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Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! And this week I’m going to be reviewing the latest issue for the mainline series of Star Wars The High Republic from Marvel & Cavan Scott.
This issue picks up where the last one left off with the heroes, led by Jedi Master Keeve Trennis, reeling from their encounter with Baron Boolan.
They’re in the heart of Nihil space, but all is not lost! Despite Trandoshan Jedi Sskeer decided to leave with Boolan, Trennis & company found a homing becon signal coming from the Baron’s ship and they’re off to track him down! With that in mind, let’s jump into it!
Star Wars: The High Republic #10 by Cavan Scott (writer), Jim Towe (artist), Jim Campbell (colorist), VC’s Ariana Maher (letterer) & Phil Noto (cover artist) is an amazing issue from the entire crew. It’s one of the darker ones I’ve read in Star Wars lately, And that is NOT a bad thing!
It’s a deep issue story wise, that has some great character development and has a heartfelt ending. The ending is VERY interesting to see, and will leave the reading wondering what’s to come.
The issue is fairly evenly split between two plotlines. The first of which the one that follows Keeve Trennis and the crew aboard spaceship The Atraxia following the homing beacon. The other follows Sskeer and the Baron and their experimentations. It’s a great read, and one that’s probably more dark than any of the other’s in recent memory. And I promise that is not a bad thing.
READ LAST ISSUE’S REVIEW
This issue is dealing with the balance a Jedi deals with between the light side & the dark side of the Force. The prime focus of that balance right now is with Sskeer, and if you’ve been keeping up with the issues lately this isn’t anything new. Sskeer has really been struggling with his emotions and it’s no secret.
When you think of a Jedi you might think of Yoda or Obi-Wan. Someone who’s calm, cool & collected. Someone who doesn’t crack when under pressure, and it’s safe to say that Sskeer does not fit the bill of that category right now at all. The issue really leans into the suspense aspect of the story, leaving the reader on edge to figure out what’s going on and it’ll leave you guessing right up to the very end.
My favorite part of the issue is the sequences with the Baron & Sskeer. I don’t want to go into spoilers because I think you need to read this without knowing too much. But let me just say I haven’t been that worried for a character in a story since maybe I was reading the Harry Potter novels back in the day. Not a lot surprises me with Star Wars, and I can usually get a hunch of what might happen. But this one kept me guessing and was a total surprise.
FINAL POINT:
Cavan Scott further cements why he’s in the same conversation as Charles Soule as the great Star Wars storytellers. The issue changes the tone & pace they’ve been following to incredible effect, and the story will keep readers guessing on what will happen next right up to the very end.
The only downside of this issue is that it’s the last one until the audio drama from Cavan Scott coming in December, and the comic will return in 2025. But given the ending, I feel the wait is going to be worth it because the implications from this ending are big! It’s an issue worth reading for all Star Wars fans, and especially for fans of The High Republic.
SCORE: 8.5 out of 10
Thanks for checking out my review on Nerd Initiative. For more of my content, check out ODPHpodcast.com, follow me on Twitter, and check out more of my reviews here on Nerd Initiative: https://nerdinitiative.com/author/padawanj/!
