Star Wars: The High Republic #8 Review
Writer: Cavan Scott
Artist: Ario Anindito
Letterer: VC's Ariana Maher
Publisher: Marvel
This week's installment in Cavan Scott's The High Republic run wraps up the series' latest three-issue arc, taking our protagonist Keeve and her new ally Wayseeker Orla Jareni to the heart of the Drengir's home in an attempt to aid the Jedi/Hutt team already fighting on the planet. It's up to Keeve to bring aid to Master Avar Kriss and prevent her deadly vision from coming true.
This issue serves as the culmination of the Drengir storyline (at least for now), which has been the focus of the comic so far as well as several other books and comics in the greater High Republic initiative. The scope of the issue feels proportionate to the scale of the Drengir's threat; they aren't our main antagonists for the initiative but they've still been shown to be a major danger to the galaxy. The issue's massive battle is the biggest one we've seen in the comics so far, which guest characters from all over appearing to help deal with the Great Proginator and its amy. It's very satisfying to see so many of these characters come together, and while I suspect we haven't seen the last of the Drengir, I would be happy with this issue as the ending to their presence as a galactic threat.
The focus on the major battle means the character arcs aren't furthered too much more in this issue, but there were still some moments that were nice to see. The end of the issue calls back to the opening of Light of the Jedi in a very cool way. The end to the alliance with the Hutts was inevitable, though the Hutts are still poised to have a major presence going forward and I'm looking forward to see what form that takes after the way things end here. The issue also catches us up to the end of The Rising Storm, having been set concurrent to the events of the novel thus far. I'm glad the series didn't wait too long before moving beyond the book; one thing I really enjoy about the comic is how it's able to fill in the gaps both in the timeline and in real life between major releases.
Ario Anindito returns to the series after having been absent for the other two issues of this arc. While I would have liked the arc having been able to keep a consistent artist, I also wouldn't rather have anyone else beside Anindito for the major events and massive battle in the issue. The battle feels as grand and action-packed as it needed to feel, and I really enjoyed seeing the Great Progeniter for the first time with all of its menace on full display.
Overall, this was a fun, spectacle-filled issue and a must read for anyone interested in following the High Republic era. I have let to be fully let down by a story from this initiative and this comic remains one of my favorites. The issue's cliffhangar of an ending gives us some exciting setup for the fallout the next arc will be dealing with. I'm here for the long haul with the story of Keeve Trennis and I can't wait to see where it goes from here.
Artist: Ario Anindito
Letterer: VC's Ariana Maher
Publisher: Marvel
This week's installment in Cavan Scott's The High Republic run wraps up the series' latest three-issue arc, taking our protagonist Keeve and her new ally Wayseeker Orla Jareni to the heart of the Drengir's home in an attempt to aid the Jedi/Hutt team already fighting on the planet. It's up to Keeve to bring aid to Master Avar Kriss and prevent her deadly vision from coming true.
This issue serves as the culmination of the Drengir storyline (at least for now), which has been the focus of the comic so far as well as several other books and comics in the greater High Republic initiative. The scope of the issue feels proportionate to the scale of the Drengir's threat; they aren't our main antagonists for the initiative but they've still been shown to be a major danger to the galaxy. The issue's massive battle is the biggest one we've seen in the comics so far, which guest characters from all over appearing to help deal with the Great Proginator and its amy. It's very satisfying to see so many of these characters come together, and while I suspect we haven't seen the last of the Drengir, I would be happy with this issue as the ending to their presence as a galactic threat.
The focus on the major battle means the character arcs aren't furthered too much more in this issue, but there were still some moments that were nice to see. The end of the issue calls back to the opening of Light of the Jedi in a very cool way. The end to the alliance with the Hutts was inevitable, though the Hutts are still poised to have a major presence going forward and I'm looking forward to see what form that takes after the way things end here. The issue also catches us up to the end of The Rising Storm, having been set concurrent to the events of the novel thus far. I'm glad the series didn't wait too long before moving beyond the book; one thing I really enjoy about the comic is how it's able to fill in the gaps both in the timeline and in real life between major releases.
Ario Anindito returns to the series after having been absent for the other two issues of this arc. While I would have liked the arc having been able to keep a consistent artist, I also wouldn't rather have anyone else beside Anindito for the major events and massive battle in the issue. The battle feels as grand and action-packed as it needed to feel, and I really enjoyed seeing the Great Progeniter for the first time with all of its menace on full display.
Overall, this was a fun, spectacle-filled issue and a must read for anyone interested in following the High Republic era. I have let to be fully let down by a story from this initiative and this comic remains one of my favorites. The issue's cliffhangar of an ending gives us some exciting setup for the fallout the next arc will be dealing with. I'm here for the long haul with the story of Keeve Trennis and I can't wait to see where it goes from here.
A Look Inside
