Comic Book Review - Star Wars: The High Republic #15

Rob reviews Star Wars: The High Republic #15...

As the world around the core cast continues to crumble there is a glimmer of light at the end. When Cavan Scott kicked off The High Republic last year it was under a banner of optimism. The Jedi are at the height of their power, and the newly constructed Starlight Beacon hangs as the shining light within the Outer Rim. 

However, things soon turned sour as the Jedi (and the Republic) came under attack from the insidious Nihil. What started as routine search and rescue of an attacked starship, soon turned into a galaxy-spanning conflict that's pretty much torn the Jedi of Starlight Beacon apart. There's been loss after loss as the Nihil threw all their might at the Jedi. It's this onslaught that's also allowed Cavan Scott to tap into a side of the Star Wars mythos that's rarely explored - horror. 

Our main viewpoint through The High Republic has been the Jedi Knight - Keeve Trennis. To say that the young Jedi has has an easy ride is quite an understatement. Keeve has been to hell and back, and, amazingly, she never lost herself along the way. Throughout the journey, we've seen Keeve deal with her own Master's assimilation by the Drengir parasite, the many Nihil attacks, and the disastrous undercover operation at Xais. However, each of these obstacles has essentially made Keeve stronger and as such come to the end to this phase the character is a far cry from the one that started it. 

Another character who's similarly faced a major change is Jedi Master Avar Kriss. Kriss has been the once constant throughout the whole High Republic project. While we've primarily seen her within Scott's comic series - her presence is felt in the tie-in novels too. Kriss started as the Jedi's shining light. She was the epitome of what it means to be a Jedi - a poster child if you will. Yet through the Nihil's constant attacks, we've seen Avar resort to questionable means to get the job done. Whether it's setting a fragile alliance with the Hutt cartel, or sending two young Jedi on a potential suicide mission into the heart of the enemy - Avar is willing to take these risks. 

We've also seen the experienced Jedi become obsessed with the resurgent Lourna Dee. It's been this obsession that's driven Avar over the last few issues, and it's also drawn her close to walking a dark path. Yet, a well-timed intervention by Keeve stopped Avar in her tracks. 

So how do these characters fair in Star Wars: The High Republic #15? 

Picking up straight after the shocking events that closed out issue #14, Starlight Beacon is hurtling into Erim's atmosphere. That's not all as the Nihil have unleashed their force-draining "monster" onto the station and as such it's struck literal fear into the Jedi. 

The opening 8-pages more-or-less tie up the horror aspect of the "monsters", but it felt incredibly rushed. Sskeer naturally comes to Keeve and Avar's rescue as his waining connection to the Force makes him inert from the "monsters" influence. This then allows the Trandoshan to take on the threat whilst the rest of the part try to stabilise Starlight Beacon. The rest of this narrative arc follows Avar and Keeve as they face their own "redemption". For Keeve it's the rescue of Ceret and Terec, which is something that's plagued her since those events on Xais. Avar on the other hand gets an intervention as Maru instils his belief to her that she is the "shining light". 

The other side of this issue deals with the events on the Atraxia. And boy! If you thought Order-66 was tear-jerking! Fresh from saving the remaining personnel of Starlight Beacon, Jedi archivist ObaLin comes under attack from the previously captured Nihil. Whilst Goonral faces insurmountable odds in protecting the civilians from the marauders, Lourna Dee murders ObaLin, hijacks the Atraxia and heads to parts unknown. Leaving the fates of everyone on board is pretty dire circumstances. 

Come to the end of this issue and we're at a polar opposite of where we started all those months ago. Starlight Beacon is a smouldering wreck and with it the hopes of many who sought the Jedi as a source of salvation. Avar Kriss gives in to her emotions and breaks down, while Keeve stands tall and attempts to hold everything together. 

Cavan Scott's writing has been brilliant throughout The High Republic and here it's no different. Through this issue, Scott gives us a lot of emotional dialogue as each character faces their demons. Each farewell is an emotional gut-punch as the reader goes through the same feeling of loss as the characters on the page. It's certainly a testament to Scott's storytelling as he's given us a wide range of characters that have all made their ways into our hearts. 

Ario Anindito and Carlos Lopez also shine through this issue. The once gleaming halls of Starlight Beacon are replaced with a dark foreboding horror as the gravity of the situation unfolds. Anindito brings plenty of gorgeous linework to this issue, with each close-up shot echoing the emotion within Scott's script. Lopez's choice of colours also highlights this, with plenty of cool tones mixed in with some fiery explosions. 

All in all, Star Wars: The High Republic #15 is a fitting end to this opening phase. The whole creative team has managed to deliver a consistent story that's as far from a traditional Star Wars story as you can get. It's been an emotional tour that's seen its principal cast get thrown through some tough situations. While this issue leaves us with some smouldering questions, it does make the wait for "Quest of the Jedi" more palpable. 

Rating 10/10

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