Comic Book Review - Star Wars: The High Republic #12

Rob reviews Star Wars: The High Republic #12...

The nefarious Lourna Dee has returned from the dead and has in her possession a weapon that can turn the Jedi into dust. After narrowly escaping the Jedi at Xais, Dee heads back into the shadows. Meanwhile, tension builds amongst the Jedi of Starlight Beacon...

So far The High Republic has been a pretty one-sided story when it comes to the Jedi. For every battle they win, there's been plenty of losses along the way. As such those at Starlight Beacon have become dishevelled and even afraid of what's to come as the war against the Nihil rumbles on.

Even as a big Jedi fan, I'm loving this way of storytelling. During the previews of The High Republic last year, we were told that this series would focus on the Jedi (and the Republic) during their golden years. There's been peace throughout the galaxy for cycles, and as such both sides have become somewhat bloated by their success. Yet when it comes to the barbaric Nihil, both the Jedi and the Republic face an almost constant, unwavering onslaught. As the Nihil legions wreck havoc across the Galaxy, the weight of war hangs heavy upon everyone. 

The High Republic certainly shows a very different side to the Jedi. They're mostly outnumbered, and when it comes to the Jedi of Starlight Beacon - they're on their own. 

When it comes to The High Republic #12 it's more of the same darkness that's run through the series so far. While it's not a particularly action-packed issue, Cavan Scott utilises this one to allow the Jedi to reflect on the past and to set the stage for what comes next. Scott also uses this "downtime" to delve into yet more character work, as he focuses on Avar Kriss, and the main series cast. 

Avar Kriss has been the character that's interested me the most. She's this era's Anakin Skywalker and the Jedi's current "poster child". So far we've seen her demeanour change from being calm and collected, into something more reckless and impulsive. These traits started to spring during the Drengir conflict, yet have strengthened since Lourna Dee's return. It's a superb piece of character work that's starting to allude to a possible fall from grace or even Kriss' obsession with Lourna Dee turning her to the Dark Side of The Force. 

The same can also be said for both Keeve and Sskeer. The young Jedi feels personally responsible for the loss of both Terec and Ceret. While Keeve - and even the Jedi - couldn't predict what was awaiting on Xais, the event has sown more seeds of doubt to  her abilities to be a Jedi. On the other side of this coin is Sskeer. We've known for quite a while that his connection to The Force is diminishing. While we've seen him attempt to come to terms with this, it's during this issue that it finally hits home. The conversation with Keeve is quite heartbreaking, as both realise just how bad things can get - although I have my suspicions that Sskeer could be the answer to the anti-Jedi weapon...

Whether it's intentional or not, Cavan Scott has laid the foundations for certain members of the core cast to fall to the Dark Side. While we've not seen a Dark Jedi or Sith character as of yet, it has been long speculated that this will eventually happen. If this does happen then High Republic #12 is its genesis. The Jedi are playing a pretty dangerous game, which is certainly sending them down a very narrow path.

In terms of writing, Cavan Scott brings a lot of emotion out within the core cast. It's these moments that build upon the characters underneath, rather than just their Jedi personas. The Master/Apprentice story between Keeve and Sskeer is particularly interesting as neither is willing to give up on the other with both being more like a family, rather than teacher/student. The same can be also said for Avar Kriss. Her obsession with Lourna Dee is the Star Wars version of 'Moby Dick'. Lorna Dee is Avar's "White Whale", but just how much of herself is Avar willing to sacrifice? 

Rating 9.5/10

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Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev