– Spoiler Review –
It’s hard to ignore the cover for this issue of The High Republic, as it depicts Jedi Knight Keeve Trennis, who helped end the Drengir blight, in the outfit of the Nihil, but nothing is ever as it seems…head below for our review of the excellent start to the latest arc, “The Shadow of the Nihil!”
When the cover for The High Republic #9 first dropped, it caused quite the stir in the fandom and left me worried for my favorite Jedi in the era (tied with Vernestra Rwoh), but oh how wrong we all were, as it’s less to do with why she’s wearing the armor we should be worried about, but rather what she’ll have to do while wearing the armor which should really scare us; you know what you’ve done….again, Cavan Scott! #9 opens with Orla Jareni, who helped Keeve as she struggled with her doubts prior to saving the day with the Drengir, attacked by a Stormship piloted by…Keeve and Terec! It’s quite the sight too, having these Jedi, who have fought for life and light these last 8 issues, now adorned in the style of the Nihil, and it’s a jarring but fun opening. The issue weaves back and forth between the near past and the issue’s present, stringing readers along about why these Jedi have seemingly joined the villains, but it’s not long before we learn it’s an undercover mission designed by Starlight Beacon Marshal and Hero of Hetzal herself, Avar Kriss, in reaction to Council Member, and her long-time friend, Stellan Gios’ rather cold and dismissive words in his latest briefing about the coalition against the Nihil threat. There’s not enough evidence around for the Jedi to understand who’s leading the Nihil now, the presumed Eye of the Nihil Lourna Dee thought dead (wrong on both accounts, but more on that below!*), but the Chief Inspector for the station has a lead that Gios dismisses since his unified task force already swept the area, telling the Jedi of Starlight to await orders from Coruscant rather than act on their own. It’s quite the argument to see between such old friends and it’s no surprise Keeve steps into the middle of it, as passionate of a Jedi is she, especially since the feint of the Drengir distracted her and the remaining Starlight Jedi from helping out on Valo until too late. Emboldened by Keeve’s display and resolve, Kriss formulates a plan to follow up on the Chief’s intel, sending Keeve and Terec undercover to find out the current structure of the Nihil in the wake of the Unified Coalitions successful crusade against the Nihil.
Crusade is such a loaded term to use here and that complicated context is appropriate for the Jedi responding alongside the Republic to the threat of the Nihil. How many wars and lives have been lost in the name of crusades in our planet’s short history, an honorific name for battles that rarely carried the weight of the term, instead used as a shield to make the ends justify the means in religious wars for centuries? It’s a countless, bloody history for crusades, often waged by one religion over the other because they were seen as heretics, not as other human beings who are allowed to have their own beliefs. It’s not a 1:1 comparison to this crusade the Jedi have joined in responding to the Nihil, but it’s important to consider our world’s history of the term when it’s suddenly used in the Star Wars universe for the first time, as far as I can remember. Keeve has to correct herself from calling the battle against the Nihil a response, instead saying crusade, while Stellan Gios is eager to emphasize the word unified often when talking about the task force, as if having a clarity of vision makes their choice correct. Like the crusades of old, how much of this unified response is one brought on by fear, rather than a clear purpose? Stellan saw what the Nihil can do, from atrocities on Valo to the shocking death of Loden Greatstorm, so one has to question his motives and how much their path forward is listening to the Force versus trying to protect the Order’s image as protectors. From The Rising Storm to Out of the Shadows, there’s been a lot of talk regarding how the Jedi should respond after the devastation on Valo: is it join with the Republic and bring justice to the Nihil or is let the Force guide them, as they always should, even if it cautions against action, and those debates rage on even here, even now. Is Kriss and Keeve’s undercover schemes any better than Gios’ unified crusade with the Republic? These two certainly found the more Jedi-like way to end the Drengir blight, without killing and instead preserving life, but beating back the Nihil with this unified task force doesn’t feel as concerned with that, to the point one has to wonder will the Jedi of this era’s reluctance to take a life and to pray to the Force when doing remain effective as they continue on this path. What can Keeve and Kriss’ operation accomplish to help minimize that slide, to help correct the course of the Order? To find a better way than a crusade? Or will it only help change the course of the Order to the Prequel era? I’ll be curious to see how this thread effects the entire era going forward and how much this comics’ story will add to it.
The issue ends with Keeve faced with an impossible choice, her orders from Kriss only exacerbating the decision ahead: upon pickup by the Nihil, Tempest Runner Zeetar wants to make sure she and Terec are Nihil and he asks her to kill Myarga, the Hutt who helped the Jedi against the Drengir until her disappointment with their methods. This is particularly ironic and chilling a moment for Keeve, who fought against Myarga’s insistence on killing the Great Progenitor of the Drengir because she knows all life is sacred and she’s now faced with killing Myarga to uphold their undercover mission in an effort to save more lives by taking down the Nihil. Is one life worth all that? Is this really what Avar Kriss wanted when she said to act like a Nihil, not a Jedi? How is Myarga’s life worth any less than the Great Progenitor’s? Scott wastes no time throwing Keeve and readers right into the thick of the murky nature of such a mission and it ratchets up the tension to an unbearable but thoroughly entertaining level. What will Keeve do next, what will Terec say or do, and where will they go from here regardless of the decision made?! The wait for next issue is going to be aggravating, but I expect nothing less from Cavan Scott. I also liked the brief chat between Sskeer and Keeve this issue, where Keeve apologizes for her passion during the meeting and he counters that passion is okay, just matters how you use it, telling and important words from a Trandoshan who’s bucked his instincts time and time again, despite some close calls, and proven to be a Jedi Master through and through. Will Keeve’s passion for righting the wrongs of the Nihil, and the feelings of being used, get the best of her or will she channel that in the right way while helping complete the mission? There’s seriously so many good layers to the story unfolding here and it stars one of the most intriguing Jedi of the era so plenty of great story ahead, methinks!
Ario Anindito kicks off the newest arc, joined by several inkers, Mark Morales, Victor Olzaba, Sean Parsons, and Marc Deering, while Rachelle Rosenberg takes over on colors (she’s typically on the Star Wars and Doctor Aphra series), with Ariana Maher still on lettering. As Ario pencils this series, it’s clear with this issue how much of their own styling an inker brings to the comic process, as it’s clearly Anindito under every panel, but there are little variances here and there that reflect the usual styling of his and Morales’ work and those of the other inkers. It all looks great mind you, considering it’s Anindito penciling the core and heart of these moments, but it’s just a fascinating display of the comic making process for those of us readers (like me) that don’t fully understand how it all comes together sometimes; look for an upcoming interview with Anindito here at the Manor to maybe answer some of those questions! I was surprised and delighted by the two panels with reflections this issue, from Orla in her cockpit to Kriss’ face as she stares out into the stars, as it’s not something I’ve really seen in Star Wars comic art and felt very purposeful, especially in Kriss’ case: in the reflection you can see her resolve, but having her facing out into the stars, talking definitively about Keeve and Terec being beyond there help, almost makes it feel like she’s looking out to the Force, hoping it tells her that her convictions about her fellow Jedi are correct. The opening panel of the dusty, noxious, and gaseous looking planet the Nihil are hiding on was one of my favorites as well, as the dirty place felt like a good place no one would want to look, and could easily lose people in/disrupt scanners, while the gritty nature of it carried through in all the panels set there afterwards, a clear difference from the shiny halls of Starlight Beacon; how far the undercover Jedi have fallen, into a hell for them. A lot of that comes from Rosenberg’s colors, as she dips into a dark palette than series regular Annalisa Leoni, a move which makes tons of sense given the storyline and content within the issue. While it looks like she uses a lot of grey-green to convey the factory-like planet’s atmosphere, it never obscures or dampens details from the pencils and inks. Maher’s lettering skills continue to impress, as keeping Zeetar’s first speech bubble small better highlights the immensity of his mech-suit and that he doesn’t need to shout to get people’s attention in it, while the red-surrounded bubble for when he tells his underlings to bring Myarga in gave it a menacing, almost mocking sound. There was also a great usage of all black panels during Kriss and Gios’ debate, conveying how they are getting lost in the debate and not caring if there are others around them still, an effect added to by the surrounding panels showing Terec and Ceret and other Jedi looking uncomfortable at the two arguing; great use of perspective on this issue!
Here are a few other things:
- *Want to learn the story of what happens with Lourna Dee? Then I highly recommend Tempest Runner, Cavan Scott’s audio original delving into the Nihil leader’s supposed death, her past, and even her future; check out my review here! But judging by the appearance of Zeetar at the end and Maru’s words about Dee and Pan Eyta’s rumored deaths, I’d bet this takes place DURING Tempest Runner’s “present” storyline, not quite after…yet. Also, if you want to hear Keeve and Sskeer for the first time ever, they have a wonderful little appearance at the beginning, which I shouted about even louder than expected!
- As we barrel into the next storyline, it does feel like the Drengir and the conflict with them was almost yesterday’s news, almost written off in a few lines about how the blight was used to keep Starlight occupied. Keeve’s feelings from such an outcome and her choices against the Drengir will hopefully help keep the connective tissue strong for the series instead of quickly leaving those issues/story behind.
- September still has The High Republic era goodies to come! Next week brings readers The Edge of Balance manga volume 1 by Justina Ireland and Shima Shinya on Sept. 7, while Scott’s The High Republic Adventures – The Monster on Temple Peak #2 drops the 8!
- Also releasing today is The High Republic Adventures #8, a great place to jump in if you haven’t join the delightful series already!
The High Republic #9 barrels into the next arc with a memorable, dark, and cliffhanger-filled new storyline of Keeve and Terec undercover within the Nihil.
+ Act like a Jedi or a Nihil, Keeve…which will it be?!
+ Crusades and debates
+ Art team shifts to a darker style for the storyline
– Barreling onwards maybe a little too fast
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