– Spoiler Review –
It’s been four months since the previous issue of The High Republic Adventures: Saber for Hire left us on a big cliffhanger, but I can comfortably say it was worth the wait for the finale! Check out my review now to find out how!
I was worried the four month delay between issues would dull the impact of what was likely to come in the finale of The High Republic Adventures: Saber for Hire, yet I was optimistic since writer Cavan Scott had already written such a great story and artist Rachael Stott provides such emotionally packed images, but once I started reading issue #4, it was quickly clear my trust in them was not misplaced. I do believe its big revelation about who the Child of the Storm is, the answer being one I started theorizing after last issue, still could’ve used another issue to unpack, but how everything goes down, the moment still brought me to tears (it still hits after a few rereads) as it’s less about the reveal and more about how it ties into the character journeys instead. Ty Yorrick’s story has been a fascinating one to watch, as she’s not only an interesting character given her history with the Order and her current lifestyle as a monster hunter/saber-for-hire, but I love how it’s been allowed to take shape mainly away from the main narrative of the era, as while the bigger events bring changes to her life, it’s never about her solving the Nameless situation, stopping Marchion Ro, or trying to bring down the Stormwall. Most of the stories we get currently focus on those situations, so Ty is always a breath of fresh air, yet her story also helps strengthen the impact of the antagonistic actions of era, as we see how much it can affect and impact the galaxy. We have to wait until January for Scott’s return to Ty and Drewen’s story in The High Republic Adventures: Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #4 (the series’ first issue also released today), and after a finale like this, it only increases my eagerness for it as I really can’t wait to see what’s next. I hope it’s not her last story or involvement in Phase III, I imagine another entry in The High Republic Show could’ve given us that tease, but had Saber for Hire #4 been her final story, this would’ve been a great way to close it out, though it certainly begs for more.
Between Ty’s reluctance working with Elzar Mann in The Rising Storm and her pushing back of Drewen during The Monster of Temple Peak, Ty’s long dealt with and balked at connecting with others, with flashbacks in the previous series showing us an understandable why: she ends up accidentally killing her friend Kilas Teradine after they discover a mysterious Force-related artifact and it messes with him. Try as hard as she might though, Ty makes connections regardless of her disposition against them, be it Drewen, who has been fighting against her personal Stormwall, leading him to do something rash to prove himself, or even the young Lene Kostana, who can sense Ty does care, somewhere deep inside. This decision to be so standoffish has its repercussions of course, from driving Drewen to be reckless, giving the Child of the Storm a chance to come after Lene’s parents because Ty was so eager to leave, to her Master retiring from teaching and becoming a Seeker (those who bring Force-sensitive children to the Order). Both of her miniseries have been about her problems with connecting, but Saber for Hire brings the consequences to vivid and emotional life. First is the lingering cliffhanger from last issue of Drewen all alone, trying to protect the Chancellor’s son, Kitrep Soh, and his boyfriend, Jom Lariin, though this is also a cliffhanger to see if Ty has learned anything from her time with Lene regarding how her actions led to his decision. And secondly, it’s in the revelation the Child of the Storm chasing Lene and Ty is…her old Jedi Master, Cibaba (as I was guessing after last issue)!! By running away from the Order and from her Master after what happened with Kilas, she’s now faced with how withdrawing might help oneself, but it doesn’t always help those around us who care about us.
With Drewen, the issue starts off with typical Ty, literally telling him she told him so when he realizes he should’ve listened to her, but since she knows she must face her Master, already figuring out who was under the hood, she changes her tune around her squire after rescuing him. She entrusts him with protecting Kip and Jom, which he rightly doubts as anything more than being told what to do again, but she opens up to him and apologies for her ways, hugging him even, in what might be the more surprising of the issue’s developments. Drewen is concerned Ty’s not alright, this being so out of character for what he knows, but he takes it in stride and gains an oversized confidence thanks to her belief in his abilities, leading him to face down a Nameless after it charges towards him and the boys. But this is the era where “We are all the Republic” is a slogan which defines it, and even though it’s faced its fair share of anti-sentiments and actions against it (like the Stormwall), it rings true here as it’s Kip who helps Drewen in his struggles with the creature. Drewen still has skills to learn, but his willingness to both accept help and put his life at risk to save others means Ty’s been more of a Master to him than she’s realized.
The confrontation between Cibaba and Ty really showcases the time Scott has taken to build up Ty across the years since the initiative began, as it culminates in an emotional and very surprising way. Having read Tears of the Nameless recently (I’m still working on my review but we have one from Chris!), a Phase III novel by George Mann, Cibaba’s comments to Ty about how Baron Boolan being his father and showing him the real power in the galaxy is pain makes even more sense given the book features POV from a different Child of the Storm, but if you’ve not read it, Saber for Hire #4 ties Cibaba’s corrupted feelings to Ty’s actions and makes it easy to see how this could’ve happened to her Master. I loved how we first learned Cibaba taught Ty a mind meld ability way back in The Rising Storm, later got to see the moment here in the beginning of this series, and now in the finale watch Ty use it to peer inside his mind, since they are so connected, to understand what happened to him. He’s as resistant to her connection as she normally is to others, with Cibaba now more like her than she is, considering her compassion for Drewen and Lene, but peering inside allows her to see him be captured and tortured by Boolan, who then preyed on the Jedi Master’s feeling of abandonment by her choice to leave the Order and withdrawing. It’s through Lene digging in Ty’s mind, revealing her fear of confronting Cibaba, as she was scared how he’d react to her actions, where Ty finally admits it’s why she’s been running, running from connections, and this news rocks Cibaba to his core, defeating the feelings Boolan brought to the surface to turn him. He might feel deflated by his own actions since being caught by Bollan, but Ty, through connections, through relying on others, “We are all the Republic” to some degree, is ready to connect again, to help bring her Master back from the edge. It’s a beautiful scene which caps years of character development by Scott, and it feels like there was no more perfect way for Ty to finally come to terms with her choices and make new ones to be better, like looking to the future instead of running from the past and to rely more on those around her, not be afraid to reveal herself to them. It’s a lesson many still need to take to heart in our own galaxy and hopefully watching Ty do so will maybe help others take the first step towards such a choice as well. Keeve Trennis and Vernestra Rwoh might still be tied for top Jedi, but Ty is closing in fast and could surpass them both after this series, but we’ll see when all their journeys are done.
I think I’ve taken for granted this great art team, as it’s wild and sad to think this might just be the final Ty story with artist Rachael Stott at the helm, joined by colorist Nicola Righi, with the usual suspects of Tyler Smith & Jimmy Betancourt on lettering. They go out in a big way, starting with Ty’s first appearance when she comes to save Drewen and the boys, as it’s a big nearly full one page reveal, her calmly sticking her boot in someone’s face with a solid “thok” from the letterers, her foot and the Nihil’s face about to reach out and hit us readers too, in a big heroic action pose Stott’s been famous for giving the character, Righi’s colors making Ty the bright, eye-pulling center of it all. The way the team handles Cibaba is meant to make us also think he’s a monster, like he believes himself to be, so that his redemption seems impossible and highly unlikely. It’s a great first reveal, as he flips back his hood, we see three of his six eyes remain intact, one is completely gone, while one has been remade as a sharp hook and the other as a bionic eye, with tons of scratches and cuts on his face, Righi giving his real eyes, and the bionic one, the same red hue to them, while his scraggly dialogue bubbles suggest a hoarse, broken voice. When he threatens to send the Nameless after Drewen and the boys, Ty ignites her saber and the following panel is a close up on his teeth, blackened with brown edges, broken in place, to further suggest to us he’s too dark, too gone, and too much of a monster that Ty will have to bring him down like she has others, but all this just makes the eventual turn of Cibaba all the more emotional. The panel of Ty crying, being held up high against rocks by Cibaba’s Force grip, doesn’t hold back, as the woman who shows little to no emotion lets it ALL out for once and that’s what makes the scene hit so hard, big globs of tears and a face mid-cry that we can all relate to, impress on us how much this truly hurts to admit, to go over, an finally let out. Earlier in the issue, I liked the scene where she hugs Drewen, as his mix of anger and upset goes makes sense, as what she’s telling him initially sounds like everything she’s always told him, but we’re seeing something he isn’t, Ty seemingly pulling out a little tracker from her belt. The next panel is a close up of that same hand, but now on Drewen’s shoulder, his mouth a bit surprised between the gesture and her words about him being ready, and despite her potentially putting that tracker on him, it doesn’t prepare us for the surprise of her hugging him, saying she needs to be a better teacher and friend. We see Drewen’s big sad eyes first, taking it all in, but with her putting that little tracker on, could she really mean this? The next page reveals she does, as we see her with her eyes closed, focused, actually into the hug, and it helps put her words and her actions in perspective. Going to miss this team!!
Here are a few other things:
- As I said before, Ty and Drewen’s story isn’t totally over, as we’ll for sure see them again on January 22, 2025, when The High Republic Adventures: Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #4 comes out, but it’s always possible they could have a brief appearance in Scott’s upcoming audio original, Tempest Breaker, set for December 3!
- 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: Echoes of Fear #2; 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!!
- Last but certainly not least, don’t forget Cavan Scott has two new original series, Night of the Slashers, which is already out, and Godfather of Hell, out October 16!
The High Republic Adventures: Saber for Hire #4 provides an emotional ending by building on years of character development, more than making up for the wait!
+ Character development comes in handy
+ Ty’s journey to get here and the connections she’s made along the way
+ Emotional confrontation
+ Stott and team help bring the tears
– Everything hits just right, but always could’ve wanted another issue to unpack
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 – SABER FOR HIRE REVIEWS
#1 | #2 | #3