– Spoiler Review –
After what already felt like a gentle, comforting hug with The High Republic Adventures #12, the series returns for a one-shot that’s somehow even more comforting while delightful in its own unique way: the Galactic Bake-off Special!
Written by Daniel José Older and Vita Ayala, with an art team of Jo Geyong, Toni Bruno, and Rebecca Nalty, with Jake M. Wood on letters, The High Republic Adventures – Galactic Bake-off Special features Jedi Masters Torban “Buckets of Blood” Buck and Kantam Sy baking one of Yoda’s special recipes, the most important ingredient of which is a story told by the bakers. And it’s not just any ol’ story which will do, but one with a positive message about the Force and one’s journey in it, be it with someone or themselves, and this somewhat silly yet adorable conceit feels earned by the writing team, the art, and the ultimate story of friendship the issue contains. Buckets of Blood and Kantam talk about their joint work during the Great Hyperspace Disaster, how they both individually overcame obstacles and worked together in the end to save the day. It’s an amusing tale, with the scenes of the baking even more so, and both art teams manage to wrap these tales as one giant hug for readers.
For Buckets of Blood, it was the first real time we got to spend with the character beyond his silly yet enduring proclamations, getting a glimpse into his unique connection with the Force and the bond he shares with Kantam, making him all the more lovable as a character. His strength might be in medicine and healing, but he must step up to save a ship of retired Jedi and use abilities he’s not as comfortable with, trusting in the Force to help him save the day. For Kantam, not only was it nice for Older and Ayala to finally get their pronouns mentioned on the page of the comic (Kantam’s non-binary status confirmed in the books first), we see them being the kind and gentle Master which Lula looks up to, though they have to be a Master to their elders by assisting an empathetic-minded old Jedi through the chaos and pain emanating in the Force due to the Disaster. And then Kantam and Buckets lean on their bond together to ultimately save the day, a story so engrossing to the growing crowd the baked goods turn out to be the less important treat. Considering we’re in the middle of Wave III for Phase I and it started off with such a devastating moment in The Fallen Star, and there’s been tons of terror since the era started, the Galactic Bake-off Special feels like an olive branch to readers, giving them a place to enjoy these characters and the era a little more before anymore darkness is revealed and we step into the past of the era next.
On art, both teams bring something special for the assignment. With Toni Bruno, alongside Nalty on colors, the team returns after taking over the series for a few issues and they cover the story Kantam and Buckets spin in the past. I enjoyed how the team capture both Jedi’s plights, be it the darkness and overwhelming amount of stuff hanging around the elder Jedi effected by emotions roiling through the Force or the daunting amount of debris ahead of Torban to clear so they can help the ship evacuate its Jedi, making the usually ginormous Chagrian look small next to the task ahead. Both artists drew Kantam well, but it’s Bruno’s work that I felt best captured their kindness and genderless appearance. With Jo Geyong, their work looks like a painting, especially as they mostly get to produce giant, one-page panels, mostly of the growing group and their excitement around the tale being spun by the Masters. If there’s any part of this that explicitly feels like a consoling hug, it’s these pages, all the big smiles and positive energy basically jumping off the page. Wood’s lettering employs a favorite from the main series, blending the thought bubble coloring of characters together when they connect, while I enjoyed how he matched the styles of both artists so SFX felt natural for both.
Here are a few other things:
- I really love the concept of a ship for retired Jedi, like a retirement home, though if that goes out of style by the prequels it makes even more sense for Obi-Wan’s little codename when calling in to the Temple as the “old folk’s home.” I’ll be curious if we’ll see it again in Phase II of The High Republic as we dive into the past, some 150 years!
- If you’re hungry after this issue, which I sure was, Claudia Gray wrote out a full recipe for the cakes they bake! It’s an extensive recipe and definitely not messing around and I’d love to give it a shot…I just don’t know if my wife would want to listen to a story!
- If baking seems daunting, enjoy this absolutely gorgeous spread by the bake master herself, BlueMilkMama, who celebrated today’s issue with a sweet spread I’d love to have a chance to have! Make sure you’re following her on Twitter for more goodies!
I can only extend my biggest gratitude to the creative team behind The High Republic Adventures – Galactic Bake-off Special for the comforting, relaxing issue.
+ Baking goodness
+ The stories within
+ Art teams offer comfort and excitement
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
THE HIGH REPUBLIC ADVENTURES REVIEWS
#1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | #11 | #12 / Annual 2021