Comic Review | Star Wars: The High Republic

Follow Keeve Trennis, Avar Kriss, and Sskeer as they fight the Nihil and Drengir for Light and for Life in Star Wars The High Republic

It’s time to return to The High Republic.

Keeve Trennis is a newly knighted Jedi stationed on Starlight Beacon. When she and others stumble upon a Drengir nest it becomes clear their fight to protect the frontier is only beginning. Her former master, Sskeer, is infected with Drengir spores connecting him to the Drengir progenitor. Keeve makes a desperate gambit to save her master from the infection and find the heart of the Drengir to stop their spread. With the information in hand, Avar can launch an attack against the Drengir at the source root.

NIHIL ATTACK

Just when they think victory is at hand, they receive word of the Nihil attack on Valo. Desperate to stop the Nihil, and fed up with the Council’s placating and inaction, Avar comes up with a plan to infiltrate the Nihil. Keeve and one of the bond twins, Terec, go undercover coming face to face with the Tempest leader Lourna Dee. But that’s not all they face, the Nihil has a weapon that can destroy the Jedi. The group is just able to survive and capture Lourna. But their greatest fight is yet to come as they arrive back at Starlight only to witness its destruction.

CHARACTERS

I really liked Keeve. She’s foul-mouthed and much more of a “normal” person than embodying what a Jedi “should” be. This made her much more relatable and more of an everyman character. We see everything through her eyes as the Jedi come up against the Nihil and Drengir. And she plays a major role in containing the Drengir threat. However, her experiences are traumatic. Connecting to Sskeer and in turn, the great progenitor takes its toll on her mind. While she’s successful, she has to live with the consequences. She also becomes one of the first to experience the effects of the Leveler and becomes lucky to survive the attack on Starlight Beacon itself.

NOBLE LEADER

Avar is seen as the noble leader, and Keeve looks up to the older woman. Avar is also shown as increasingly disillusioned with the Jedi Council and their lack of action against the growing threats in the Frontier. As the person leading the fight, she has a point. They are safe on Coruscant and aren’t out there fighting with her and the others. They sit in the capital playing at politics and recommending time and caution while she is forced to watch the growing destruction. I’m not surprised she takes matters into her own hands. While she does lose sight momentarily of Jedi teachings, it’s surprisingly Keeve who pulls her back from giving in to her rage against Lourna. This shows that even though Avar is the lauded example of a Jedi, she’s still human and that the young can be just as wise as the old.

While Keeve, Avar, and Sskeer are the most featured, other Jedi do make appearances. Mostly the bond twins Terec and Ceret, a unique set of twins that share one mind. Orla Jarani, Vernestra Rwoh, and her apprentice Imri Cantaros, Chomac Vitas, and Reath Silas make brief appearances or help in the fight against the Drengir. I did notice one continuity error though. Orba Lin is shown to be helping with the fight to contain the Drengir. However, this was happening simultaneously with the attack on Valo. Lin was Starlight’s representative at the Fair and helped during the Nihil attack.

VERDICT

Overall, I enjoyed this piece of the story. I read all three volumes in one afternoon and found I had a hard time putting them down. While part of The High Republic storyline, they showed what was happening outside the major events in the novels and helped to flesh out the characters, events, and world of the era. They had a bit of everything from action and adventure, to some humor and horror. How the Drengir grows their vines into every orifice of the body and drains the nutrients away, and can take over the body, is really like something out of a horror movie. Sentient, life-sucking plants are pretty scary and the imagery in the comic really conveys that. I give the comic and overall four stars.

Star Wars: The High Republic is published by Marvel Comics and is available to buy now.