– Spoiler Review –
We’ve had chills and thrills and now The High Republic – Trail of Shadow’s latest, issue #3, focuses on the heightened emotional vulnerability of the Jedi in this era, which comes with its own thrills along the way, while also digging into Nihil intrigue over the sale of the deadliest weapon of the era.
Every issue of Trail of Shadows has been unique in focus, though somehow Daniel José Older is able to maintain tone across them: issue #1 went for straight horror, from Arathab Fal’s spooky appearance in the shadows to the creepiest lullaby in the history of ever, while issue #2 layered on the mystery of who was selling a deadly Nihil weapon and the budding partnership of Sian Holt and Emerick Caphtor, and now issue #3 digs into the fallout of the Leveler’s attacks and how the Jedi are dealing with it emotionally. Despite the differences in focuses, each issue is soaked in noir, plus Older’s trademark levity and frights, an ever-entertaining balancing act from him we thankfully get to enjoy often as Star Wars fans.
On the Jedi side of things, a recent attack by the Leveler, still an unknown to the investigators and Jedi at large, brings more urgency to Emerick and Sian’s detective work, but also the danger and fragility this unlocks for the Jedi. All era long, their cry of “For Light and Life,” being amongst the people of the galaxy and not in their tower, and their attachment to one another has separated the Jedi of this era from those of the prequels, making them caring, accessible, and engaging. But the devastating attack from something that leaves grown Jedi scared, weeping, or piles of dust strikes right in the middle of those differences. Kobati bond-twins Terec and Ceret are the next victims of the Leveler’s shocking effect on Force-users (as seen in recent The High Republic comic issues), though their unique connection has helped them stave off complete change for now, but those who survive these attacks are left scared in their own way, battling confusion, fear, survivor’s guilt, and more. Case in point: Stellan Gios, whose angry response to the monster being called a hallucination uncovers how much the encounter has settled him; and then there’s Keeve Trennis, lead character of the THR comic, who is frantic about experience and can’t quite recall exactly what it was that attacked them, ends up in Emerick’s arms as he comforts her with a hug (another Older speciality). Hugs and how often they give them out in this era delightfully stands out, something Older uses a lot in The High Republic Adventures with his Padawan group, and also we’ve seen in Light of the Jedi and THR comic as well, so to bring it to this situation to help another Jedi as they deal with the emotional fallout of what happened to their friends also tells us a lot about Emerick. He said in issue #1 he was very emphatic to Stellan but he didn’t quite show it, while his stoic, almost emotionless face at times seemed to suggest otherwise, but the way he doesn’t hesitate to comfort Keeve lets his emphatic nature bubble to the surface.
Holt sees this and confronts him about it later, after they leave a tense meeting between Stellan Gios and Avar Kriss to go on a tour of Starlight. Holt’s no-nonsense attitude has made her a blast to read, from her opening comments this issue about asking them if they’d rather have some drinks and listen to music than talk about all the terrible things about to happen to her playing a jazzy-remake of the spooky lullaby, but she’s constantly full of surprises and that’s no different here, especially when she begins to chat with Emerick about him holding Keeve. She’s worked with Emerick enough to know the Jedi aren’t some emotionless warriors and she instead sees a person who needs the same comfort he gave out to someone else, the weight of their investigation clearer by the minute on him, the idea whatever this weapon is could destroy all the people he cares about something Holt admires and bonds with him over. She may claim she doesn’t care what happened to her partner, but she does have feelings beyond money and her forwardness takes Emerick by surprise, her embrace allowing him to admit he’s only human as they hold each other (potentially where Elzar Mann and Avar Kriss did silently out of watch at the end of LotJ). Their friendship, with some potential relationship depending on how you read the scenes of the two together, brought as much surprise to my face as Emerick’s, and reading each speech bubble as they slowly opened up to one another was about as thrilling as some of the best action scenes; Older really nails character interactions and giving them accessible, natural speech.
All the while, Nihil intrigue punctures the vulnerability of the Jedi, as Marchion Ro and Kisma Uttersond are on a call and the Eye brings up rumors he’s hearing about a weapon that could destroy the Jedi being sold on the black market. Uttersond plays ignorant but Ro isn’t buying and even the little Chadra-Fan knows it, uttering a new swear: Bosovir’s bathwater! I don’t want to know who Bosovir was and why their bathwater is to be cursed, but I do want to use that more often. Either way, Uttersond’s ship comes under attack from the Tarnab Fal, and just when the two think they’ve made a convincing show for Uttersond’s defection from the Nihil, Ro shows up in his Squall Spider, which prompts Fal to leave Uttersond beaten and bruised so to cover their tracks. The two Nihil investigating the ship provide some humor over the moment, but Ro isn’t amused and still doesn’t rule Kisma out of betrayal. As for how Ro knew about the investigation into the black market weapon to warn Uttersond, well, that goes back to Jeni Wataro, the spy in the Serenno Senator’s mists, so maybe that thread will finally come to fruition in the final wave of Phase I starting in January.
There’s some fun connections and intriguing details hidden within this issue. On the fun side: Sian and Emerick are nearly bowled over by Ram Jamoram, a character Older introduced in Race to Crashpoint Tower and has since brought to THRA (and will star in Midnight Horizon). Stellan explains it part of a race to let the Jedi blow off some steam, something fans got to see in its full delight in The High Republic Adventures #11 as the Great Jedi Rumble Race; we even see the ending of it here, along with several of the characters featured in Older’s series. And there’s some little hints about the younger, closer days between Elzar Mann, Avar Kriss, and Stellan Gios, for those chomping at the bit for more on their past. On the intrigue-filled side: Dalna once again gets its mention, as not only the place the scary Ongree Jedi Master Vidyarvrikt came from, who is originally seen singing the lullaby to a young Emerick and Stellan, but that records regarding the planet have been deleted! We’ve seen what’s happened after a Jedi goes digging into deleted Jedi records before…could Dalna be one of the more important planets of era? It had its moment in Ireland’s A Test of Courage in January 2021, it looks to take center stage in her Mission to Disaster in March 2022, and it’s the site of where the Jedi get info on Nihil locations per The High Republic issue #12, so what does it have to do with the Leveler?!
Men caught off guard by the strong women in their lives is a look the art team of David Wachter, alongside Giada Marchisio and Ian Herring on colors, with Joe Sabino on letters absolutely delivers in Trail of Shadows #3. First there’s Stellan and Emerick reacting to Sian’s suggestion they forget about all the trouble coming and have a drink, then Stellan when he hears Avar call out his name, and later Emerick when Sian suggests he needs to be held like he held Keeve. While it’s only one short moment for Avar, it speaks a lot to her station among the Jedi and Stellan’s old feelings for her, while it cements Sian’s independence and confidence, and the looks from these men explore their vulnerabilities even more than even dialogue could at times. It’s a wonderful way the writing and art complement one another, giving where one takes and taking where one gives, resulting in a series full of little moments that begs readers to explore each panel and really drink in what the team is trying to convey. Ro’s shirtless body adds to fans’ thirst for the character, as there’s a lot here, while I really enjoyed the shadows on Ro and how his panels are the darkest of the issue, and I don’t know if that’s Ian Herring’s contribution or not to help offset and explore the differences in tone and feeling for the Jedi scenes and the Nihil scenes, but it’s a contrast favorable of Ro’s reputation. The colors turn far more warm and glowing for the final page, when Sian and Emerick embrace, and it gives the scene a comforting feeling, much like the hug is for the two of them. Sabino’s SFX often carry eerie effects with them, to the point where Fal’s weapon discharging in the dark Nihil ship’s corridors almost feels like seeing the flash from a camera in your retinas after the picture’s been taken; while the choice not to use any for certain scenes, like in the bar as Sian sings, allows readers to imagine their own tune set the dim lights and subject matter.
Here are a few other things:
- As of this publishing, we’re less than two weeks away from the start of Phase I: Light of the Jedi’s final Wave, which kicks off with Claudia Gray’s The Fallen Star novel and The High Republic Anniversary Special livestream. It’ll be followed by more comics from all the current series, then Older’s Midnight Horizon on February 1, and later Mission to Disaster by Justina Ireland on March 1, delayed from its original January release (and slightly spoiled, maybe, in the latest THR comic issue). We’ll have coverage from the anniversary special on the January 4, which promises the first details on Phase II: Quest of the Jedi, though our review of The Fallen Star might not be out by then, as review copies haven’t yet come, so I might be reading it for the first on release day as well (which, either way, I’m just going to be glad to be reading it!).
- Fans have really rallied behind the BlackoutStarWarsEclipse hashtag on Twitter, getting it trending on December 17, to help spread the message that Quantic Dream’s David Cage and his bigoted views are not to be tolerated, especially for the first video game set within the High Republic era. Hopefully Lucasfilm Games can respond to the push against the game soon, though it seems it might implode on itself, but that doesn’t mean we should give up the push.
The High Republic – Trail of Shadows #3 lets the Jedi characters breathe before diving back into the mission at hand, providing readers with some thrilling character development, while the Nihil side of things gets full of bathwater.
+ Exploring vulnerability in the Jedi
+ Bathwater drenches the Nihil
+ Emotions abound from the art team’s stellar work
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.