– Spoiler Review –
Revelations and surprises abound for Ty Yorrick’s past and present in the finale to The High Republic Adventures – The Monster of Temple Peak!
Ty Yorrick was quickly a favorite of mine, even before The Rising Storm made the hype worth it, and it’s been excellent to see her character built up even more throughout this graphic novel turned miniseries. Getting to explore her past with the Jedi Order and see how she carries herself, between her muted Force connection and striving to make a living hunting monster, has been a wonderful journey these last few issues and issue #4 of The Monster of Temple Peak is the finest part of the series yet. In the past, her exploration of a Yallow Shrine with Kilas Teradine comes to a tragic end, as she tries to talk Kilas out of whatever tricks were up the sleeves of the artifact he touched last issue, but she’s unsuccessful and instead ends up running him through with her lightsaber. I like how what exactly happens next, why she and Kilas’ records are basically stricken from the Jedi Order or when/how she decides to abandon the Order afterwards remain elusive, as instead the more important aspect is this terrible moment for her that leads her to her detached demeanor ever since. She got very close to Kilas, cared for him, and she ended up killing him, albiet accidently, but not before he got to yell at her for multiple things, like not holding him back or stopping him from taking them on this crazy adventure, only adding to her unwillingness to work with someone else again least she fail them like she now thinks she did Kilas. It adds a lot of weight to the scene where she connects with Elzar Mann during the events of the Nihil attack on the Republic Fair, as it’s obvious now why she’d be so concerned with touching or using the Force, since it helped her survive but left her friend dead. I look forward to learning what she did afterwards, but I’m okay with it being another story for another time, as more Ty continues to be a good thing.
In the present, we see a Ty unleashed, her connection with the Force secure for the moment as she confronts the monster one last time…well, not the monster everyone else thinks she should be facing. I was curious what she saw when she connected to the Gretalax last issue that left us on the cliffhanger of her saying the monster should die, but I didn’t expect the answer we got, evident by my pretty far off guess it might have something to do with Kilas. Turns out, the Gretalax is actually two creatures, the Greta and the Lax, and the terrible villagers on the planet trapped the Lax, separating the two inseparable creatures, hence its rampage on the village but also its caring heart, as evident by how it looks after Pela. Ty confronts Layton and the villagers about it, freeing the Lax, but some deceit gives them the upper hand and she learns they were interested in protecting themselves, relying on an ancient book of potions claiming the horns from the creatures could give them the Force, something they want to help fight off Nihil and other threats. Her bones look to be their first test of this supposed potion…at least until she calls in Drewen and their new rock weaver pals, breaking up the machine they were going to grind her up with and getting Layton on the comm so everyone in the village not in know learns what was really going on. I love how she leaves Layton’s fate to the combined Gretalax, as it suffered the most at his hands and it’s not her place to dispense justice on its behalf, plus she’s still a Jedi to her core and does her best to respect all life.
Despite how well they’ve gotten along or his dreams of becoming a Jedi, Ty leaves the young Drewen behind, and while she takes the choice away from him if he wants to stay and help Pela and their village, it might not be the last Ty sees of him. After a job well-done, but no payment again, Ty and her wonderfully snippy droid KL-03 have it out about leaving Drewen behind, so before Ty goes off to train, she asks “Klo” if she can look into jobs for Ty to take. This throws off both Klo and us readers as the series started with Ty’s insistent lack of nicknames for anything to ensure a lack of attachment, something she still clings to by the start of The Rising Storm, but it’s clear working with Drewen had an effect on her, as did diving into the mind of a beast intrinsically linked with another, as she easily slips into attachment despite her burning desire not to after what we saw happened with Kilas. It’s a nice little nod to her eventual connection with Elzar, that the Jedi in her, even after everything, never truly goes away, as the Force is best with connections and attachments, whether the Jedi or Ty like to admit it or not.
What I would give for more artwork from Rachael Stott, joined by Vita Efremova & Nicola Righi on paints, and Johanna Nattalie’s production & design, one of the many things I’m sad about ending with this miniseries! One of my favorite panels from this final issue is the one of the Greta and Lax joining together, their unique heads glowing, translucent and multicolor spreads surrounding them, much like the look inside its head Ty got last issue, as if the Force is celebrating their reunion as well. One thing that really stood out in Ty and Kilas’ final moments together was the way their sabers were drawn swinging through the air, against one another, as Kilas’ large arcs came with a blade that look extended due to his ferocity, the lingering effect of the blade passing through space showing the strength of the clashes, while the haunting page of Ty’s saber in Kilas, her leaning against the wall, having run out of space and options, is a quite moment from what came before, highlighting the terrifying impact of the moment. It’s when Kilas’ eyes return to black, having been white as the rage or tricks from the artifact messed with him, and Ty’s face is broken in sadness over what happened. The big rock weaver attack and Ty’s show of Force also were excellent works by the art team, be it the way the villagers seemed totally surrounded by the tons of weavers and the way Ty’s framed in panels providing undeniable hints at her hidden strength and abilities. Thank you team for such amazing work, issue after issue, and hopefully everyone can come back for more Star Wars comics, no matter the era, soon!!
Here are a few other things:
- I never mind pointing out my mistakes, especially the silly ones. I originally referred to this series in my review of issue #1 as Monster AT Temple Peak, not OF, while I called Pela “Plea” instead in the last two reviews. I’ve since adjusted those, but still funny to think, sometimes it’s the littlest things we miss
The High Republic Adventures – The Monster of Temple Peak #4 brings the miniseries to an excellent, exciting conclusion with answers that still leave some lingering questions worth waiting to find out, but overall offers a satisfying and surprising conclusion.
+ Truth of the Gretalax
+ Ty unleashed
+ Brilliant show once again from the art team
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 — THE MONSTER OF TEMPLE PEAK REVIEWS
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