feel, it only serves to make the ancient warnings outside the final door before the Echo Stone stand out and feel dire, as they are the only thing without the swirling, mutli-colored effect to them, withstanding the test of time and languages. It was really hard to pick one particular sequence to talk about, as I feel like there’s so much I could discuss, but what really stood out was a certain progression Riccardi shows off simply with colors. There’s a double page spread when Ravi and his remaining followers finally crack the initial code, the interlocking metal plates reflecting a yellow tinged lightning-like energy emanating from the center as it begins to open up, though a close-up on a insert panel reveals the brighter colors give way to a darker underbelly, and on the following page, as Ravi descends and finds another puzzle to unlock, the colors match the journey, darkening from the more hopeful hue. As Ravi gives into his anger, he’s consumed by a red raged color, which swirls out like flames from him as he swings his crimson blade around, his mouth open in a yell we can hear in our heads given the colors and his aggressive actions. Smith & Betancourt really ensure the Jedi’s narration of Ravi’s story largely lets Riccardi’s work do all the talking, as the box placements are usually as out of the way as possible while still pulling readers to what comes next. Also, the way they present Joria Skarl’s first words when opening the holocron presents the listeners and us readers with a clear picture of how much larger than life this tale might just be, as the circular bubble with the pointed edges, plus the exaggeration of Darth Ravi’s name, make it feel like a dramatic announcement and underplay the potential revelations within.
Here are a few other things:
- We already have details on the remaining issues of the series thanks to comic solicitations: #2 will showcase Baranbas Vim again, Pathfinder fun is in store with #3, and issue #4 will end the series with Reath seemingly finding the Rod of Ages?!
- If you picked up The High Republic Adventures #9 – Phase III digitally via Amazon, fans received this issue a week early instead!
- 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 – Crash and Burn #1 and The Acolyte: Kelnacca #1 (another way to show support of the show is buying this issue!); 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 – Echoes of Fear #1 is intriguing and exciting start, promising answers and explanations for a big mystery of the era.
+ Exploring an important mystery with a promised-filled start
+ Riccardi’s dazzling glimpse of an ancient Sith
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.