The High Republic #6 Review

Writer: Cavan Scott
Artist: Georges Jeanty
Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel

This week's issue of Marvel's The High Republic line kicks off the second story arc of the series, Heart of the Drengir. The Drengir infestation has continued to spread throughout the frontier, forcing the Jedi of Starlight, including Avar Kriss and Keeve Trennis, to find and destroy the root of the problem. 

The bond between Keeve and Sskeer remains the heart of this story, as it was in the last one. Keeve's character is still one I'm very invested in following. Her arc seems positioned to go to some very interesting places, and the fact that it's been planned from the start makes me more confident it will reach a satisfying conclusion. 

I'm glad to see the Drengir storyline progressing at a steady rate. It would have been easy to prolong the focus on their spread and the smaller battles along the way but the comic is wasting no time taking us straight to the root now, which makes me wonder what this comic has in store for after this arc. This issue mostly just sets up the conflict the rest of the arc will follow but the teases we've gotten so far indicate it will go to some very cool places. 

This arc is clearly going to be very entwined with the newest novel in the High Republic initiative, The Rising Storm, which is set concurrently. The connections between the two stories are already fun to spot for someone keeping up with them both, but since they focus on different casts with different goals it shouldn't alienate anyone who only wants to read the comic or the book. 

Georges Jeanty takes over the comic's art from Ario Anindito, who penciled the entire first arc. While the new art does bring a gritty feel that matches the slightly different tone of the story, I also thought it lost some of the shine that I enjoyed most in the earlier issues. Especially considering Anindito will return to the comic before the end of this arc, I think it's a shame the art couldn't be more consistent. 

Overall, this was a very promising beginning to an exciting new story. This comic remains my favorite in Marvel's current Star Wars lineup and I'm really invested in seeing where the story goes, both in this series and in the overall initiative. The characters and storyline is as interesting as ever and I can't wait to see what happens next!

NumidianPrime