– Spoiler Review –
The High Republic #13 ushers the series into the Phase I endgame, which sees Avar Kriss, Keeve Trennis, and Sskeer raiding the Nihil’s secretive base to capture Lourna Dee, the supposed Eye of the Storm. But compounding setbacks and this era of Jedi’s attachments lead Keeve to confront one of their own to save their soul.
As The High Republic storyline moves into Phase I, Wave III, kick-starting with the disaster laden The Fallen Star, The High Republic comic not only joins the endgame but rushes towards its own finale with the upcoming issue #15. For now, issue #13 picks up after issue #12, with Avar Kriss, Keeve Trennis, Sskeer, and a few other Jedi along for the ride to raid the Nihil base No-Space, hoping to bring Lourna Dee to justice for her crimes. While her crimes are numerous, the ones these Jedi think she’s committed can’t all be attributed to her, with the real Eye of the Storm Marchion Ro still out there, his plan to cause chaos once in motion off-panel in the pages of TFS, but even once Dee and Kriss come to blows aboard the base, the Tempest Runner doesn’t sell out the Nihil leader. I liked how the issue started from the Nihil’s POV but one could almost mistake it for the Jedi’s for once, as we typically see the Jedi finding themselves under the attack of an aggressor like the Nihil, but with Kriss’ crusade for Dee the tables have turned, the Jedi opening the attack the Nihil defending from an unstoppable Force of destruction and power. It’s a stark highlight to how far Avar Kriss has let emotions rule her, how far she’s started to slide down the dark path, the losses under her watch as the Marshal of Starlight Beacon clouding her judgment. We’ve seen Kriss abilities used for defense and protecting life, the Jedi ways, in the opening of Light of the Jedi, and now here at Phase 1’s end, we see her using her other considerable abilities for what she believes is righteously for light and life, now seeing the Nihil’s lives beneath concern, taking down characters like Muglan, a friend of Dee’s, and Tempest Runner Zeetar, to name a few as she confidently though angrily tears through the Nihil to get to Dee. The whole issue highlights once again the dire need for POV time with the character, which could potentially come in the final two issues of this comic, otherwise her sparse TFS appearances weren’t enough, alongside these issues so far, to give us a full dive into her mindset, but this offers some glimpses to help sell her slow fall.
Keeve might be there to look after Sskeer, keep him in line due to his deteriorating condition, but she’s there for Kriss as well, trying to reach out to the other woman as she cuts her way through the Nihil, but when it’s not enough, Keeve brings her blade to bear on the Jedi Master to help focus her anger away from the Nihil. Keeve’s bond with Sskeer has allowed them to pull each other back from the brink, especially Keeve with Sskeer’s fluctuating conditions or Drengir-poisoned mind, and it’s been a stellar way to see how attachments and caring for light and life can be a positive aspect to a Jedi’s life. With Avar, we see how it can be used against the Jedi, as Kriss’ hero complex and galaxy-wide promise to protect light and life against the Nihil after Starlight Beacon went live have been turned against her, as she expects too much from herself and the attack on Valo and the lives lost since have made her promise collapse, considering herself a liar now due to what she believes is Dee’s fault. Keeve attempts to make her see reason, to see how she’s slipped from the path, from what she stands in, and while it looks like she’s breaking through, Lourna Dee’s untimely entrance leaves Keeve’s fate in question and only pushes Avar further down the dark path.
What really sets Avar off, beyond Dee’s chiding, is the Nihil using Terec’s lightsaber, and the two come to blows but it doesn’t last long for Dee. Despite being in Zeetar’s immense suit, Kriss obliterates it with the Force, slices off Dee’s hand holding the saber, and winds up to bring a killing blow to Dee, an inverted page to issue #1’s end, where Avar shouted for light and life to protect others and now she shouts it to end others. Keeve awakens during their fight, thankfully still alive (don’t think I wasn’t on the edge of my seat when she went down!), trying to reach out to Avar, but the issue ends on the lightsaber dangling in the air, the Nihil blasting away at their own base to take out the Jedi, another classic cliffhanger ending writer Cavan Scott can’t help but torment us with. It’s clear upon reading The Fallen Star there is some overlap between this series and the book in these final entries of the Phase, and while I won’t spoil much here, suffice to say at least the book doesn’t really either and it leaves comic readers on edge on what will happen next and how it all shake out, but it’s cool to know the comic contains the other half of the vital final moments of the Phase, which an interview with Claudia Gray promised (spoilers for TFS there!).
The inimitable Ario Anindito returns for the final few issues of the series and holy purrgil is it a stunning, memorable showing of his skills, as well as inker Mark Morales’s, colorist Carlos Lopez’s, and Ariana Maher’s lettering. While this team hasn’t all been together for a few issues, it feels like no time has passed, their teamwork and abilities together immediately back to the same level we’ve enjoyed on all their issues together. Anindito’s return hits at the right time, as he and inker Morales capture so much emotion on everyone’s faces, be it the initial resolve and anger on Kriss’ face, the calm storm through the Nihil cloud, laser-focused on her goal and not on those around her, to her breaking down when she believes Keeve lost, or providing stellar details to Keeve’s commitment to reach out to Avar. The action sequences are also to drool over, the ferocity in Avar’s actions, and the unhinging of her emotions, shows itself through the art, as she starts calm but angry, her motions smooth and quick, but then as the fights goes on, she’s wilder with her attacks, bigger and brutal arcs with her saber, while it’s telling she’s unbalanced that Keeve can lay her low with a simple push of the Force. Lopez’s colors make Avar’s push through the Nihil even more distinct, the sickly green war cloud parting to the bright, brown robes of the Jedi, while it helps make busy battle scenes amongst the tight corridors easier to follow; I particularly loved the shading as Avar struggles with the image of Keeve on the floor, potentially dead, making us feel the haunted emotions rolling through her. Ariana Maher’s work also helps express Avar’s slow fall or the stakes of the mission, as she often has Avar’s dialogue either scratchy inside the bubble or breaking the bubbles, red lining accentuating the angry, shouting delivery; likewise, her SFX matches the growing desperation and anger of Avar’s swiping saber. My favorite panel of the issue is the one where Avar, with the pure power of the Force and her anger, disintegrates the power suit, the little debris exploding everywhere, Lourna flying upwards from the push, and Maher’s lettering fissuring alongside the destruction…it’s truly a thrilling and well-drawn panel that explores her considerable abilities.
Here are a few other things:
- There was some confusion last issue regarding the timeline, but now that more content has come out, it’s all coming clear. The Dalna mission that provides valuable Nihil intel and a Path drive for Avar to fit on the Ataraxia happens in Mission to Disaster, which takes place prior to the events of The High Republic issue #12 (though it leaves the question on where Vernestra Rwoh is, considering she joins Avar’s mission in MtD). Issue #13 begins to overlap with TFS and the final two issues will fully overlap with it.
- When do those final two issues drop? #14 will hit stores February 2 and issue #15 is out February 23.
- They’ll be the last two issues of this iteration of The High Republic comic, as while Scott will return to write in October 2022, it’ll be part of Phase II’s story, which is set 150 years prior to Light of the Jedi!
The High Republic #13 shows a Jedi pushed over the edge and another trying to save them, a cliffhanger of an ending leaving us wondering who will win out in the end, as part of the thrilling final three issues of the series/Phase I.
+ Inverting earlier issues as Avar Kriss goes down a dark path
+ Keeve trying her best
+ Lourna’s button-pushing
+ Ario Anindito and team’s return!
– Highlighting we need more Avar POV
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 COMIC REVIEWS:
There Is No Fear: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 — Heart of the Drengir: #6 | #7 | #8 — The Shadow of the Nihil: #9 | #10 — Jedi’s End: #11 | #12