– Spoiler Review –
With the search for the Echo Stones and their origins underway, The High Republic Adventures: Echoes of Fear #2 finds Reath Silas and Amadeo Azzazzo looking to a legendary Jedi explorer from the past for more answers: Barnabas Vim!
Since the first issue of The High Republic Adventures: Echoes of Fear released, George Mann’s Tears of the Nameless novel came out, itself taking place prior to the first issue of this series. It makes sense why you could easily read Echoes of Fear #1 first and it not really spoil anything, as most of the dialogue in the framing story with Reath Silas and Amadeo Azzazzo in Echoes of Fear #2 is when Mann starts giving away some of the revelations in the novel, hinting at what all happened. I still have my review on its way, with Chris already on top of his, but this series feels like the perfect way to continue enjoying these two characters and the revelations they make, as it allows Mann to focus on the historic aspect even more so than in the novel.
One of my favorite stories from Phase II was The High Republic Adventures: Quest of the Jedi #1, which starred Jedi Master Barnabas Vim and his apprentice Vix Fonnick investigating strange Force-related shenanigans on the planet Angcord. Their tale took place before even the start of Phase II, but it was especially vital to the era’s overall story as it seemed to hold the origin for the three Echo Stone rods being used by the Nihil to control the Nameless creatures they’re using to terrorize the Jedi. I loved Vim and Fonnick, and the overall story left me eager for more like it starring one or both of them, so to have Echoes of Fear #2 revisit Barnabas and have him on another intriguing adventure was especially exciting, and what all transpires here more than lives up the Quest of the Jedi and my expectations, though I definitely wish we had seen Fonnick in some degree as well.
While Quest of the Jedi #1 ended with Vim and Fonnick separating, taking the shards of the Echo Stone they found and spreading them far apart from one another, Echoes of Fear #2 picks up with them still apart, Vim having gone off in hopes of discovering the Stones’ origins, convinced they are dangerous. His research leads him to another full Stone, this time in possession of a Jedi who is an old friend of Vim’s, Tar’ak Borran. Whereas the previous Echo Stone Vim and Fonnick dealt with was used selfishly to advance one society’s needs and wants, Borran seems to be using it selflessly, as Vim has picked up tales of a Jedi using a magical rock to help those in need, the tales of which we hear a few grow more outlandish and impossible by the second. It presents an interesting change of pace for Barnabas Vim, so sure in his mission and belief the Stones are dangerous, is now faced with the possibility their ability to amplify the Force could be used for great and seemingly unbelievable acts of good. He does his best to get Borran to give it up initially, but the other Jedi’s surety in Vim’s appearance being a sign of the Force to help him do another insane exploit, stop a raging storm from taking out a stubborn sect of villagers, leads the elder Jedi to give in and join in using the Stone. It’s a great test for Vim, as even after their powerful role in saving the day, he can see not only the detriment of the Stone’s ability on Borran’s body and soul, but also the opposite side of what they’ve done: if they could stop a storm, who’s to say a Sith or a rogue/dark Force user couldn’t create a devastating storm to kill people? I loved the cautionary tale aspect of this story and showing the good these Stones could do, as when there’s powerful darkness, there’s powerful light as well.
The ending to Echoes of Fear #2 is just as fascinating as QotJ #1’s ending was, as it leaves open Barnabas’ ultimate fate: did he or did he not make it to Planet X?! Borran somehow found out and knew the way to the planet himself, sharing it with Barnabas, who we see encountering the strange planet’s immune system-like defenses, even having the final page of the issue supposedly reveal him having landed! Seeing Barnabas on the planet, despite Reath and Amadeo saying no one knows what happened next, so is the final page a hint he did make it? If so, given its abundance of the Force, could it have sustained him this whole time, so when we get to see Planet X in Phase III…he’s still there, alive?? Given how he’s not been seen there by the Path when they went in Phase II nor in subsequent visits by Marchion Ro and the Nihil, I don’t think is a possibility, but maybe he was busy with the planet’s very unique ecosystem to have noticed. I think a meeting between Azlin Rell, who prolonged his life via fear and the path of the dark side, all supposedly for the good cause of stopping the Nameless, and Barnabas Vim, who spent his later years trying to stop the Stones being used as a weapon, could be quite intriguing. And if he’s not alive by the time of Phase III, what happened to him if he really was on the Planet? Did he come to understand the weirdness of it all, as he seemingly is most equipped to uncover? I hope we’ll find out soon!
On art, Vincenzo Federici returns for the framing story, while Juan Samu provides the work for Barnabas’ tale, with the usual Michael Atiyeh on colors and Tyler Smith & Jimmy Betancourt for lettering. While Samu’s previous Star Wars appearances, Tales from the Rancor Pit and Tales from the Death Star, were a little more wild overall in content, but he still gets to go big, different, and wild in a few places though shows his more “normal” depictions are just as vibrant and interesting. Barnabas and Tar’ak tapping into the Echo Stone’s power and bringing the giant storm to a stop was a great combination of Samu’s styles, as the two Jedi look so normal and small compared to the giant, dangerous, and seemingly uncontrollable storm heading their way, a rolling monster in the distance which recalls giant sandstorms in a way. When they use the Stone, the first panel shows Tar’ak throwing it into the air, where it begins to glow, breaking through edges of the panel to highlight how it’s not natural and likely too powerful to be used without repercussions, which Smith & Betancourt aid this viewpoint with sound FX which do the same and seem completely out of place against the background. These giant SFX continue to shatter through the following double page, which consists of three panels showing the Jedi’s efforts in bringing the storm to a stop, pulling up a giant wall from the planet to form a new breakwall, depicted with more and more frantic lines come from the Stone, the waves looking like heavy, ginormous fingers, reaching out to swallow them whole, only for the rocks and earth to rise like rocky hand to meet it and stop it. Samu’s depiction of the weird and alive immune system surrounding Planet X might be my favorite rendition of it to date, while Atiyeh’s colors in the final page, when Barnabas has seemingly landed, do the versions of it I’ve mostly built in my head from previous books tons of justice, bringing a lively palette unlike anything this galaxy has ever seen. I also really liked the way Tar’ak looks more emancipated after using the Stone then when we first saw him, Atiyeh’s colors draining more of his color as well. For Federici’s part, the pondering and questioning expressions for Reath and Amadeo not only fuel some great potential new memes, it helps play up the ancient, unknown nature of Barnabas’ tale, their excitement and intriguing over what they’ve heard, and their guesses from it, feeling like something us fans do as we theorize over each new bit of information. He also provides a quick flashback to Quest of the Jedi #1 events and I appreciated the work, as it sort of bridges the gap between the art then to the art Samu provides now.
Here are a few other things:
- After Quest of the Jedi #1, I was convinced the three Nameless control rods were eventually made from the shards Vim and Fonnick spread across the galaxy, but Tears of the Nameless seems to suggest the rods were made by the Tolemites, a truly ancient race of people who brought the creatures, and the blight, out into the galaxy eons ago before realizing what they had done. So are the current rods the Path of the Open Hand, and later Marchion Ro, use the same ones the Tolemites made?!
- And this is a list of what’s coming out soon for The High Republic: also out October 9 are The High Republic Adventures: Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #1 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!!!
- 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: Echoes of Fear #2 revisits a favorite character with another story fitting his legacy!
+ Barnabas Vim’s exploits surprise and delight once again
+ Samu brings the wild and untamed to Barnabas’ story and Federici hits some expression gold mines
– No Fonnick
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.
THE HIGH REPUBLIC ADVENTURES: ECHOES OF FEAR MINISERIES REVIEW
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