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Star Wars: The High Republic (2021) (Single Issues)
Star Wars: The High Republic (2021-2022) #14
THE EDGE OF DESTRUCTION! From Hero of Hetzal to…murderer? Can Keeve Trennis stop Marshal Avar Kriss from making a fatal mistake? Death and danger await the Starlight Jedi as they finally close in on their enemy. Tying directly into Claudia Gray's Star Wars: The Fallen Star, phase one of Star Wars: The High Republic enters its cataclysmic final wave of stories. Everything is about to change.
22 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 2, 2022
About the author
Cavan Scott
863 books441 followersis a freelance comic writer and author. He is best known for his work on a variety of spin-offs from both Doctor Who and Star Wars, as well as comics and novels for Vikings, Pacific Rim, Sherlock Holmes, and Penguins of Madagascar.
Cavan Scott, along with Justina Ireland, Claudia Gray, Daniel Jose Older, and Charles Soule are crafting a new era in the Star Wars publishing world called Star Wars: The High Republic. Cavan's contribution to the era is a comic book series released through Marvel Comics titled Star Wars: The High Republic.
Cavan Scott, along with Justina Ireland, Claudia Gray, Daniel Jose Older, and Charles Soule are crafting a new era in the Star Wars publishing world called Star Wars: The High Republic. Cavan's contribution to the era is a comic book series released through Marvel Comics titled Star Wars: The High Republic.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 22, 2022
“Not everyone can be perfect all the time. Not even you. None of us are infallible. Thinking we are leads only – It leads only to the dark side.”
If I was expecting a little bit of a relaxing period after the last arc of the story, I most definitely didn't find it in this issue.
The little hints to the tonal change in the story given before are made more than real with the developments that we have now.
Continuing the thread of events from the previous issues this new arc is quite the following. And the one that makes the most sense.
Taking on the events happening through The Fallen Star we continue the story shinning some light in details and events we didn't have the time to see in the book. And, man, are they important.
At this point, I am not surprised at all to see the big reveal that we have been waiting for happen in this comic series. And I have to say that it is the best place for it to make a strong, chilling, and disturbing impression. Visually is definitely the best way to introduce this element more fully.
I cannot see any of what is happening ending well, however, which has me quite on edge.
“This isn’t about me. It’s about you. You need to follow your own path… create your own legacy. Become your won Jedi. That has been the reward of every master since before the dawn of the luminous. The greatest reward of all.”
____________
Oh, this finally connects to The Fallen Star! And it's really cool!
And that ending was really disturbing.
RTC.
____________
Things are too intense right now and I need to see what happens next.
Good thing is that this issue is already out.
I love Avar so seeing all this character development is delightful.
February 2, 2022
It's only been two weeks since the last The High Republic comic released. Today we are getting The High Republic #14, the penultimate issue of the series within the first phase. In the fourth chapter of the story Jedi's End, titled "The Edge of Destruction" (a nice allusion to The Edge of Balance, by the way), this month's issue lets us return to Starlight Beacon after the confrontation with Lourna Dee, and thus directly ties into the plot of The Fallen Star. Fast-paced developments and emotional twists are guaranteed!
About the content
The High Republic #14 starts right off with a pretty exciting scene, and not just on its plot level. We see the Jedi from Avar's convoy rescue some of the Nihil aboard the Great Hall, including Quin, who is quite confused by the Jedi’s rescue efforts - after all, the Nihil would have let the Jedi freeze to death in the vacuum of space. This is a great scene in and of itself. However, its elevated by the even more striking contrast occuring when the words "We serve life, never death" are spoken as the comic pans to Avar Kriss striking her final blow towards Lourna. Yet, it is Keeve Trennis who has the moral high ground, managing to stop Avar in time and reminding her of the Jedi’s values - injured, unarmed opponents are already defeated. In my opinion, Avar gets back to her senses after her loss of control a bit too quickly. Once again, the plot progresses at top speed, so unfortunately, there's not a lot of room for Avar's return from her brief descent into darkness and especially for her emotions and thoughts regarding it. Perhaps (and hopefully) we'll get to see the aftermath of that in novel form at some point.
Lourna, on her part, does not let herself be distracted by any of this and puts Keeve into headlock with her remaining hand. But she once again doesn't succeed for long and is promptly smashed against the wall by Avar. In Avar’s defense, by this point Lourna was armed again. And to Avar's luck (and my relief, as I still love Lourna as an antagonist) the impact only knocked Dee unconscious.
We get to witness another incredibly beautiful scene when Keeve Trennis teaches us and Avar an important lesson, summing up what she herself has had to learn over the last 14 issues and what the Jedi within the entire phase itself had to realize: "Not everyone can be perfect all of the time." I'm quite relieved that the friendship between Keeve and Avar survived this incident. Their friendship is one of the biggest highlights of the series for me, and it warms my heart that not only did Keeve learn from Avar and Sskeer, but now Avar also allows herself to take advice from Keeve. This scene is once again a testament to Keeve’s wonderful personality - hardly anyone would have remained so calm and understanding in a situation as precarious as this.
The mood is briefly lightened by Gooral getting upset about the Nihil's terrible Path Engines, which is perfect timing within the otherwise dense plot. Meanwhile, the Nihil have been captured on the Ataraxia, the Jedi still believing that Lourna Dee is acting as the Eye, and that thus, they have their leader among then. One of the most moving moments of this issue, perhaps even one of the most emotional moments of the entire series, is the following conversation between Keeve and Sskeer. Sskeer is determined not to go on any more missions. This moment already feels like a farewell between the two characters, and Sskeer teaches Keeve the final lesson that she shall not continue his legacy, but find her own path and follow it instead. Again, this is a message that defines the third wave of the High Republic in general, slowly but surely leading to the feeling of impending departure. Lourna Dee is the cherry on top of this scene, rather wanting to throw up than listening any longer. By the way: what could Sskeer mean by the "Dawn of the Luminous"? I wonder if there's a connection to the fact that The High Republic was once called Project Luminous. Cavan Scott doesn't just include these anecdotes without any reason, and we should certainly keep Sskeer's remark in mind.
The tie-in with The Fallen Star is another huge plus of this issue. I was skeptical of this two-track at first, but the divided story actually works quite well within the comic and better than in the novel, I think - which could due to the fact that the novel came first and had to live with its gaps, while the comic can easily fill them in its own way and benefit from the novel's knowledge.
Seeing Stellan Gios and Avar Kriss’ conversation from the novel from Avar’s perspective here is one of the most interesting aspects of this plot. While we know Stellan's point of view in the novel, and are critical of Avar as a result, the whole thing changes when we witness her point of view instead. Thus, Star Wars keeps coming back to the message that perspective can change everything - and Cavan Scott excels at this play of perspectives in this issue. The fact that this could be the last time we ever see Stellan and Avar together makes the situation all the more emotional for us readers.
We also get to experience the explosion from the novel, and the story is immensely enhanced by us getting to visually see Starlight in front of us. For me, reading those few pages immediately created a much more vivid, urgent atmosphere than the novel was able to build. OrbaLin, quite the analyst, immediately ponders what the reason for the explosion might be. These interjected hypotheses from the archivist make him all the more likeable, even if he takes up more of a smaller role here. It's also quite intriguing that Avar sends him to check on the prisoners ... right where Lourna has just sensed her chance of escaping. Maybe we'll see a rendezvous between the two next time!
Finally, we also see more of the stranded people aboard Starlight, who nearly overrun Avar and her crew to get to the escape pods. While I don't want to keep coming back to the comparison between the book and the comic, they do go hand in hand, and in my opinion, the comic just does a better job at capturing the danger and panic aboard the station. While the fleeing passengers are to find refuge on the Ataraxia, the Jedi delve deeper into Starlight’s darkness. It's also pretty cool to see Avar use her lightsaber as a light source. In the first arc of this series, Keeve once did the same thing and lit up a cave with her saber, creating multiple small connections to previous issues within the series as a whole.
The reader also receives the most important status updates about the state of the station - the part between the two halves of the station is filled with radiation (the Aurebesh display shows the status "Radiation levels critical", by the way) and communication is down. Hopefully, Maru can be found within the next issue ... even though Avar's plan to reconnect the two parts of the station is, as we know, quite impossible.
As we know it to be true, however, the most exciting twist once again unveils on the final pages of the issue. We were all hoping that the Jedi on the upper half of Starlight would be safe from the Leveler (or the plural of it, for simplicity's sake I'll stick to singular), but unfortunately, the absolute opposite is the case. Already having seen the Leveler’s effects from Keeve's point of view, and most recently from Emerick Caphtor's, we now experience Avar's perception being distorted as well. She perceives Keeve and especially Sskeer as monsters and draws her sword against the latter.
What's particularly exciting about all of this is that Keeve is now under the Leveler’s influence for the second time, which lets her recognize the creature. This may possibly mean she gets to have a decisive advantage against it in the end. And Sskeer, who is sealed off from the Force, much like Elzar on the other half (albeit for different reasons), should thus be safe from the Leveler for now too. We already know that Avar somehow manages to escape this madness, thank goodness, but it remains to be seen how the situation with Keeve and Sskeer will be resolved, how Emerick and Sian might still come into play, where Maru and especially where the hell Vernestra and Imri are in all of this ... we'll hopefully find out in pretty much exactly a month when The High Republic concludes with issue #15! At the very least, the Leveler once again creates another exciting conflict between the main characters of the comic, the dangerous effects of which we've already felt in the novel and that our favorites will hopefully survive unscathed.
About the illustrations
It is probably no longer a surprise to anyone that I can only speak highly of Ario Anindito's drawings and Carlos Lopez's color design in this issue. Once again, it's particularly noticeable that each set gets its own color scheme. Within the Great Hall, this continues to be predominantly green, on the Ataraxia it's golden blue (before emergency lighting tints the ship an ominous red), Starlight floats in a near-black sky and the station's corridors are covered in darkness. I love the play of colors and the gloomy atmosphere a lot, especially aboard Starlight. A lightsaber as the only source of brightness just always works as a measure to create a tense feeling. The last pages of the issue can almost be considered to be horror, and their highlight is the final page from Avar's first perspective. If you don't have nightmares about Ario's variant cover for The High Republic #15 yet, rest assured you will now get some after this issue!
I would also like to highlight the depiction of Starlight Beacon, which Anindito did a great job at, including lots of detail. This is a worthy conclusion to the station's final moments, and thanks to the supremely talented illustrator it gets to shine one last time, until we will get to witness the Beacon's final moments next month.
As always, the characters are illustrated consistently and portrayed with just the right amount of emotion on their faces and within their body language. I also want to give a special mention to Stellan Gios, whose character I highly enjoy in Ario's portrayal. With dark shadows under his eyes and a stern look, Anindito hits the spot on depicting Stellan just as I imagined him when reading this dialogue in The Fallen Star. Visually, this scene is also reminiscent of a former argument between Avar and Stellan in issue #9, also drawn by Ario Anindito.
The backgrounds are rather simple this time, putting the action and the characters' conversations in the spotlight. The only thing that confused me a bit were the colored boxes that included dialogue, which, apart from Keeve, were not as easy to assign to their speakers. Usually, these always indicated characters’ thoughts, so I had to get used to them including spoken words for a moment. I would have preferred Avar's box being a color that is easier to associate with her, instead of giving brown boxes to several protagonists at once.
Conclusion
The High Republic #14 once again delivers a great story all across the board. While Avar has come back to her senses a bit too quickly for me, and the narrative pace is still tremendously fast, Cavan Scott manages to seamlessly create a synergy between the comic and The Fallen Star, even picking up moments from the novel and telling them from new points of views. In an exciting mix of drama, some humor, action and even horror, The Edge of Destruction reminds us of some of the most important lessons in all of Star Wars - no one is perfect and everyone has to find their own way. High-quality illustrations and emotional moments round out the issue beautifully, making me eagerly await the final conclusion of the series.
This is a translated version of my original review published at Jedi-Bibliothek: https://jedi-bibliothek.de/2022/02/ma...
About the content
The High Republic #14 starts right off with a pretty exciting scene, and not just on its plot level. We see the Jedi from Avar's convoy rescue some of the Nihil aboard the Great Hall, including Quin, who is quite confused by the Jedi’s rescue efforts - after all, the Nihil would have let the Jedi freeze to death in the vacuum of space. This is a great scene in and of itself. However, its elevated by the even more striking contrast occuring when the words "We serve life, never death" are spoken as the comic pans to Avar Kriss striking her final blow towards Lourna. Yet, it is Keeve Trennis who has the moral high ground, managing to stop Avar in time and reminding her of the Jedi’s values - injured, unarmed opponents are already defeated. In my opinion, Avar gets back to her senses after her loss of control a bit too quickly. Once again, the plot progresses at top speed, so unfortunately, there's not a lot of room for Avar's return from her brief descent into darkness and especially for her emotions and thoughts regarding it. Perhaps (and hopefully) we'll get to see the aftermath of that in novel form at some point.
Lourna, on her part, does not let herself be distracted by any of this and puts Keeve into headlock with her remaining hand. But she once again doesn't succeed for long and is promptly smashed against the wall by Avar. In Avar’s defense, by this point Lourna was armed again. And to Avar's luck (and my relief, as I still love Lourna as an antagonist) the impact only knocked Dee unconscious.
We get to witness another incredibly beautiful scene when Keeve Trennis teaches us and Avar an important lesson, summing up what she herself has had to learn over the last 14 issues and what the Jedi within the entire phase itself had to realize: "Not everyone can be perfect all of the time." I'm quite relieved that the friendship between Keeve and Avar survived this incident. Their friendship is one of the biggest highlights of the series for me, and it warms my heart that not only did Keeve learn from Avar and Sskeer, but now Avar also allows herself to take advice from Keeve. This scene is once again a testament to Keeve’s wonderful personality - hardly anyone would have remained so calm and understanding in a situation as precarious as this.
The mood is briefly lightened by Gooral getting upset about the Nihil's terrible Path Engines, which is perfect timing within the otherwise dense plot. Meanwhile, the Nihil have been captured on the Ataraxia, the Jedi still believing that Lourna Dee is acting as the Eye, and that thus, they have their leader among then. One of the most moving moments of this issue, perhaps even one of the most emotional moments of the entire series, is the following conversation between Keeve and Sskeer. Sskeer is determined not to go on any more missions. This moment already feels like a farewell between the two characters, and Sskeer teaches Keeve the final lesson that she shall not continue his legacy, but find her own path and follow it instead. Again, this is a message that defines the third wave of the High Republic in general, slowly but surely leading to the feeling of impending departure. Lourna Dee is the cherry on top of this scene, rather wanting to throw up than listening any longer. By the way: what could Sskeer mean by the "Dawn of the Luminous"? I wonder if there's a connection to the fact that The High Republic was once called Project Luminous. Cavan Scott doesn't just include these anecdotes without any reason, and we should certainly keep Sskeer's remark in mind.
The tie-in with The Fallen Star is another huge plus of this issue. I was skeptical of this two-track at first, but the divided story actually works quite well within the comic and better than in the novel, I think - which could due to the fact that the novel came first and had to live with its gaps, while the comic can easily fill them in its own way and benefit from the novel's knowledge.
Seeing Stellan Gios and Avar Kriss’ conversation from the novel from Avar’s perspective here is one of the most interesting aspects of this plot. While we know Stellan's point of view in the novel, and are critical of Avar as a result, the whole thing changes when we witness her point of view instead. Thus, Star Wars keeps coming back to the message that perspective can change everything - and Cavan Scott excels at this play of perspectives in this issue. The fact that this could be the last time we ever see Stellan and Avar together makes the situation all the more emotional for us readers.
We also get to experience the explosion from the novel, and the story is immensely enhanced by us getting to visually see Starlight in front of us. For me, reading those few pages immediately created a much more vivid, urgent atmosphere than the novel was able to build. OrbaLin, quite the analyst, immediately ponders what the reason for the explosion might be. These interjected hypotheses from the archivist make him all the more likeable, even if he takes up more of a smaller role here. It's also quite intriguing that Avar sends him to check on the prisoners ... right where Lourna has just sensed her chance of escaping. Maybe we'll see a rendezvous between the two next time!
Finally, we also see more of the stranded people aboard Starlight, who nearly overrun Avar and her crew to get to the escape pods. While I don't want to keep coming back to the comparison between the book and the comic, they do go hand in hand, and in my opinion, the comic just does a better job at capturing the danger and panic aboard the station. While the fleeing passengers are to find refuge on the Ataraxia, the Jedi delve deeper into Starlight’s darkness. It's also pretty cool to see Avar use her lightsaber as a light source. In the first arc of this series, Keeve once did the same thing and lit up a cave with her saber, creating multiple small connections to previous issues within the series as a whole.
The reader also receives the most important status updates about the state of the station - the part between the two halves of the station is filled with radiation (the Aurebesh display shows the status "Radiation levels critical", by the way) and communication is down. Hopefully, Maru can be found within the next issue ... even though Avar's plan to reconnect the two parts of the station is, as we know, quite impossible.
As we know it to be true, however, the most exciting twist once again unveils on the final pages of the issue. We were all hoping that the Jedi on the upper half of Starlight would be safe from the Leveler (or the plural of it, for simplicity's sake I'll stick to singular), but unfortunately, the absolute opposite is the case. Already having seen the Leveler’s effects from Keeve's point of view, and most recently from Emerick Caphtor's, we now experience Avar's perception being distorted as well. She perceives Keeve and especially Sskeer as monsters and draws her sword against the latter.
What's particularly exciting about all of this is that Keeve is now under the Leveler’s influence for the second time, which lets her recognize the creature. This may possibly mean she gets to have a decisive advantage against it in the end. And Sskeer, who is sealed off from the Force, much like Elzar on the other half (albeit for different reasons), should thus be safe from the Leveler for now too. We already know that Avar somehow manages to escape this madness, thank goodness, but it remains to be seen how the situation with Keeve and Sskeer will be resolved, how Emerick and Sian might still come into play, where Maru and especially where the hell Vernestra and Imri are in all of this ... we'll hopefully find out in pretty much exactly a month when The High Republic concludes with issue #15! At the very least, the Leveler once again creates another exciting conflict between the main characters of the comic, the dangerous effects of which we've already felt in the novel and that our favorites will hopefully survive unscathed.
About the illustrations
It is probably no longer a surprise to anyone that I can only speak highly of Ario Anindito's drawings and Carlos Lopez's color design in this issue. Once again, it's particularly noticeable that each set gets its own color scheme. Within the Great Hall, this continues to be predominantly green, on the Ataraxia it's golden blue (before emergency lighting tints the ship an ominous red), Starlight floats in a near-black sky and the station's corridors are covered in darkness. I love the play of colors and the gloomy atmosphere a lot, especially aboard Starlight. A lightsaber as the only source of brightness just always works as a measure to create a tense feeling. The last pages of the issue can almost be considered to be horror, and their highlight is the final page from Avar's first perspective. If you don't have nightmares about Ario's variant cover for The High Republic #15 yet, rest assured you will now get some after this issue!
I would also like to highlight the depiction of Starlight Beacon, which Anindito did a great job at, including lots of detail. This is a worthy conclusion to the station's final moments, and thanks to the supremely talented illustrator it gets to shine one last time, until we will get to witness the Beacon's final moments next month.
As always, the characters are illustrated consistently and portrayed with just the right amount of emotion on their faces and within their body language. I also want to give a special mention to Stellan Gios, whose character I highly enjoy in Ario's portrayal. With dark shadows under his eyes and a stern look, Anindito hits the spot on depicting Stellan just as I imagined him when reading this dialogue in The Fallen Star. Visually, this scene is also reminiscent of a former argument between Avar and Stellan in issue #9, also drawn by Ario Anindito.
The backgrounds are rather simple this time, putting the action and the characters' conversations in the spotlight. The only thing that confused me a bit were the colored boxes that included dialogue, which, apart from Keeve, were not as easy to assign to their speakers. Usually, these always indicated characters’ thoughts, so I had to get used to them including spoken words for a moment. I would have preferred Avar's box being a color that is easier to associate with her, instead of giving brown boxes to several protagonists at once.
Conclusion
The High Republic #14 once again delivers a great story all across the board. While Avar has come back to her senses a bit too quickly for me, and the narrative pace is still tremendously fast, Cavan Scott manages to seamlessly create a synergy between the comic and The Fallen Star, even picking up moments from the novel and telling them from new points of views. In an exciting mix of drama, some humor, action and even horror, The Edge of Destruction reminds us of some of the most important lessons in all of Star Wars - no one is perfect and everyone has to find their own way. High-quality illustrations and emotional moments round out the issue beautifully, making me eagerly await the final conclusion of the series.
This is a translated version of my original review published at Jedi-Bibliothek: https://jedi-bibliothek.de/2022/02/ma...
November 6, 2023
#14 – The Edge of Destruction – “Now isn’t the time for theories, ORBALIN .. it’s time for ACTION.” – Marshall Avar
February 2, 2022
Avar Kriss, what the hell are you about to do, said basically everyone after the previous issue. Avar Kriss pulled a Darth Vader, with Lourna's hand now gone. Keeve knocked unconscious. Avar ready to strike Lourna down, removing that plague from the galaxy. Quite the precarious position.
The issue starts off not with that, but with the rest of the Jedi and Nihil. Thanks for making us wait a little longer Cavan. Sskeer and Monshi help save the Nihil within the Great Hall, as Lourna had previously ordered all of the ships to fire on them. Luckily (at least for me, a Quin fan), the Nihil live, thanks to the brave acting of Jedi Master Sskeer and Monshi.
The shining star, the crux, the fulcrum of this issue would be the resolution between Avar, Keeve, and Lourna Dee. Just as the poetic words of Monshi come across "We serve life, never death" as Avar is about strike Lourna down before Keeve steps between her and Lourna and stops Avar. While it is a bit of a rushed moment, we only witness what happens on the page from Keeve's perspective, and not what goes through Avar's mind. Regardless, she snaps out of whatever had a hold on her, and admit she lost her control. She comes vulnerable. The regret on her is plain. Disappointment finds itself all over her. The whole moment is interrupted when Lourna takes Keeve as a hostage, using Ceret's lightsaber with her other hand. Avar takes care of her candidly, simply sending her back hard into a wall. I know it is meant to be dramatic, but I couldn't help but laugh at this. Avar at her force peak, Lourna thinking she has the upper hand only to be sent flying back into a wall. Keeve and Avar proceed to talk it, and wise words are spoken. Last issue she said that she would hear of anything said by a Knight who doubts herself all the time, and now she takes her wise words to heart. The growth we have seen between these two characters in these issues has been a bright star. Keeve also presents a nice compliment about Sskeer being the best teacher in the galaxy, which is some nice Sskeer positivity given the last few issues.
Of course a few pages later, Sskeer loves to play his luck saying "There'll be no essscape for the eye this time/" WAY TO JINX THINGS SSKEER. Sskeer meanwhile is bleeding from the mission, leading to even more concern from Keeve. It is from this conversation that we get the bombshell that no matter what the council's decides, this will be Sskeer's final mission. He says he is proud of Keeve, and that he can think of no better time to leave, given how Keeve has grown, becoming the Jedi he always knew she'd amount to. An interesting line is spoken from Keeve. "Whatever happens...whatever the council decides...I'll make you proud. I promise. I'll be your legacy. It is a line laced with tragedy. It is become pretty well theorized that Master Trennis within the Lost Twenty refers to Keeve. It makes that line all the more tragic. Luckily, Sskeer puts the thought down. She needs to be her own Jedi, her own person, and walk her own path. Given how much Keeve looks up to her former master, I believe that will be her guiding line to eventually leaving the order, keeping her former master's words close to her.
Now given what happens later in the issue, I would not be shocked if it is meant in more of a literal sense. The buildup is here for Sskeer to sacrifice himself in some way or fashion in the next issue. In a way, it would be a culmination of his journey. He has this incurable illness that is destined to lead him to bouts of rage. Slowly, his mind will go. The noblest way for a Jedi to go is in the duty of protecting others, protecting light and life. There would be no council banishing him, nor removing his title. He would get to die as he lived, a Jedi. Moving on from my poetic pain.
For Fallen Star readers, I think most remember the confrontation between Avar and Stellan when she returns to the space near Starlight Beacon, where Stellan says he is now Marshal because Avar abandoned her post. It is here where I have to note how interesting it is to see two scenes, two different mediums, and from two different perspectives. In TFS, we felt Stellan's anger. We witnessed his perspective, understanding where he came from. I am not going to say that everyone agreed with him, but we certainly understood where he was coming from in perspective to his handling to the situation.
Now seeing this scene from Avar's perspective, it just hurts. It feels like Avar is swimming in a lake, one struggle after another, barely able to breath as the water attempts to swallow her. Being Marshal of Starlight Beacon became part of Avar's identity. Stellan Gios and the council have now torn that away from her. You witness on the page how she feels like she just had her legs taken out. She just lost a part of herself, entering a stage of grief almost. Right when she says however that the mission was a success, well boom goes the dynamite and Starlight Beacon is burning amongst the stars. I have to say I absolutely love the way Stellan was drawn in this issue. Every detail was immaculate, drawn wonderfully by Ario Anindito. Even the deep coloration beneath his eyes, as Stellan struggles with his demons, his PTSD from Valo, and the stress from being the Jedi poster boy of the Galaxy. It's a panel that just makes me want to tear up. There is a good chance this is the last time we shall ever see Stellan in comic form. To see him so upset at one his best friends, so battered internally, so beaten, and then just boom...hurts to say the least.
Avar is shot back, and the explosion rocks the Ataraxia, so...it loses power...with the Nihil prisoners inside. These Jedi cannot truly win. I know they say the Force is on their side, but it seems to love causing them angst. We get this really creepy panel of Lourna smiling as they are now free. I'm left struggling to answer, which is creepier, Lourna here or on Ario's variant cover for THR #15? Ario kindly please stop with the Lourna nightmare fuel, I wrote down jokingly. We also get this really cool panel of Sskeer's reflection against OrbaLin's helmet. I wish I could praise the art more in this issue, but I struggle forming together my thoughts with the art. Reflections are not often used in comics, so l loved the attention to detail.
Anyway, Avar makes the noble decision that the Ataraxia needs to help Starlight, so they park on the top half of the beacon, hoping to be able to rescue and save the people who are stranded. So as all the Jedi set off to go save the day, Avar sends OrbaLin to check on the prisoners.
Now...OrbaLin...Lourna free...OMG we are getting a rematch from TRS. Finally we shall get to see OrbaLin fight in comic form. That is going to be an epic treat. I hope continues lecturing on, like we witnessed in TRS. I am squealing with anticipation. Not scared though, because even though he is going up against all the Nihil prisoners, OrbaLin is invincible and you cannot tell me otherwise.
So the Jedi brazenly enter Starlight, Avar having to cut a door open with her lightsaber in order to enter(never a good sign), where they are greeted by tons of fearful people trying to escape. I love the visual representation of all the people here. I felt like TFS really ignored the people who had no shuttles, or ships and how they had to escape. It made the beacon seem smaller than how it was already described, even with it being humongous. You could see their fear, their panic, the amount of people in their ranks. It's a frighteningly chaotic sight.
Just as they are making the evacuees are making their way onto the Ataraxia, another creature, or creatures, make their way to the Jedi. Suddenly, it is Xais all over again. The Jedi become disoriented, fear sets in like a plague. All the Jedi are effected from it, except Sskeer which is quite notable, but also could be due to one of two things. Either his connection to the Force has lessened to the effect that the Leveler has no impact on him, or that Sskeer, a defeated man ready to accept his fate, truly fears nothing at this point. I prefer the former option.
No Jedi is worse affected to this than Avar Kriss, who tells Sskeer to stay away from Keeve, calling him a monster, and having her blade out, ready to strike him. Keeve realizes what is happening and ends the issue gravely by saying "It's on Starlight." Referring to the Leveler.
And that is how the issue ends. More Pain! Yay!!! A couple minor points. Given OrbaLin was with Nib Assek watching the dancers in TFS, it seems he is still split in two. Considering he probably cooked when Starlight fell, this provides a better chance that everyone's favorite Ugor shall make it. As a Quin fan, seeing her get some lines and seeing her maskless was amazing. I'm pretty sure I am only like one of two or three people who care about Quin, but still.
In regards to the art in this issue, I cannot shower enough praise Ario Anindito's way. He truly brought every word of Cavan's script to the page with beauty and elegance. It is so nice to have him do the art again, and it is my sincere hope he will be back for phase II.
The writing, is similarly amazing. This is one of the best issues since issues #9 and #10, where we truly saw the psyche of a Jedi broken down. Here, it is the healing that happens. Avar and Keeve, move forward together. Sskeer is resigned to his fate, ready and willing to accept it. And all of this destroyed is destroyed by a singular boom. Who lives, who dies, who gets hurt? Issue #15 will provide us those answers soon enough.
Though, for readers who have read Mission to Disaster, I am left with one question. A question that I am sure is on all of our minds. A query that shall drive me insane for weeks. Where are you Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh and Padawan Imri Cantaros?
March 2, 2022
Things are starting to get really stressful in the latest issue of Marvel’s mainline Star Wars: The High Republic comic series and the first stressor is delivered with the title of Issue #14: “Jedi’s End.” In the swift lead-up to the devastation of Star Wars: The Fallen Star, Cavan Scott twists the knife just a little bit deeper as things turn dire for Keeve Trennis, Avar Kriss, and Sskeer.
Avar Kriss sets aside her obligations to the Jedi Order and the Republic in favor of chasing after Lourna Dee in an act that can only be referred to as revenge. While capturing Lourna would certainly benefit the Jedi’s fight against the Nihil, it is in direct opposition of what she was instructed to do and is fueled by her own hatred for the Twi’lek and a desire to get vengeance for the lives that the Nihil have cut down. We’ve definitely seen Jedi go down this path before—hello, Anakin Skywalker—but it’s somehow more shocking to see the Jedi of The High Republic get tempted this way.
There is a part of me that wishes that Avar Kriss’ brush with the dark side was playing out in the novels, where we’ve already witnessed both Elzar Mann and Stellan Gios feel the pull of its temptation. With the way that Claudia Gray so beautifully connects the three together as a triad of sorts in Fallen Star, with each of them acting as a polestar in the others’ constellation, it’s quite profound that they’ve all nearly succumbed. While I know that The High Republic is intended to be enjoyed by fans whether they’re reading just the books or just the comics, it does feel like they might miss out on some important character details if they’re not up-to-date on the comics.
Hopefully, an upcoming novel will give us a window into where Avar Kriss is mentally, following the losses in The Fallen Star and her actions in the mainline comics.
With the knowledge that something unfortunate will befall Keeve Trennis somewhere down the line, her interaction with Sskeer in this issue really hurts. She has so much hope that there will be another mission after this, but he cautiously reminds her that the illness is incurable. Keeve tells her former Master that she wants to excel as a Jedi for him, but he is quick to remind her that she has to be her own Jedi and not live in his shadow. Something that will undoubtedly come back to haunt her and all of us as readers.
In the final act of “Jedi’s End,” as the Starlight Beacon is starting to come apart, and the Jedi are scrambling to rescue the scared and injured, the Leveler attacks—striking fear into the hearts of the Jedi. Confused and disturbed by the creature, Avar Kriss turns her lightsaber on Keeve and Sskeer, leaving us on the edge of our seats for next month’s issue. All thoughts of Lourna Dee and the impending doom on the Starlight Beacon are set aside, in favor of worrying about the fates of these three Jedi.
Avar Kriss sets aside her obligations to the Jedi Order and the Republic in favor of chasing after Lourna Dee in an act that can only be referred to as revenge. While capturing Lourna would certainly benefit the Jedi’s fight against the Nihil, it is in direct opposition of what she was instructed to do and is fueled by her own hatred for the Twi’lek and a desire to get vengeance for the lives that the Nihil have cut down. We’ve definitely seen Jedi go down this path before—hello, Anakin Skywalker—but it’s somehow more shocking to see the Jedi of The High Republic get tempted this way.
There is a part of me that wishes that Avar Kriss’ brush with the dark side was playing out in the novels, where we’ve already witnessed both Elzar Mann and Stellan Gios feel the pull of its temptation. With the way that Claudia Gray so beautifully connects the three together as a triad of sorts in Fallen Star, with each of them acting as a polestar in the others’ constellation, it’s quite profound that they’ve all nearly succumbed. While I know that The High Republic is intended to be enjoyed by fans whether they’re reading just the books or just the comics, it does feel like they might miss out on some important character details if they’re not up-to-date on the comics.
Hopefully, an upcoming novel will give us a window into where Avar Kriss is mentally, following the losses in The Fallen Star and her actions in the mainline comics.
With the knowledge that something unfortunate will befall Keeve Trennis somewhere down the line, her interaction with Sskeer in this issue really hurts. She has so much hope that there will be another mission after this, but he cautiously reminds her that the illness is incurable. Keeve tells her former Master that she wants to excel as a Jedi for him, but he is quick to remind her that she has to be her own Jedi and not live in his shadow. Something that will undoubtedly come back to haunt her and all of us as readers.
In the final act of “Jedi’s End,” as the Starlight Beacon is starting to come apart, and the Jedi are scrambling to rescue the scared and injured, the Leveler attacks—striking fear into the hearts of the Jedi. Confused and disturbed by the creature, Avar Kriss turns her lightsaber on Keeve and Sskeer, leaving us on the edge of our seats for next month’s issue. All thoughts of Lourna Dee and the impending doom on the Starlight Beacon are set aside, in favor of worrying about the fates of these three Jedi.
April 28, 2025
"It was okay." - 2 out of 5 star rating.
This review covers both issues #14 and #15 of these of these 2021-2022 High Republic (HR) comic books, as they have been both been completed back to back.
What we got over the course of these fifteen issues was two primary story arcs between the Drengir and the Nihil, with the Dengir arc being very enjoyable and solid 3's across the aboard at a minimum.
Instead of ending on a high note, the decision was made to keep pushing and switch over to the Nihil arc that just didn't quite stick the landing in comparison to what was to the left of it.
What bothers me about what they did at the very end here is instead of wrapping up part 2 of 2 of this series... they just left the reader with a third arc kick-off/cliff hanger type scenario. Of course this is common practice for comics, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. A conclusion here would have been really nice instead of just the forever being strung along.
I also didn't really care for Lourna Dee's presentation here as a whole. She didn't feel as fleshed out as she does in some of the actual books. Here, she feels more like just an irrational, raging/berserking type character. There's a lot more to her than just sharp teeth and being angry all the time... but that's all you'll get here. A villain that is pretty shallow and is just mindlessly bad.
Another slap in the face is that Marchion Ro never comes in hot in this series. What a shame.
Overall, the Drengir arc aka first half of these 15 comics is a lot of fun, with the back half Nihil content being pretty lackluster with an unfulfilling ending.
My 2025 HR journey continues.
Onward.
This review covers both issues #14 and #15 of these of these 2021-2022 High Republic (HR) comic books, as they have been both been completed back to back.
What we got over the course of these fifteen issues was two primary story arcs between the Drengir and the Nihil, with the Dengir arc being very enjoyable and solid 3's across the aboard at a minimum.
Instead of ending on a high note, the decision was made to keep pushing and switch over to the Nihil arc that just didn't quite stick the landing in comparison to what was to the left of it.
What bothers me about what they did at the very end here is instead of wrapping up part 2 of 2 of this series... they just left the reader with a third arc kick-off/cliff hanger type scenario. Of course this is common practice for comics, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. A conclusion here would have been really nice instead of just the forever being strung along.
I also didn't really care for Lourna Dee's presentation here as a whole. She didn't feel as fleshed out as she does in some of the actual books. Here, she feels more like just an irrational, raging/berserking type character. There's a lot more to her than just sharp teeth and being angry all the time... but that's all you'll get here. A villain that is pretty shallow and is just mindlessly bad.
Another slap in the face is that Marchion Ro never comes in hot in this series. What a shame.
Overall, the Drengir arc aka first half of these 15 comics is a lot of fun, with the back half Nihil content being pretty lackluster with an unfulfilling ending.
My 2025 HR journey continues.
Onward.
February 2, 2022
"You need to follow your own path… create your own legacy. Become your own Jedi. That has been the reward of every master sssince before the dawn of the luminous… The greatest reward of all."
Issue 14 picks up mere seconds after where issue 13 left off. Avar Kriss and her team have attacked the Nihil, and Avar is about to execute the presumed leader of the Nihil, Lourna Dee.
This issue was, once again, great. Avar's storyline has been a delight to follow because it has made her so human and given her flaws you might not, at first, expect her to have. It's also really allowed Keeve to grow, become more mature and equal with the masters around her. This issue also really delivered when it comes to Keeve and her relationship with her master Sskeer: they are such a tight-knit duo and the love and care they have for one another has been one of the most charming aspects of this series. I also appreciated how this comic ties into the Fallen Star. I can't wait to see the events of that book from the point of view of Avar, Keeve, Sskeer and their crew - I'm sure it's gonna be epic and horrifying in equal measure.
This comic has been occasionally quire horror-heavy (which I've loved) and this issue once again had these inducible moments that truly creeped me out. The art has been amazing throughout this series, but in this issue, especially in those moments of intensity and horror, the artist really nailed it. I mean, the fear in Keeve's eyes and the rage on Avar's face - so good.
This issue ended in a brilliant way that left me just desperate for issue 15!
Issue 14 picks up mere seconds after where issue 13 left off. Avar Kriss and her team have attacked the Nihil, and Avar is about to execute the presumed leader of the Nihil, Lourna Dee.
This issue was, once again, great. Avar's storyline has been a delight to follow because it has made her so human and given her flaws you might not, at first, expect her to have. It's also really allowed Keeve to grow, become more mature and equal with the masters around her. This issue also really delivered when it comes to Keeve and her relationship with her master Sskeer: they are such a tight-knit duo and the love and care they have for one another has been one of the most charming aspects of this series. I also appreciated how this comic ties into the Fallen Star. I can't wait to see the events of that book from the point of view of Avar, Keeve, Sskeer and their crew - I'm sure it's gonna be epic and horrifying in equal measure.
This comic has been occasionally quire horror-heavy (which I've loved) and this issue once again had these inducible moments that truly creeped me out. The art has been amazing throughout this series, but in this issue, especially in those moments of intensity and horror, the artist really nailed it. I mean, the fear in Keeve's eyes and the rage on Avar's face - so good.
This issue ended in a brilliant way that left me just desperate for issue 15!
February 23, 2022
Another awesome installment with excellent story and awesome artwork. This issue also ties directly into what happens in The Fallen Star. I haven't got my hands on the new issue that actually dropped the day I'm writing this but I'm really wanting to read on to see what happens with this group next.
February 6, 2022
Another excellent installment, we are now linked back to The Fallen Star. I'm pretty impressed by how much this comic has grown since its start, and I can't wait for the next and final issue in this run.
March 7, 2022
I was wrong when i wrote the review for the previous issue, and now i'm happy i read The Fallen Star because this is happening at the same time.
My man Sskeer hangin in there, things are not looking good but he's still fighting. Great issue overall, some good characer development and interactions. That thing is in here too? My goodness, it's a plage hahaha.
My man Sskeer hangin in there, things are not looking good but he's still fighting. Great issue overall, some good characer development and interactions. That thing is in here too? My goodness, it's a plage hahaha.
December 2, 2022
Honestly, I’m just worried about Ceret and Terec.
“Not everyone can be perfect all the time. None of us are infallible. Thinking we are only leads to the dark side.” And this is why the Jedi fell a few centuries later.
“Not everyone can be perfect all the time. None of us are infallible. Thinking we are only leads to the dark side.” And this is why the Jedi fell a few centuries later.
February 14, 2022
What an issue. Such tender moments between the Jedi when they're at their lowest points. But now I have to wait a couple weeks to read the conclusion. This sucks! LOL
April 3, 2022
The end is coming 😢
August 8, 2022
The comics/novel convergence is nifty.
January 24, 2023
Great comic which helped me visualize events better from The Fallen Star. Helped me understand character’s emotions more and ease me into future story lines.
June 2, 2024
when will i know peace
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